After running the Chicago Marathon and arriving safely to O’Hare Airport in time (just barely) for my flight back to Boston, the next order of business was re-fueling for Monday’s race.
Because I would be eating on the plane, the simpler the food source the better. I came up with the idea of chicken fried rice, which turns out to have almost the ideal canonical 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein. I just needed to down about two pounds of the stuff and I’d be all set.
I brought the takeout I purchased the day before onto the plane but only got maybe a quarter of the way through it during the flight. The race left me nauseated and my gut needed some settling time before charging into the recovery plan.
Though slow and scarcely perceptible, adequate recovery from Chicago eventually did come. By about 5 am in the morning my leg cramps finally dissipated. And throughout the night, as my appetite returned, I got up every few hours to eat the rest of the chicken fried rice and everything else we had on hand.
My Boston start time was about 11 am, a blessing considering the 7:30 am Chicago start. Those few additional hours were sorely needed.
Boston does a rolling start in Hopkinton. Runners are loaded onto shuttle buses near the Boston Commons in wave start order and once deposited in Hopkinton they simply walk the three-quarters of a mile to the start line, stopping to use the portable toilets as needed along the way. Chip timing allows runners to decide for themselves when to cross the starting line to begin their race.
This is much different than the other races with their mass corral starts and announcements blaring out before each wave is launched. The rolling start was also helpful in accommodating the runners who arrived later than they expected because their shuttle buses got lost. (Yes, this did happen.)
As was the case in Berlin, London, and Chicago, the spectators were fantastic in Boston. It was a party along the whole route just like for the other races but Boston put on its own spin.
Like early on when one household along the route placed a string of half a dozen mini-trampolines curbside. Some runners stopped to do a few giddy bounces before heading off again.
And “Sweet Caroline” was the decided favorite for music along the route.
Some spectators offered alternative fueling strategies to the runners. Promising approaches that I sampled along the way included pretzels, Oreo cookies, salt, and orange slices. I am now seriously considering Oreo cookies as a mainstay for my fueling needs.
I do have to work on my fueling and hydration some more. I decided that the Gatorade from Chicago was not better than the Nuun/Maurten combination that I used in London so I reverted to the earlier strategy.
But my stomach became unsettled again midway through the race so I had no desire to eat the rest of my Maurten supply. Instead I grazed on handouts like the aforementioned Oreos and pretzels.
My run/walk strategy from London also was misplaced in Boston because I had several groups of supporters positioned along the route planning to cheer for me as I passed. I wanted to look good for them; I had to choose my walking stages carefully.
The first half of the course is mostly downhill and I was running well with a low heartrate up until mile 15 when the rolling hills began. With my heartrate spiking above 160 bpm I chose to walk mile 16. I then ran miles 17 through 21 well enough.
The crash came at the end of mile 21 and I had to walk for fear of passing out. It took nearly two miles of walking for my lightheaded staggering to recede enough to allow me to “run” again for the last two or so miles.
My struggles did not come without considerable reward. The personal support that I received along the route blew me away.
I missed the Team Fox pre-race meet and greet due to an appointment in Chicago so I was not able to meet the rest of the runners beforehand. But at the starting line one of them, Alexis, realized who I was from the Team Fox jersey I wore and gave me a big hug to get my day off to a great start.
A further lift came just before the halfway mark as I blew, and received, countless non-contact, socially distant kisses at the Wellesley Scream Tunnel.
Then at mile 14 and again just before Heartbreak Hill, separate Team Fox contingents, one of them joined by my friend Dave, cheered wildly as they saw me approach from far off and kept up the noise until I passed. The noise, the high fives, the photos all contributed to a heartfelt emotional lift.
At Coolidge Corner, about mile 24, my friends Darien, Ela, and Max helped me get up the strength to finish the rest of the race running.
My wife Lynn and our friend Joanna positioned themselves on Boylston Street close to the end. They cheered mightily but I did not hear or notice them, so focused I was on crossing the finish line.
One surreal, made for TV moment happened towards the end of the race that I only learned about afterwards. Friends and family on both coasts were using the race’s app to track my progress and a glitch made it look as if I had stopped cold at 40 kilometers just two kilometers from the finish.
Lynn was deluged with “Oh no, what happened?” texts. I think my selfie post to Facebook wearing a finisher’s medal put an end to the drama.
The Chicago-Boston doubleheader was more difficult than I expected it to be. Training in the cool climate of Seattle has given me a false sense of security. Although I was aware of how sensitive I am to the heat I had no idea the toll that it could take.
I suspect that Parkinson’s has some influence. One symptom of PD is heavy sweating and I do indeed sweat profusely making me more susceptible to dehydration. Getting the hydration right during a marathon, with the correct electrolyte dose, is a distinct challenge for me in the heat.
Relief is in sight, however. This Sunday, October 17, I will have returned to Seattle and the forecast is for temperature in the mid-50’s with a chance of rain during my virtual marathon. Ah, bliss.
And no one ever complains of warm temperatures at the New York City marathon. With a good chill in the air and a proper taper beforehand I hope to get close to a more respectable four hour finish time.
Shalane Flanagan ran Boston in 2:40:34 improving on a difficult day in Chicago by more than six minutes.
Meanwhile, I ambled in at 5:24:34, yet another new personal worst, and missed my factor of two goal by three minutes and 26 seconds.
I now have to say that I am not half the runner that Shalane is. But try again I will in New York City.
I am a charity runner in the London, Boston, and New York marathons this year. There’s still time to contribute to my cause (assuming that you have not already done so).
If you share the passion that the Michael J Fox Foundation and I have for finding a Parkinson’s cure please consider contributing to any of the WMM I am running in as a member of Team Fox (links below). All donations are meaningful and greatly appreciated.
fundraise.michaeljfox.org/boston-marathon-2021/joesgottarun
fundraise.michaeljfox.org/londonmarathon2021/joesgottarun
fundraise.michaeljfox.org/tcs-nyc-marathon-2021/joesgottarun
