Boston 2014 Race Report

The problem with these big marathons is that the entry is 6 months before the race, so you can't know if you will be fit.
So it was with two minds that I went ahead with this event after the knee injury in Jan/Feb and the continuing flu from a couple of weeks ago.
The Boston Striders hosted us very well and I stood on the start line feeling quite fresh.
To get to the start line involved two security screens. At the first, we had a pat down. There was a line for women and a line for men. I had three energy gels pinned inside the front of my pants. The metal detector kept going off and the old guy doing the patting down kept touching my groin and saying "is that a gel in there?" I just kept a straight face and said "yes mate, it a gel, large size"
Conditions were perfect. Cool with no wind. I was in Corral 6 with a little cluster of four Aussies. We had a good chat and then we all shook and hands and wished each other good luck.
Everyone in a race field and the crowd was in a very good mood and there was the usual lump in throat emotion as the bass baritone singing the Star Spangled Banner came to an almighty climax and a fly past of Black Hawks went overhead right on cue.
Then we were off...slowly. It took three minutes for us cross the line as runners paused to get their faces on TV as they passed over the mats.
I had a rough plan of doing the half in 90 minutes and then to run by how I felt.
And that's how it turned out, I crossed 21.1kms in 90 minutes exactly. I felt OK but I knew that I would lose time from the then onwards on as the hills were approaching. Boston is a downhill course overall but that doesn't make it easy. The combination of the long down hill to 21km followed by a series of four crests to 32k  then a flat run to this finish has brought many hopeful runners undone.
The crowd was beside themselves with enthusiasm and it was several people deep for most of the way from the 10k mark. They noticed my Sydney Striders shirt and called out "C'mon Australia" and "You got this Sydney".
At one stage I had a burst of enthusiasm and started Hi-fiving the lines of little hands poking through the security barriers and I called out "Go Boston". This sent the crowd into paroxysms of joy and an extra loud roar went up followed by "USA, USA" But I couldn't keep that up for more than a few minutes and most of the second half consisted of gritting my teeth and concentrating on my stride and my next little goal.
Usually all I could manage when some one cheered for me was just to raise a finger, but they liked that too.
The noise at times was painful but undeniably encouraging. The Wellesly girls were especially imploring this year to try and get a kiss. Many amusing signs were held out by the good looking girls such as "Kiss me I am graduating its my last chance" or " Kiss me I don't mind beards, sweat, or oldies" ( I stayed away from their clutches but I enjoyed seeing other runners disappear into a sea of arms and lips  and emerged dazed but happy))
There were many inspirational sights along the way such as the Hoyts in their final run, the legless runners on carbon fibre blades, the wheelies and the blind with their guides.
Sometimes it was a struggle to keep on running as dark thoughts about quitting entered my head, but I plodded on, thinking of the people who inspire me but still losing time all the way.
The hills weren't too bad and fortunately I started overtaking a lot of people who were flagging.
Mark Schaefer overtook me half way up Heartbreak Hill looking fresh and gave a me a friendly pat on the back.
There were many dead soldiers from the hills onwards as the temp rose to about 20 degrees. I saw quite a few getting first aid.
Some were very fit looking young men and I realised they must also have entered injured or ill but they were determined to be part of it. That was a common feeling.
Along the flat ground to the finish the crowd was in a frenzy and was occupying every possible vantage point. If someone started walking, the crowd screamed at them to start running again and that certainly made me determined not to walk.
The CITGO sign seemed to take forever to reach after I first saw it coming over Heartbreak Hill. Finally it passed behind me, then Fenway Park where Kate, Frank and Geoff were watching the Red Sox game , and then at last the turn into Boylston St, past the bombing sites and over the finish line in 3.13. It was not possible to have dry eyes in that final stretch. That was a very long 500 metres.
I felt pretty crappy after crossing the line but the super happy enthusiasm of the volunteers lifted me up and I drifted along in a daze for 100m up the road past many collapsed runners and then I "collapsed"  at the first free spot on the foot path against a light pole and at last took a rest. It was so good  not  to be running anymore and just rest.
Then I commenced a huge sneezing fit. The crowd around me called out "God bless you" after every sneeze, little did they know it would go on for 15 minutes!
A couple of times a medic came over to check on me, but I told him I was OK (even though I wasn't sure)
Then I got some help to stand up and shuffled past the many medical volunteers who were holding out wheelchairs to me but also saying enthusiastically "congratulations awesome job" and clapping, (it was a little embarrassing but quite touching as they were so earnest)
I made my way to where the complimentary phones were located. I needed to tell Frank and Co that the gym was at a new location this year. Fortunately I bumped into them just near the phones by random chance. Many happy hugs were exchanged and then we all went to the gym together through a sea of cheerful faces and an atmosphere of goodwill, and I think also relief that the event had gone so well.
It was great to have a hot shower right next to the finish line and to change into fresh clothes. The Boston Striders are highly organised and hospitable.
Then we had a pleasant lunch in the cafe upstairs and caught the train back to Foxboro.
This Boston marathon was a wonderful experience which I was pleased and proud to take part in. The events of last year were tragic and will always haunt Boston but the silver lining was the extraordinary outpouring of goodwill this year. The motto of the run was "we all run boston" and all Bostonians (who are stereotyped as a cranky bunch who are just as likely to boo as cheer) universally supported this event. This was demonstrated in many ways but especially by the numerous strangers who walked up to me with their hand out, a big smile, and said sincerely "thank you for running."
From a running point of view it was a slow time and I would have been better off not starting and concentrating on training back to full fitness. But this event was about more than my running time and I have been affected by the whole experience emotionally.
Another bonus is that I suffered no knee pain during or after the run. Go figure? So now I have a new goal, and that is to train for the Sydney Marathon in September which will be my tenth anniversary of marathon running.

Oh wait.. There's more. I have written this on the plane between Boston and
LA. I ordered some food during the flight and the stewardess refused payment saying "You deserve it because you ran the marathon" Ha ha tough luck for the guy next to me who had to break out his credit card.