no! ah! wrote:
What it means is that today he ran a 2:03.38 on a different course under different conditions, and in no way indicates that the time he ran in Boston is something he was capable of at any point in time without the 'aid' of the wind, etc.
He may have only been in 2:05 shape that day, and ran 2:03.02.
This time he ran today doesn't mean that he could have run faster last year under the same conditions.
And that a reasonable calculation of the effect of the wind was in the 'double digit' range of 30-90 seconds. As is well known, Boston's net downhill is countered by the difficulty of running the hills. So, in a good year, Boston can be aided, but not by too much.