I know that everyone who reads this post that is running the Boston Marathon on Monday has already spent more time than they would care to admit obsessing about the course profile. You’ve probably spent a lot of time focusing on Heartbreak Hill, and in your dreams (if you are running your first Boston), you imagine getting to the base of it and seeing it stretch endlessly beyond the horizon. But Boston requires your focus at a lot of different points in the race, not just for the 3/4 of a mile when you’ll be running up Heartbreak. So many people get sucked into the many different vortices that I thought it might be nice to talk about the best way to run the race course.
So here’s the big secret to running well in Boston, rather than feeling great until the Newton Hills then falling most precipitously off the proverbial pace wagon. I’ll give you a moment to go close the door to your office so this amazing Boston secret doesn’t get out to the riff-raff.
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OK, perimeter secure? The secret to running Boston is that it’s just like any other marathon course. (Sorry to disappoint if you were expecting magic) So, go out conservatively, run steady in the middle, focus on steady effort over the hills, and then dig deep in the last few miles.
Let me break that down a bit more for you. Let me juxtapose how a lot of people crash and burn at Boston with how you really should run it like any other course. I’ll give you a few unique Boston tid-bits that I’ve picked up (I ran Boston in 2010) and that I’ve seen other experienced Bostoners talk about.
A consistent pacing strategy took Geoffrey Mutai to the win in 2011. Photo: photorun.net
Go Out Conservatively. This is the most important thing to do in any marathon, but Boston has a number of things working against you in this respect. First, it’s Boston. Normal race-day adrenaline is even worse. Second, you’ve been cooped up in the Athlete’s Village for a few hours, and all you want to do is run. Third, it’s seeded. Everyone around you in your corral also ran about the same qualifying time, so you’re all going to feed off one another (and let’s face it, want to compete with one another). Last, and most important, it’s a big downhill at the start. You drop about 300 feet in the first 4 miles, but half of that is in the first two-thirds of a mile. The course is begging for you to go out like a cannonball, and that’s what plenty of people do. And then they get to Newton and their legs are 100% dunzo. Contrast everyone who thinks they can “Bank Time” on the early hills with Geoffrey Mutai in 2011 (he ran the fastest Boston and fastest marathon…ever): Mutai ran the first 5k in 4:41 pace, and finished the race averaging 4:42 pace.
Enjoy the Screamers at Wellesley, but Stay in Control. Photo: photorun.net
Run Steady in the Middle. Boston is a non-stop cheer-fest. It’s unlike other marathons (except for the really big ones like New York) in that there are very few spots where there aren’t a lot of spectators. And there are plenty of places where there are an abundance of spectators. It’s easy to get caught up in the screaming and start pressing the pace too soon. The most well-known example of this is Wellesley just after the halfway point. Those chicks are really screaming. And it’s crazy energetic, and plenty of people want to get up and take off at this point. Again, this will come back to haunt you when the hills hit. I’m not saying you have to run through there like a stone-faced robot. Every year when Ryan Hall runs through this point, he gets right up close to the screamers and gets them even more loud. But he doesn’t pick up the pace at this point. Bank that energy and use it later.
Heartbreak Hill only rises 88 feet. So run it easy like any other hill.
Focus on Steady Effort Over the Hills. When you get to Newton and the hills begin in earnest, you’ve now had the entire training cycle plus 16 miles to think about how you are going to attack the climbs. First instinct: Run them hard! Think this over, though. You’ve just been running downhill for a long time…your quads are going to need to adjust. Don’t make the mistake of taking off like a rocket up the first hill. Like any marathon, run steady effort over the hills. This goes double for Heartbreak. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a huge hill (roughly 100 feet of elevation gain over a little less than a mile), but it looms large in everyone’s brain. As you start up Heartbreak, you’ve still got about 10k left in the race…so while you may think that the end of the effort is at the top, you’ve still got plenty of work left to do.
Dig Deep in the Last Few Miles. Here’s where it’s time to let yourself get totally caught up in the frenzy. Once you have a few miles left, go ahead and throw everything I said about being conservative out the window and just run. You get another stretch of elevation loss to the finish, so use it to your advantage. The crowds are crazy all the way to Boylston Street…let yourself get caught up in the energy and give it all you’ve got. When you make the final left turn, just GO. That straight is longer than everyone expects, but you’ll make it. The fanfare alone gives you twice the normal finishing strength.
Remember that scene in Hoosiers where they went and measured the court in Indianapolis at the state finals? Think of Boston the same way. It might feel bigger, different, more than any other marathon course, but at the end of the day, it’s 26 miles and 385 yards just like any other marathon. Keep your approach the same: Smart, conservative, relaxed…then get after it in the last 5k!
