“The Boston Marathon is a race that has captured my heart from day one. The road from Hopkinton to Boston is technical, challenging and deserves to be respected – it’s a place where true racers thrive.” – Des Linden, 2018 Boston Marathon women’s winner
For those of you running Boston next Monday, below is some race advice. Ignore this advice at your own peril.
The Boston Marathon elevation chart:
A quick glance at the above elevation chart would seem to indicate that the Boston Marathon should be a very fast course and there really isn’t much to worry about other than that net uphill segment from about mile 16 to mile 21. But this is actually a very difficult and very technical course that will eat you alive if you do not run patiently on the downhill segments early in the race. This course BEGS you to go out fast with all of that downhill in the early miles, particularly the first 4 miles. And because most marathoners are suckers for any opportunity to get ahead of their target pace early in a race, they take the bait and fall into the trap of charging down the hills out of Hopkinton at a pace that they can’t possibly sustain all the way to Boston (trashing their quads in the process) only to see their dreams of a new PR vanish on the Newton Hills between miles 16 and 21.
Don’t fall into that trap!
The way to approach the Boston course is the same as any other marathon. Start slow and finish fast. You have to resist the temptation to try to put “time in the bank” during those early miles and instead use the gravitational benefits of all of that downhill running to just stay close to your target pace while running conservatively and putting “energy in the bank” for later in the race. This is a course that can produce fast times if you run it properly, but very few runners have the discipline to run it properly. Many Boston Marathon veterans talk about the Newton Hills as if they are the Himalayas and Heartbreak Hill as if it is Mount Everest. But the only reason that the Newton Hills seem so difficult is because most of the field is wrecked by the time they reach the hills due to their impatience and over-aggressiveness during the first 16 miles of the course. Not only do the Newton Hills slow them down as if a baby grand piano fell from the skies and onto their backs, they are completely exhausted when they crest Heartbreak Hill and can’t take advantage of all the downhill segments during the very easy last 5 miles of the course.
The key to running fast in Boston is to be patient and disciplined early in the race so that you’re still accelerating when you reach the Newton Hills and continue to accelerate down the back side of Heartbreak Hill all the way to downtown Boston. When all of the fast starters are losing a minute per mile or more to their target paces late in the race, you should be running well under your target pace. Start slow and finish fast! Don’t get suckered by all of the downhills early in the race.
Pay Attention to Details
The hard training for Boston is complete, but your preparations are not. Make sure that you pay attention to carb loading in the days leading up to the race. Do not underestimate how many carbs you need to consume to be properly fueled for the race. Likewise, make sure that you are very well hydrated. Bring plenty of fluids with you to Hopkinton to drink prior to the race. It’s a good idea to start the race carrying a bottle so that you don’t have to fight the crowds trying to get fluids at the aid stations early in the race. Drink frequently throughout the race, even if it means that you have to make some brief stops at the aid stations to get several cups of water. Late race dehydration is a problem that wrecks many marathoners. Don’t let it happen to you! Also, don’t forget to lubricate any body parts that could be subject to chafing and blistering during the race, especially your feet on a hilly course like this. And I’ll say it again….start slow and finish fast!
