Boston 2018 hypothermia

I bonked hard around Mile 24, after feeling pretty good until then (and racing at planned pace through at least Mile 17, but then slowing down by about 10 seconds per mile because my legs felt tight). At 24, my legs simply would not move. Have never felt anything quite like it. The tough thing is, it could be any number of things that caused it -- nutrition, different taper approach, or the weather. Maybe it was just a normal bonk that felt different because I was cold. Hard to know.

It happened to me too. I am from New England so I know how to run in the cold. And I have 4 prior Boston experiences along with a PR that got me into the Elite Women's Start the year of the N'Oreaster in 2007, so I am not inexperienced...But... on Monday I had a VERY hard time with the cold. I ended up in the Med Tent with hypothermia. I believe it has a lot to do with the combination of wet with cold. It took me a very long time to warm up and today I still have pain in my toes on one foot. Monday was brutal. End of story.

I applaud all of you...except that quitter Rupp.

I'm from MN, and I was treated for hypothermia well before the end.

Many of us have run in far worse conditions for training. The major difference is that we don't stand around for 2hrs prior to starting. Also, we generally wear more clothes even if we ditch them to pick them up post run.

I had a funny conversation with one of the elite women on Tuesday am. She said she could have dressed for and run a 6min pace long run and won. Obviously the pack wouldn't have let that happen(maybe) but it was a crazy discussion.

I've had many worse runs around the res in Boulder colder, more wind , etc. but adding the soaking rain was the breaking point for many. I ran by feel/effort Monday and negative split by 3+ mins. Shorts, rain jacket, singlet with arm warmers. The VF 4% and merino socks were a huge benefit. feet never got cold and the shoes don't absorb water.

Me too. Tight fitting wind breaker. I didn't wear one because some CLOWN poster on another thread said those are for 5 hour finishers.

hypothermic banana wrote:

Sub18Hopeful wrote:

...Next time the one thing I do differently is wear a nice quality wind breaker for the full 26.2.!

Me too. Tight fitting wind breaker. I didn't wear one because some CLOWN poster on another thread said those are for 5 hour finishers.

I wasn't going to wear mine but a teammate talked me into it. And the only reason i did was becuase as i often do on my training runs, if i warm up, i can roll it up and tie it around my waist.

It worked out well. I was totally wet within about mile 6 but it worked really well to cut wind chill way down. I only had a short sleeve under it and shorts (bare legs), but i was totally fine. Also, i did not do athlete's village at all, due to a late ride, i went straight from the shuttle to a jog to the start line, actually missing my start by a few corrals.

All told, i ran the race 24 minutes slower than my qualifier and i did it because i wanted to finish more than i wanted to risk seizing up. That strategy worked but it's still not what i had wanted it to be.

The VF 4% don't absorb water? Wow.

I must be some kind of idiot. Ran in my usual Asics GT 2000 and weighted them later that evening: 2 lbs total, together (15.5 oz each to be precise) due to the water. That's some serious weight to carry with each step!

hypothermic banana wrote:

Me too. Tight fitting wind breaker. I didn't wear one because some CLOWN poster on another thread said those are for 5 hour finishers.

If you're talking about the Boston jacket, I was referring to anyone who qualified and is proudly wearing it. Showing off mediocrity is frowned upon.

I proudly wear my "West Wyoming Marathon" jacket, as I know that it puts me among the elite few.

Kippers wrote:

I proudly wear my "West Wyoming Marathon" jacket, as I know that it puts me among the elite few.

also Put fear into all the sheep along the course.

I only made it to mile 18.5. Unlike you I could feel myself degrading starting at mile 14. By mile 18 my body was shaking uncontrollably - really couldn't think straight. I imagine I looked like a zombie hit with a taser. I think I could have made it if I had worn something more waterproof as an out layer but who knows. It was my first, and probably only Boston.

Proud because I gave it everything I had, but still a little sad I couldn't finish.

It wasn't pretty.

not a hobby jogger wrote:

hypothermic banana wrote:

Me too. Tight fitting wind breaker. I didn't wear one because some CLOWN poster on another thread said those are for 5 hour finishers.

If you're talking about the Boston jacket, I was referring to anyone who qualified and is proudly wearing it. Showing off mediocrity is frowned upon.

Someone else; and they weren't talking about the Celebration jacket.

Bonking at some point during the last 6 miles of a marathon is not unusual.

Nearly everyone feels like crap during the last six miles of the marathon. Mile 20 is when you reach the physical and mental halfway point of the race.

Congrats to those who finished.

Flounder wrote:

Bonking at some point during the last 6 miles of a marathon is not unusual.

Nearly everyone feels like crap during the last six miles of the marathon. Mile 20 is when you reach the physical and mental halfway point of the race.

Congrats to those who finished.

Right. This was my third boston marathon, and i was astounded at how many people were walking by about mile 20. It became an obstacle course running around them. They wouldn't get over to the side. I turned once or twice to look at them as i passed and they looked dazed. It felt like something out of 'Night of the Walking Dead.'

Point is, something was different this year. And i don't think it was the Zombie Apocolypse.

Tough year. Maybe the toughest. Don't be hard on yourself. You still accomplished plenty.

OldAndInTheWay wrote:

I only made it to mile 18.5. Unlike you I could feel myself degrading starting at mile 14. By mile 18 my body was shaking uncontrollably - really couldn't think straight. I imagine I looked like a zombie hit with a taser. I think I could have made it if I had worn something more waterproof as an out layer but who knows. It was my first, and probably only Boston.

Proud because I gave it everything I had, but still a little sad I couldn't finish.

It wasn't pretty.

I finished, but I'm still sad about the race. The what ifs turn in my head constantly. It was also my first and probably only Boston too. I finished 17 minutes off my goal.

I don't see myself every getting past what happened with the hypothermia. It was that bad. I have no motivation for competitive running anymore. Any one else on this thread who got hypothermia having trouble bouncing back?

I've bonked plenty of times in a marathon. This wasn't bonking. This was blurry vision, lightheadedness, and confusion. Luckily for me, it hit with just a couple miles to go and I managed to run it out, but those last two miles I was fully expecting to black out the whole way. Still, I would take those conditions every time over what it was the year before. The conditions this year made for a cool experience and one I will always remember fondly.

I am getting back at it. Ran a 10k two weekends ago. Doing a half in two weeks. A little trouble bouncing back but I am making progress.

One of the sad things about this is that if you don't finish Boston just eliminates you from the results listing. I mean yea I was a DNF, but I made it 18.5 miles. I have split times. But if I search for my results - nothing. Oh well, the did the same for Galen Rupp.

I was fortunate enough to have a good weather Boston. But I have had a few marathons which were really rainy and cold. How you do in a marathon can be so random. Really it all about the day. Try not to dwell on it. Hopefully you can BQ again and go next year. May I ask was this your first Boston?