2:05 Guy?

Pre Race Plan

I talked about this in my last post after my buildup race, the United New York City Half, five weeks out from race day, but the 16-week block was probably 95% perfect in terms of execution. Without spending too much time rehashing the build, I’ll sum it up like this: we knew I was fit, and that buildup race was a tier above my prep race for New York, which factored heavily into the approach for Boston.

To start, I’ll say this was a historic field. My time from New York put me 31st on the entry list in terms of PRs. The field featured 10 runners with PRs under 2:05 and 15 under 2:06. As race day approached and the weather looked essentially perfect, around 40°F at the start with a light 8 mph cross-tailwind, we expected the race to go out hot.

The day before the race, I sat down with my teammate Ryan and coaches Dathan and Laura to talk through how we thought it would play out and how we’d respond. With no pacers in Boston, forecasting the race means accepting there’s a real chance you get it completely wrong. That’s the magic of races like New York and Boston, you don’t know anyone else’s plan. You just have to assess how you feel, read what’s happening, and continuously adjust for 26.2 miles.

With that said, Dathan felt that even on a fast day, 62:00 was where the governor should be for the half marathon split, but he also joked, “go with every move.” The second half of Boston is slower for almost everyone and usually turns into a race of who can handle the fast start, run the hills the strongest, and still have legs to roll the last 10K into Boston. Beyond that, the plan was more about controlling what we could to give ourselves the best shot over the back half, mainly making sure to stay on top of fueling, since the carbs you take early are what carry you through those final miles. And metering where the fatigue in your legs is at and adjusting will be crucial to handle the steady fast downhills off the Newton Hills.

Race Day

With those few notes in my head, 62:00 and take all your fuel, and knowing I was in great shape, I was excited to get going. The race starts with a ripping downhill; our first 800 was 2:07. For context, if we held that pace, we’d hit 10K in 26:18 and finish the full marathon in 1:51. The race kept rolling with different guys taking cracks at the front, keeping things honest. I just stayed tucked in the pack and focused on getting all my fuel in.

5K and 10K were no problem. At 15K I finished my bottle, right as I started to feel a shortness of breath from a side stitch. If I learned anything from New York, it’s that the hard parts of a marathon come in waves, and often out of nowhere. Around the 10-mile mark, I had to drop about 20 seconds off the main pack of ~20 guys. I needed to back off and work the stitch out or my day was going to be over before any real racing even started.

Fortunately, easing down to about 5:00 pace for 400 meters did the trick. I got it under control and knew I had to get back on quickly or I’d never see that group again. I bridged back up and felt good again, with a bit of adrenaline from getting through the first wave Boston threw at me.

Around halfway, the race started to surge again. I didn’t see the splits, but I could feel I was right around that 62:00 governor. After the race, I saw I hit halfway in exactly 62:00. At that point, though, I started to let the race go a bit. I didn’t feel strong enough to override that governor, so I let the pack go with the plan to run my own race through the hills and try to take advantage of the steady downhill over the final 10K.

One adjustment I made on the fly, after the earlier stitch, I switched to taking the caffeine gels on course and just taking a sip of my bottle at aid stations. I knew my total carb intake would be a bit lower, but I could get more caffeine in and avoid bringing the cramp back.

By the time I hit Heartbreak Hill, I was starting to reel in some of the guys from that earlier move. On the long straight sections, I could see a string of runners ahead, mostly solo and just hanging on. I didn’t know how many I’d actually catch over the last 10K, but I used them as targets. Slowly, the dots got closer until I could make out who they were.

I kept pressing, and over the last mile I closed in 4:39, picking off 3–4 more guys with a strong run down Boylston. Similar to New York, I was able to move up a lot by finishing hard. Coming down Boylston, I saw the clock ticking toward 2:06, and after just missing sub 60:00 five weeks earlier in New York, I didn’t want to miss another barrier. I snuck under in 2:05:56 for 13th place and 5th American, and the only men with a faster last mile than me were the three on the podium.

Reflection

This is a race I’m incredibly proud of, not just because I ran a huge PR, but because things didn’t go perfectly. At 10 miles, I thought there was a real chance I might have to step off the course if the stitch didn’t go away. At halfway, I had to make the call to let the pack go, even though one of my goals was to hit the Newton hills with that group. And then I had to do something I’d never done, adjust my fueling plan on the fly. I hadn’t taken a gel once during the 16-week block, and gels ended up being my primary fuel source the second half of the race.

All of that showed me I’m starting to learn the marathon. No race plan can account for everything you’ll face over 26.2 miles. But with the right buildup and preparation, you can be ready to take punches the whole way and keep fighting.

Note of appreciation

Days like Boston this year don’t happen in a vacuum. I’ve got to give a special shoutout to my teammates, especially the fellow road guys Patrick Kiprop and Ryan Ford.

I also want to give props to On for having the foresight to invest in building out the road side of OAC, and for recognizing that days like this in Boston don’t happen without the support around the athlete.

Lastly, I want to thank my nutrition sponsor JAMBAR, they have rode with me through the highs and lows of my career and always seen whats possible. And most recently Suunto for believing in the potential I have in the Marathon distance.