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Servus,

Danke der Nachfrage! War in jedem Fall eine Reise wert.
Ich hab' ein paar mates in einem amerikanischen Laufforum, mit denen ich mich virtuell auf diesen Spass vorbereitet habe. Fuer die hab' ich auch einen WKbericht verfasst, den ich der Einfachheit halber hier reinstelle.

Cheers

dude

"I sincerely enjoyed sharing my training with you guys here on the forum. It kept me motivated to see on a weekly base that I am not the only idiot out there getting ready (or at least trying to) for Boston – thank you! If you’re interested how it all kinda unfolded for me, read on. However, if you do so, I expect you to tease me with your report – kindly appreciated.

Where I live since November, hill running is not an option. There are hills, but once I get there, it would as well be about time to head back home. I can’t see myself running more than 35k in a single training run. I hear you though. But no, taking the car or other transport to get closer to the hills was not an option. And it’s not, because I no more owe a car, it’s because life is all about priorities. The hills just weren’t one. (Besides that I always thought hills were my strength as I come from a cycling/triathlon background – was I to be proven wrong?)

With a PR of 2:37 on a flat course from two years ago, I certainly dreamt of a 2:36. However, this is Boston and anything in the low 2:40s probably would’ve matched my PR-performance. But even getting older I, just like many of you, still hope to improve. Realistically though something in the area of my BQ time (2:45 in NY) would’ve pleased me.

And then there was the weather forecast. I called my girlfriend from Boston and told her about the rumours of a cancellation. I was glued to TWC. But at the same time I was sure I would run that course on April 16th no matter what (what’s your guess: how many would’ve lined up anyway? 1.000?).

In Europe, winter was nonexistent this year, but we all know that running at around 40F can produce fast times. Rain? Not much of a factor. The big “but” were the headwinds.
From what I gathered, most people start the race too fast. And so did I. But hey, it felt easy and it was downhill!

The first six miles were all sub6 pace (6 would’ve been on the road to PR), but this got levelled during the more even stages of the race, aka the following 6 miles with 6:10ish splits. I was enjoying myself as much as this is possible when I have to run on the edge. Some people tell me that marathons feel easy during the early stages, but for me that’s never the case, even if I manage an even-splitted run. Marathon running at my personal limit hurts, no doubt about that.

What I did gather though during the earlier stage was being passed by more and more fellow runners. However, I stuck to my pace and tried to find a rhythm (never got beyond that trying stage).
The dress code of the day around me clearly consisted of a shorts, long sleeve underwear and a singlet on top. It was odd to see, but it seemed as if everybody ran in that! Well, nearly, there was one guy who “warmed up” (cooled down?) in shorts and singlet all ready to go no less than 45 mins. before the start. No, he didn’t win, instead he proved everybody right as he was reduced to a mighty shuffle on the hills.

However, long sleeve finally was more than I actually needed and the thin gloves and hat also landed aside the road before we even reached half way point.

People say that Marathon is 20 miles of hope and 6 miles of reality. Oh if I would have only come that far. Hope for me ended somewhere after as little as 15 miles and yes, you guessed it right, that uphills and, yes again, even more so the downhills hurt quite some. My run turned to a shuffle from which I never recovered. Heartbreak hill produced a lovely 7:05 mile for me - what more can you ask for?

And then, cruise home? Oh (again) so far from it. My legs felt like bricks all the way from hip to Achilles and the mind’s game took control. It sort of works for me to count my steps in those miserable situations. Just count to 100 and start all over again. Odd. Reduce a well trained brain to a handful of cells and your body keeps going.

Runners ran past, but I hardly noticed it being fully concentrated on keeping the pace at least sub7. What a mess. Sometimes it’s good when you travel alone, so nobody could see the trouble I put myself in. I’ve done many Ironman Triathlons, but to all of you who haven’t done any and who have to endure those heroic stories of how hard Ironman is, well, here’s my thought: Boston Marathon is tougher than Kona (and I was pretty serious about racing back then when I did it). Never ever was I reduced to tears during an Ironman, but at least I was lucky to be able to blame those watery eyes of mine on the headwind of the home stretch.

And then, a final sprint to the line? You gotta be kidding me. My body was so far from that, keeping myself upright was the challenge of the very moment.

2:46:11 is a decent result for me. Those two to three minutes I would’ve been faster given the right training (and the right body weight) – I don’t care. It was just awesome to be part of such a great race. And as long as I can drag that ugly body of mine under three hours, I will come back. And after that? I am sure I will find just another excuse to keep it going.

Thanks for reading, but now it’s your turn. Can’t wait to hear your war stories."