When I qualified for the Boston Marathon, I knew I wanted to do everything I could to run the best race given my life circumstances and really enjoy the race.
Many runners had explained to my the high energy at this race and how spectacular this race really is.
The days leading up to this race, the weather started looking worse and worse, with a 30 miles (48km) per hour headwind.
The day of the race, the weather was indeed very challenging and many athletes around me were complaining, in a negative mindset, saying how much slower this race was going to be.
Because I had trained very well, both physically and mentally, I felt calm and in control. I had my race plan based on heart rate and feel, and planned to run the best I could given the challenging race conditions.
While others started out fast, I held back at the beginning of the race, running at a controlled effort level, knowing I needed to save my energy for the last stages of the race.
The wind and rain was very strong, my focus was on preserving energy, so we ran in small groups, drifting on each other.
Heartbreak Hill at mile 20 (32km) is a famous hill where a lot of runners get in trouble and hit the wall. I ran up the hill very comfortable, when my HR would go to high, I’d slow down in line with my plan. Many runners were walking, unable to keep up their fast pace. I ran to the top of the hill and said to a runner next to me, “Was that it? Was that the hill every runner has been fearing?”
I couldn’t believe how good I felt, even with these poor race conditions, I had to work for it, but was enjoying every step of the course. Mile 25 (40.2km) came around, the million+ spectators and bands were so loud. This in return gave me even more energy. I started getting emotional, what an amazing race I was running.