BAASTON EPIC LENGTH

(BAA= Boston Athletic Association, get it? heehee!)

Wow. I cannot believe it has been almost 2 weeks since the race. We had such an amazing time, and it was a very memorable experience.

SATURDAY APRIL 18TH

We left Phoenix on at 11:00, of course we were at the airport 2 hours early. (I am very type A about those types of things) Our friends Jason and Sharon were with us and a gal I know from Roadracers was also on our flight. (I almost didn't recognize her in civilian clothes!) Yes, I was wearing my bright blue jacket on the flight!

We got into Boston at 9:30pm and went to our hotel- Embassy Suites Logan. The hotel was great! After we were settled, we decided that the 4 of us would walk around the neighborhood at 11pm to find food. Probably not a good idea as you may know that airport neighborhoods are not known for being the best areas. When we saw it in daylight the next day, we were really thankful that we were safe! We ate at this old dingy place that apparently is favored by the likes of Jay Leno, Seinfeld, and other celebrity Boston visitors. Really good Pizza. Santarpios

SUNDAY APRIL 19TH
We woke up pretty early Sunday morning, I got 2 miles on the treadmill in, and we enjoyed the fabulous free breakfast. I was making sure to eat a ton of carbs!
We went to the expo to pick up our race bibs, goodie bags, and to SHOP! It was SO fun! I purchased a "Lepracorn" shirt, hat, engraved charm (Should be here in 2 weeks), and a pair of bright blue running shorts! We also watched a movie that they had showing the race course and giving tips. I of course got teary-eyed. It was so cool! I got some free swag too- a Boston Marathon Bumper Sticker, a poster with every runner's name hidden in the picture, and a SUPER bright yellow tech shirt. It almost glows in the dark, I kid you not!
Expo!


Me with my bib!

Me and my running faves- Kara and Ryan.



We ate lunch in downtown Boston at Joe's where our waiter actually was in Jason's graduating class here in AZ! Small world. I of course got my favorite food, PANCAKES!
This is a pic of the BAA flags being flown at a church!


After lunch we went back to our hotel and met my parents. I was so excited to see them and was so happy they were able to come out! We chilled at the hotel the rest of the night, I packed my check-in race bag and set all of my things out for the morning. I attached my running angel pin to my shorts and checked my black nail polish. As many of you know, I hate painting my nails. Chemicals creep me out. But I bit the bullet and did this to remind me to stay tough! I also obsessively watched the weather and it was NOT looking good. Windy and high of 46 degrees. yay. I took a shower and then read in bed and TRIED to get some sleep. I was so nervous and excited, I probably slept 4 hours that night!

MONDAY APRIL 20TH
PRE-RACE
I woke up at 4:30am ready to go! Made my coffee, ate my 2 packets of plain oatmeal with honey, drank my glass of water, then a glass of gatorade and got dressed.



On top of my running clothes, I had on throw away warmies and I looked like a snowrunner. We hired a car to take us to the buses in downtown Boston as we were not sure how long the Train would take. Matt, Jason, and I arrived at the buses at 6am.

Jason and I boarded the bus and were on our way to Hopkinton. This is where that start line is. It was a nice 90 minute drive, luckily I made myself stop drinking 30 minutes before or it could have been a very uncomfortable ride.

We got to Hopkinton, found a place under a tent in the athletes village (shoulder to shoulder room!) and took turns standing in line for the port-o-potties. We put garbage bags on to help stay warm and tried to eat a little bit of power bar. It was SO COLD. My puny Arizona blood was in shock. My stomach started to get really nervous too. I met some of my AZ Roadracer friends in the tent and at 9:00, we got ready to head for the corrals.
The energy in the village (really just a large open tent) was amazing. So much nervousness and just overall a "let's go!" feeling. Runners sure are nice people. Everyone was so supportive of each other.

RACETIME
Jason headed off to his corral- corral #1, he is speedy. My friend Terri and I were in the same corral and were planning to run together so we went to visit the port-o's one last time and got to our corral #13. We shed our warmies and just waited to start. It was so chilly! The wind was starting to pick up too. My plan was at first to try for 7:30's, but then I decided to just enjoy the race. Looking back, the first 10 miles were so crowded, 7:30's would have been an effort. I kind of wish I would have tried it, but EVERYTHING written about the race and EVERYONE who has ever run it says to go slow the first 10 miles or you will burn out at the hills. Who knows, maybe that is what kept me from not collapsing!(FYI, this is the first full marathon I have not walked in!)LOL!

So here are my splits, I will try to comment as I go, I tried to enjoy the scenery, but I had to keep looking forward as not to trip on anyone! I also dedicated each mile to someone/something to keep me motivated. I really took out a piece of paper from my pocket at every mile. People probably thought I was so weird!(Some are personal so I did not list all of them)I told myself I would not walk in anyone's mile.

Miles 1-4: 7:58, 7:35, 7:32, 7:31- This part of the race was so crowded. By mile 3 I had tossed my gloves, taken of my arm warmies and tied them to my top, and put my earband in my pocket. For the record, they say that this part is mainly downhill. I disagree. The entire race was rolling hills. Thank the Sweet Lord for South Mountain. The crowd is 4-5 people deep, it stays this way the entire race. Amazing.

Miles 5-10: 7:48, 7:36, 7:43, 7:46, 7:49, 7:50- Mile 6 dedicated to my first grade family at Wildfire, Mile 7 dedicated to Matt's family (I thought about all of you!), Mile 8 dedicated to Matt's Grandma, Mile 9 dedicated to my friend Alissa and all of my other inspiring running friends at ARR and Dailymile.com, mile 10 dedicated to my Grandma Elsi.
Got really bad stomach cramps but ran through it. I think nerves, being so excited contributed to this. I honestly did not think I was going to finish for a while there.I tried to get a drink at every other aid station. No easy task. It is amazing how people will just stop right in front of you instead of moving to the side. Yikes. Terri and I still stayed together. She was carrying a waterbottle. I chucked mine back at mile 4. I love throwing things while running!

Miles 11-16 7:51, 7:47, 7:59, 7:56, 8:01, 7:49, Mile dedicated to my Tank dog- entering Wellesley, he loves the ladies. I had heard that you can hear Wellesley a mile away. I didn't believe it. But you sure can. I got goosebumps, you just hear this roar. It is truly unbelievable. I got teary eyed and gave out high-5's! Mile 13 to Buddy, Mile 16- To my Latvian heritage and the amazing experience I had there over the summer. (I got really choked up here) As I began mile 16, I knew that it would only be a 1/2 mile to the Newton Hills. I started to prepare myself mentally. They say at Boston, you are not half done at mile 13.1, but at mile 20. That is how tough those last 6 miles are.

Miles 17-21- NEWTON HILLS
8:03, 7:54, 7:56, 8:05, 8:23
Mile 17 dedicated to My Grandma and Grandpa P., Mile 18 to My Grandpa Z, Mile 19 to Aunt Denice, Uncle Rudy, Sam, Mile 20 to Shannon and Mike, Mile 21 to the love of my life, Matt

So, they tell you there are 4 hills. No, no. There are 5 my friends. 5 big ones. I thought I was up and over heartbreak and was surprised because there were not any signs or hullabaloo. Well, that is because after that hill, heartbreak was blaring right into my face. The nickname "Heartbreak Hill" originated with an event in the 1936 race. On this stretch, defending champion John A. Kelley caught race leader Ellison "Tarzan" Brown, giving Brown a consolatory pat on the shoulder as he passed. His competitive drive apparently stoked by this gesture, Tarzan Brown rallied, pulled away from Kelley, and went on to win—in the words of Boston Globe reporter Jerry Nason, "breaking Kelley's heart." People were dropping like flies. I have never seen so many anguished runners before! I "brought it to my arms" and powered up. I thought about Matt and how much he has given me to be able to run this and I pulled through. Many say that the next miles are tough because you have a steep downhill followed by some short little hills to the finish. I have decided that my legs like downhills. I did not get the "icepick" feeling Amby Burfoot talks about. I liken myself to Boston Bill Rodgers- we are kindred spirits in downhill running!

Mile 22-26.2 HOMESTRETCH
7:50, 8:11, 8:22, 8:01, 7:48, 6:52 (How is that for some kick?)
Mile 22 to Lukas, Mile 23 to Marisa, Mile 24 to the best Mom in the world, Mile 25 to the best dad in the world, Mile 26-Matt, .2 GOD!!!(The Big Man knows he was a main thought throughout the entire race, I was so thankful to be running)
The headwind started to pick up at mile 15 and was very strong and cold through these miles. The crowd was unreal. I saw my mom and dad as I turned the corner to do the last .2 to the finish line. I immediately started to cry! I looked at my watch- I was going to break 3:30!!! I pretty much gave it all I had and sprinted to the end! (Many say that is a sign that you didn't push your hardest throughout the race. hmm...)
It was amazing.

MY OFFICIAL TIME 3:28:09 A PR FOR ME ON THE HARDEST COURSE OF THE TOP 5 MARATHONS!
OVERALL PLACE 6,691 OUT OF 22,849 (I'll take that!)
GENDER PLACE 1013 OUT OF 9302
AGE GROUP PLACE 827 OUT OF 5023


POSTRACE
As in during the race, many people cross the finish line and just STOP. I had to push through so many people to get through. My legs seized for a minute, but I walked it off and they were fine. I took off my own chip, got my food bag and mylar blanket, and headed to get my medal. By this time I was a shivering mess. I was so, so cold. I went to find my bus to get my check bag and found out that I walked in the complete wrong direction. I was so cold, the wind was whipping my blanket around, people were everywhere, and I just started crying. Luckily a Boston Marathon volunteer pointed me in the right direction. I must have looked bad, she asked me if I was sure I was ok!
I finally got to my bag that had my phone in it and called Matt. We met at the family meeting area, I was so happy to see him! He then informed me that my lips were bright blue! No wonder that woman asked if I was ok! My parents were on their way with some clothes for me, so in the meantime, I had Matt's jacket on. They got there a few minutes later and it was so awesome seeing them. I am so, so, happy they came! My mom told me that she has never seen me shiver so much. It took me about 2 hours and 2 beers to get that chill out!



We met Sharon and Jason (He ran a 2:58 and it was an off day for him. Geez!) for a post-race lunch at Legal Seafoods.


Then we went to an Irish pub where many a marathoner was celebrating. It was so neat! We ended the night at Cheers. We made some new friends and definitely celebrated. Perhaps a tad too much...

We had so much fun! Totally worth the headache!!



Sharon and I.. celebrating!!


My legs hurt way less after this marathon than after any others. I think all of the walking around we did in the following days really helped.

The race was amazing. The whole city is so supportive and genuinly interested in your race story. If you run, my suggestion is to make Boston a goal at some point in your life. It is hands-down the neatest running experience I have ever had.

Next up- San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon May 31!

Runningly yours,
Ariana

p.s. If you are still reading this, you rock! (and have a ton of patience!) We will put up our non-running related Boston pics next week.
p.p.s. I will also post a few more marathon pics without long winded commentary soon!

Stapler Debacle

Hi friends and family! I PROMISE I will post our Boston pics this week, school has been insanely busy and I really want to make sure I have the time to write my novel of a race report properly! Haha!
So, yeah, today I stapled my finger down to the bone at school. Who does that? Seriously. To make matters worse, my Principal- nicest boss ever, had to take me to a special workman's comp. clinic for our district and waited for me for 2 hours while they took an x-ray, removed it AND gave me a tetanus shot. Nice. I was SO mortified!!
I felt like such a doof.
I luckily have the best coworkers ever whom, while I was gone, stapled up my bulletin board that I was working on when this happened. Geez. What a day. :/

Stapler 1
Ariana 0

THE COUNT DOWN BEGINS

First off, Happy Easter! He is risen indeed!
After gorging myself with sweets from my lovely basket courtesy of the Big Hopper, or E.B., or just my wonderful husband, I am posting my final blog before the big day.

My Bib # is 13129. There are 2 start times, I am in the first wave of runners to begin at 10 am Boston time on Monday, April 2oth. (Patriots Day)

Here are some links in case you are interested!

My new obsession, the Boston weather report. It changes drastically every single day!
Boston Weather

Boston Race Facts

Street and elevation map of the course Yikes!

AT&T Athlete Alert You can sign up to track me while I run!

Boston Marathon History

Everything Boston from Runner's World. Great interview with one of my favorite female runners Kara Goucher. Very inspiring!
Runners World Boston

This is what I will be wearing for the marathon. My new 'fierce' Nike Sports Top, courtesy of Runner's Den, my new favorite place. Yes, that is 'the' top I dragged Matt all over Phoenix to find. In all fairness, I did tell him we should try Runner's Den first. Poor guy! I also got a light green top. I think I will save it for the San Diego Marathon on 5/31. It is not nearly as fierce as this bad boy!
My beloved race ready shorts, and my new organic Moeben arm sleeves


You can also see my Boston celebration jacket. I was going to pose in it for a picture but thought that might be testing luck. I will have plenty of pictures in it with all my glory starting Saturday morning at Phoenix airport!


On to my last 'long' run of 12 miles yesterday. It started POURING at mile 4. So Matt and I had an interesting adventure. People in their nice, dry cars gave us some very funny looks. They must have thought we were nuts! Anyways, we made it back home, and I killed the run! 12 miles at 7:13 average pace. I felt great, not even winded. Although we were soaked, we had a really good time sloshing through puddles! It was a good training run as it may very well be raining in Boston. (In fact, the weather forecast right now says it will be!)
Poor Matt, soaked after the run. Look at those clouds!

I am really hoping for no rain at Boston, look at what it did to my hair! Yikes! :)
As you can see, I was trying out my new 'fierce' top.


I am getting nervous since all of my training runs have gone pretty well. Usually you want one bad long run so that you get the bad luck out before race day! I did have a really bad 17 a few weeks ago, so I think I will count that! Overall I feel ready. I am nervous for the hills, but I think I did all I could to prepare. I hill-trained hard once a week, and tried to do my long runs in hilly parts of town, so I hope that helped! There are horror stories from those Newton Hills in Boston.
I spent 18 weeks training just for Boston so I hope it pays off. I feel good, I just need to wash my hands a ton and take lots of vitamins this week! Thursday I will start carb-loading. Nothing like feeling fat and bloated before a race. So worth it though, as you are avoiding the 'wall' at mile 20!
I am just praying for a good race. I would LOVE a PR, and I think it is possible, but you never know until you meet the hills and ANYTHING can happen on race day, so I am TRYING not to psych myself out!

Thank you again for all of your well-wishes and support. I still can't believe that I am running Boston.
I will post again in 2 weeks with pics and results from the race!

Runningly yours,
Ariana

Last Long Run

So, I am about to head out for my last long run. An easy 12 miler. I can't believe that the time is almost here. After so many weeks of lots, and lots, of running, my legs are feeling fresh again and I just feel ready. This is the first training cycle that I did not skip ANY runs unless I was sick. I only missed 2 short runs due to that.

So because it is a known fact that runners begin to get emotional during tapering time, (major cut-back in miles before the marathon) I have an excuse for the following!

I am so thankful every time I run, (even if it is a bad one), to God that I am able to do this. He has helped me to stay healthy and strong. It is so amazing to wake up every morning, begin running under the beautiful stars, and then see the sun come up over the mountains. Awesome start to the day! I feel so blessed to be able to do this.

I really could not be so successful if it were not for Matt. He wakes up early every weekend to ride his bike while I run so that I don't have to go by myself. We are talking 20 mile bike rides at 5am for him. He comes EVERY weekend. Matt also is there at track practice every Tuesday night to cheer me on. Matt makes the best healthy food for me, I am just so lucky. He has encouraged me when I call him during shorter runs crying because I am so tired. He has massaged the knots out of my legs and has made me hot cocoa to take with me into an ice bath. He is there with me at 5 different running stores searching for the perfect Boston outfit. He has been at my side for all of my running shenanigans and has supported all of my goals. I truly have the most wonderful husband in the world. I love you Matty!

Thank you also to my wonderful family for supporting me with encouragement. It means so much to me, you have no idea. Thank you for not thinking I am completely crazy for doing this! (well, maybe you do, put thanks for keeping it to yourselves!) :)I am also so thankful that some of my family members have started running too!(Dad, Emma, Kris!!) That is so cool.

Thank you so much to my friends for your support!

Boston preview and details will be posted tonight! Off to run! :)
Love, Ariana