The Boston Marathon: A True Test

I had made it.  Qualification was done.  The hard part over.  Time to soak it all in and enjoy the run.  I told myself I would take pictures, tweet, look around at faces, check out the scene, make a friend, high-five some kids, and run a race. I probably should have planed a little better.

The trip had all gone as planned.  No major hiccups or setbacks.  Our hotel, The Boston Park Plaza, was just a few blocks from all the happening spots.  Boston Common, The Charles River, The Boston Marathon Finish Line, and The Health and Fitness Expo. 

We arrived Saturday in time for check in and a walk to the North Side for Dinner at Ernestos Pizza.  It was a blast walking around and seeing all types of people visiting and just being Boston.

Sunday was our day to visit The Expo and pickup my race bib and bag.  We could have spent all day at the Expo as there was so much to see, do, taste, and buy.  We also had dinner later with our Golden Adventures Group at Magianos.  We called it a short night and headed to bed to be ready for Marathon Monday. 

After a good night sleep, I woke up and tweeted this:

	Curt Metzger @distance66	15 Apr
	This is it! I just can't explain my feelings this morning. Something special is about to happen. #BostonMarathon
	View details ·

Speaking of Monday, it sure was weird not running on a Sunday.  That long wait through the weekend was a different feeling.  As was waiting till past 10am to start the race.

In retrospect, the only thing I forgot Monday was the two Advil I wanted to take that morning.  Other than that, everything was spot on.  As I stated in my Remembering Boston BLOG, I will wear a long pant if I do Boston again as the wait in Hopkinton was a tad chilly.  Time did fly in Athlete Village and soon it was my time.

At 10:21am, I started The Boston Marathon.  I had been told on many different occasions to NOT try and run past and zig-zag through the crowd the first several miles.  The downhill start coupled with the cool temps and MASSIVE ENERGY would make it hard to resist this, but I did.

Mile 1  8:00
Mile 2  7:45
Mile 3  7:44

My race plan, if you could say I had one, was to run relaxed and see what happened. I guess in thinking back I saw this, but did you know there are water stations EVERY MILE?  This may have been part of my undoing.  I say undoing, but I am happy with my time, just not the way I felt during some of the race.

Mile 4  7:29
Mile 5  7:41
Mile 6  7:29

I was taking either Water or Gatorade at every stop.  I did stick to my PowerBar Gel plan of every 4 miles and at those stops chased it with H2O, but I probably drank too much through the first 2/3's of the race.  I think I felt it most in miles 8-12 or so. 

Mile 7  7:30
Mile 8  7:36
Mile 9  7:42

Temperatures started at the mid to upper 40's and they seemed to be climbing.  The sun was out and there was just a hint of a breeze coming across the West to East course.  I was definitely comfortable with the singlet, shorts, beanie, and MySleev.  I soon took the beanie off and used it as a cool rag to sponge off.

Mile 10  7:38
Mile 11  7:41
Mile 12  7:41

I had my phone with me for any photo/ tweeting moments and knew there was one upcoming.  As I removed the phone from my running pouch, I could hear the girls from Wellesley.  I wanted a video of this.  I had no plans of saliva exchange, but I did want a video.  FAIL!  I guess my true guy roots came out and yes, I can not operate a phone video camera and run a marathon at the same time.  I though I was capturing awesome footage for what seemed to be a 3/4ths of a mile.  After the race, I find all I got was a small one-second clip.  You must believe me.  It was loud, uplifting, rambunctious, and like nothing I have ever seen.

It led to this tweet which I was able to perform while running a marathon....

	Curt Metzger @distance66	15 Apr
	Wow. Wellsley. #BostonMarathon.
	View details ·

Mile 13  7:53
Mile 14  7:38
Mile 15  7:54

My training always includes Hills and/ or Hill Repeats.  I felt ready for The Newton Hills.  There had been some small hills in the first 15 miles that were obviously affecting some runners.  I felt OK.  What did affect me was the massive downhill runs.  I believe there must be adequate training for downhills if I ever want to run Boston FAST.

Mile 16  7:49
Mile 17  8:19
Mile 18  7:52

I remember stopping at the Mile 16 water station to get a PowerBar Gel down really good and take a good drink of water.  I really wanted to give my best for the Newton Hills.  The next 5 Miles were tough.  The series of 4 hills grows to a final smack in your face with Heartbreak Hill for most of mile 21.  Boston is the best from around the world and many were walking the hills. A steady drum beat is one thing that helped guide me over Heartbreak and to the final miles home.

Mile 19  7:54
Mile 20  8:12
Mile 21  8:21

I saw no indication I was done with the hills.  I knew from studying the elevation map, it was all downhill from here, but somehow I did not believe it.  The breeze was picking up and soon got cooler as we approached the finish.  I wanted to find a good, tall, strong runner to sneak in behind and draft the rest of the way home.  I chatted with one guy who seemed at my pace.  He was helping a gal PR.  She was not running with him, but was positioned back some 10-15 yards, but was gathering much support from the crazy crowds. 

The crowds were insane.  Many families were there together and I am sure made the day of this event. Kids lines the course waiting for a high-five from a marathon runner.  I tried to oblige as many as I could.  Some were being instructed by mom and dad of how to hold the orange slice so runners could grab as they ran past.  I also snacked on these energy treats.  Thank you Boston for such giving spirit. 

The college kids turn out as well.  They obviously were trained well by their parents and high-five, shout your name ("Go SPROUTS"), and drink mighty heavily all day while lining the course.  OK, maybe two out of three.

Mile 22  7:55
Mile 23  8:03
Mile 24  8:09

I don't know how I missed it, but I do not remember passing The Fenway Park area.  OUCH!  Oh, I recall the Citgo Sign beckoning me home from about 5 Miles out, but I must have been distracted as I ran by the Hallowed Fenway Grounds.  Next Time I Will NOT!

The excitement grew as we got closer to the finish.  I ran with what seemed to me a father/ daughter team for a while.  He was tall, so I kind of ducked into his draft and kept soaking in the moment.  I think she was helping him PR since she would swing out to the water stops and bring him cool refreshment back.  She even asked if I wanted one.  I did without those last few miles and lived on adrenaline alone.  What a feeling.  What a scene.  I felt like I was with so many other first-timers.  I felt like everyone respected the course and the traditions of Boston.  I felt honored to be there in that moment and everyone around me seemed to have that same sense.

As we ran down Commonwealth Avenue, all I could think about was "Get this right!  Right on Hereford!  Left on Boylston!"

The place was electric.  The final stretch was so cool.  And then....I hear...."Hey Curt!"  It was Blackie.  Chris Blackman, a co-worker with Kathy, was finishing too.  We raised our hands in triumph as we cruised down Boylston. 

Mile 25  7:47
Mile 26  7:40
Final 0.2  7:02                        
3:26:30

	Curt Metzger @distance66	15 Apr
	3:26:30! All I can say is WOW. #BostonMarathon
	View details ·

I never saw Kathy.  She took this picture and was screaming my name, but I never saw her there on Boylston. 

You get a sense for the size of the crowds there in Copley Square.  It now brings a lot of things into perspective.  I am so glad she saw me and knew I finished.  I am glad we had a plan of where to meet and she got away from the spot she was watching from.  I am glad I had my phone and was able to call her right after my finish and confirm those plans. 

Yep, lots to me thankful for and lots to plan for next year.

I do hope to run Boston 2014.  I do hope to run it with Chris Medley who helped me qualify for this year.  The road to 2014 starts now.  Proper diet.  Proper strength training.  Proper mileage.  Proper hill training.

I do hope Kathy is able to and wants to come with me.  I do hope for a safe and fun race in 2014.  We should still #PrayForBoston and be #BostonStrong.

Remembering Boston

My new boss called me on Monday evening to make sure I was OK.  After I told him Kathy and I were not harmed or immediately affected by the blasts, he left me with a final statement/ directive that really took a while to sink in.  He said, "Be sure to look after the Mrs.  She was there.  She was close.  She may be a little upset and freaked out.  Just keep an eye on her."

Anticipation was growing since late September 2012 and I thought the day would never come.  Boston is the pinnacle of road racing and getting there was important.  The hard part of qualifying was over.  The best part of running and soaking in the moment was drawing near.  Boston was finally here.



Can you tell I love flying?  Thank you Xanax!



 Kathy chose Golden Adventures to plan our stay and some activities.  Boston Park Plaza Hotel would be our Mother Ship for 4 days and 3 nights.  This fine building has been welcoming tired souls since 1927 and is beautiful.  Our room was 1134 which was pretty close (kinda) to my Bib #11032.  The staff there was wonderful.  If you ever stay there, REMEMBER to visit the 15th floor for breakfast (inside tip) and check out the artifacts from their past.



Beautiful Lobby of Boston Park Plaza, the Official Hotel of The Red Sox!

We were about a half mile from the Boylston Street, Copley Square, Boston Marathon Finish Line.  Absolutely PERFECT, right?  Just a hop, skip, and jump from Boston Common and another 7-Iron to The Charles River.  I love that Dirty Water!  This was a dream vacation and my wife was here to share it with me.

The Prudential Building saying hello Sunday morning during a walk down Boylston.



Sunday morning was amazing.  Kathy let me wake early and head out for a Shakeout Run with Bart Yasso and other runners from around the World.  I met Bart, Kenneth (@Marathon Koach), Matthew (@RunningAmick), and a fellow marathoner from Poland.  We ran to The Charles River, chatted along the way, and after 2.75 easy miles returned to The Sheraton.  Koach bought us all Coffee and said, "$50 on Sunday Morning gets you way more than $50 on Saturday Night."


L-R  Kenneth, Bart, and 2 dudes I need to get names for....

 The Boston Marathon Expo was HUGE.  Sunday was the final day for the Expo and Packet Pickup.  I was amazed how organized it was with so many people.  The Expo was FREE to whoever wanted to visit, so you can imagine the mass of humanity.  Runners are patient people.  This truism will permeate the entire trip.  mark my words, RUNNERS are sharing patient loving people.  Picked up my Bib, Bag, and made sure to get my Boston Jacket.  I never saw the posters....................but did see Meb Keflezighi(@RunMeb)!

Meb signs copies of his book at Elliptigo Booth.

Sunday Night was fun.  We had dinner with all Golden Adventures Marathon Runners and their loved ones at Magianos.  Plenty of Bread, Pasta, and all the good foods to LOAD UP ON before race day.  The thing that really is strange is that the Boston Marathon start time is after 10am.  Most marathons are NOT on Monday and start at 7am.  Diet plan is VERY important.


Dinner at Magianos with Kathy.

Monday Morning went great.  Golden Adventures offers a private bus ride to Hopkinton that leave the Hotel at 7:30am.  This is awesome because it allows for ONE MORE HOUR OF SLEEP as Official Marathon Buses leave at 6:30am.



Ready to leave for Hopkinton. Me, Diana, and Chris!

 On the ride, I met Ginger from Memphis.  She had deferred from last year and was running her FIRST BOSTON MARATHON just like me and Diana, and Chris.  The ride to Hopkinton seemed long...way more than 26.2 miles.  This must be why people say, "Do Not Drive the Course or pay attention to how long it takes to get to the start!"

In Hopkinton, it is just HURRY and WAIT.  Next time, I am wearing jeans or sweat pants.  Yes, it was cold in the shade.  I was not uncomfortable, but pants would have been much smarter.  The police presence was big in Hopkinton and they made sure all runners used ONLY "Approved Rest Rooms" and wrote tickets to those "Wall Waterers".

The walk to The Start Line is NOT short.  There is NO DOUBT which way to go and when to go.  Remember, RUNNERS are patient people.  RUNNERS are giving people.  The one booth I remember seeing in front of a simple home said ALL FREE: Sharpies, Band aids, Water, Bananas, Oranges, Tissues, Gloves......WOW.  Note to self, "Next Time, write your name on your arms with FREE Sharpie."

Her Story...Doctor said nothing faster than 4:30...she talked him down to 4:00!

The Starting Corals were so organized and well marked.  Again, police presence everywhere made it mandatory to go where you were marked to go.  I made my way to Coral 3, tossed a kid watching my unused Cliff Bar, did my first shot of PowerBar Gel and they started the countdown.

 


Starting Line at Hopkinton.  You would not believe the bags of clothes collected from runners!  I gave my gloves.

At the start, I remember one runner behind me say, "This is #20 for me and I still get a charge out of this!"  The mass of runners moving downhill from the start is SUCH A RUSH!  I can not wait to do this again.

My memories of the run are this:

• EVERY TOWN turns out to cheer! LOUD!
• Never felt alone.
• Water and Gatorade EVERY MILE!
• Plenty of food from the PEOPLE of Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline, and Boston.  Oranges, Bananas, Water, Beer....you get the idea!
• Wellesley....WOW.
• Newton Hills.....WOW!
• The turn down BOYLSTON.....just WOW!
• I have chills now thinking about it.

As I ran the final yards down Boylston, I looked for Kathy.  Why was I looking on my right?  Little did I know, she was on the LEFT!  She chose the left side!  


The wind and cool breeze was really picking up at the finish!



My finish was 3:26:30...about 1:48pm according to AT&T Athlete Alert.  I slowly made my way down Boylston to get water, food, blanket, my clothes bag, and meet Kathy.  I called her and made sure she knew the plan to meet at the family area and we talked.  I am so happy we got to talk.

I finally met up with Kathy, by the "M" Family Area and behind a bus....so funny as we were standing right beside each other just looking around.  SO MANY PEOPLE.

It was while she was waiting for me that she heard "Thunder" and looked to the sky.  She thought nothing of it......

We made our way back to the hotel and our phones went wild.

 


#PrayForBoston



I started to get texts like crazy.  I posted to Facebook and Twitter "Kathy and I are fine. We were not by the marathon explosions."  I then hopped into the shower, still not knowing the magnitude of what had happened.

Kathy was fielding calls, when the phone service came back up, and many texts and posts did not go through on first, second, or tenth tries.

We tried to contact our kids, families, and friends but some still were missed and had looking questions.

We watched TV and connected with some NEWS agencies from DFW. 

Before we knew it, it was 6pm and time to get dinner.  Was it safe?  We decided to just cross the street and eat at Flemming's Steak House with Blackie and Diana.  It was good to get our minds off of what was happening. 

While we ate, there were sirens and passing emergency vehicles.  The SWAT TEAM van sped by with armed servicemen hanging from the back. 

I ordered a Sam Adams.

The next day, after not much sleep, we got up not knowing what to do.  Originally, we would have done a little more sight seeing, but now we felt like we better get to Logan early.

We did take time to #RunForBoston at The Charles River.  This is what we saw:



The leering press gathered at Boylston and Arlington.

 

A look down Boylston toward the finish line.

 

Just a street away from all the carnage...beautiful!



Arthur Fiedler Bridge to get to The Charles!



The trail around The Esplanade and The Charles River.

 

General George in the Garden.



Weeping Willow and Flag!





Park Plaza paying respects.



Our walk/ run together was good.  It was healing.  It gave Kathy and I time together.  It helped me think about how I see things.

We had been asked many questions by family, friends, and news agencies.  We told them our story and I felt like it was not much of a story.  I had not heard the blast.  I did not know it happened until TV and Texts.  I never felt in danger during the event.  My story was not one of a close call or a rescue.  It was not exciting and news worthy.  Then it hit me......Then it smacked me square in the jaw.  It is not about you Curt.  Think about others.  You are a runner.  You share.  You are patient.  You need to love more.  What about others?  Remember what your boss told you.  Don't forget about your wife.  Be sure and hold her and make sure she is OK.

Later that night as we boarded our plane at Logan Airport, I got to sit next to the most loving and beautiful person in the world...and she held my hand as we took off. 



Touchdown in DFW!

I will not forget Boston 2013.  It made me think about what it means to be a runner.  It made me think about what it means to be an American.  It made me think about what it means to be a human.  Love the way God loves....unconditionally.  Share.  Be Patient. 

Oh, and by the way.  Those posters they gave away at The BAA Expo....I never got one at The Expo.  BUT, an awesome runner at Logan Airport gave me one of hers and made me smile.

ALL IN FOR BOSTON!


 

Road to Boston 2013

Originally, I wanted to run Boston in 2012.  OK, I missed by a year.

I have to blame some of this on Chris Medley.  He had the hair-brained scheme of qualifying for the great race together.  He started to jab me at the end of Bible Study Fellowship, around February or March 2012.  We really started looking at timing and dates and possibilities and realized we would need to do this out of state.  We picked Sioux Falls 9-9-2012, right at the wire for 2013 Boston Registration. 

This was just the beginning of "The Going Down To The Wire" thread for this Boston Marathon Saga.

Chris and I did our training diligently and unfortunately, he sustained an injury that kept him from running.  It did NOT keep him from driving us to and from South Dakota, organizing, mapping, coaching, running race course support, and photographing it all in that magical three days last fall.

He helped me finish just "Under The Wire" for my age class 3:24:09...made it by 51 seconds.

I was concerned after entering my Boston Registration later in September.  Would all the deferrals from 2012 hurt my "Just Under The Wire" qualifying time and render me Boston-less?  Then, it came.  That glorious Sunday in late September.....


Dear Curt G. Metzger,

This is to notify you that your entry into the 117th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15, 2013 has been accepted, provided that the information you submitted is accurate.

A Confirmation of Acceptance card will soon be mailed to you via US Postal Service mail.

In early April 2013, an official Number Pick-up Card and Welcome Booklet regarding the B.A.A. Boston Marathon and related race week activities will be mailed to you via US Postal Service first class mail. If you do not receive your Number Pick-up Card (required to claim number) and brochure by April 9, please contact our Registration Office at registration@baa.org. Registration related inquiries may also be directed to 508-435-6905.

Note that bib numbers will not be distributed on Race Day. Your travel arrangements should take into account picking up your number at the Hynes Convention Center, 900 Boylston Street, on Friday, April 12 from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., or Saturday, April 13 or Sunday, April 14 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
.......................Personally, this was down to the wire.

Training.  20 weeks or so.  A few of the Local Marathons mixed in.  What do I target for my finishing this Boston Marathon?  Will I ever get to return?  What does the future hold?  We never know.  Put the training in, diet right, get plenty of rest, and just enjoy the run.

Life does go on.  You gotta pay the bills.  You need to bring home the bacon.  Sometimes you have to make tough decisions. 

After 30 years with Kroger, I decide to make the a break and move to Sprouts.  With just six weeks till our trip to Boston, Kathy and I are completely at peace with this life changing decision.  So many questions had to be answered, with fun stuff like time off and weekend getaways to the Northeast buried at the bottom.  Would my new employer be willing to make concessions after just bringing me onboard.  Would I have to wait to run Boston.  Down to the Wire we went.

We had waited to buy airfare since there were questions and really needed to get things finalized or cancelled.  YES! Book the flight plans!  Such sweet words uttered by my new boss.  What a relief and what a freeing statement.  I seemed to have a new lease on life.  Thank you Sprouts.  Down to the wire we went.

March!  WOW.  I have never trained so much.  155 miles.  The training has been put in for sure.  The most miles I have ever trained.

March!  WOW.  A brand new place of employment.  After 30 years.  Starting over is very different.  Learning new ways.  Putting my hands on many new items, machines, and programs.  So very new.  So very exciting.  As the Kroger "Wire" was at it's end, this new Sprouts "Wire" was....well, Sprouting. 

Down To The WIRE we go folks.  What a ride.  From Mansfield to Sioux Falls to Hopkinton to Boston...here we go.