Boston Post-Race

I wrote most of the race day posts. Some (like the picture of "me" crossing the finish line) were prepared by Marianne Clancy. Marianne posted to the blog what I typed while running. It's not easy to type while running, and it's probably a challenge to decipher what I actually meant to type while running so that it may be posted in a recognizable version of the English language. So, thanks to Marianne for keeping everyone up to speed on my day.

After finishing, I heard any number of conversations among runners and their family members about problems with the AT&T Athlete Alert system. Apparently, it was not very alert during the day. For the curious, I received this email last night:

The Boston Marathon would like to apologize to all who signed up for this year's Athlete Alert Program. The BAA experienced an internal technical problem which prevented accurate athlete information from being sent to the proper email addresses and mobile phone numbers. This issue was not related to any services provided by the program's sponsor, AT&T, nor was it the result of failures of any of the Boston Marathon's technology partners. Beginning at 12:52 p.m., the system was fixed.

I'm still waiting to receive my first update.

Here are a few notes about the marathon from the perspective of runner 23849 (that would be me):

• I placed 19995 out of 22540 runners. Officially, there were 26,970 entrants in the Boston Marathon, with 2,849 "no shows" who failed to pick up their race bib.
• The Boston Globe reported that 1,325 runners required medical attention along the course, with 33 of those requiring a visit to the hospital.
• Various news outlets have reported on a 60 year old runner who collapsed from cardiac arrest while running with his son, and had to be revived by EMS staff and bystanders using CPR and an automated external defibrillator. According to news reports, he was admitted to the hospital and was listed as being in stable condition last night.
• I was not terribly fast yesterday, but I did finish ahead of Valerie Bertinelli. So, I got that going for me, which is nice.
• No complaints about the weather from me. It started sunny, clouded up when I made it to the 9-mile mark, and alternated between sunny and cloudy the last 8 miles.
• This was my third consecutive running of the Boston Marathon. It is the first time I've been able to enjoy the downtown atmosphere after finishing the race. In 2008, I had a flight scheduled on Monday evening. On that day, I finished running, headed directly to the subway, took the subway to the hotel, showered, packed and made it to the airport about 45 minutes before my flight. In 2009, I was quite simply freezing after finishing. I could think of nothing but getting inside and, due to nausea, drinking a Pepsi to settle my stomach. Yesterday, I finished, grabbed my gear from the gear check area, walked a bit, and then sat down by a Brooks Brothers store in downtown Boston. I spent about 90 minutes just enjoying the day, rubbing my sore feet, changing my shirt, and watching Boston walk by that store.
• Speaking of Pepsi, at mile 23 yesterday I stepped off the course to enter a 7-11, where I bought a Pepsi. My stomach was a bit upside down at that point in the race, but after a few sips of Pepsi, followed by a few burps, I felt much better.
• Speaking of my third Boston effort, in 2008 and 2009 when I turned on to Boylston for the last stretch to the finish line, the band started playing "Sweet Home Alabama." This year, it didn't happen for me. I am quite certain the band likely played its Skynyrd tune about 30 minutes prior to my arrival. They held up their end of the bargain, I just showed up late.
• The best part of the run for me was encountering two Army soldiers, dressed in full uniform, carrying 40-pound packs. I ran with and then passed the two soldiers while running up Heartbreak Hill. I learned later the soldiers were running to raise funds for the Wounded Warrior Project. I had a hard enough time running with my iPhone, much less the thought of carrying a 40-pound backpack.
• I mentioned in an earlier post that a number of runners traveling from Europe had their plans interrupted due to flight restrictions resulting from the volcano erupting in Iceland. While in the Boston airport Friday, I also overheard stories from several travelers about their efforts to return from trips to Europe. One man was describing how he drove the car he rented in The Netherlands to an airport in Spain, where he handed the keys to the rental agent and headed for a flight home. Another talked of a colleague who, "Was going to be there for a while."
• There is currently a finisher's medal from the 2010 Boston Marathon listed for sale on Ebay. While I don't endorse securing a medal in this manner, you can get in on the bidding for $17.50 at the present time. One catch, at least for the moment, is that only finishers of the race are permitted to bid.
• After a marathon, there are two "moments of truth," at least for me. The first arrives in the post-race shower when hot water and soap reveal any chafing, skin loss or missing body pieces. I passed yesterday's test with no extra pain or stinging. I use a product called SportShield, which has worked perfectly for me. The pre-packaged towelettes are easiest to use. The second moment of truth arrives when the alarm goes off the morning after the race, when I place my feet on the floor to step out of bed. I learn, at that moment, just how sore my legs, back, shoulders and neck will be for the next two days. I'm sore, but not too bad, given that the legs, back, shoulders and neck did not feel all that great last night.

Finally, some of you received an email from me last week, which included a statement that I had completed 42 marathons. I need to correct that statement. I had entered 42 marathons, completing 40. In the other two, I subscribed to Plan B. For the 2007 Country Music Marathon in Nashville, I stepped off at mile 20. It was hot, and while I was moving fine, the race course passed right by the VIP tent (which I was able to access), and I did not have the mental commitment to put the in the effort that day. There was an additional factor that guided my thinking that day. I was entered in a marathon in Denver three weeks later and, with Colorado being a new state for me to run a marathon, I did not want to mess up that opportunity by forcing my way to the Nashville finish. The other Plan B for a marathon finish also occurred in 2007 at the Space Coast Marathon. I had a some stomach issues prior to the start of that race, along with an early flight time and made the decision before starting to only run the half marathon course that day. It was a good decision, but I'll spare you the details.

So, my total number of marathons completed is now 41. Hopefully, that's not too disappointing for anyone.