The Boston Marathon is almost here!
Marathon Monday. Patriot’s Day. April 17, 2017.
Boston will be my 26th marathon and 17th U.S. state on my quest to run a marathon in every state.
It will also be my second-to-last marathon of the six World Majors (Chicago, Berlin, Tokyo, London, Boston, and New York City.)
It is also a victory lap of sorts after finally qualifying (and qualifying by enough to actually register.)
There’s so much history with the Boston Marathon and I think it will be really cool to just be there this year, no matter how I perform personally. Kathrine Switzer (who I met last year!) is running it to celebrate the 50th anniversary of her monumental run. Galen Rupp is running, Jared Ward, Meb Keflezighi, and of course Desi Linden (my favorite!)
This article from Competitor Magazine does a great job explaining what is so special about the Boston Marathon:
“There are bigger marathons in the world; faster ones, too. But there remains something seminal about Boston. Perhaps it is the long, hard winter that precedes it, and the promise of the coming rebirth that it heralds…
When the Boston Athletic Association instituted time qualifying standards in 1970 to control the size of the field after the race grew to more than 1,000 entrants, it unwittingly created a special “people’s Olympics” quality to the old race, a standard for runners to achieve. Today, runners from around the world dream of posting a Boston qualifier, knowing that only a special few will have earned the honor of pinning on a Boston number. And the people of Boston and the surrounding area feel just the same about the runners.”
I’ve been sharing recaps of my Boston training since I was 19 weeks out from race day.
(Oh my gosh you guys…are you tired of hearing about Boston yet? Ha!)
19 weeks out <– not a great start to training, I had the most terrible cold!
18 weeks out <– holiday party time!
17 weeks out <– thank goodness for the treadmill.
16 weeks out <– running on the ice…
15 weeks out <– Happy New Year!
14 weeks out <– with a weekend trip to Chicago for Hamilton
13 weeks out <– more treadmill time..
12 weeks out <– testing out my ICE Peregrine shoes
11 weeks out <– a quick trip to NYC for work
10 weeks out <– a trip to Big Sky, Montana
9 weeks out <– highest mileage week. Almost 80 miles!
8 weeks out <–running in shorts in February??
7 weeks out <– my marathon medals.
6 weeks out <– Can Can Wonderland!
5 weeks out <– off to Detroit/Canada.
4 weeks out <– Hot Dash 10 miler.
3 weeks out <– An 8k and a 22 miler.
2 weeks out <– A visit from my sister!
1 week out <– And here we are, just a few days from the race!
Over those 19 weeks, I ran nearly 1,100 miles with my highest mileage week at 78.5.
I’ve done all the training. I’ve put in all the miles- some on the treadmill, in the snow, in the rain, and occasionally even in the sun! Ha!
I’ve managed to stay mostly healthy and injury-free. It’s true that I’ve been training to PR at Boston and my coach seems to think that I can, but I won’t be too heartbroken if I don’t. My real goal for the Boston Marathon is to enjoy the experience. In the midst of my 50-state goal (and 7 continent quest), I have a feeling Boston will be a one-and-done marathon for me so I want to ensure that it’s an enjoyable experience. I want to appreciate the crowds and embrace the historical course. I want to take it all in and cherish it, which is a little harder to do when you have a very focused time-goal. Last year, Phoenix (BQ but just barely), Grandma’s (a bust due to the heat) and Cottonwood were all marathons that I went into with a very specific goal. I knew the paces that I needed to run and was very focused on them. Those were great marathons, but different than London, where I didn’t have any pressure to perform and 100% enjoyed every mile.
Though it would feel fantastic to PR at Boston (of course it would!), I think it would also feel awesome to smile and really enjoy every step of the marathon the same way that I did at London last year.
So that’s the plan! No stress, trust the training and see where it gets me on 4/17/17!
If you are interested in tracking me, I’m bib #18705 and Dustin is #5403. You can sign up to track us here. I won’t be starting until 11 am EST (wave 3), so watch me online over your lunch at the office. Unless the broadcasters decide to show some of us middle-of-the-packers, I doubt you’ll see me on TV, but there will be live footage of the finish line on the BAA site, so follow along there if you’d like.
Time to break out this jacket I purchased awhile ago and pack it in my suitcase for this weekend!
It’s also time to pull out my mantras.
I’m excited to add another medal to my collection. There’s a spot for you, Boston Marathon 2017!
What’s next?
After Boston, I will take 1-2 weeks off of running before getting back to it as I plan to pace my sister Erin again, this time at Grandma’s Marathon in June. She has a goal of 4:15, or a 9:40 pace. I plan to train as normal to ensure I can comfortably and confidently pace her. We had such a great time at the Twin Cities Marathon, I’m hoping Grandma’s is just as magical!
Good luck to everyone racing this weekend. I hope to see you out there!
Nearby of luck! It has been such a pleasure reading about your hard work in obtaining an entry qualifying time. I can’t wait to hear about your experience. You worked hard; enjoy this victory lap!
*Best of luck, not nearby.
The old Irish saying, “Nearby of luck!” Haha!
I appreciate your continued support Erin. What a friend!
I actually got tickets to the traditional 11 am starting Sox game. They show the elites finishing on the video board! Nate and I will hoof it down to the finish line if you’re still on the course when the game ends. Sorry not to be along the course, but this game is like the Marathon in that it is nearly impossible to get into!! Lmk if you have any time for a meet up before you head home. I’d love to enjoy the city with you! Good luck!!!!!
No worries, sounds like a good opportunity, enjoy the game!
I will reach out to you to try to coordinate a meet up too!
I am so excited to follow you! You have really earned this and there’s certainly no shame in being as excited as you rightfully are!!! No such thing as too much Boston!! Go Get ’em!
Thank you Katie, hope all is well with you!!
I am so excited for you Jessie! I will be tracking you! I also have the best time when I don’t put pressure on myself to perform, so I know what you mean. I hope you run every step feeling like a rockstar!!!
Thanks Jess!!!
I’ll be there too, having FINALLY qualified with enough of a cushion to get in (third time was a charm for me). I’m also in Wave 3, corral 1, #16334. I’d love to run in to you! If not, BEST OF LUCK and above all, enjoy it!
Awesome, congrats Kathryn!! It took me a lot more than three tries to get here. I’m a slow learner!
I hope that we will see each other in the corrals or the race. Best of luck to you!
It’s coming up!!!! It’s right around the corner! I am getting super excited for y’all. Sending lots of positive aloha your way. I know you both will do an amazing job. I hope you have a blast out there! Will you be staying in Boston for a bit to do some tour around the town and what not?
In any case, good luck out there!!!!!
Thank you Eri! We are returning the day after the race. My husband actually went to high school and college in Boston so we have been there together before to visit…though this will be a totally different experience!
Thanks for sending positive aloha
Patriots Day is my favorite sports day of the year. Hope you have an amazing experience on Monday! Can’t wait to read about it.
I love it- the best sports day of the year!!!
Thanks for commenting.
Jessie, I have loved following your quest for the holy grail of marathons. I’m super excited for you and will follow your progress on a Monday. I love your plan for a PR but also to just enjoy the race. That is my plan for next year as well, live every moment since it took a lot of heart and miles to get there. Good luck girl!
Jen, thank you! I enjoy following along with your running journey on social media too!
Everyone has hyped this marathon up – I hope it exceeds my expectations. The holy grail of marathons!
Enjoy the run Jessie! My goal was strict PR for Boston last year, and it hurt so badly. Honestly, it was the least favorite marathon I have ran because of the pain and sickness afterwards. Everyone before the race kept telling me “you can’t PR at Boston”, which just fueled my fire more in order to get it done and prove them wrong. I got that PR, but dug deeper than I ever have to reach it, and didn’t enjoy any of the race. I think I would approach Boston differently in the future. OR I would train differently. I… Read more »
Oh wow, you had quite the Boston experience Paige.
Great tip about a shake out on heart break hill.
I am so excited!
Good luck & have fun, Jessie!!!
Thank you Rachel!
Massive massive good luck Jessie. I’m so excited for you!
Thank you Allison! I’ll be channeling some of your hot weather strength tomorrow 🙂
Jessie, good luck!! I’ll be sending you all the positive vibes on Monday morning, and I hope you just enjoy every step of the race as you deserve to. Thanks for letting us all follow along on your training journey – it’s been my favorite little Sunday night blog read for the past few months 🙂
Oh, Rita, thank you SO much 🙂 I am so impressed (and honored!) that you squeeze in blog reading in your busy life!
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