Ryan's Post Race Write-up

Friends,
 
The marathon is over, and I have spent the majority of my day limping around.  Some of you may be wondering how it went (or perhaps you’re wondering why donating got you so many emails…)   Below is a recap.
 
My Race:
My time was a little beyond the lower end of my expected time.  I hit a severe ‘wall’ (the phenomenon where your legs lock up and begin to move much slower).  In numbers this means my half marathon pace was 6:37 per mile (a 2:54 marathon); my final pace was 7:07 per mile (a 3:06) marathon.  However, I had a great race otherwise, and spent a disproportionate amount of time and energy amping up the crowd (you can see pix @ marathonfoto.com).  All in all, it was an amazing race!
 
The race in general: This—sadly—being the buzzfeed generation, in lieu of a prose description, here is a buzzfeed style list about the race.
 
8 ‘Shocking’ things you didn’t know about the 2014 Boston Marathon
1)      The 61 degree temperature was warmer than expected and led to widespread sunburn

2)      The sticks with goo on them offered by spectactors are not in fact powergel or Gu, but Vaseline.  Many runners find this out the hard way

3)      Because of ample hydration, lines can be seen constantly along the first 6 miles of runners peeing.  This is usually, but not exclusively, male.

4)      One of the first race offerings heading to the start this year provided ‘Beer, Doughnuts and Cigarettes’

5)      Yelling ‘I can’t hear you’ at a screaming crowd makes them yell louder

6)      One of the more painful experiences of the race is the finish, where instead of being able to sit you’re forced to walk a half mile to the exit to Boston Common

7)      Some marathon runners lost 5 or more pounds of fluid weight during the race.  Yes this is dangerous, don’t try this at home

8)      An American, Meb Keflezighi won the race for the USA for the first time since 1983.  He achieved 1st place and a personal record with 2:08:37, less than 10 seconds ahead of the 2nd place

 
Thanks again everyone,
 
Ryan

Why I'm Running

I finished Boston less than 2 hours before the attacks last year, and was directly across the street from the second bombing.  The events following all transpired down the street from my house.  This year, running Boston is personal.  As a runner and member of the MIT community, I hope this year’s marathon will prove that all communities involved are more resilient than the cowards who attacked a marathon. It is an honor to be part of the team that is running in memory of Officer Collier.

My deep gratitude to anyone who decides to sponsor me in this race.

About Me:

I've been running since second grade, and ran my first marathon in 2010.  I’m originally from Texas, so the freezing training sessions have been particularly difficult especially this winter.  But the Boston marathon is unlike any other event out there—26 miles of incredible community spirit.  I am very excited to run this marathon and have been training across the country to make sure I’m in good shape.  Thanks for reading!