Longest Boston pre-run

sleep? erratic.
nutrition? chili cheese fritos and bon chon fried chicken.
life? all over the map.

aka, the usual haha

Today would be the final long run for Boston, a little over 3 weeks out.  Switching it up from gummies to the ol’ Gu. Brian and I would lace em up one more time, with us on the wake-up call on WCBV (me front and center haha) and very inspirational speeches from Team Matty.  After christening the BC bathrooms, we headed out for 21.

We were dubbed the “fast runners” as we passed this one guy immediately after the BC gym we were at.

I wasn’t feeling too hot, trying to keep up with Brian as we chatted with a Bristol runner, Andy.  The run was broken down in 2 mile increments for DFMC water stops (thanks to all the volunteers!).  Gu time was at mile 5 and thanks to poor nutrition, I burned through my 4 quickly as I had my last at mile 14.

Brian pulled ahead around mile 6, I thought about slowing up but got a burst of energy to catch up and continue to go stride for stride.  Just pull me to mile 20 and see what I have left in the tank.


We came in at the half mary mark at 1:53, well below 4 hour pace.  We were definitely sub 9 pace and just let it ride despite multiple pump the brakes hand gestures.  I felt like the only thing holding me back was lack of Gu (thank God for those pretzel nuggets that I squirreled in my cheeks).  Trying to contain pace downhill was fruitless so by the time we hit Newton, I let it rip.  I actually got a comment from Andy, apparently it looked like I was on a bike powering up those hills.

Heartbreak Hill at mile 20....ok now I get it haha. Definitely harder (the lululemon tunnel helped). the cheering, cars honking encouragement, the Sun peeking out...I don’t know what it was but I was on 8 minute pace for the last 4 miles.

Maybe it was the iPod playing Empire of the Sun to Grand National on a loop.

Right hip is still feeling off, hold on for three more weeks.

lessons learned:

6 gu packets/ pretzel nugs?
get to the top of mile 21, then let it rip with the finishing kick.

How Tang got His Groove Back (for the millionth time)

Reflecting on a decade of running (time flies right?), I have found that basically every race report has been blemished with hurdles and obstacles, increasingly, with higher stakes as the years go on.  The races paired with life in this way were just coincidental (life is always filled with bumps, just mixed in with running), but life just continues to get tougher (and hopefully more rewarding).

As I continue to try and improve myself, I realize now that my anxiety (and unfounded fears) were what may have held me back during previous races and previous life hurdles. (Learning, even a decade later, who says you can't teach an old dog?)

Last year, running started taking a backseat, the lbs started to pile on, so naturally I had joined the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team to run the prestigious Boston Marathon (albeit sans BQ).

In the following months, I had to relearn all over how to love running.


The hills. The mileage. The runner's high.  The caloric furnace that reignited inside. The camaraderie.  The pain. The prestige. The double chin eradicator.



I hope that this springboards me forward, and I am able to not only reignite my passion for writing but to also continue to run at my usual 9 minute pace (never faster, never slower than this) until the end of time.




So going forward, I need to take pride in this aspect of my life and continue challenging myself, sign up for races that I pick (at least one each six months).  I forgot how much I miss training for a big race.