Boston is a commitment that costs a ton of money when I am unfortunately not one of the people who makes 200k on this board. But i told this to alot of people, I had an awful time out there and if I knew how to DNF and get back to the finish line i would have.
nah.. wrote:
Where are you from? People train in much worse through entire winters.
+1
I honestly literally could not believe some of the whining I read on here about that "terrible" weather at the time. Pretty common to have that temp and wind speeds here through the winter.
Oh and of course Rupp. How weak was that? That's the mentality of a loser right there.
Banana Beard wrote:
nah.. wrote:
Where are you from? People train in much worse through entire winters.
+1
I honestly literally could not believe some of the whining I read on here about that "terrible" weather at the time. Pretty common to have that temp and wind speeds here through the winter.
Oh and of course Rupp. How weak was that? That's the mentality of a loser right there.
Gotta disagree with you. Did you run it last year ?
I live in upper NY and do just about all my training outside.
If I was planning a long training run and stepped out the door to that, cold, wind, and down pouring rain I would have postponed it or hoped on the treadmill.
I was already there so no backing out.
In 25 years of running outside that was the worst.
I ran Boston last year because 1) it was my first Boston, 2) I trained to qualify and trained for race day, 3) I came from out of state and spent a decent chunk of change that I wouldn't get back if I didn't run.
Pretzel Man wrote:
I was already there so no backing out.
Yeah, I didn't realize just how bad it would be until I got to Hopkinton. At which point I was pretty much stuck.
And once you started, it was really best to finish if you could. My friends who dropped out had awful experiences trying to get back to their hotels. It was much easier to finish than to drop once you started.
If faced with those conditions again for a marathon, I will not get on the bus. It's frustrating to invest in a full training cycle just to waste on those conditions.
Gggggg wrote:
Let’s think wrote:
“Why would someone train for a target race for months and then wuss out because the weather was bad”
Some people aren’t fragile babies.
It’s not wussing out. It’s being intelligent. Oh look at me, I am a bad ass. I finished Boston 2018. No you’re an idiot.
OMG it took me 5 instead of 4 days to recover from Boston this time cos of the terrible conditions.
I ran it, I PR'd. Nothing worse than what I train in all the time. Plus I placed 150 places higher than my previous highest finish because other people are wusses.
interestingly enough, the finishing times in 2018 were faster than the finishing times from the relatively warm 2017 Boston Marathon.
2018 : 500th place : 2:48:13
2017 : 500th place : 2:48:41
____________________________________
2018 : 1000th place : 2:54:43
2017 : 1000th place : 2:56:08
____________________________________
2018 : 4000th place : 3:13:45
2017 : 4000th place : 3:16:47
____________________________________
2018 : 6000th place : 3:22:49
2017 : 6000th place : 3:26:04
____________________________________
bottom line : the results indicate that the weather conditions yielded faster finishing times in 2018 than the previous year.
Yeah 2017 sucked for running (great for spectators though). Hot and cold can both be miserable, but at least when it's cold you can run fast while you're miserable.
stupidthread wrote:
Gggggg wrote:
Can anyone tell me why tha $&@ would someone run Boston 2018 in such weather? 32 degrees Fahrenheit, 40 knot gusts, rain... I understand why the elites did, probably because of the contract they signed and they want the money so they are willing to suffer. But why would an amateur run it?? The fee to participate is nickel and dimes. This weather is obviously not fun. It’s suffering! Do you run to suffer? In such weather you would get a Lousy time compare to your true ability, so it all comes to the purpose of telling other people “I finished Boston 2018”, which is pretty pathetic.
Do you really think all people run for fun? Maybe the hobby joggers do, but those serious in the sport do not run just for fun. Do you really think running a 20 mile long run at 6 am in the cold rain Saturday mornings is fun? What about making yourself puke from a track workout? What about feeling like butt all day every day when you are putting in high mileage weeks, and still you have life responsibilities to attend to on top of 100 miles a week?
It is not about fun. It is about winning.
When it comes to Boston, especially the elites, they don't race for time, silly. You race for place. That is what races are FOR: WHO CAN FINISH FIRST. Time does not matter if you come in 100th place.
I ran countless track workouts with teammates and never saw one puke. Even if you are running high mileage, over-distance runs are easy. Frank Shorter said that when he was running 140mpw, 95% of it was easy. What elite runner are you talking about that feels like butt everyday?
a cowboy's work is never done wrote:
interestingly enough, the finishing times in 2018 were faster than the finishing times from the relatively warm 2017 Boston Marathon.
2018 : 500th place : 2:48:13
2017 : 500th place : 2:48:41
____________________________________
2018 : 1000th place : 2:54:43
2017 : 1000th place : 2:56:08
____________________________________
2018 : 4000th place : 3:13:45
2017 : 4000th place : 3:16:47
____________________________________
2018 : 6000th place : 3:22:49
2017 : 6000th place : 3:26:04
____________________________________
bottom line : the results indicate that the weather conditions yielded faster finishing times in 2018 than the previous year.
Funny - I hadn’t thought about this. My time was faster in 2018 than 2017, too.
Dollars to donuts, though, I’d way rather re-run 2017. I’ve run in -30° windchills before, and I’ve NEVER been that cold on a run. Things didn’t turn around for me until I hit the Newtons and started to generate some body heat working the hills.
My goodness. Is this even a question?
Every race i run is run for four reasons, if not more.
1) To race the competition. In this sense, we all faced the same conditions so the weather was equal for all, and no consideration from this perspective.
2) To challenge myself to finish something challenging. Isn't this a major draw of the marathon? Well, nature served up something truly memorable on that day and I consider myself fortunate to be amongst those who had the opportunity to rise to this historic challenge.
3) To compete against my previous times. I understand that this is a mixed challenge. Conditions are never identical to other events or marathons, and in that i run in nature, i accept that weather fluctuates and not every time can be ideal. No guarantee = i need to accept what i get.
4) To master my sport. Unless you are a total dumb@ss, you assess the situation, you adjust, you toe the line and you have the confidence in yourself to make the right decisions and overcome the obstacles. Crap weather happens and i will not be deterred by it.
I don't mind failing if it comes to that. I would rather fall short of my expectations than to second guess my commitment or back down.
How about charity runners? They didn't even have to train to get in.
Gggggg wrote:
nah.. wrote:
Where are you from? People train in much worse through entire winters.
Apart from the suffering aspect, the combination of freezing temperatures, very strong wind and rain makes a running session totally useless. People who train or race in such conditions are stupid
No, they have ball, unlike you who have a pssy hairier than that of a 70s porn actress.
I wanted to finish Boston last year. I couldn't finish (got super hypothermic). They wanted to put a rectal thermometer in me in the medical tent and thankfully I was coherent enough to refuse that. I didn't want to DNF and I am not proud of it...but I was totally done by mile 16. My goals of an OTQ time were out the window....I knew that going in....but i wanted to honor the race and try to place as well as possible. There was a mild 10mph headwind and some cooler temps and a bit of rain in 2015 when I got 16th place and ran 2:19:12 there...However, last year was much, much more extreme conditions. I'd rather it be 80 degrees and sunny. Worst weather conditions I've ever run in (I did throw off my jacket which was a huge N00b mistake). I tell people finishing the The UTMB 100-miler on a rough day/night after 26+ hours in the cold snowy mountains and rain was easier than trying to finish Boston for me last year. That being said I think a lot of people ran PRs last year....even sub 3:00 and sub 2:50. The cool weather tends to be better than hot weather for the vast majority of the runners.
Pretzel Man wrote:
Banana Beard wrote:
+1
I honestly literally could not believe some of the whining I read on here about that "terrible" weather at the time. Pretty common to have that temp and wind speeds here through the winter.
Oh and of course Rupp. How weak was that? That's the mentality of a loser right there.
Gotta disagree with you. Did you run it last year ?
I live in upper NY and do just about all my training outside.
If I was planning a long training run and stepped out the door to that, cold, wind, and down pouring rain I would have postponed it or hoped on the treadmill.
I was already there so no backing out.
In 25 years of running outside that was the worst.
a cowboy's work is never done wrote:
interestingly enough, the finishing times in 2018 were faster than the finishing times from the relatively warm 2017 Boston Marathon.
2018 : 500th place : 2:48:13
2017 : 500th place : 2:48:41
____________________________________
2018 : 1000th place : 2:54:43
2017 : 1000th place : 2:56:08
____________________________________
2018 : 4000th place : 3:13:45
2017 : 4000th place : 3:16:47
____________________________________
2018 : 6000th place : 3:22:49
2017 : 6000th place : 3:26:04
____________________________________
bottom line : the results indicate that the weather conditions yielded faster finishing times in 2018 than the previous year.
Not a good comparison.
On a hot year, you'll have a number of participants who will slow down but still finish. Turn it into a fun run and enjoy the experience, kiss the Wellesley girls, drink a beer, etc.
Not in 2018. You either tried to finish it as quickly as you could so that you could get back to your hotel, or you dropped out.
I mean runners are tough. Logging high mileage weeks, getting runs in early, getting runs in late, getting through lengthy workouts. The weather wasn't gonna stop people from running. It was a chance to see what you're made of. It was also a chance to see where you can place in a big race like that in trash conditions. There's something nice about the collective feeling of being in a race like that. Everyone commits to run no matter what and give it their all despite the conditions. That's pretty cool.
NewtotheSouthSide wrote:
I mean runners are tough. Logging high mileage weeks, getting runs in early, getting runs in late, getting through lengthy workouts. The weather wasn't gonna stop people from running. It was a chance to see what you're made of. It was also a chance to see where you can place in a big race like that in trash conditions. There's something nice about the collective feeling of being in a race like that. Everyone commits to run no matter what and give it their all despite the conditions. That's pretty cool.
I was there for a few really tough years including 2018 and what you are referring to was definitely a big part of what drove me to run it.
Agreed.
Last winter in Mass. wasn't bad at all for training. And, Marathon Monday was by far the worst day of the previous three or four months. Winter early spring was quite tame, and two days before it was sunny and 65! WTF.
That said, I felt pretty good at the start area as i was dressed properly for the bus ride and the pre-race wait. 10am weather was not heinous - 32ish, breezy, light mist - not ridiculous by any stretch. Everyone was in good shape who prepared well for the pre-race and the first several miles were no problems with the weather. From Framingham to Natick the weather was terrible, and you're exposed to a little more open landscape. If you weren't able to maintain heat after Wellesley you were done, for as the pace slows after 128. Newton hills were bad after the tenderization from the previous miles, and I only remember snipets of the race after seeing my family at the firehouse. I finished, nearly 20 mins slower than bq, and have NEVER been so cold in my life - and i grew colder still waiting for my bag. I still BQd by 6 mins, thank goodness i can try again this year since it cant be any worse than last year.
I'm a bag of bones - 5'11" and 132lbs. maybe i dressed incorrectly, but running in just a singlet and shorts i do not think would have given me a good chance to complete the race at all - of which many people we doing just that. Many people were obviously better suited for the day's weather than i was... many people PBd, many looked strong the last couple of miles, many were pleased and buoyed by their results. So why did people even run it? Well, just because i had an miserable race just as many people had banner days - sounds like marathon racing to me. You cant write the script beforehand. Just wait till it's 65 and sunny this year and all the belly-achers will come out of the woodwork again.
Gggggg wrote:
https://media.golfdigest.com/photos/5ad60a5b70e68e282f66ed95/master/w_768,c_limit/GettyImages-947139710.jpgLet’s think wrote:
“Why would someone train for a target race for months and then wuss out because the weather was bad”
Some people aren’t fragile babies.
I trained for months so I must run it. So much fun. I’m enjoying every minute. I feel so light and bouncy. I am on my way to a great PB
That photo. None of those upper body jackets/ ponchos would help with the rain or cold. Maybe to keep the wind chill off but that would be offset by the wetness. They do not block the rain out when you're out there for hours.
Crazy people. A MP effort would generate a lot of heat though as long as you never let up the effort and had fuel in the tank and kept feeding, kelt circulation in the hands and had fat and muscle.
