Chasing Unicorns 🦄

Fun times heading into the Boston Marathon

Apr 8

The oldest annual marathon and arguably one of the most well-known races on the planet happens to be run every April on Patriot’s Day.

This year, I’m very fortunate to have 2 runners currently putting their final preparations together for this year’s Boston Marathon.

I won’t get into how elusive it is to qualify for the Boston Marathon - how much work goes into training for a marathon, have everything go right on race day so you can run fast enough to get accepted. I won’t talk about actually going through the lottery and getting accepted. And then, putting in the months and months of training to get ready for race day.

people walking on street during daytime — Photo by Miguel A. Amutio on Unsplash

Instead of reading about how crazy-cool the Boston Marathon is from my perspective, read about what Todd is looking forward to in the coming days before, during, and after his run from Hopkinton to Boyleston Street.

MP: What was your favorite workout this training cycle? What was memorable about it?

TB: My favorite workout was a 4x1 mile interval workout in early March. I was dealing with calf and heel pain and woke up thinking this was a bad day for a workout. After the warmup I decided not to look at my watch after it clicked because I did not want to see the pace until several minutes in. When I finally looked I was comfortably in front of the target pace. I was so happy that I felt comfortable there. I love long intervals, they always help me improve my ability to run by "feel".

MP: What will be your first meal after the race?

TB: That's easy. I'll start with a dozen oysters on the half shell and mussels in white sauce. Then a lobster roll with fries and several local IPA's to wash it all down.

MP: Will you listen to music or podcasts during the race? If so, what's one you'll definitely have on?

TB: I'll see, but in general I try to run the first half headphone free. I want to take in the atmosphere and cheer others along the way. When I hit my first wall I go to a long Grateful Dead or Phish jam that will last at least a couple miles. Lately my first choice has been the Bathtub Gin from 12/30/2015. It clocks in at 15:17.

MP: At the top of Wellesley, will you be giving any high fives?

I am sure I will. I am looking forward to a course filled with people having fun and enjoying the day. All recreational endurance athletes enjoy support along the way. They cheer on the top professionals and elites and then stick around to help cheer on the everyday novice runner, that's cool.

MP: What are you looking forward to doing after the marathon?

Hugging my wife. She is always there for me and we share the same passion for fitness and health. Regardless of my performance, she will be there and we will enjoy the moment at the end of a week of vacation.

Be sure to sign up for Healthy Kids Running Series! Carly & I are the coordinators.

Friday’s Action Plan:

Get ready for the hills - the ups and the downs - because what’s some training without hitting the hills.

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Marc is a middle school teacher and coach but also works with distance runners online. I help distance runners around the globe by providing support, writing customized training plans, and designing workouts to help them reach their racing goals. I write for my blog every Wednesday morning and newsletter every Friday morning.

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