2 Days til the Boston Marathon and I am definitely starting to get excited… or should I say nervous! The weather situation definitely is not helping as it is one more thing to worry about and to take into consideration when you are running 26.2 miles! According to the CBS Boston news records will likely be shattered on Marathon Monday. Their forecast high temperature for Marathon Monday is 88 degrees. What?? I guess that’s what you get when you have a unique training seasons with no snow! In fact there has never been a winter with this little snow!
Oh and just FYI the record for the date is 84 set back in 2003, it may be in jeopardy! But there is some good news, the wind direction. Winds will be steady and strong at times from the southwest, a direct tail wind for us runners. Winds should average between 10-25 mph for the entire route. What do I say about this? It is what it is! No matter what, WE that we have trained so hard, putting in the time and effort, will be out there pushing it from Hopkinton to Boston on Monday. When I was surfing the web I stumble upon an article that talks about the Boston Marathon Weather Forecast and 12-Year History. Here is what it says:
If you’ve ever wondered how much Boston Marathon weather conditions influence race finish times, we’ve got your answers. More often than not, forecasts can be unreliable as the weather changes unexpectedly on race day. And what you experience at the starting line in Hopkinton can differ radically from what you’ll face once past Heartbreak Hill, heading toward Boston.Variability in conditions has been significant in recent years, from one of the hottest races in decades (2004) to a wind-whipped chilly rainfest in 2007. See weather conditions for the last 12 years below.
Wondering how weather affects finish times? Temperatures averaging above 60 make a clear difference. And current forecasts for Hopkinton and Boston indicate that 60+ degrees may be reached.
As most Boston runners met qualifying standards, the average finish times in any weather will be faster than regular runners at races like the Chicago Marathon. But comparing the two along the lines of temperature/speed correlations, there are some similarities when it comes to the heat.The 2010 Chicago Marathon was a hot one, temperatures soaring into the 80s. A total 36,159 runners made it through high temperatures to cross the finish line. While the heat did not rival 2007, and the mid-event cancellation of that race, the 2010 race was marked by a much higher than average finish time — 4:43:38 — and roughly 2000 runners dropping out. And this result was consistent with an analysis we had conducted before the event.
Before the Chicago race, we wondered: how do differing temperatures impact average finish times? We plotted the average finish times and average race-day temperatures for the last 11 years to find the answer. And it seemed to be generally good news for runners as long as temperatures stay below 65 degrees. However, when the average temperature soared over 65, average times would drop, we noted.
And that’s that! Now, despite hearing lots of runners freaking our about the weather (facebook really keep you well updated) I am not gonna get over-stressed.! Here I said it! I am not quitting my goals. This is one thing that no one cannot control, so why freaking out about it? But I have the power to control pretty much everything else and I am determined to run the best race I can under the conditions I will have on Monday and still enjoying my journey! I’ve been waiting so long for this day, worked so hard as I’ve set my goal for this race to run a 3:20 marathon. I admit that t I am scared of saying out loud my goal(usually don’t like to say what my goals for races are as I am afraid to look bad if I don’t make it), especially now with this conditions, BUT I said it and I promise to myself that no matter what the outcome will be, even though I will let myself be disappointed for a bit( let’s be realistic here okay) I will then pick myself up and look ahead to achieving MY goal on October 9th at the Chicago Marathon.
Every runners know that there is never any absolute guarantee on race day, but I am in shape and ready to run a 3:20! When I look back at my training I feel very confident! I had the best winter weather conditions EVER! Especially compared to last year training where we had the worse winter EVER! From January when I started I ran 756 Miles total. I had several over 20 miles run, of which a couple from Hopkinton to mile 22.5 of the Marathon course. I balanced out my training with cross training doing mostly the amazing Gstar spin class, took plenty of yoga classes that really helped me incredibly stay injury free. Bottom line, I feel stronger than ever and I’ll be damned if I am going to let this unusual warm weather throw that all out the window!So my plan is to go out on Monday morning and get my 3:20! Like Steve Prefontaine said: ” To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”
Here is my Week 46 of my Project 365:
Photo 315/ 365 ~ Saturday, April 7, 2012
This week was a lot about flowers in honor of Easter. Here is a gorgeous human flower=)
Photo 316/ 365 ~ Sunday, April 8, 2012
After my 13 miler we went to spend Easter with family=) It was a lot of fun even though I think I was starting to get nervous for Boston. But we cooked and ate and watch a fun movie. Amanda made the best dessert ever, a vegan fruit pizza AMAZING!
I also played around a little with my Micro lens that Dustin gave me for Xmas. Check out the art=)
Does it even look like a flower?
Photo 317/ 365 ~ Monday, April 9, 2012
It was my brother Michele Birthday! My honey made me the best stir fry ever..from scratch!
Photo 318/ 365 ~ Tuesday, April 10, 2012
I love my tulips!
Photo 319/ 365 ~ Wednesday, April 11, 2012
They are opening!
Photo 320/ 365 ~ Thursday, April 12, 2012
Love my hot pink egg! Dustin was in Indianapolis for work=(
Photo 321/ 365 ~ Friday, April 13, 2012
Today I took a photo-shoot of Sarah Gardner, our amazing ambassador and the founder of
Yoga Reaches Out that brings the yoga community together to raise funds for children’s charities. After that I met with Nichole and visited my favorite girl Fabs at the lululemon container at the Boston Marathon Expo at the World Trade Center! Come and visit us! We will be all weekend long=)
I can’t wait for my honey to get home so we can cuddle and get nice and ready to go to the Expo to pick up my number tomorrow!!
Happy Friday!
The Journey of a Passionate Runner 