Jitters

Starting line encouragement in Hopkinton MA
2011 Boston Marathon

As usual, I’ve got some pre-race anxiety as Patriots Day approaches. Although it’s my third Boston Marathon, and my seventh attempt at this storied distance, I’ve learned from over a decade of running that experience does not make any race routine. The fruit of good training is revealed not only in physical preparation and endurance but also in mental adaptability and resolve amidst whatever surprises emerge along the course.

This year’s major worry– temperatures far warmer than average and quite higher than what is comfortable or ideal for a 26.2-mile run– is suddenly casting a very long shadow over the past fifteen weeks of training. The only other time I’ve run a marathon in similar conditions– Saint Louis in 2008– is the only occasion when I’ve finished slower than 3:11, as well as suffered the humbling, disheartening experience of “hitting the wall” and getting knocked backwards… hard. Moreover, when I was a younger, brasher runner, I hammered through a hot, sunny 10-miler at a pace that was far more ambitious than prudent. I literally cannot recall 4 of the last 5 miles from that day, yet I’m grateful for the fact that I do remember this one experience of heatstroke, as it still sounds a cautionary tone that I strive to heed during the warmer months of the year.

Surely my perspective on this year’s Boston– or any long-distance race, for that matter– does not entirely align with that of an equally rational non-athlete. There’s a certain degree of craziness and bravado mixed in with the courage and ambition that inspire and motivate people from many walks of life and a broad range of ages to test themselves on the marathon stage. We may share some kinship with Don Quixote in tilting at windmills, but we’re also pursuing some very clear and worthy objectives, and can be reluctant to abandon our respective quests. I’ve got a much different set of things at stake this Patriots Day, compared to the past two years– in 2010, fabulous training and ideal weather offered me the chance to pursue (and successfully achieve!) a sub-3-hour finish; in 2011, commitment to a friend and long-time training partner compelled and inspired a companionship unlike any I’d ever felt in a marathon. This time around, I could certainly chase a sub-3:05 in order to qualify anew, but the heat might be prohibitively adverse. I could experiment with a novel race plan– go prudently but uncomfortably slow for the first 10 to 12 miles, then ride the energy of the Wellesley Scream Tunnel and the big crowds along the Newton Hills, and perhaps even vanquish the demons I’ve always met on Beacon Street for 3 of the course’s final 4 miles. For the first time in a few years, an underlying goal that I’ve always taken for granted is poised to be the primary one– reach that finish line, and have as much fun as possible along the way. Who knows, if I miss my qualifying mark, I might find therein the motivation and justification to train through the summer for a classic fall marathon, like Philly or New York.

In any event, this year’s Boston will be unlike any of my previous six marathons, though hopefully no less satisfying, instructive, and memorable.  I’m eager to see what I find along my way to Copley Square, and what my next 26.2 miles will suggest for my ongoing journey through life.

Motivation on the T in Boston MA
2011 Boston Marathon Weekend