The Show Must Go On?

Last week, I nearly booked myself a plane ticket to New York City to watch the marathon this weekend. Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan would be in town. Meb Keflezighi would be running. The Halls would be there (at last check I swear they were coming). The Garmin guys would be running--go Jake and Justin! And of course all the latest and greatest gear would be on tap at the expo. Mizuno offered the chance to win a slot at a special brunch and they were showcasing the Breath Thermo top that looked like just the layer I needed to stay warm this winter--and after not being one of the lucky ones to win shoes or invited the Mezamashii Project, I'd take any opportunity I could to win a second chance. Basically, if I could get myself to the Big Apple without spending an arm and a leg, I wanted to be there.

Then Sandy happened. She tore across the East Coast and flooded some of the most unfathomable spots in the city that never sleeps, making New York look like it was Universal Studio's Earthquake ride (I promise I'm not joking about what happened, I just couldn't believe that so many Atlantic landmarks were destroyed). But what did I start thinking about after the initial OMG moments? The New York City Marathon. Would it go on as scheduled or would it be canceled?

From Boston to Colorado, With Love

It doesn't get much better than this. Spring skiing in late April, with fresh snow blanketing the mountain. I've had quite the week, running then walking the Boston Marathon on Monday, hobbling around on Tuesday and Wednesday wondering what activities I might actually be able to do, catching a flight to Colorado on Thursday to spend Easter Weekend skiing at Vail, waking up Friday morning to nine inches of snow. I repeat, it doesn't get much better than this, unless I had pictures to prove it. But that's what the afternoon is for...I'm about to grab my ski gear and go explore. Normally I wouldn't be broadcasting that today is my birthday, but gosh darn it, I want my Epic pin for skiing on my birthday--and maybe even an Earth Day one. I'll take that powder too, I don't think I was blessed with this much snow when I was here in March. Before I can post pictures, check these out fresh from Vail's Facebook page. If you're a skier, you'll wish you were here, too.

How are you staying active on Earth Day?

Top 10 Boston Marathon Memories from 2011

Even when you spend far more time on the race course than you intend, plan and hope for, the Boston Marathon always seems to go by in a blur. Once your bus pulls into the parking lot at Hopkinton, it's like a ticking bomb counting down ever so quickly until the start gun goes off. While my race may have been a disaster (stay tuned for the race report on this one--hopefully tomorrow), I still managed to enjoy the sights and scenes on my way into Boston and across the finish line. Meanwhile, many others had awesome races, especially from the rumblings I heard about the elites before I had a chance to check the results. During the day I was curious about how the elite race panned out, and now that it's over I'm wishing my hotel room had Universal Sports so I could re-watch the race when it comes back on at midnight. But until I can actually watch that coverage, I'm working off this list of my top 10 memories from the 2011 Boston Marathon:

1. Desiree Davila finishing second by two seconds, PR'ing and becoming ridiculously close to being the first American woman to win Boston since Lisa Rainsberger in 1985 (2:22:38)
2. Kara Goucher's first marathon back after baby and she PR'd, besting her time from the 2008 NYC marathon (2:24:52)
3. Ryan Hall besting his own American record and finishing fourth in 2:04:58.
4. Joan Benoit Samuelson's age group win in 2:51:29. She still has it at 53, even if she doubted her ability to finish under 3 hours this time around.
5. Seeing the Pesky Pole Marathoner on the course--I knew he existed from Flickr pictures, but can't remember if I've actually seen him on the course.
6. The costumed on-course entertainment. A guy ran nearly in the buff, only wearing a tiny loin cloth, some cloth wrapped around his bicep and a long black wig (I wish I had my camera with me for that one). The very convincing guy dressed as a girl cheering the runners from the sidelines--he even caught a photographer's attention as I saw him in this boston.com slideshow. The two guys dressed in suits and running--one only had the tie and jacket, but the other even donned the pants.
7. The number of Nike shoes I kept spotting. There were Lunaracers, original LunarGlides (this woman's looked so clean compared to my first pair, which are too worn out to use for running), LunarGlides 2+, Frees, Pegasus 27+.
8. The number of charity runners. So many singlets and T-shirts for Dana-Farber, Children's Hospital, Griffin's Friends, Bailey's Team for Autism, the Boston College bookstore, and countless others that I read as I ran but can't remember now.
9. The screaming girls of Wellesley. I knew they were loud but they seemed even louder than before--and I couldn't block them out as well as I usually do, I think a result of my iPod dying as I passed the campus.
10. The epic fail of my own race 55 minutes in. More on that in another entry.

What Goes Through Your Mind the Night Before a Marathon

Tomorrow marks my fourth start at the Boston Marathon. Hopefully it ends with my fourth finish, but honestly, one can never be too sure, especially under the conditions I faced in the last few weeks--all winter if I'm being completely truthful with myself. Too much skiing over running: good but maybe not the best use of my leg muscles with 26.2 miles within sight. Feeling more in shape a month ago than I do right now: a result of February boot camp, quality workouts (even if they were on skis) and all that skiing. A cold that crept into my system almost a week ago and completely sidelined me--when my workouts come to a halt because I can't drag myself out of bed, you know something is wrong. A soreness in my left leg, my trouble leg as I like to call it thanks to shin splints and knots and an overused calf muscle, that randomly appeared nearly two weeks ago and has worried me to the point of spending hours online looking up tendinitis, stress fractures, tenderness, massage techniques and more. I sound like a walking nightmare, don't I?

So why am I still running? I wonder that myself sometimes. But the problem is you don't know if you're feeling these things because you're nervous about the race--remember Liz's seven days of taper trauma--or if you really are down and out. The other issue is that everyone who knows you're running thinks you can do it and still boosts your spirits, says you're in shape so you know you can finish, and assures you that the race will be fine. And then you walk over to Boylston Street, see that finish line that you're supposed to be crossing in less than 24 hours (likely pose to take a picture, too), feel all the energy that arises among all those other runners, talk to complete strangers about the sport--it makes you want to run even more. Oh, it probably doesn't hurt to have my parents among the crowd, especially since my husband had to stay home, and knowing that they're going to be cheering just before the Newton hills and again in that final stretch. Hopefully I won't let anyone down, including myself. I'll just have to put on that determined face, that look we know so well from watching elites like Ryan Hall and Kara Goucher, when they're trying to maintain, or take, a lead. And oh how I want to sport that signature adidas Boston Marathon jacket, yellow long-sleeve shirt, and medal around my neck tomorrow afternoon.

Good luck to all the runners out there tomorrow! If I wasn't running, I'd be tracking you in addition to some leader favorites like Hall and Goucher, plus Desiree Davila and Joan Benoit Samuelson. Yes, I was excited when I heard they were all running, to share the course with these famous fast feet. But if I don't get to sleep soon, or at least try harder to sleep, I'm going to be even farther from fast--my kinda fast--in the morning. Like the title of a George Clooney film, good night and good luck!

Update: We're Gonna Run This Town

Just received some awesome news for all you runners, or non-running charity-minded people, out there. As if the adidas adiZero Charity Challenge wasn't good enough before, they're upping the ante as we speak. For every mile logged from 8 a.m. today, Sunday, April 17, until 7:59 a.m. tomorrow morning, April 18, even more money will be donated to charity. Run your mile from 8 a.m. to midnight and $10 will go into the pot that adidas is donating to three charities, Boston Public Schools, Fund For Boston Neighborhoods and AKTIV against cancer. Run your mile from midnight to 7:59 a.m. and $20 will be donated in your name. Those are pretty good stakes!

Check before heading out to run at midnight tonight though...according to earlier information I had the challenge was supposed to end at 11:59 p.m. tonight, before we actually roll into Marathon Monday. Or rather than be wary, just head over to those three adidas stations--Hynes Convention Center, City Hall Plaza and Fanueil Hall--and run your mile for charity now, add one mile and you'll get that $20 without having to run in the middle of the night.

Signing out for now--gotta go check out the Boston finish line!

We're Gonna Run This Town

Who said anything about needing to be registered to run the 115th Boston Marathon to have fun in Beantown this weekend? Whether you're running, you're cheering or you just happen to be in Boston, you can partake in some of the marathon fun--and use your feet for a charity challenge. With all due respect, Boston has marathon fever this time of year and adidas is taking that energy and running with it.

To celebrate the race, they're hosting the adiZero Charity Challenge, a round-the-clock treadmill challenge at three spots around the city. Visit one or visit all three, each mile you run or walk gets tallied into the system and adidas will make a $2 donation for each of those miles to Boston Public Schools, Fund For Boston Neighborhoods and AKTIV against cancer. You'll find these treadmills at Fanueil Hall, City Hall Plaza, and Hynes Convention Center--you can't miss it if you're there to browse the marathon expo. You don't even need to have your running shoes with you as you can always trial a pair of adidas to mark your miles.

The more miles you run, the more you can give and get back: The first 26 people who run a mile at all three locations will receive a pair of adiZero footwear. And according to this flyer, high school students are encouraged to come out and run with nine of their friends to then get a $500 donation to the charity of their choice.

But the clock is counting down. This challenge kicked off at 7 a.m. Friday morning, and you have until 11:59 p.m. Sunday night to run those miles. Perfect for any marathoners looking for a short shake-out before the big dance. Or if you need to run longer, stop by to grab a "Boston With Love" map that features three city touring runs and take a warm-up lap on the treadmill to start.

Running Excellence Happens

You've scored the elusive qualifying time. You've put in the training miles. You've slogged through the cold winter hours to get in those runs. You've tried to rest, eat well and maybe even pamper yourself a bit in this final week leading up to the Boston Marathon. New Balance, headquartered in Boston, wants to celebrate those accomplishments at its home base's race and wants this weekend to be excellent. For marketers, it's a new marketing campaign titled "Let's Make Excellent Happen." For runners, it's the chance to run excellent come Monday, whether it be making it to the finish line, enjoying all the aspects of the race, improving upon a PR or beating those Newton Hills. Those are my thoughts on excellence anyways.

Some of those taglines you might catch include "Excellent is Made in Boston," "Excellent Loves Heartbreak," "Excellent Makes Molehills Out of Newton Hills," and "Excellent Screams Through Wellesley." If you've run Boston before, you know exactly what it means to hit these points of the course and either achieve excellence through them, or die trying. Well, not exactly die, but you catch my drift.

According to a press release, the idea behind this excellent theme is to inspire and motivate runners while showing runners that New Balance is there to support them. It doesn't stop with T-shirts at the expo displaying these excellent taglines though. There's way more that goes along with the "Let's Make Excellent Happen" theme and during the course of marathon weekend.

• "Let's Make Excellent Happen" includes imagery from the new New Balance 890, a lightest-in-class neutral running shoe, plus Boston landmarks like the Charles River, Fenway Park and the Zakim Bridge.
• You'll spot New Balance decking the city with media on the T, buses and bus shelters, light pole banners, T-station stairwells, barricades and the Copley ticket booth.
• Want some last-minute running tips? Check out www.newbalance.com, which offers race and spectator tips for the weekend and allows visitors to leave suggestions.
• If you thought winter was rough in your hometown, check out the "Trained Tough?" section where you can enter your zip code to find out how difficult your training was from a weather perspective as compared to other registered runners. I definitely need to see how easy my Palo Alto cousin had his training as compared to Chicago me, where my runs seemed to be curtailed by snow or cold far too many times.
• The new 890 high performance running shoe is available in a Boston edition (retails for $100), where Boston is screened onto the outside ankle area. These limited editions are available for a limited time at Boston-based retailers like Marathon Sports, City Sports, The Tannery, NB Burlington, NB Dedhm Legacy Place, MB Mashpee, Runner's Alley, New England Running Company and Sound Runner.
• Make your running form excellent all weekend at New Balance's expo booth where, in addition to marveling at the fall 2011 line, you can try the Good Form Running experience. Booth visitors receive a diagnosis of their running form and takeaway about how to improve. The premise behind Good Form Running, founded by Curt Munson who owns Playmakers in Okemos, Mich., is that runners are taught how to run with proper mechanics, which help with speed, efficiency and keeping them injury-free.
• Your Boston hotel, go-to restaurants or transportation (Old Town Trolley) might be partnered with New Balance. It's another way for New Balance to reach out, but I have to admit that I'm not exactly sure what to expect from it.
  

Photo grabbed from newbalance.com.

More Finds at the Boston Marathon Expo

Who's ready to do more than pick up their packet when they arrive in Beantown this weekend for the 115th Boston Marathon? Me! As I mentioned earlier, I'm trying to whisk those thoughts of "Am I going to finish?" and "How much are those hills going to hurt?" out of my mind by focusing on one of the race weekend's events that I love: shopping the expo.

Now I'm not a shopper by any means--I usually browse online more than anything--but there's something about this marathon expo that gets me excited to stroll the aisles and make some purchases. It's like a runner's Christmas between the gear stamped with the BAA insignia, Boston-specific items, new releases I've eyed online, and runner celebrity sightings. But I didn't get to finish my list when I first started sharing details yesterday. Whether you're going to Boston to run Monday's race or you're just along for the ride (and moral support), you'll want to add these brands to your bunch to check out:

ASICS. Head over to this booth at noon on Saturday to meet Ryan Hall, who'll be signing autographs. But plan to arrive early--I remember a line stretching around the expo space when he was there in 2008. And if you're in the market for gear, you'll find the ASICS spring collection, some Boston printed shirts and plenty of footwear. I have my eyes out for the Noosa shoe, meant for the Australian triathlon market originally and now making its stateside debut.

Saucony. While some runners are hooked on the Kinvaras (I have friends raving about them), Saucony will also be displaying its even lighter weighted Hattori shoe from its minimalist collection. Or if you're on the look-out for something that shouts Boston, check out the event specific tees they created for this year too.

Need a new watch that does it all--track your heart-rate, calorie count, mileage and pace? Check out the booths for Garmin, Polar and Timex, all of whom have a collection of devices to help you maximize performance, improve fitness and track all the stats from your run. I can pore over these for hours, especially Polar's fitness models that I've eyed for all of my gym workouts that I think are more detrimental than beneficial.

A few more stops on my list include New Balance, Runner's World, and tracking down Josh Cox over the weekend. New Balance is amping up the excellence this weekend (more to come on that), Runner's World is hosting everything from shake-out runs to seminars (check their Boston site or Bart Yasso's tweets for more details), and Josh Cox shared via Facebook that he'll be leading a nutrition seminar on Saturday and Sunday with Powerbar among other things. And stay tuned for more info from Adidas and New Balance, plus a Kara Goucher sighting at Niketown on Saturday. At least if I'm more nervous than excited for the race, I can get excited about the events surrounding it.

Photo grabbed from dcrainmaker.com.

Stories from the 114th Boston Marathon, Part One

It’s kind of expected when you register to run the Boston Marathon that you’ll be in the company of good runners. Ryan Hall and Meb Keflezighi. The 2009 winners Deriba Merga and Salina Kosgei. Catherine Ndereba and Robert K. Cheriyout before they dropped out. But there were more than a handful, try roughly 26,000 stories. Granted I only heard or read about a handful, but figured they were too cool not to share. So here the first round of some obvious and not-so-obvious tales from the 114th running of the Boston Marathon.

Maggy Zidar. Never in a million years did I expect to be standing next to my high school English teacher before the race. I knew she was running—my mom shared this news after they saw one another at the gym—but when you have a field of 26,000 or so, do you really expect to find the few people that you know (turns out I saw two)? Mrs. Zidar, as I’ve always known her, came aboard my bus in the Hopkinton parking lot with Doug Kurtis to meet his brother. She’s run Boston 10 times, nearly missed out this year because the race closed so early, and hoped to run under four hours to celebrate turning 60. While she said she was just coming off last week’s Martian Marathon, she still managed to pull off her goal and ran 3:50.

The Kurtis Brothers. I felt like I was in the company of greatness when I learned the background on these two, Doug and Dennis. Bart Yasso announced one of Doug’s feats when he stepped onto the bus before we left Boston—76 sub-2:20 marathons—but it turns out he’s not just fast, he’s run a lot of races. Doug, from Livonia, Mich., is training for Grandma’s Marathon in June but felt so good after running the half at the Martian race last weekend that he decided to do Boston after all. I needed a piece of paper with me when I stood in the bus bathroom line to jot this all down but luckily my memory prevailed to keep a few facts intact like the running more than 100 marathons. Meanwhile, brother Dennis, from San Jose, Calif., had a target on his back after finishing second in his age group last year. Most seasoned Boston runners probably know this, but practically novice me learned that the top age-groupers wear a bib on their back with their corresponding age group to show their speed. Dennis seemed to be modest over his speed, which apparently runs in the family. Doug finished in 2:54:01 while Dennis finished in 2:59:29, good for fourth and eighth, respectively in the 55-59 age group.

Kerry Green. What a cool guy to sit next to for a bus ride out to Hopkinton. An exercise physiologist by trade (Kerry, sorry again for mistaking your career), uber-marathon runner by fun, he first showed up in Boston in 1975 and was making his 18th appearance—or was it eighth? Plus he wanted to make it a memorable race, running sub-three hours so he could mark five decades—yep, the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s and now 10s—of running faster than three hours. He may have sounded a little like Lindsey Vonn before the Olympics, being wary of her performance due to her shin contusion, but he didn’t let a little Meb-like sore hip and knee keep him from finishing in 2:58:18, good for fifth in his age group. And apparently there’s about a handful of others trying to accomplish the same feat. Runner’s World’s Amy Burfoot acknowledged Green in this blog post, cool stuff.

Guy-whose-name-I-can-probably-track-down-after-Big-Sur. I should have asked his name when we were on the bus but when you’re prepping for a marathon yourself, you don’t really think of all the little details. His memorable fact was new to me, but apparently popular on the marathon circuit (Kerry knew of the challenge): to run Boston, rest six days and then tackle the Big Sur International Marathon. My husband thought the challenge sounded insane while I applauded anyone who wanted to run two hilly marathons less than a week apart. He wasn’t the lone soldier either: I saw a few Boston 2 Big Sur tees on the course, passing me no less.

Stephanie Skladzien. I met Stephanie a week before the marathon at the Luna Chix Summit in northern California. She’s the team leader of the Madison cycling team, but also runs marathons and Ironmans. And we learned that our paths have probably crossed on more than one occasion but we had never met. She was the second person I knew running Boston and like Mrs. Zidar, one that I’d never expect to find on race day. We had exchanged bib numbers and described our race day outfits, but in a sea of runners that’s like the ‘needle in a haystack’ cliché. But Stephanie found me somewhere between Wellesley and Newton, we ran together for a bit, but then her gait got a little too fast for my legs to handle at that point in the race. She kept going and finished in 3:58:29, and now she’s going back home to start training for Ironman Wisconsin.

That's just the first tidbits of stories from race day. I didn't want to turn this post into a book so stay tuned for parts two and three--and maybe four and five. In the meantime, check the results from Monday's marathon at bostonmarathon.com. Photo grabbed from Paul Keleher at Flickr.

VIP Treatment at Boston, Thanks Runner's World

If you ever have the chance to snag a spot with RW Elite at your next marathon—before I forget, they’ll be at the Cincinnati, San Francisco, Toronto and Richmond marathons—do it. Trust me, you will not be sorry in the least.

I wasn’t.

And that’s even after one of my main motives, the weather, ended up being way better than forecasted in the days before the race. I signed up to be a Runner’s World VIP Tuesday morning, less than a week before the race—thanks to a warning from Bart Yasso that the registration would probably shut down on Wednesday, an urging that it was a great deal, and knowing that I was probably already late to jump aboard and sneaking in at the last minute. The weather looked so-so, something like 50s and partly cloudy, not conditions that I couldn’t handle waiting in lines at the Common. I piled on the layers and rain gear in 2007 when a Nor’easter hovered around the Atlantic, stood in the pouring rain with an umbrella and rain gear (I so wish I had pictures from that experience, but I just have the look I wore out the door of my hotel room, courtesy of my mom), scored a spot in the line that didn’t seem to want to move (lucky me!) and a seat on what felt like one of the last buses to head out to Hopkinton. I swore nothing could be worse, and I was right, but still I’d take cushy digs over a seemingly neverending line that only brought about more nerves before the race.

The perks advertised as part of the Runner’s World deal were only part of the allure, my email confirmation gave me a few more to look forward to, and my attendance at one sweetened the deal. The RW planners could have left us with the email itinerary that said to meet for the buses at the Sheraton between 6:30 and 6:45 a.m. Monday morning, but they started the celebrating with a reception Sunday afternoon. Totally worthwhile, even if it did mean more time on my feet and forcing oft-quiet me into striking conversation with strangers. Not only did I get all of the details for Sunday and add my parents to the party that followed at the University Club, but I received the newly released Going Long anthology, introduced over expo weekend and full of RW stories from the last seven-ish years. And within the first 15 minutes, I met three previous Boston Marathon winners—Amby Burfoot (1968), Greg Meyer (1983) and Lisa Rainsberger (1985, last female American)—as well as countless RW editors. For someone who reads Runner’s World monthly—and repeatedly since it stays in my gym bag after the first read—chumming with its staff is easily one of those experiences that rarely comes along.

That was the night before the run. Race day was even more worth it, and again, not because of the weather. Dawn broke, the sun rose, and aside from the chill in the air—signaling perfect running weather--it really wouldn't have been bad to wait in line for the school buses. But the Runner's World buses were way cooler. The RW peeps promised to ride out to Hopkinton with us ended up including editors David Willey, Jen Van Allen and Warren Greene, and chief running officer Bart Yasso--that's not counting the handful of editors running the race. The random runners who hopped aboard had a pretty impressive rap list—super-fast aging brothers who’ve been running Boston for ages, a Boston-Big Sur doubler, my neighbor who was shooting for his fifth decade of sub-three hour marathons. But it was the drive out there that threw us for a very impressive loop: we accidentally landed in the motorcade between the wheelchair athletes and elite runners. That meant police closing off the highway for us to pass, an empty road straight ahead, and a stop steps away from Hopkinton's town square and the start line. Sure, we were in the wrong spot and needed a police escort to take us back to the masses at the high school and middle school, but interesting while it lasted.

The excitement wanes a bit when the bus pulls into the parking lot staging area for all the runners, more because it means the race is actually about to happen--and we have to think about what layers to keep and shed, what foods to nosh on and when before running, to wear or not to wear sunscreen and sunglasses, when to take the last bathroom break, and what time to leave the bus for the start line. Having a bathroom just steps away and with a line only seven deep rather than 20? Good plus for this runner who stayed on the bus until the last second to use the bathroom one last time before the race.

Fast forward to the finish line where the Runner's World perks returned. Cross the famous finish line, collect your medal, post-race food and belongings, and make your way to the runner reunite area. But instead of finding your family and friends outside at your designated letter, find the blue awning of the University Club, head inside and you're back to feeling like a race VIP. You'll see the welcoming committee, greeting you with information on the shower and massage areas, the food and place to relax after you're clean. I skipped the shower and massage to refuel first--force of habit more than anything--but after scarfing down a hot pretzel, and some other snacks my parents had placed on their plates, I was ready to rinse off and get warm.

Without traveling back to my hotel room, this shower was easily the next best thing. After my first Boston, we had to rush to catch a flight in Providence, R.I., and I had to shower in the spot the Sheraton set aside for runners that year. That included waiting in line for what felt like one shower stall that was part of the fitness center's locker room, changing in the middle of cramped quarters and sliding on sopping wet floors. It was better than nothing, but the Westin set the bar higher the following year: rooms set aside for runners to shower and change and no waiting in line. The University Club set-up equaled the Westin without the rush of another person needing the shower and the ease of rejoining the group.

But the massage? That's something I'm always going to have to do after marathon--so what I needed especially after my calf cramped up at mile 20 and another runner told me I walked funny. The massage therapist went to town on my leg and less than 20 minutes later, I knew I'd be able to walk, not hobble, my way back to the hotel.

As for my parents, they enjoyed the post-race celebration, too, a nice perk considering I was the one signing up for the VIP treatment. They met Bart Yasso, had an indoor spot to wait for me to make it through the finish line area, and could snack on some goodies while watching video footage from the Richmond Runner's World Challenge. While we may have been the last few people still hanging out at the club, no one was about to kick us out or encourage us to leave. Instead you felt like you were a small part of the Runner's World family. Good thing too, because I wasn't in a hurry to return to the hotel.


Photo courtesy of Susan Bongiovanni.

Boston Marathon Twitter-Style

Who's nodding their head when they read that social media is everywhere these days? But who's also nodding when they see it makes them pretty accessible to random news on their favorite athletes, celebrities, friends and businesses? Me!

I have yet to start my Boston Marathon race report, but I've been catching up on my Facebook and Twitter browsing--far easier to do at the airport than writing, I might add--and am totally into reading comments from the crowd related to yesterday's infamous marathon. Here are some excerpts from what my Twitter feed looked like post-race (in reverse from how it actually read online).

runnersworld Teyba Erkesso (ETH) wins women's Boston Marathon in 2:26:low. Tatyana Pushkareva (RUS) 2nd; Salina Kosgei (KEN) 3rd http://bit.ly/9IuIFB

B_A_A_ Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot of Kenya has won the 114th Boston Marathon in in a course record time of 2:05.52  

B_A_A_ Tekeste Kebede of Ethiopia will finish second. Merga third, Hall fourth, Meb fifth

B_A_A_ Cheruiyot spoke to the media on Friday at the John Hancock Elite Athlete Press Conference - http://bit.ly/dzuxDj

JakesJournal Congrats to Garmin athlete @ryanhall3 on 4th place at Boston Marathon. Robert Cheruiyot set new course record of 2:05:50.

runnersworld That's right--congrats Ryan! RT @5Kjunkie: @runnersworld @ryanhall3 's 2:08:41 is fastest-ever American finish at Boston. 


B_A_A_ 'If I were to download a heart monitor I'm sure that it will show that this was the hardest win' - vanDyk on his tight victory today

JoshCoxRun So proud of my @MammothTC teammates, @RyanHall3 & @RunMeb! You guys were amazing!

andybaldwin some days you get The Goat, some days The Goat gets you. That was tough today! Congrats to all finishers! #BostonMarathon  

JakesJournal Congrats to Garmin's Peg for finishing (& qualifying again) at Boston! Her 5K splits: 26:01; 26:22; 26:09; 26:01; 26:27; 27:21; 26:59; 26:22  

andybaldwin Finished the #BostonMarathon! Thanks for all of your support. It made a huge difference out there today!! @TeamWorldVision

B_A_A_ sitting on six hours after the start. Congrats to all the finishers! 

BartYasso Congrats to all Boston Marathon runners.Thanks to our RW Elite Boston Marathon package runners & Saturday night FE runners.


B_A_A_ Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! The streets are lined with supportive fans and our volunteers have been tremendous!!!

runnersworld Check out our facebook album of more than 60 photos from #bostonmarathon weekend! http://bit.ly/92khBD Elite slideshows to come  

W_Olympics_2010 Boston marathoner with heart attack recovering: A 64-year-old man running in the Boston Marathon had a heart attac... http://bit.ly/d3UGAf  

runnersworld Meb's entourage: Merhawi Keflezighi (brother and agent), Bob Larsen (mentor), and Meb himself. The matching smiles http://twitpic.com/1gwvfk  

fmyinjury I am so jealous of the #BostonMarathon runners. What a cool accomplishment!!!  

JoshCoxRun The @StepsFoundation dinner: @BartYasso, @RyanHall3, @CarolynLora, @SaraHall3, & @AndyBaldwin http://twitpic.com/1gx9ru  

B_A_A_ 'It was a great experience … Wonderful to be back … Haven’t been here since 2006 and it reminds me how special it is' - Meb on his race  

B_A_A_ Congratulations to all of our runners! http://bit.ly/9b3J3f  

runmeb 10:59 pm just got back to my room since the race and 10min to put my jeans on before the award. Now, in the ice bath. Long day & busy day. 


SaraHall3: So proud of @ryanhall3 & our @StepsFoundation runners today in Boston! Was great getting to meet most of them tonight and celebrate the race 

runmeb Congrats to all the Boston 26.2 finishers. You are part of a great history. Wow, what a day of competition I cannot wait to see video.

runmeb The crowed was unbelievable. USA. USA the whole time, even in the medical tent, tears of pride poured. Thanks to my supporters I went 4 it.  

ryanhall3 140 characters aren't enough for today. Check out my blog post tomrrw. Thanks for everyones prayers and support. Congrats to all 26.2 fnshrs  

BartYasso At Logan airport on my way home to PA. It’s a dead giveaway who did the race yesterday, walk/limp & marathon jacket.  

runmeb 7:49AM, what are you having for breakfast? Well, I am starting w/ 55 degree of ice bath and looking forward to something warm in 15min.  


runmeb I gave it all I had yesterday. I Ran To Win. Thanks for all the support. http://bit.ly/aksbB9

JakesJournal You're everywhere! Congrats!! See you in a few...RT @BrianDSabin: is pictured on @runnersworld home page, under RW Daily and "1st timers"  

B_A_A_ Video from the Hoyts hitting mile eight yesterday - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZIc3g1-LzU  

JoshCoxRun Just had a fabulous massage courtesy of Holly and the great folks at the @StepsFoundation! Next stop, Nashville!  

runnersworld Boston Virgins! RW staffers run their first #bostonmarathon ...with a camera. Here's what they saw: http://bit.ly/8YX0P7 @B_A_A_

runnersworld For more on Boston (including stories on the winners, @ryanhall3 , @runmeb , and the rest of the Americans) go to http://bit.ly/dBweFC  

runnersworld RT @AbbeyH24 Great advice from Mark Remy, Exec Editor of RunnersWorld.com: "Do whatever it takes to finish ahead of a costumed runner."  

ryanhall3 There was something very beautiful about my last run in Boston this morning.  

B_A_A_ is busy with some record book re-writing. Congrats to Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot (Course Record 2:05:52), and Ernst... http://bit.ly/cIIBkd  

...and we're powering down. I'm on a flight filled with marathon finishers wearing 2010 adidas jackets headed back to Chicago. Here's to hoping I can write my race report before landing--or catching some extra shut-eye. In the meantime, follow me and my favorites on Twitter, @fitink. 

Boston Marathon Countdown: It's Race Day

I've been up since 5:45 a.m., sat on a bus for two hours in the Hopkinton High School parking lot, ran and then walked--story to follow on that one--26.2 miles to Boston, hung out at The University Club with Runner's World, dozed off for 20 minutes, ate dinner, dozed some more, and now can't seem to put two thoughts together from the hundreds that ran through my head during today's race. Expect more of a race report from me tomorrow when I can think clearer and get some rest--we'll just say it was an interesting stream of events on race day, good, bad and ugly as I tend to describe several races I do.

In the meantime, check out the Boston Marathon homepage for tons of race day details, the winners and top finishers, and searchable results. As I walked through the finish line area to grab food and my gear bag, I heard that Ryan Hall and Meb Keflezighi finished fourth and fifth, respectively, not winning the race as they had hoped. But talk about a shocker--an awesome one at that--to hear that Robert Cheruiyot, not to be confused with four-time Boston Marathon winner Robert K. Cheruiyot, shattered the course record to win in 2:05:52. Meanwhile, Teyba Erkesso crossed first for the women in 2:26:11 just edging out Tatyana Pushkareva who finished in 2:26:14. Hmm, sound a little familiar to the 2009 showdown on Boylston? Salina Kosgei, 2009 winner, finished third this time around in 2:28:35, roughly four minutes faster than the time she ran to win before.

OK, bedtime for me. More tomorrow--stay tuned.

Boston Marathon Countdown: The Daily Feed, Fit-Ink style

I can attempt to report, photograph and tell stories about the Boston Marathon all I want. But I'm a one-woman show when it comes to most of the marathon action so it's tough to keep up, and until hijacking my mom's iPhone, I was technology deficient too. So I still haven't gotten the hang of the Twitter but at least I found a couple of cool sites offering tons of marathon action. Check 'em out (especially since I'm having a hard time keeping up after driving between two states in the last 48 hours and walking through the expo again to waste time when my hotel room wasn't ready yet):

• Runner's World has a special section devoted to the Boston Marathon and they'll be blogging live from the press room on race day. Find the action at bostonmarathon.runnersworld.com.
• Liz and I bantered back and forth with Paul at RunBoston09.com last year...I discovered he's back again (and better than ever) at runboston2010.com. Also check out his Fit-Ink shout out--sweet!
• Courtesy of The Boston Globe, boston.com has a marathon-specific site complete with a blog, course details, spectator guide, photos, 2009 information and runner stories. Endless reading, I tell ya.
• Just in case you need easy access to the official Boston Marathon site, don't forget you can track your runner and read about how the race unfolds at bostonmarathon.com or baa.org.
• And if you're a Twitter fan search for Bart Yasso (@BartYasso), Josh Cox (@JoshCoxRun), Meb Keflezighi (@runmeb), Ryan Hall (@ryanhall3), and Runner's World (@runnersworld) and follow them. I'm a fan of reading their updates--and see who retweets stuff about them. 

These are just for starters, but entertaining for sure. I'd post more but I need to rest up...with a race on Monday, tonight's my last good night of sleep before tossing and turning Sunday.

Boston Marathon Countdown: Navigating the Expo

There’s always excitement surrounding Marathon Monday in Boston: 114 years of history, a day off from work and school, baseball at Fenway, 26.2 miles running from Hopkinton to Boston. Lots of people, lots of runners, lots of cheering and news all about Monday. But the Boston Marathon Expo is one thing I’m looking forward to this year—almost as much as the race (and sometimes more judging from my lack of training this winter). The expo opens at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 16, and runs until 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 18, and while the purchase options may diminish as the event wears on--runners like to shop at this expo too especially if race day calls for rain and you left your rain gear at home--you'll still find some of the best new items for the running marketplace. Whether you're running or just accompanying a runner, here's a brief rundown of some gear to look for before dashing back to the car or hotel after picking up the race packet.

• Adidas. You can't miss this booth at the main entrance to the expo--if you're heading inside after picking up your packet--as it's huge and filled with everything from T-shirts to the racer favorite jacket. In addition to all the gear and marathon-logo'd wears, check out the demonstration of miCoach. (update: stay tuned for a miCoach entry of its own, I was intrigued) Launched in January, miCoach ups the ante for runners, especially beginners and those of the techie variety, and provides real-time audible coaching as you run. Pacing, heart rate zones, calorie burns--it'll keep you on target.
• Asics. Ryan Hall is an Asics guy but he'll be laying low over the weekend--big race on Monday that he's trying to win, I think we can see why. But that doesn't mean to skip out because the celebrity tie-in is absent. Browse the shoes, gear and Boston wearables.

• New Balance. 'Run Faster' in Boston and score a sneak peek at the new New Balance 759, rolling out for fall 2010. You can purchase the shoe at the expo--or win a pair or other goodies on-site--and be one of the first people on the streets with this newbie--after marathon weekend, it won't be for sale again until July. Or if you truly want to remember this Boston experience, consider the Limited Edition Boston 993, a customized version of a heritage favorite. Only 72 of these were made--36 each for men and women--and only available at the Tannery on Boylston Street (approx. $150).
• Nike. There's always something going on at the Nike booth in Boston--at least the two years I've cruised by. Wait in line for a pace bracelet that gives the runner a break out of how fast to run the miles, taking into account the slower pace on the hills, and a spectator guide so friends and family know when to look for their runner. Bring your SportBand to the expo and Boston-ify it with a gift. Look for the Boston tees and try the Boston-themed LunarGlides. I loved the Chicago special but Boston's different: black shoe with blue laces and white Dynamic Support, a BOS tag on the tongue and a pirate ship inside on the heelbed.
• Polar. Heart rate monitors and cadence calculators are one thing, social media is another, but Polar is doing both expo weekend. Join their Saturday Tweetup from the expo: http://twtvite.com/m0jys9. I know I say I'm not that into Twitter--I'm trying, I really am (@fitink)--but this is one thing I'm going to have to check out, for curiosity's sake too.

• Saucony. Who doesn't like new shoes? Saucony's unveiling their latest, the ProGrid Kinvara, at the expo. Tagged as a shoe where minimalism meets maximum performance, it's lightweight, minimal construction allows your foot to do what it wants to naturally. I just can't help but think about barefoot runners on this one.

That's only a taste of what's at the marathon expo. Two rooms are filled to the hilt with booths of exhibitors from gear to charity programs to food to other races to run. That reminds me, Gatorade is unveiling some new products at the expo too: here's more info about that (scroll to the end of the page). Back to the expo...we're talking book signings, massages, food samples, shopping and more. Find more details here at the expo-specific site. Photos provided by New Balance and Saucony.

Boston Marathon Countdown: Remembering 2009

I'm totally nostalgic at heart and have been known to sometimes live in the past, rather than the present. Blame it partially on my mom--she's taken so many pictures over the years to fill plenty of albums at home--and partially on my knack for history. So don't be surprised that I'm looking back on the 113th Boston Marathon before looking ahead to the 114th on Monday, April 19. Check out these pictures from last year's race--we have Flickr to thank for these memories (and maybe my random browsing? I still wish I had been there) as well as the photographers who allowed download access to their accounts.

The finish line. Photo grabbed from Loren Kahle.

 

Ryan Hall sprinting to the finish. Photo grabbed from Gabe Holm

Dick Hoyt pushes his son Rick at mile 19. Photo grabbed from ianandval

Banners announce the race around the city with notable runners like 2008 winner Robert K. Cheruiyot. Photo grabbed from Paul Keleher

Here come the fast women, including our favorite, Kara Goucher. Photo grabbed from mgstanton

Major Dave Rozelle on the course--a below-knee amputee who's taking on endurance sports. Photo grabbed from connorreidy

Jessica Matassa speeds through the course by wheelchair. Photo grabbed from Mad.Chicken

For more pictures from the 113th Boston Marathon, head to Flickr for this photo album. There are tons to browse through. Here's to more memories come April 19.