1st Post! Boston Prep 16 miler Race Report

Welcome to my first official post! I know this is a rather unorthodox way of opening up a blog, but I promise a post soon on my running background, goals, why you should be reading my blog, etc. For now, enjoy the race report and pics.

Boston Prep 16 miler
The route

This is an interesting race given its placement in the dead of winter in the hilly backroads of Derry, NH, 12 weeks out from the big show in Boston. Despite its location and moniker of being "moderately challenging," it's developed a cult following among the marathon crazies of New England and further afield. I guess you could count me among the crazies, although I was a bit skeptical, especially after parking 15 minutes from the school and braving the cold walk to the school gym. (that's me on the bottom right). I was surprised by the level of enthusiasm in the gym given the wintry conditions we were all about to face.


I ran into one of my classmates and the pre-race banter got our minds into racing mode. This race was a tune-up race for me as I'm aiming for a boston qualifier effort at Austin in 4 weeks (3:10). My dilemma was to race or not to race? I was still playing multiple choice as I went out for a 2 mile warm-up jog:

A. Race it, i.e. 6:45-6:50 pace
B. Do a marathon pace (7:10-7:15), always hard given its a race.
C. Go out at marathon pace, pick it up after mile 8.

Usually at this point in the race preparation, the jitters are setting. However, I was surprisingly calm as I set out for my jog. I also found that it wasn't quite as cold as I thought it would be. My legs felt pretty fresh, so I decided to start off reasonably fast and see how I felt.

When I returned, the race director announced a 10 minute delay. I probably should have hit the toilets again at this point, but against better judgement, I didn't. The cattle herding commenced at around 9:50 or so, and I jogged off to the start line, about a quarter mile or so down the street. I noted the tough uphill grade towards the finish line. Its always nice to see the finish line at the beginning of the race so that when you make the last turn of the race, your not wondering if the finish line will ever come! I lined up with my buddy near the front next to a van for windshielding purposes and listened intently to all the Patrick Moulton gawkers (that's him on the right). I wonder how he deals with being a major celebrity at these minor races.

Anyway, on to the report. I set off pretty comfortably and using my HR monitor, tried to keep it around 160, not letting it creep over 170 on the steep sections. As you can see in the picture, I was more interested in checking it than looking at the camera! I went through 2 miles at 14:00 right on the dot. Mile 3 surprised me, as my split was a 6:22. After checking the race profile, that turned out to be downhill mile, so that made sense. At this point, I started keying on some people to try to maintain a stable pace. The hill at mile 5 (7:19) was reasonably comfortable. I was cruising until mile 7 (7:13) or so, when I chose a long downhill to make a pit stop. That decision at the beginning of the race came back to haunt me. I lost about 30 seconds and it threw off my rhythm a bit.

I was a bit overdressed, at least on top, and ended up taking my hat off about a mile into it. The jacket was a godsend, though, because boy some parts of the course were windy. I remember a guy passing me around mile 9 who's sweat had frozen on his fleece... it looked like he was covered in dandruff.

I had my first gel a bit after mile 8 (6:38). It's an interesting experience washing down a cold thick Gu with frozen water, but I guess that's what I get for a mid-winter race. Before I had time to wash down the gel, that hill at mile 9 really hit me by surprise. However, it did get me mentally prepared for the big hill. Man, I thought that hill was never going to end. I thought I was trotting by the time I crested the hill at mile 12. After catching my breath, I had my last gel. At this point, I felt I had a satisfied my racing jones and my legs felt a bit tired, but nothing overwhelming. I didn't want to risk overdoing it, so I dropped it down to marathon pace and cruised for the next two miles. That wind between mile 13&14 on a right hand bend was pretty intense and it took a lot out of me battling through it. I got a 2nd wind after mile 14 and allowed myself to be pulled into the finish by a couple guys passing me that seemed to be finishing strong. I think I crossed the finish line around 1:52, so it was a 7:02 mile pace, much faster than marathon pace. So, given my choices of race strategies (A, B, or C), I chose D, none of the above. Not the soundest race strategy but fortunately I came to my senses and pulled it back for the last quarter of the race. The splits don't really bear that out, but the last four miles are mostly downhill.

I was pretty happy with the effort, considering the difficulty of the course. With 1 20 miler left before Austin, I think I'm in pretty good shape.

The post-race festivities were a pleasant surprise, especially the variety of food. The spread was amazing.... chili, vegetables soup, hot chocolate, 3 different kinds of wraps, pizza, and assortment of fruit. It was almost worthwhile to drive up just for the food. Those hummus tortillas really hit the spot! Overall, this race was a lot more fun than I thought it would be and I think I would come back for seconds.

Thanks for reading my race rant..... check back in for an update!

For you stat geeks, here's the readout from my HRM:
1. 14:00 (2m - 151/168)
3. 6:22 (162/168)
4. 6:46 (162/165)
5. 7:19 (165/169)
6. 6:43 (162/170)
7. 7:13 (168/167) - pit-stop
8. 6:38 (161/166)
9. 7:02 (163/166)
10. 7:13 (165/169)
11. 7:22 (163/169)
12. 7:49 (163/168)
13. 7:16 (156/163) - tough headwind
14. 7:09 (157/160)
15. 6:58 (156/160)
16. 6:36 (160/166)