It's Over

Boston Marathon 2011 is history. And a new world record was set on that hilly course. The men's winner ran 2:03:02. WOW.

My time: About twice that. 4:01:27. It was really hard seeing a sub-4 finish slip away. But it was all I could do to keep running. I stopped for bathroom stops a couple of times and then at 17 miles, the cramps started. I wore my calf compression sleeves, which I think helped my calves. (And ... they were white with salt when I finished. For me, it was a warm day.) But my hamstrings, adductors and eventually calves just seized up. And they just got worse and worse, bringing me to a halt at times. It's a very tired old story. Here are my splits: 8:12, 7:57, 8:03, 8:00, 8:17, 8:17, 8:20, 9:28 (had to wait for the porta potty), 8:14, 8:23, 8:27, 8:35, 8:42, 8:25, 8:37, 8:35, 9:04 (wheels are coming loose), 9:41, 9:23, 9:52, 10:23 (imploding now), 11:45 (ouch ... maybe another bathroom stop. don't remember.), 11:21, 10:25, 9:57, 10:40, 9:21 (pace for .48 miles ... had 26.48 on my GPS). I like it about 20 degrees colder. But all in all, the weather was favorable. The marathon just isn't my distance. But I keep trying to get it right. Jim Li told me when he phoned that I'd qualifed for Boston 2012, which I guess is true. So that's a good thing. :-)

I'm now at a delightful Victorian B&B/Inn in Portland, ME. It's just delightful. Pix later. Gotta get some much-needed rest.

Good night.