Twenty, Twenty, Bingo (2010 Boston Marathon Recap)

In the game of Scrabble, the phrase "Twenty, Twenty, Bingo" references a typical scoring pattern for a top level player. Twenty points on the first turn, twenty on the second, and on the third turn the player has managed his tiles well enough to play all seven to receive a fifty point bonus. Bingo.

I had hoped to apply this phrase to my race strategy at the 2010 Boston Marathon. How? Having raced the course the prior two years, I knew how difficult it could be in the final miles once I had blown up. The last 4.5 miles are mostly a gradual downhill and the route is surrounded on both sides by loud, drunk, and enthusiastic supporters. However, I've always hated this section because I've felt awful after the Newton Hills and I've held on for dear life as throngs of runners have passed me. This year I would make sure to start slowly and save myself for the last five miles (you can see me responding to one of the many mustache compliments in this photo taken by Zach Bouzan-Kaloustian). I would aim to run near 20 minute 5k splits, saving myself for a push at the end. The last 10k would be my bingo.

Twenty, Twenty, Twenty, Twenty...

A few days before the race began, my friend Ben from Adidas offered me a spot in a private bus to get to the starting line. This allowed me to relax out of the elements until the race started instead of milling around Athlete's Village for a few hours. When the gun fired to start the race I held myself back as best as I could. Hundreds of runners passed me on both sides using the lengthy downhills to carry them forward. I was not going to get sucked in as I have in the past.

By the time the course started heading back up the elevation chart shortly after passing the girls of Wellesley College I still felt fresh (other than an odd pain on the ball of my left foot that I could not shed) and I began to pass a lot of runners who were beginning to slow (you can see visual evidence of my relaxed pace in this photo from mile 20 when comparing my expression to those behind me).

My 5k splits looked like this:

5k 19:51

10k 19:54

15k 19:54

20k 20:10

25k 20:00

30k 20:43

35k 20:25

40k 20:33

Bingo?

Unfortunately, I never laid down a bingo (or in this case, a few 5:30 miles) to lock in a solid result. By the time I arrived at the downhills and huge crowds I was feeling better than I had the past two years. I was passing a lot more runners and wasn't getting passed at all, but I lacked any ability to speed up. The legs were gone. I still managed a new PR by about a minute (thus the car bomb with Jamie in the photo), running 2:50:42.

I suppose I should be happy to have run so evenly, but I can't help but to wonder what it will take to get over the hump. I've been stuck on results right in the low to mid 2:50's since December of 2007. Here's hoping I can make a large improvement in Chicago.

Wait, I did Bingo on the Day After

I did manage to redeem myself against Brian (pictured in agony after his loss) in Scrabble this year. He and Laura played host to me once again this year, as I stayed at Winthrop House at Harvard University. I met a lot of nice people and even got to race in the Harvard River 1.7 mile race, grabbing third overall just two days before the race.

Mile Splits

1. 6:30

2. 6:22

3. 6:19

4. 6:12

5. 6:28

6. 6:23

7. 6:18

8. 6:27

9. 6:27

10. 6:29

11. 6:35

12. 6:22

13. 6:25

Half 1:24:09

14. 6:23

15. 6:33

16. 6:25

17,18. 13:30 (missed split)

19. 6:29

20. 6:39

21,22. 13:12 (missed split)

23. 6:32

24. 6:30

25. 6:46

26. 6:44 (briefly ran with Josh Arthur who was volunteering at the last water stop)

26.2. 1:25

Boston Marathon Bullets and Photos

• I ran the first 5 or 6 miles with my friend Verdo until stomach troubles forced him to make a few stops. This was my first marathon running with others that I knew. It made it very peaceful.
• During the first few miles of downhill we passed Lance Armstrong like he was standing still. He had a huge crew of runners around him and I had a feeling it might have been a good move to slow down and run at his pace.
• The women of Welsley College are incredible, although I wish I would have been running slower like my friend Phlip so I could have enjoyed them even more. There is a picture of Phlip below that was printed in one of the Boston newspapers.
• As I covered the route I kept hearing updates that Lance was farther behind me. At one point it seemed he was 3 or 4 minutes behind.
• As I began to slow in the hills I could hear a growing roar behind me. On the middle of heartbreak hill Lance came right by me. He stood shoulder to shoulder with me and passed me with a strong, ungraceful yet powerful stride. Having watched Lance ride on so many famous hills in the tour for many years it seemed fitting to watch him blow by me here. Although I must admit that I never dreamed I'd be racing with him in any capacity. It was one of those moments that I kept telling myself to remember for the rest of my life. You may be able to see it here.
• I slowed a bit over the last few miles and could feel my muscles cramp once in a while, but luckily nothing ever shut down. This race is, as many have said, the perfect set-up. The beginning makes you feel so fresh, but the ups and downs at the end thrash your legs by the time you are anywhere near the Citgo sign.
• Seeing Paul and Claudia near the finish line cheering for me really pumped me up. Especially the day after watching Claudia run a great race at the olympic trials.
• Staying with Brian and Laura in Cambridge was great. Harvard is a beautiful place and I'm glad Boston is not on a grid.
• There is a reason I don't drink very often. I think Monday night proved that pretty well. I had a blast with Phlip, Arik, Cari, Tiffany, Mike, and Carolyn anyway.
• I hope to do this race many times again in the future.
• Even with my significant pace drop at the end I still managed to run a 2:55 and I can be happy with that. But, here's hoping I'll be much faster in the near future.
• When I arrived home and was taking the el from midway I found a copy of the Tribune sports section. To my surprise, my name was listed as one of the top Illinois finishers in the Boston Marathon.
• My image appeared in both the Herald and Globe. I'm in the upper left under the large 21,963.
• My pointer toe on my right foot had a nice little berry on it when I was done.