(also, I wrote these “Boston Marathon notes: what to do/not to do next time” after my last Boston, which might be helpful. More links at the end of the post)

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People sometimes complain or talk about how hard the Boston Marathon course is. Nope.

I believe (KNOW!) that:

–      if you have a strategy,

–      and stick to it

you can do so well.

I certainly believe Boston is easier than the NYC Marathon, without a shadow of a doubt.

The thing is, you have to be really smart, cold-headed, and great at pacing to be able to race it well. You can’t just go out and go by the excitement and let the emotions take over.

Umm, no.

(But no one does that, right?)

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So, here is what I used to get a strategy ready!

The course elevation is here, and the highlights:

		Length	Gain/Loss	Average	Steepest
Mile:	Up/Down:	(Miles):	(Feet):	Grade:	Grade:	Comment:
0.0	Downhill	0.60	-143	-4.5%	-5.7%	Starting line
0.6	Uphill	0.14	36	4.9%	5.2%	Very short uphill
0.7	Downhill	3.00	-187	-1.2%	-4.3%	Very long downhill section
7.6	Uphill	0.13	31	4.5%	4.6%	Very short uphill
7.8	Downhill	0.18	-30	-3.2%	-4.2%	Very short downhill
15.3	Downhill	0.60	-118	-3.7%	-5.2%	Just before Newton Lower Falls
16.0	Uphill	0.60	75	2.4%	3.2%	Just past Newton Lower Falls
17.6	Uphill	0.30	74	4.7%	4.9%	Just past Newton Fire Station
19.2	Uphill	0.40	63	3.0%	4.5%	Newton City Hall
20.3	Uphill	0.40	97	4.6%	5.2%	Heartbreak Hill
21.0	Downhill	0.50	-87	-3.3%	-4.4%	Boston College
22.0	Downhill	0.50	-57	-2.2%	-3.9%	Cleveland Circle
23.1	Downhill	1.00	-95	-1.8%	-2.9%	Beacon Street

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So, really, not so scary broken down, right?

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Well, hopefully, you trained specifically for the course, which means rolling hills, up and down, down and up. People tend to focus on prepping only for the uphills and forget the downhills. And if you’re not prepared for all those 15 miles of down, your quads are going to be trashed very early on and you’ll suffer throughout. Just because downhill seems easier doesn’t mean they don’t have a lactic price! So, hopefully, you’re properly trained for the demands of this course. Or make a mental note to get yourself a proper coach for next time (HELLO!!!)

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Very very VERY important note: the massive drop in the first half mile. If you start just a bit excited and go out too fast, YOU ARE TOAST. Curb your enthusiasm. Or start a few corrals back (at least two or three corrals) if you can’t hold your horses. I repeat: DO NOT start too fast or you’re donzo.

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Breaking down the plan:

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Ease up on the quads and take it easy on the downhills, at least for the first 5 miles. DO NOT think that you need to store up time now. Do not; there will be time for that. Remember BANK = BONK. You can speed up in the flat parts, and the subtle ups/downs but if you take these downhills as your chance to PR you WILL regret it later.

Now, make sure you’re running downhill properly or it’s gonna cost you. How do you do that? Make sure you let gravity adjust your body position as get as close as possible to being perpendicular to the hill. Short steps + increase your turnover. Do not overstride, do not break, do not lean back. Stay relaxed.

If you can: ENJOY.

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This is not a constant climb, so it is not as scary, there are long flat stretches where you can gain some speed. There are four climbs, the last one being Heartbreak hill. I didn’t think they were such a big deal as they made them up to be, but that might be because I was prepared for the course, and because I run NYCM every year, and because Harlem Hill exists. This was not that hard and I actually had to ask around to know I had climbed Heartbreak… I really had no clue I was done with it, I barely noticed it. So, I would NOT be scared. Can I say it again? the hills are NOT BAD AT ALL if you run a smart race. Take them easy and go wild in between. Maybe check the climb or your local hill and compare it to the elevation above so you know what is coming. Your goal and motto should be to get to the top of Heartbreak in one piece and in good spirits because that is when you can break lose.

In case you care, here is the info on the uphills:

Mile 16.5: Length=.6 miles Elevation Gain=60′ Grade=2.8%

Mile 18: Length=.3 miles Elevation Gain=60′ Grade=4.8%

Mile 19.5: Length=.4 miles Elevation Gain=60′ Grade=3.8%

Mile 20.75: Length=.4 miles Elevation Gain=80′ Grade=4.3%

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You go wild. You hit the gas and run like you’ve never run before.

If you run the previous parts of the race smart and paced well, you’ll be ready to set yourself on fire here. This race is basically a loooong tour towards the last 10k, use the 10k up and really get some smoke going. There are not more than 3 turns in the whole race (no need to worry about tangents at all!) and they are in this last part, so you’re really clear to go ahead and speed up like a maniac. It’s still a few miles but you can really recover a few minutes here. Also, you’ll have a lot of cheering and support to wake you up and sprint, if you slept most of the previous miles…

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Boston Marathon notes after my last Boston, which might be helpful

Boston Marathon pace bracelet, customized with the specific race course hills and stuff

My Boston 2010 race report, with lots of info you could use

My Boston 2014 race report, lots more info and pics

Boston 2014 race, Sunday pictures, Saturday pictures.

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