What happened to me at the Boston Marathon?

This sums it up well. Thank you.

Boston was by far my worst marathon, performance wise. I had run lots of hills in training but I still got whooped mid way through. Remember that in analyzing a marathon performance, your sample size is so small that's its impossible to pinpoint the exact reason you blow up. To get a control, you have to do something many times with all factors the same, and between air temperature, marathon courses and our health, there's too many variables to be certain of anything.

I think a lot of people were too worried about the forecast. By the time gift started the race they had already convinced themselves they would bonk.

(PR by :30)

I haven't read the whole thread, but I think there is a massive mental issue here - people get completely worked up about marathons...esp boston. The buildup is so big and they make it such a big deal that they tense up and exhaust themselves.

we all know how this works...we do an effortless 6 mile tempo and feel great and loose and free, then at a 10k two weeks later we can only run a few seconds per mile faster.

the difference is mental - we just get tensed up in races and that uses up too much mental power. The body just can't handle it and shuts itself down.

I do think there is something to getting mentally exhausted/nervous before Boston, particularly the first time around, so I'm adding that to my list of reasons why I cratered the first time around. The second time around I was a lot less anxious.

agip wrote:

I haven't read the whole thread, but I think there is a massive mental issue here - people get completely worked up about marathons...esp boston. The buildup is so big and they make it such a big deal that they tense up and exhaust themselves.

we all know how this works...we do an effortless 6 mile tempo and feel great and loose and free, then at a 10k two weeks later we can only run a few seconds per mile faster.

the difference is mental - we just get tensed up in races and that uses up too much mental power. The body just can't handle it and shuts itself down.

Add me to the 2017 Boston trash list....I've run 2:54, 2:58, 2:55 the last three years in Boston. Recently ran 2:51 in my buildup. I went through 20 miles in 2:11:50 and finished in 3:11:11. You figure out the math on that last 10K death march. The sun completely grabbed my legs from under me the final 6 miles. I drank at every Gatorade and water station on the route. Poured water of my head at every mile and took gels at 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 23 miles. It wasn't enough to battle the cramping. Hamstrings, calves, and groin locked up. Geez.......

I'm not sure you two are completely right though. I use the OP and myself as the argument here. Sure it's a combo of factors. But hitting a wall before mile 10 when you're more or less trained for a marathon isn't fully explained by weather, allergies, sun, late start, hills, etc. You're telling me that if you've qualified for Boston, run 40+ mpw, have done a fair amount of work at MP, etc., it's possible to hit a wall at mile 6? I think there's something else. Looking at my own case (2:58 qualifier, 50-60 mpw for 16 weeks, PR shape, ample hill training, very used to hot weather, and I walled out hard at mile 9 - this was marathon #5, I know what a wall feels like), it's hard to understand any explanation for such a day other than illness, anemia, etc. Still looking for answers. Don't expect to get it solved. Can only move on and hope the next one goes better.

Smoove wrote:

The notorious DSP pretty much covered it.

I agree with HobsJog that it is silly to shoot for a PR at this race, but I disagree that it cannot be a goal race (i.e., one for which you specifically train, and at which you specifically shoot to achieve a certain standard - course PR, finishing position (top half, whatever works for you, standing among a specific group of competitors, etc.).

HobsJog wrote:

Correct answer. On top of that, Boston is 95% of the time terrible racing weather. Anyone who bothers training for that as a goal race is a grade A moran.

That's fair. I think the general point of "totality of circumstances" applies to most; but it is also possible just to have a bad day. 1 in 100 that it happens to be race day, but that means it happens.

If I were to pick a single biggest factor it would be heat.

Then it would be downhills.

How were your biorhythms that day. Specifically the physical variable. Low phys cycle could be at fault.

I don't.

I'll put in my two cents since I think this is a positive helpful post. I wasn't there this year but ran 2012 which was even hotter. I hurt myself so badly that day, my running body has never been the same. I haven't been able to train for or run a marathon since. After Boston 2012 my body simply said 'no mas.' It shut down on me for any more hard running since. Ask Alberto Salazar and Dick Beardley what 1982 did to them. Boston is no place to run in hot humid conditions. I had previously run Boston in 2:35, 2:29, and 2:42 all as a master (none in ideal weather) then ran 3:16 in 2012. It about killed me. Nearly blacked out at the finish from dehydration but was too proud (or stupid) to get medical attention. Unless you are an elite or maybe a local who can train for Boston's unpredictable and demanding conditions, run it for the experience only, not for goal time, and save your body for more forgiving better weather marathons. Voice of experience and a veteran of 40 high quality marathons. Fortunately at age 62 (5 years after 2012) I can still manage to jog a few days a week, but that's it. Boston 2012 ended my competitive running career.

I'll put in my two cents since I think this is a positive helpful post. I wasn't there this year but ran 2012 which was even hotter. I hurt myself so badly that day, my running body has never been the same. I haven't been able to train for or run a marathon since. After Boston 2012 my body simply said 'no mas.' It shut down on me for any more hard running since. Ask Alberto Salazar and Dick Beardley what 1982 did to them. Boston is no place to run in hot humid conditions. I had previously run Boston in 2:35, 2:29, and 2:42 all as a master (none in ideal weather) then ran 3:16 in 2012. It about killed me. Nearly blacked out at the finish from dehydration but was too proud (or stupid) to get medical attention. Unless you are an elite or maybe a local who can train for Boston's unpredictable and demanding conditions, run it for the experience only, not for goal time, and save your body for more forgiving better weather marathons. Voice of experience and a veteran of 40 high quality marathons. Fortunately at age 62 (5 years after 2012) I can still manage to jog a few days a week, but that's it. Boston 2012 ended my competitive running career.

I really feel for you. Apparently finishing the race that day was not the right thing to do. Back when I was young and relatively fast (2:43 as an open female), I got in the bad (?) habit of running marathons like an elite--if I was having a bad day early on, I would just drop out rather than finish with a time much slower than my expectations. I took a lot of crap from my runner friends about being a quitter (generally I was not actually injured when I dropped out, just having a bad day) but I think it saved me from the kind of thing that happened to you.

There may be things that are worth destroying your health for, but finishing a marathon is not one of them. My two cents' worth.

Sorry about your bad experience, hope you'll be back next year and get it licked. On the bright side, now you know how does an Ironman marathon feels like, without having to train for the swim and the bike ride.

I was thinking the same thing..maybe illness or some other metabolic problem but in my case (having not run a single hill or downhill in training) it must have been the shock to my legs. I guess Boston can do that to you, even if you run conservatively.

Just came across this about 11 days since running Boston for the first time. This thread made me feel much better -- I was among those that had a bad race.

I was pretty confident I could break 2:50 for the first time, but I played the tourist for the 4 days before Boston. That plus the heat got to me. I'm from the Boise area and I train in the mornings, so I don't think I've run in 50F+ weather since October.

I first felt something amiss at mile 5, and by mile 8 I was struggling. I gradually slowed my pace down and luckily I got a second wind at mile 15. That got me through the end, but not before I hit the wall hard around mile 23 and slogged on to the finish. I finished in 3:08, feeling the worst I have since a marathon 2 years and 5 marathons ago. I usually include at least one hill in every workout, and I did 3 long workouts in the past couple months on very steep hills (1000 foot elevation change), so for me I don't think it was the hills as much as the heat and walking around as a tourist for the week before. I'll be back in a couple years hopefully.