Marathon Monday!
I have never seen the Boston Marathon, one of the major highlights of the sporting calendar for Boston and for track & field runnery types, so this year I elected to take the day off from work and check it out (plus I needed a day away from my frakking cell line, argh). I dug my bike out of storage this morning, inflated the tires, made sure the brakes worked (yes), and, as usual, didn't bother doing any additional tuneups or maintenance on it (I never do). I did, however, hook up my new bike computer and put on my nice new helmet - my old one was about 15 years old and has probably had a crash or two on it. Apparently bike helmets should be replaced every 3-5 years. Who knew? (Not me, obviously).
I planned my route, down Newton St to High St, over to Waltham St into Newton Center, then Chestnut St to where the marathon would be passing by on Rte 30/Commonwealth Ave. I've never been down Chestnut St before. I noticed two things about immediately. First, you have to be a millionaire to live on it, if the enormous swanky houses with landscaped yards, huge trees, and wrought-iron fences are any indication, and second, a significant portion of it consists of a GIANT MASSIVE FRAKKIN HILL. I made it a bit more than halfway up before I said, "This is poop!" and walked the rest of the way.
I coasted down the other side to the Marathon, at milage marker 18.3 (next to a station of portopotties and where race volunteers were handing out packets of vaseline for runners to put under their arms, their chests, their legs, their crotches, and other areas of chafing!), just as some of the Kenyan front-runners were passing at about 11:30. I hung out there for more than an hour as the main pack (like the first 9000 people or so, who are running because they actually have qualifying competitive times) and the beginning of the second wave came through (the remaining 9,000ish folks). I then got on my bike and continued up the carriage road fronting Comm Ave, going the direction the runners were coming from, until I hit the intersection in West Newton where the runners turn off of Rte 16 and onto Rte 30. I was amazed at how many more people still were coming. It was crazy!! These folks were passing this point - about 17.5 miles, with 8.7 miles to go - at the same time some of the first wave was probably crossing the finish line (1:00). The Kenyans surely had to be done by this point, too. I was hoping to see my coworker Chris in the pack, but trying to pick out one face and one runner's number out of a pack of 15,000 when they're all flashing by isn't particularly easy. His was number 5670, and although I spotted 5669, 5674, 5677, and 5679, I didn't see him or his number go by.
Part of the first pack:
Captain America runs the Boston Marathon, yeah!
The water station at mile 18. There were trampled cups EVERYWHERE. That will be fun to clean up later on.
Mile 18! Yeah, they're going uphill here. Masochists, every one of them!!
The corner of Commonwealth Avenue (rte 30) and Rte 16. Popular viewing area in Newton. HUGE crowds of runners still coming around the turn!
The turn... All the folks with the yellow numbers are, I think, to indicate that they are part of the second string. All the competitive runners have white ID numbers and lower numbers.
At mile 18.3, these people are still running 7 or 8-minute miles. They are not slow, at all. This shows how fast they're still churnin' up the pavement. This is also how short a time I had to try to pick one face and one number out of the crowd - no wonder I couldn't find my coworker!!
I biked back along rte 30, away from the parade route, to Auburndale, back up to Moody Street and Waltham, and back home again, for about a 11-12 mile round trip (I didn't have my bike computer on for the first half of my trip - I didn't stop to put it on until I was race-side, so I don't have an exact figure).
Also a good reason for stopping: my hands were hurting, both from gripping the handlebars, but also from the fact that I did a total splat down Joe's stairs at his party Saturday night and had to pick some gravel out of my palms (I'm sooooo debonair, sophisticated, and urbane!!). Also, while digging in my toolbag Saturday morning, I put a pretty nasty cut in my right index finger. I bled through 2 bandaids in 15 minutes. HAHAHA, ....yeah.... *is sheepish* (baaaah!)
I planned my route, down Newton St to High St, over to Waltham St into Newton Center, then Chestnut St to where the marathon would be passing by on Rte 30/Commonwealth Ave. I've never been down Chestnut St before. I noticed two things about immediately. First, you have to be a millionaire to live on it, if the enormous swanky houses with landscaped yards, huge trees, and wrought-iron fences are any indication, and second, a significant portion of it consists of a GIANT MASSIVE FRAKKIN HILL. I made it a bit more than halfway up before I said, "This is poop!" and walked the rest of the way.
I coasted down the other side to the Marathon, at milage marker 18.3 (next to a station of portopotties and where race volunteers were handing out packets of vaseline for runners to put under their arms, their chests, their legs, their crotches, and other areas of chafing!), just as some of the Kenyan front-runners were passing at about 11:30. I hung out there for more than an hour as the main pack (like the first 9000 people or so, who are running because they actually have qualifying competitive times) and the beginning of the second wave came through (the remaining 9,000ish folks). I then got on my bike and continued up the carriage road fronting Comm Ave, going the direction the runners were coming from, until I hit the intersection in West Newton where the runners turn off of Rte 16 and onto Rte 30. I was amazed at how many more people still were coming. It was crazy!! These folks were passing this point - about 17.5 miles, with 8.7 miles to go - at the same time some of the first wave was probably crossing the finish line (1:00). The Kenyans surely had to be done by this point, too. I was hoping to see my coworker Chris in the pack, but trying to pick out one face and one runner's number out of a pack of 15,000 when they're all flashing by isn't particularly easy. His was number 5670, and although I spotted 5669, 5674, 5677, and 5679, I didn't see him or his number go by.
Part of the first pack:
Captain America runs the Boston Marathon, yeah!
The water station at mile 18. There were trampled cups EVERYWHERE. That will be fun to clean up later on.
Mile 18! Yeah, they're going uphill here. Masochists, every one of them!!
The corner of Commonwealth Avenue (rte 30) and Rte 16. Popular viewing area in Newton. HUGE crowds of runners still coming around the turn!
The turn... All the folks with the yellow numbers are, I think, to indicate that they are part of the second string. All the competitive runners have white ID numbers and lower numbers.
At mile 18.3, these people are still running 7 or 8-minute miles. They are not slow, at all. This shows how fast they're still churnin' up the pavement. This is also how short a time I had to try to pick one face and one number out of the crowd - no wonder I couldn't find my coworker!!
Click to viewI biked back along rte 30, away from the parade route, to Auburndale, back up to Moody Street and Waltham, and back home again, for about a 11-12 mile round trip (I didn't have my bike computer on for the first half of my trip - I didn't stop to put it on until I was race-side, so I don't have an exact figure).
Also a good reason for stopping: my hands were hurting, both from gripping the handlebars, but also from the fact that I did a total splat down Joe's stairs at his party Saturday night and had to pick some gravel out of my palms (I'm sooooo debonair, sophisticated, and urbane!!). Also, while digging in my toolbag Saturday morning, I put a pretty nasty cut in my right index finger. I bled through 2 bandaids in 15 minutes. HAHAHA, ....yeah.... *is sheepish* (baaaah!)