Well, the weeks leading up to the Boston Marathon were met with a bit of frustration. Three weeks prior to the race, I was feeling fantastic. My heart rate was feeling better, and the chest pains I had been experiencing (possibly from WPW), were minimized. I had a few great training runs during this timeframe, including a 20-miler at the YMCA track (indoors) at around a 7:01 pace, and another 20-miler around Green Lake at a 7:18 pace. I was feeling somewhat prepared, although my miles were much less than I would have liked. I peaked at about 53 miles in one week, but most of my other training weeks were under 35 miles, with several in the 20's. Not what I'd like for Boston, but I was taking it easy given my past months of issues with my heart.
Well, like I said, 3 weeks before the race I was feeling really good, and had some good training runs. However, in the next couple of weeks, I was starting to feel some more chest pains and difficulty breathing. Plus, the week before the race, my right hamstring was really causing some pain and problems. It was extremely tight, and painful to run. I wasn't sure what to expect going into the marathon.
I set 3 time goals, and one overall goal.
Time Goals: My "dream" goal was to run a sub-3-hour marathon at Boston. I had run a PR 2:55 at Dallas in December 2006, but Boston is a more difficult course and I didn't have a real good training base due to my heart concerns over the past several months. So, while sub-3 was a dream goal, it wasn't a primary goal - it was more a goal that was achievable only if God really chose to bless me that day for whatever reason. My primary goal was to run 3:15 or less. This is about a 7:28/mile pace, and I felt that was achievable on a good day. A 3:15 or less would qualify me for Boston again, so that would be cool. My "C" goal was to finish in under 3:30, which was in case my hamstring was hurting and my heart was acting up. Realistically, I would be in the 3:15 - 3:20 area, having to push to get in with my primary goal of 3:15.
Overall Goal: The main goal of the Boston trip was to give glory to God, and to testify to the gospel of his grace (Acts 20:24) by spreading the word about our "Join the Race" campaign to raise $500,000 for the CRWRC's efforts to fight AIDS/HIV in Africa. Ultimately, my time goals meant nothing if I wasn't able to do that.
I was blessed to have my wonderful wife, Heather, accompany me to Boston. See the next page for the report of the days leading up to the race.
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