Did you PR in Boston yesterday?

While I didn't set a marathon PR (missed by 1 min), I ran a Boston PR by 10 minutes, running in mid 2:50s. A friend of mine ran a 5 min PR and qualified for trials. Wind was probably a small help, but it was 10 degrees warmer than I prefer. I actually got sunburned on my face even after using sunscreen. This is my ninth time on this course so I know it well. More than any other, this race is all about course management. Wind or not, runners must have a solid strategy of being conservative on those first 6 miles of downhills so as to not blow up in Newton.

I got a PR but!

I was in shape for a PR. I ran a 1:23 half 3 weeks before Boston and a 38:02 10k a few weeks before that. I ran 2:55 in Boston which I was shooting for.

I did not feel a tailwind until I got to Boston. Actually I felt no wind from any direction until Boston. That probably is an advantage in itself since normally you would feel some wind resistance since you are moving yourself.

That being said, I paced myself without taking into consideration any wind, just what my training said I was capable of. Finished strong with fastest 5k being the last 5k. I guess I could have run a bit faster.

I will tell you one thing. This course is hard. If you are not a good hill runner, I dont care what wind there is, you wont PR. If the wind gave us 3-4 minutes, the course itself takes that back. So I figured my 2:55 equals a 2:55 in Chicago, London or Rotterdam on a non-wind day. Maybe a 2:57 in New York, which I ran in 2009 and found a lot easier than Boston, even though I ran that in 3:10 but not in the shape I am now.

Although I had a Boston PR, I missed my goal, despite a very successful and injury-free training segment. I increased my miles and tried to do work on my endurance this winter. In March, I ran a 1:29 at the NYC Half and it felt effortless. I thought for sure I was going to smoke Boston.

I was shooting for anything under 3:10. I figured I would take it out very conservatively at 7:10 pace through 20, and save my legs for the last six miles into Boston. I was clicking off 7:10s on the dot for 17, and then I started to feel my legs starting to get heavy. I kept pushing, but the quads, combined with the hills, crushed me. I started to fall off the pace and that was the end of the story. I coasted into the finish slightly frustrated, but at the same time, happy with a course PR.

I noticed the wind, but barely. Mostly at the water stops when the cups would be blowing down the road. Also, I got a little hot out there. There was a stretch of road that appeared to have been recently repaved and there was no shade. I cooked there. I too got a bit of a sunburn and found myself dumping cups of water over my head.

Even though I missed my mark, I still had a great time. It's an incredible experience, and I am fortunate to have done it four times.

Finally, I have to give huge props to Desi and her second place finish on Monday. I see her frequently training here in town and it's great to see her hard work pay off. I'm lucky to live in an area that is home to so many talented runners, and to a running store that does so much for the local community.

keep_going wrote:

The tailwind isn't going to compensate for under-training, stupid pacing, or unfamiliarity with the course. However, if you had those 3 things down, I'd say you should have PRed on Monday.

Stater of the extraordinarily obvious.

Seems like it wouldn't be too hard to calculate the advantage based on finishing times at 100th, 500th, 1000th, 2000th placings as compared to the average over the last 10 years. Stats based on the top finishers are flawed because the tactics in the race every year totally change the overall time. Practically every elite at Boston is racing for the win/podium and not a PR. However, there are few tactics further down the ranks. Most want to run a PB and don't really care about place. Anybody have time to do this one?

keep_going wrote:

The tailwind isn't going to compensate for under-training, stupid pacing, or unfamiliarity with the course. However, if you had those 3 things down, I'd say you should have PRed on Monday.

Ran my worst performance of the four I've done by far. Tailwind, net elevation drop -- whatever. The course is not an easy one.

Monday was my third Boston and my fastest. I attribute that to better training and knowing the course. Like any Boston veteran will tell you, do not go out too fast in the first half.

As for the much talked about tailwind, I cannot say I felt or noticed it. If there was such a strong wind, wouldn't some of the hundreds of discarded water cups have been blowing around? I did feel an occasional breeze as I got into Boston, but that was it as far as the wind goes. When we were waiting for the start in Hopkinton, the wind was really gusting, but not during the race.

You guys all suck.

I ran a 16-minute PR (2:36 down from 2:52) in my third marathon (second Boston). The wind was awesome.

I did PR, body is beat

L.A. Marathon 3:05:xx

Boston 2:53:07

Great day... Weather was perfect

I did not feel the tail wind just my legs on fire

I Prd in Boston. Ran in the low 2:20s. I've only ever run Boston so I don't know what other courses are like. My training and races leading up to the marathon indicated I would run the time I did. The weather was nice, there's no doubt about that but I didn't think the wind was as magical as people are making it out to be. There were several times during the first half the race when I was ducking behind other runners because we had a headwind. I was concerned I had been breaking the wind too much and wasting energy. There were also several times when the wind was coming from the side. To finish it off, the were a few times in the last half of the race when I could feel the wind behind me. The conditions were favorable but not the magical 3-4 mins people are quoting.

One thing to consider is that when there's a head wind in Boston, people don't go around proclaiming everyone will run 3-4 minutes slower than normal. There were tons of people who didn't run PRs on Monday. You had to have a great race in great conditions to really get the benefit. Mutai did not have a mediocre performance made great by the wind, he had a great performance in great conditions.

Had no problem with Newton Hills actually, it was the down hills that I was not use to. Last 5K was not pretty but managed to stay under 8:00 min p/m at that point. Ran 3:16, three minutes faster than I did in '98. Who said Boston was an easy course?

MOST ELITES AT BOSTON WEIGH 100 TO 125LBS I'M GUESSING. The wind will have more of a beneficial effect pushing them to a fast time than it would pushing the rest of the runners who may be fat and over 200lbs and who are NOT aero-dynamic and have poor posture and form.

everyone keeps saying they didn't feel the tail wind. how often do you ever feel a tailwind? i've been on so many runs were i think i'm just tearing it up, only to turn around and realize i had been getting pushed along by a strong tail wind. also, tail winds don't help you stay cool. in fact, the only time a head wind can actually make you run faster is when it is hot enough. the head wind cools you off. so no surprise people were feeling hot.

again, just 'cause people said they didn't feel it doesn't mean it wasn't there.

oh, i didn't run boston this year so i don't really know nothing.

Not trying to take away from anyones performance, but I definitely agree with this. Whenever I have the wind at my back in a workout, I just assume the conditions are very still. That is of course, until I turn around and run the other way.

yes, I ran a cool 2:04:57. And set the AR. But Haters gonna Hate anyways...

My previous was 3:05:55 at Rock-n-Roll mardi gras and 2:59:45 at 115th Boston(though my watch had 2:58:16 -- not sure what went on there with the time discrepancy).

As far as the course went: I thought people around my corral were going out too fast; in fact, I recall seeing many of them at a much slower pace in the latter miles(miles 17-20). I remember getting a tail wind at certain parts of the course but it was brief, nothing that stood out -- in fact, I figured it was just a bunch of hype; however, my experience is only based on a certain time slice of the day and so there may have been other parts of the day where the orientation of the wind was a steady tail wind for longer sections of the course. Too, I also experience some head-wind and wind from my sides along with no wind at all, so there was quite the variation and if any dominated the duration I ran the course it would be "no wind at all."

Other than that, I enjoyed the course; The cool temps were a godsend (my training was averaging 55 mile weeks in 76-85 degree heat with nearly 100% humidity); moreover, the crowd support was outstanding.

Additionally, the downhill experience was underestimated on how it would affect my body; I would make a conscious effort to hold back my pace so that the uphills were no problem(and the hills really weren't that bad but could have been worse if you tried to run faster than what your current level of training allowed). I observed several times between descents and ascents, that many people would storm the descent and then fade on the ascent (this seemed to be a common pattern and was surprising considering you don't necessarily run Boston without having knocked out at least a marathon before -- charity runners excluded).

Overall, it was a pleasurable experience and I hope to run it again (with a new PR).

PR'd by nearly 7 and a half minutes. However, I was in the best shape of my life coming into this marathon unlike my previous two, so I was already expecting the time I ran. Finished in 2:28:34, and although I believe the tailwinds helped, I do not agree that they were some magical 4 minute benefit as some have previously stated. First Boston, so I think the greatest benefit was the crowd. The two other marathons I have run were relatively small, so there wan not much crowd support until the end. However, Boston was packed the whole way, and those crowds were not going to let you die out there.

first time on this site. interesting posts. I am a 48 yo male. This was my first Boston and second marathon. I was physically well prepared but ran a dumb race. PRed my 1/2 marathon split and felt great through 25k then my feet and legs cramped up.Hands swelled and turned blue. being a novice i didn't realize i was sufferring heat exhaustion. I hadn't properly hydrated. dumb!!!!I ran a 3:55 - 30 minutes slower then my first marathon. The course really wasn't the issue for me as I run hills and mountains as part of my training but the heat and sun and my inexperience did me in. The benefit? My quads weren't shot! After rehydrating I felt I could run another 5 miles and I've felt fine all week. Hopefully I get another shot at Boston. Lots of nice folks and a great day.

I didn't feel the tailwind, but I know it was there. For all of you that think the tailwind was minimal, look through your race photos and get ready for a shocker. There was a serious tailwind. It may not have given you 3-4 minutes, but it certainly helped.