Results:

9899 Pecchia, David B. 46 M Chelmsford MA USA Checkpoints 5k 10k 15k 20k Half 25k 30k 35k 40k 0:23:47 0:46:56 1:10:12 1:34:02 1:39:15 1:57:56 2:23:20 2:49:41 3:16:10 Finish Pace Projected Time Official Time Overall Gender Division 0:07:57 3:28:28 6792 5749 948

The above is cut-and-pasted from the baa website.

I will edit and comment on the results later.

Later: I feel much better now.

Here are my 5k splits: (24:48 is an 8min/mile pace for a 5k)

5k 23:47 7:40/mile Gain 1:08

The course has a lot of downhills in this section and one is very fresh at the beginning, but the course was too crowded to go as fast as I wanted. I had expected to loose a couple of minutes in this part, but I didn't so this was a good first 5k.

10k 23:09 7:28/mile Gain 1:39

Only by the end of this 10k did the runners thin to the point that you could go at whatever pace you wanted. But by then I was feeling a little tired. Not "I would like to stop now" tired, but 6 miles is 6 miles and you feel it. So I just tried to maintain the pace I was on.

15k 23:16 7:30/mile Gain 1:32

The pain and fatigue were beginning to mount, but I was able to maintain my pace.

20k 23:50 7:41/mile Gain 0:58

It was becoming harder to maintain pace: Muscle soreness as well as degrading aerobic potential made maintaining pace very difficult. Earlier, this pace had been easy, now it took a lot of effort to maintain. I think it was somewhere in this section that I passed by the Wellsley Scream Tunnel. This gave a new burst of energy even as I resisted all offers for a kiss.

25k 23:44 7:40/mile Gain 1:04

I crossed the starting line around 6 minutes after the gun and a small goal was to make-up that time--such that the official time when I crossed the finish would be under 3:30. By the 25k mark I had done this, but was so worn-out that that I was never able to maintain this 6-minute lead.

30k 25:24 8:12/mile Loss 0:36

My pace began to decay and I hadn't even reached the hills.

35k 26:21 8:30/mile Loss 1:33

The hills (heartbreak is one of three, which all seemed about as bad) were murder. At 20 miles your legs are pretty sore even on a flat course. The early downhills around Hopkinton add to the damage. The thing is that such hills on a normal run would be nothing, but after 20 miles and lots of down hills, they really sap your will to go on. Nicely, crowds congregate on the hills to exhort you on.

40k 26:29 8:33/mile Loss 1:41

8:33 seems a lot faster than I felt like I was going. I tried experimentally to go a little faster. I would add a bit of effort and feel myself getting out of breath, but I didn't feel like that effort caused any more speed.

I saw a co-worker along the start of this section and it was nice that finally, among the million people lining the course, there was one that knew me. Actually, my wife and the older two of our daughters were on Boylston at the right time, but never spotted me. I wouldn't have heard them anyway since the crowd was deafening by this point.

26.2 Miles 3:28:28 07:57/mile

I had three goals going in:

1)Finish--check

2) Qualify for next year--check

Do better than in the Bay State Marathon--Fail. 3:39 longer. But, the bay state is a really flat course and it loops, so a head wind one way becomes a tail wind the other way. Boston is all one direction and we had the wind in our faces the whole way.

The End

The temperature was perfect for long distance running. In the hollows, I would pull up my long sleeves, at the crest of hills the breeze would hit and I would pull them back. I carried my gloves pretty much the whole way; they were almost essential at the start and not enough at the end.

Boston is colder than the outlying areas due to being close to the water, and downtown Boston was much colder and windy than Hopkinton. Mylar blankets were handed out at the end, but it only took some of the edge off. My hands went numb and stayed that way until about an hour later when I was riding home on the Orange Line.

The out-processing order was as follows, with plenty of very helpful and pleasant volunteers all around: --Cross the finish line.

Get a bottle of Poland Springs water.

Get a space blanket.

Helpers put a sticker on the blanket to hold it shut.

Turn in your timing chip in exchange for a medal.

Get a plastic bag full of edible goodies.

Get a banana and put it with the rest of the goodies.

Decide not to get a free Power Bar.

Go to the end of a very long line of buses to pick-up clothes/cell phone & etc. In all fairness, it is the start of a very long line of buses for some runners--someone has to be at the end.

Find an empty spot to put on sweat pants, change shoes, put on dry shirt and jacket.

Go to the family meeting area and find the "P".

I spot my wife, look below her and spot children, notice the younger one spot me and hear her say, "Momma, look! There is daddy!"

I could barely keep up with them on the walk to the Back Bay station. Once on the train, blessed relief: Warmth, a soft spot to sit and a chance to finally eat the banana, some nice salty chips and finish the 2nd water bottle.