After finishing peeing, I jumped back into the race full of nerves and a bit of fear. I kept thinking to myself, I’m not ready to run a marathon. Not that I felt I wasn’t trained for one, but in my current condition, I felt I should not be running. I also remember my thighs having a strange feeling of fatigue just starting out. I thought this early in the race it’s a bad sign for sure. I decided my strategy was to find a comfortable pace that I could maintain the whole way. My only goal was to not drop out and to not be forced to struggle by run/walking it in.

Mile 1 : 7:31
I remember the first mile being pretty steep downhill. I reminded myself to just take it easy. Nonetheless, I know I ran it faster than I should have. Including the 30 seconds or so for the pit stop, I hit the first mile marker in 7:31

Mile 2 : 7:06
Mile 3 : 7:10
Mile 4 : 7:08
I see these splits and I’m somewhat surprised I’m moving this fast, but I also believe I’m putting too much effort in too early on. I think to myself I should find someone to latch on to since I’ve been passing people with lower bid numbers than mine. I also begin to think there’s a chance I might actually have a good run today. I’m still not thinking race yet.

Mile 5 : 7:20
I ask a guy with a bib in the lower 5000′s (I was 7073) what his target pace was. I forget the answer, but I remember it was a faster pace than I wanted, yet, my current pace was taking me past him. I explained I was afraid I’m hitting this too hard too early on and asked if I could run with him a bit. He agrees.

I question him a few times as to whether or not we were actually doing our target pace and if we were going too slow. He claimed we were going up hill. I thought it was flat, maybe a slight incline, but ok. I decided he was wiser than I, so I stuck with him forcing myself to slow it down. After we hit mile 5 I see its significantly slower at 7:20. That was average for the whole mile and I figure we were doing a 7:40 pace for the time we were together. I lose him because he’s slowing down even more.

Mile 6 : 7:07
I remember a nice flat wide open street. My memory is still very foggy but I’m fairly certain there were train tracks running parallel to the left of the course. I remember the sun coming out and thinking I’m not going to last. Each time I take water it reminds me how bad my throat hurts. Swallowing is an effort since my throat is swollen and sore. At mile 6, or around the 10K mark, I take my first gel which is a coffee flavored Hammer Gel. It winds up being a mess and getting all over my hands. I usually take coffee flavored Gus and find them the easiest to get down in one gulp and avoid it having to mix around in my mouth.

As I take the Hammer Gel, I have a lot of trouble opening it, and never get the top completely off. I try and suck some of it out through the tiny opening. I try again, in vain, to pull the top off, but the bit of gel and spit on the top just made my fingers slip. Biting doesn’t work either since it slips through my teeth. I suck on it some more and throw it hard on the ground in frustration since its disrupting my rhythm and breathing. I considered opening one of the other two I have, but I decide it would be better to save them.

From here on through the middle of the race. I can’t remember the order of things or at what mile anything occurred. I mostly just phase out and try to focus on my ipod and ignore the way I feel. The sun kept coming in and out, and each time it comes out I suffer. Whenever it goes back in, it turns a bit chilly with the wind blowing, and this is a big relief and I feel absolutely great.

I remember all the water stops throughout the race and thinking, oh no, another one already? Probably a good thing considering it meant the miles were going by quicker than I realized. But, they felt more like a burden because forcing to get the water down hurt my throat. Each time I was also thrown out of my groove because of the amount of runners who did not know how to properly get water. Often, someone would shoot over from the left, grab water, and practically stop in front of me to drink it before I was able to grab my own cup. The fact that the water stops weren’t nearly as long as what New York only exacerbated the problem.

Mile 7: 7:05
Mile 8: 7:13
Mile 9: 7:03
Mile 10: 6:59
Mile 11: 7:02
Mile 12: 7:05
Somewhere in these splits, I run through a town, and a guy with a loudspeaker situated in front of a business establishment is doing a lot of talking, cheering, and maybe some advertisement. I hear him shout to the runners, “as you pass by, take a look at yourselves in the window (reflection), you look great!!” I take his advice, turn my head to the right and look. I think to myself, “my god, that’s what I look like?” I don’t think I move or look like a runner. I think my body type is all wrong compared to those around me. I look heavy, and feel heavy. My clothes are too tight, my ass is too fat, and my head is too big and too shiny.

Mile 13: 7:08
Mile 14: 7:06
I take my second gel shortly after the half marathon mark and I’m scared I will choke on it because of my swollen throat. It instead slides down without incident. I double the time on my Garmin and see I’m set up for a 3:08. I worry if I’m screwing this up royally. I wonder at what point will the time come where I’m reduced to walking.

Within these two splits is Wellesley College. I take off my headphones about a mile early to see if I hear the screaming. I hear lots of screaming, but it’s not clear where its coming from, whether it be the spectators or from what lies ahead of us. Eventually, we pass the college girls and the place called the “scream tunnel“, and I’m surprised to see there is absolutely no tunnel to run through. I thought there would at least be an overpass we would be running under.

I take a look at all the girls and I’m surprised how young they look, which makes me feel old. They’re all lined up and have big smiles and are holding signs above their heads encouraging runners to stop for kisses. I veer over to the left a bit. But, not far enough that I couldn’t see their faces well.

I’ve heard stories they reach out and grabbed runners to kiss. I make eye contact with a few as I pass and the smile on one of them very much tempts me to stop. But, even on a good day, I wouldn’t have done so. When I think of all the other runners they’re kissing, I see this sort of thing like kissing a petri dish full of the herpes simplex 1 virus. Then, combined with the fact I would give her my strep throat, and in turn, to every other runner she entices that comes after me, I decide to shoot her a corny wink instead.

I only see two runners who pull to the side. They looked like they were trying hard to get something from one or more of the girls they were talking to, but I dont witness any kissing. More like asking for kissing maybe.

Then comes a nice hill and I pass this runner wearing some sort of wings.

Eventually, I get to a long flat long decline, thinking the newton hills are coming and I feel like utter crap. I’m not ready for them. I think to myself, “I’ve failed miserably in my goal of keeping the pace easy.” I think to myself I’m going have to walk when I hit these hills and it’s too late to change anything. My throat is still hurting.

Mile 15: 7:17
Mile 16: 7:12
As I’m getting over the first hill I think to myself it’s not that bad.Thoughts of the Rockies go through my head. Getting up this first hill gives me a very familiar feeling like climbing up the hills in Rockwood Hall, but no where near as intense.

On the downhill, I see a platoon of army guys bouncing as they “jogged” in formation. Each of them have their left hand on the shoulder of the guy in front of them. Throughout the course I sporadically passed a lot these guys, but this is the first time I see so many together and doing something different from hiking. They don’t seem to move fast, but they’re carrying a load of gear. They do look pretty cool and I’m a bit impressed. As they pass the spectators, the cheers got louder.

Mile 17: 7:23
Mile 18: 7:25
Mile 19: 7:22
I don’t remember any of hills in any order and everything is a blur. I come to another hill and I see it curve around to left with no clue of how high it goes. I put my head down looked about 7 steps ahead of me on the ground and just focused on my form and feeling. I was doing quite a bit of passing still. I come to a group of three runners running side by side. I’m tired, miserable, and ticked they’re forming a wall that I now need to go around. Why do I have to now add more effort to this? Without giving any warning, I push through two of them… maybe harder than I should have.. Well, it’s not like they could do anything about it. They’re in no position to chase me down or anything. I leave them in the dust. At this point, I’m thinking I still feel pretty good considering.

Mile 20: 7:28
Mile 21: 7:47
I come to another hill and start going up. I think to myself, I better slow this down because I am now starting to feel the effort, and perhaps I shouldn’t be passing so many people afterall. It’s now somewhere after mile 20 and the thought of running up hills like this until mile 22 will finish me. I slow it down a bit and get to the top of the hill. Mile 21. I see a sign saying something about heartbreak hill. I lose count of the hills. Did I do three or four hills? I could have sworn the end of heartbreak hill was mile 22. I shout to my left, “was that it?”. No one answers me. I shout again, “was that the last hill?”. One guy turns to me looking very tired and replies “yeah”

I look at my Garmin. The distance is reporting longer than mile 21 so I’m not sure what my exact overall pace is, but I figure I might actually PR this thing since its way under 7:26. I just need to maintain my pace until the end.

Mile 22: 7:09
Then I go running downhill to Mile 22.

I pass the graveyard which was mentioned in the film at the expo the day prior. There are hills along the way and I welcome them because running downhill hurts. I’m reminded of the downhills towards the end of the NYC marathon. Uphill is now easier than down. I can lean into up and move the effort to a different part of my thighs. Going down I can’t accommodate anything. I see some people passing out popsicle sticks near a gas station and I wonder if its something to eat. I soon realize it’s vaseline.

Mile 23: 7:16
Mile 24: 7:17
I look at my watch and I think I’m going to finish under 3:15. I keep thinking to myself I cant believe this is going to happen.

But, things are becoming harder. Its more downhill than anything else. I’m exhausted. We run along some straight flat roads at some point. There are a bunch of idiot bandits on the course. Not bandits who are runners, but idiots who decide to run along with the crowd for thrills. They don’t know how to run and they take up a lot of room and are slow. The fatigue, and exhaustion, and pain of everything is making me extremely irritable and I hate everyone at the moment. I want to get done. I don’t need these jackasses in my way ruining this for me. I see a guy on the right side of the road walking. Just as I pass him, I hear some asshole spectator, who is drinking beer with his buddies on the curb, says something to him in a tone that is far from encouraging, but rather mocking. “C’mon on now Phil, that’s not the way to do it.”

Off in the distance I see the Citgo sign and it feel it’s too far away. I’m hoping to hold it together. It would be awesome to PR.

Mile 25: 7:22
Mile 26: 7:36
Before hitting the Citgo sign there’s an overpass of some sort. It’s a hill. It’s too steep. This type of up does not feel better than down. It’s not even that high, just feels steep. I slow down. I think to myself, I’m way under my PR. I can afford to slow it a little. My goal was just to finish anyway. I come very close to changing my gait. I consider walking just over the hill. I then think to myself, if I walk, it’ll be harder to start again and I’m only a mile a way. But it feels like a far mile. Before changing my gait, I pick it back up and get over it.

I pass Hotel Commonwealth where I’m staying and I do not see my wife. I’m disappointed.

We go under an overpass and then come back up. Please let this be the last incline. I regret slowing down like I did earlier and now I don’t dare go any faster than what I’m currently holding. In retrospect I regret not pushing harder here. I see 3:06 on my garmin. I know I’m not far but I don’t know how far.

I come out from under the overpass. I turn right, I turn left, I go up a hill and before I turn left again I hear my named being screamed several times under the roar of the crowd. It’s coming from voices that do not belong to my wife. No one I can think of could be a spectator knowing I’m running this. I dismiss it and convinced I’m hearing things. Then I turn my head quickly to the left and just see a mess of people. I wouldnt be able to pick any familiar faces out of the packed crowd so I turn back. I later learn my wife is to the right with a crowd of people who she has become friendly with while waiting for me.

I get up the hill and turn left. The finish still feels a long way off.

Official Time : 3:10:45

3:10 and change. Pffft. How’d I do that? I immediately push out any negative thoughts of what I could have done on a different day. I got a pretty respectable PR on a day I didn’t think I could even run. A significant improvement from NY no matter how you look at it. I have more left in the tank than I did in NY. When I finished NY last November, I questioned if I would ever be able to do 3:15 again. But this time, I feel stronger and I’m able to quickly go through the crowd. I get my medal. Get a heat blanket. Get some food. I’m nauseous, but I force myself to drink.

I get to the bus and get my bag. I’m fearful of whats to come later so I quickly dig out the Tylenol and take two. My throat is very swollen but doesn’t hurt as much. I call my wife. We meet.

She says I did great, and I reply, “you have no idea.”