Considering a DNS at Boston - Advice needed

If your costs are already sunk in and you cannot get a refund for your hotel, go do it.

If you are not feeling it on race day take it easy and enjoy the event. Save your legs a beat down for another day.

Who knows how fit you will be in fifteen years from now. It may be the only chance you get to run Boston and be fit enough to enjoy it at an easy pace.

Sounds like someone has serious pre race jitters, don't talk yourself out of it, get out there and get'er done

I'd venture to say you're in better than 3 hour shape. I say start.

Here's your race strategy. Run comfortably to Wellesley. Kiss a few girls. Feel good. Run confidently to Newton cuz you just kissed some girls. Run the hills with purpose. Grab a beer at the top of the 4th one on the left hand side from the Hash House Harriers. Be happy you kissed some girls, the hills are over, you had a beer, and its 10k to go. Race it in.

I found that strategy worked well for me. Ran 2:59 there a few years ago with it.

Good luck.

faster funnier wrote:

I'd venture to say you're in better than 3 hour shape. I say start.

Here's your race strategy. Run comfortably to Wellesley. Kiss a few girls. Feel good. Run confidently to Newton cuz you just kissed some girls. Run the hills with purpose. Grab a beer at the top of the 4th one on the left hand side from the Hash House Harriers. Be happy you kissed some girls, the hills are over, you had a beer, and its 10k to go. Race it in.

I found that strategy worked well for me. Ran 2:59 there a few years ago with it.

Good luck.

This has now become my life's goal.

not a pro. wrote:

faster funnier wrote:

I'd venture to say you're in better than 3 hour shape. I say start.

Here's your race strategy. Run comfortably to Wellesley. Kiss a few girls. Feel good. Run confidently to Newton cuz you just kissed some girls. Run the hills with purpose. Grab a beer at the top of the 4th one on the left hand side from the Hash House Harriers. Be happy you kissed some girls, the hills are over, you had a beer, and its 10k to go. Race it in.

I found that strategy worked well for me. Ran 2:59 there a few years ago with it.

Good luck.

This has now become my life's goal.

Don't forget to stop and bang out some pushups at the top of heartbreak hill

Pretzel Man wrote:

Remember "It's a Celebration Bitches !!"

Mazeltov!

Mike Repence and be saved wrote:

Seriously a friend of mine ran last year. He didn't get many long runs in and was worried about breaking three. He had to stop and take number 2 at mile 9 or so. Took him about five minutes. Came back and ran a hair over 3.

So your friend was worried about breaking three, but was actually in 2:55 shape?

Lol.

If this is your first Boston and you aren't going to meet your targeted goals just enjoy it all. Run slow, look around. Treat it as a long hard training run. You'll likely find some nice looking behinds to trail.

Shoot for a qualifying time later this summer.

Or go out in a blaze of glory and wobble down Boyleston with soiled shorts while thousands tweet your pic

I was in a similar situation about a decade ago. I had broken 3 the previous year and wanted to do the same in Boston, but the training didn't go very well. I ran more than you have, but I could tell I wasn't ready. And, it was hot on race day and I had trained almost exclusively in cold weather.

So I convinced myself I could still do it, and ended up with the most miserable 3 and a half hour experience of my life. Stayed on pace for half of it and was lucky to even be able to complete the thing with a lot of walking. It really sucked.

Looking back on it, I should have just taken it as a nice slow long run and actually enjoyed the experience. I would have still done it.

I think you are heading in the same direction. Getting to the start line in the right shape is what matters most for a marathon in my view and you haven't done that.

You paid how much to run this race? Just go run it and have fun. The weather should make for a lovely morning/afternoon. I think you should be happy running, period, otherwise find a new activity.

aren't sub 3 and 2:55 the same thing. Lol?

Judging by this initial information provided I would still think you have a chance to break 3 if you're smart about it. Stop bitching about the weather and go race the race - if you slow-jog in to a 3:10 so be it, nobody will care...

If it's hot, just think about all the training you've done in the heat. Know that the heat is the same for everyone--get in their heads. Go out hard with the Ethiopeans and Kenyans. If they don't match your move at 10k, just go--there's a chance you can gap them so much by 30K that there's no way they can catch you. Go hard--don't be that old man who wishes that he'd left it all on the course, instead of playing it safe. Win, lose or draw, it's a great story and people will be posting about it on LRC in the years to come.

Beevie wrote:

23timer wrote:

why not run for fun?

it's a 26.2-mile street party

go and enjoy all the sights, sounds,... get kisses at Wellesley.. high five a thousand little kids...

This. Sometimes we take training and times and all that way too seriously, way out of all perspective. Is that how you really want to live, failing to enjoy the experience of life because you are so worried over a few seconds a mile one way or the other?

Agreed. I've run Boston fast enough to get a comp'ed entry into the next year's race, and also run it just for fun when I found myself underprepared for whatever reason. Had equally memorable, great experiences both ways. In fact, doing it "just for fun" might have been an even better overall experience because I got to have more fun in Boston before and after the race rather than just conserving energy before and feeling so beat down after.

One other piece of advice, if you decide to do it as a fun run, be sure to move back in the corrals, or even to wave 2 or 3 so that you don't get trampled by the people seriously trying to break 3 hours. Find a friend who's in one of those farther-back corrals (surely you must know someone) and offer to run with/pace them.

Why don't you just go ahead and start the race but instead of your goal being 3 hours why not shoot for a sub 3:15 time? Enjoy the race and it will inspire you to train for you sub 3 hour goal the next year. Also, look at it like this, you get an opportunity to focus on the course and really get a good feel for it. Enjoy yourself and have fun. You can't always be ready to run fast but this is Boston, don't take it for granted. Have fun and let us know how you did. :)

Make it worth it, just go out the gates with the elites and hold the pack as long as possible. Carry the fridge the next 24 miles.

I've always maintained that racing a marathon is a great way to ruin a vacation. Don't eat that! Get off your feet! Go to bed early!

Screw all that. Truly treat the trip like a vacation and jog the race for fun.

My mind is made up. I am going to take it easy and drink beer this weekend and not stress about hurting a time. I'll save the PR for the fall and run it like a long run.

You're screwed