BOSTON MARATHON RECAP!!!

Marathon #11.

These marathons just keep getting better and better for me… It will be interesting to see how much I love them when I am 70 (but of course there will be many terrible races thrown in there along the way too, because that is how running goes and it’s the terrible races that make us really appreciate the good ones so much more).

I feel very lucky because I was able to have that Boston yesterday that I’ve always dreamed about.  2015 Boston was just not my year in a lot of ways and I went into yesterday with the mindset that I was going to GET that Boston experience that I craved.

I went to Deena Kastor’s talk on Saturday and she said something that I really loved—>  She talked about GRABBING the positive energy from the crowds/people around you, pulling that energy into yourself and GOING with it.  Each time I heard someone say my name (thank you to those that did), every time I made eye contact with another runner or person cheering, all of the high-fives and all of the signs that said ‘touch here for extra power’ gave me so much energy and strength.

Besides my hamstrings, the most exhausted muscle on my body after yesterday were my cheeks.  My smile lines were very deep by the end of the day yesterday and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  There was so much energy to grab out on that course that it made me smile for probably 94.36% of the entire race (very scientific approximation with that percentage;).

We slept great the night before the race and I set my alarm for 6:02 (because my wave started at 10:02… those numbers get me) and jumped in the shower.  I started taking showers before my races to help wake myself up a bit and get moving.  I used my dove deodorant all over to avoid chafing (which worked everywhere except for under my left arm) along with a lot of sunscreen.

One lesson learned yesterday—>  Even if I’m not racing… I need to wear the Power Bun for every race because I hate my hair touching my face or shoulders during a race.  Power Bun from here on out.

IMG 2355

I brought my UCAN from home and drank that along with a bottle of water on the way to where the busses were picking us up.  Andrew walked with me and we tried to stay as dry as possible.

I came to Boston very prepared for a crazy storm/being cold which was nice because I used all of the stuff I brought for before the race started.

IMG 2368

Can you believe this?   It’s like the rain paused for us to run… and we also had a tailwind too!

IMG 2345

I found out later that a bunch of the busses were delayed because of the LIGHTNING but I stood in line for about 5 minutes (at 6:45) before jumping on a bus.

I met a really awesome girl from Minneapolis on the bus and we ended up talking the entire way to the start.

I had heard that there were bagels and bananas at the start so I didn’t bring any food (other than my UCAN) and had two bagels in one of the tents before starting.  It felt kind of strange to not be doing all of my normal marathon traditions (ie no vegetables the day before, avoiding a lot of time on my feet the day before, having all of my food prepped and eating at exact times etc) but it turned out fine to switch things up!

IMG 2376

THANK YOU to everyone that told me to bring an old pair of shoes to the start to use before the race.  My feet were soaking wet and muddy.  It was so nice to have a fresh pair to change into (and fresh socks too)!

IMG 2385

I switched into the Boston Launch (for my first time wearing them…) and they were AWESOME to do a marathon in.  I loved how well they worked for the race and I think they are gorgeous.

IMG 2357

I was so happy to meet up with Tina, Lindsey and Mia.

IMG 2379

We all went over to the porta-potties together and then Tina and I left to get into our corrals.  We were probably only in the Athlete’s Village for 30 minutes and it flew by!

The walk over to the starting line is probably about a half mile (I might be very wrong on this) and I tried to get into the back of my corral.  I knew I wasn’t going to be running the times that a lot of the people in that area were running (my sub 3 is what put me into the first wave) and I didn’t want to get in their way!

IMG 2381

Right before the race got started I got rid of my throw away gear, took a nanoHyr8 and put my Koala Clip on.  I brought my AirPods with me to listen to music at the end if I wanted to (I did for the last 6-7 miles but not super loud so I could still hear all of the people) and just brought them in the charging case.  The charging case fit into my Koala Clip too which was nice because I thought that if I would have just brought the AirPods they would have run out of batteries since the race started a while after we got onto the busses (there isn’t a gear bag drop at the start of Boston).

I got to the starting line a few minutes after 10:02.  I think we all felt like a can of sardines.  It was pretty tight there for the first five miles but there were a lot of people weaving around too.

IMG 2408

I think in my previous Boston I did a lot of weaving, but yesterday I did zero weaving and just kind of went with the flow and had people pass me.

At about .9 miles into the race there was a guy with a sign that had an arrow and 25.3 miles written on it which made me laugh.  The signs were AWESOME this year.  I wish so badly I could remember more of them but so many of them made me laugh.  Another thing that made me laugh really hard was a volunteer at about mile 15.  She was yelling out ‘FREE GATORADE’ with a cup up in the air and it made me happy.

IMG 2413

Boston and my ultra were completely different experiences.  Boston had me talking to people and seeing people every step of the way.  During my ultra I spent a lot of miles alone.  I was so happy to meet readers along the way and for the first 10ish miles I had different people to talk with which I loved.

IMG 2415

I did kind of eat like my ultra though.  I wanted to take food from people along the course and enjoy the treats…

I had three huma gels (starting at mile 4) along with part of a glazed donut, twizzlers, oranges, half a banana, swedish fish and a popsicle from spectators.  I also took another nanohydr8 at mile 14.  At each aid station I had water or gatorade or both.  During those final miles I dumped water on myself (and poured ice into my sports bra) because I was feeling pretty hot!  The ultra training taught my body to handle eating a lot of food during the race other than gels.  I didn’t have any stomach issues and I’ve learned over the years I would much rather over fuel than under fuel so I kept the calories coming until those very final miles= much happier races for me.

IMG 2423

Loved running by the water!

IMG 2421

I took my arm warmers off at mile 1 (there was nothing cold about yesterday during the race… hallelujah!!) and held onto them until I saw Andrew at mile 8.  These arm warmers are good luck charms so I did not want to lose them.

IMG 2418

Andrew took the train to mile 8 and was able to see the elite women and men pass by.  I was so excited to see him, stopped for a kiss and he jumped back on the train to get back to the starting line which he made it back to with about 30 minutes to spare.

IMG 4128

I could hear the girls at Wellesley from a half mile away.  THEY WERE AWESOME.  I could not believe how loud they were.  I jumped over to the side to slap their hands and loved it.  Up until this point there was a lot of downhill and some small rollers too.  I told myself to just run comfortably and knew that with the way the course is set up I would have a positive split (but hopefully not a huge one).  It was tempting to go out faster than I did, but I knew I would blow up if I did that because I have the endurance side down from the ultra and I had done very little speed work.

I told myself if I wanted to try to pick it up it would be in the last 10k.  I wanted to just soak in the experience and have so much fun until then.

IMG 2428

From here I didn’t take very many pictures but I was happy that heartbreak and the other hills didn’t swallow me alive (like they did in 2015).  I focused on my form and the people around me and got up them.

During the last few miles I decided to see if I could pick up the pace, but that just equaled staying around the same pace as the previous miles which I was happy about.  I kept high-fiving kids and felt tired, but not the wall that usually happens during the marathon for me… I think it was because of all of the fuel I took in (and from ultra training).  My body was more than ready to be done at the finish line though… don’t get me wrong, I was very tired but the wall was not hit.

I saw Andrew in the stands (thanks again Jenn for that pass) and could not believe how loud the crowds were.  Absolutely amazing… those crowds yesterday were SO so great.  Thank you x a million to all of the spectators and volunteers.  They inspired me to get out and volunteer/cheer for our races at home.

IMG 4151

The last little push!

IMG 2930

Those last miles were very warm (coming from training all winter in the dry cold) but I wouldn’t trade the race conditions for the cold/rain/head wind that we were planning on having.

IMG 2434

My last few races I’ve gone straight to hanging out on the ground so it was nice to just keep moving and walking to cool-down instead.

IMG 2436

I walked for about a half a mile before I found Andrew at the family meet-up area.  Once I stopped running and I was in the shade… I got cold FAST, but so excited to see Andrew.

IMG 4180

I’m in love with this medal.

IMG 4194

IMG 2443

14 seconds is my lucky number… St George I finished in 2:59:14.

Here are the mile splits from my Garmin:  7:31, 7:24, 7:46, 7:31, 7:54, 7:34, 7:38, 7:51, 7:56, 8:01, 7:58, 7:58, 7:53, 7:58, 8:12, 7:48, 8:23, 8:28, 7:49, 8:15, 8:20, 7:25, 7:50, 7:55, 7:44, 8:14 and my garmin says I ran a 5:56 average for the last .4 (I didn’t run the tangents great) but I’m not sure how accurate that is.

IMG 4195

We had such a great weekend together.   Andrew told me that next year he is going to enter the lottery for NYCM so we can do that together (hopefully!!) and visit some more stadiums!  I’M IN!!!

IMG 2462

13 more random facts from the day before I let you go!

*I saw a guy running the marathon barefoot… that is hardcore!

*Somehow I got Gatorade in my eyes and that was not a fun experience ha.

*My gels and lip gloss all fit into my shorts (the same ones I wore for my last two marathons)… I was very happy to have my lip gloss with me because I reapplied it 3 times throughout the course!

*My hamstrings were fried… not sure if that is from the ultra or if that means I need to strengthen my hamstrings or if my quads weren’t doing the work they needed to so my hamstrings were taking on extra work?!

*Racing Janae in my 20s and Racing Janae in my 30s are different human beings.  In my 20s I remember being so hard on myself during races and just picking myself apart.  In my 30s I feel so much gratitude during a race for a body that allows me to be there doing what I love.  It’s a complete game changer for life and my running.

*Zero injuries from the ultra and marathon but my feet are blistered from pouring water all over myself at the aid stations= soaking shoes for the last hour or so= blisters.

*I FORGOT TO PACK MY OOFOS.  Never again will that happen because putting shoes on again after the marathon was not fun.

*Running at sea level felt magical but that humidity—>  It reminded me all over again how hardcore I think all of you are that run all summer long in the heat/humidity!

*Ultra training really messed up my brain.  Usually in a marathon I think at some point, oh my goodness I have 16 miles to go and that freaks me out for a bit until I get myself back into the moment.  Ultra training made thinking 16 miles to go feel very positive and like I was almost done because of how many long runs I did throughout this last training cycle.

*I had my dream Boston experience and I am extremely grateful for that.  I’m pretty sure I’ll wear the medal for the majority of this week;)

*This post was written on our way home last night (we got home at 2 am) so I’ll try to fix all of the grammar errors later this morning:).  We left yesterday so we could get our girls back and then we will get Knox on Wednesday.  I missed them all a lot but it was so nice to have some time just with Andrew.  Thank you to Andrew’s family for taking Skye (and the big kids were with their other parents!).  I’m very happy we had the Exit row on the flight home for the extra leg room.

*Time to give this body plenty of rest and some major TLC!

*This is not a sponsored post, but THANK YOU Almond Breeze for taking me out to run this race!

If you made it through this entire post, you deserve a prize.

—————————————————————————————–

Who ran yesterday?  How did it go for you?!?!

Which race would you give your Happiest PR to?

-This one.

Humidity where you live or not so much?

How many races have you done?  If you know.. give me your stats!

You May Also Like

123 comments

Reply

Congrats!!! I would love to run Boston one day. An energetic crowd helps so much!! I only have NYC under my belt and the crowds were so loud and encouraging I will never forget it!

Reply

Thank you so much Melissa. Oh NYC is AMAZING… you totally get it. Those crowds! Have a wonderful day and I can’t wait to hear about you going to Boston in the future!

Reply

Not only did I make it through this post, I made it to the part about ANDREW FINALLY COMING TO NYC! Will start planning adventures now. So so so happy to see you and spend time with you this weekend, and proud of you for running a great, happy race. CONGRATULATIONS! Love youuuuu!

Reply

Congrats! I watched marathon coverage all day – many friends ran it and volunteered at miles 15 and 16. My happiest PR was the Oceanroad 10k in RI last fall. Glad you enjoyed Boston!

Reply

Thank you so so much! Isn’t it the best to watch that marathon!? Thank you and I love hearing about these happiest PRs. Have a fabulous day!

Reply

This is no joke!!! Start planning it out now! It was so fun to meet your and your crew! Looking forward to NYC!

Reply

WE HAVE SO MUCH TO PLAN and I love you! So excited about our future:)

Reply

How long do you typically take off between races? I just want Boston as well, it was no joke and so rewarding! Congratulations!

Reply

This was fun to read! Glad you had a good experience!
Nice post!

Reply

Oh thank you so much Kaytlin. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Reply

Yay! Congratulations Janae! I watched it on TV and dreamed of running it someday. It must have been fun running and thinking how Des, Jared, Jordan, etc. were all running the same race! Hope you have a relaxing day today.

Reply

Oh my goodness… I was just writing about that on tomorrow’s post. It really was so cool to be following being them (well… a few hours behind them:). Thanks Jenny!

Reply

Congratulations on your Boston finish!! I watched some of the race yesterday it was awesome! I haven’t done any “big “ marathons. But yesterday inspired me….I signed up for St. George!!! I’ll be reading all your St. George marathon recaps to help prep!

Reply

AHHHH YOU DID!?!?! This makes me so so happy! St. George is the most beautiful marathon (in my opinion). I’m sure I’ll be there this year either running or cheering and I can’t wait to meet you. Have a great day Diane!

Reply

Congratulations on such a happy race!
Grrrrreat recap :)
Love the muddy shoes pic.

Rest up!

Reply

Thanks Tonya! I sure will and I hope you have a great day!

Reply

Congrats on the great, happy race in Boston! I have run 12 half marathons and 2 full. On Sunday I ran the Athens half marathon in Ohio in the pouring rain the whole race and I finally reached my goal of under 2 hours. It took 10 years but I finally ran 1:58:30 at age 48. So happy!

Reply

Thank you so much Sara and HUGE congrats on hitting your goal in crazy conditions! You. Are. Amazing. I hope you are just soaking up that post-race high big time.

Reply

Awesome job Janae!! I loved this race recap because I can feel you smiling as you wrote it!

Reply

Thank you so much Caitlin and I totally was… I probably looked like such a weirdo on the plane ha. Have a fabulous day!

Reply

Congrats!! I had so much fun watching the race yesterday too, everyone at Boston seems so happy and excited! Des was smiling and waving at the finish too, even though I’m sure she was exhausted!! Every year, I get so inspired watching this race :)

Reply

I was wondering how Des looked at the end (I need to watch it). It really is such an inspiring weekend and perfect timing after winter:) . Thanks so much Mariah and have a great day!

Reply

I ran yesterday my first Boston it was definitely an amazing experience! I had a rough time on the course, the humidity made me sick to my stomach and I had one of my worst marathon performances! I was disappointed but the crowds pulled my through, they were unbelievable! I’m glad u had such a great day! Congrats!

Reply

MICHELLE… HUGE HUGE HUGE congrats on your first Boston and I hope you are just soaking in the experience. Those crowds are something else. Thank you and huge congrats getting through being so sick from the humidity. You just proved big time yesterday that you can do really hard things. Have a fabulous day recovering!

Reply

Envious of but thrilled for this year’s Boston experience for you. I ran it last year and it was like running into a freezing cold firehose of water with a leaf blower blasting at me the whole way. Still magical, though. :) The SLC marathon two days ago marked my 35th marathon in five years. I say that not because it’s so great a number (I know many of us have friends who’ve run 100+ marathons) but to let others know two things: (1) Getting older doesn’t have to suck (first marathon at age 48), and (2) half the marathons I run, I run deliberately slowly—and I mean sloooowly—and they are incredibly fun because of all the runners and spectators I get to chat with along the way. Seems like I hurt less after a slow “race” because of all laughing and smiling.

Reply

I do not know how you guys survived 2018 Boston. YOU ARE STRONG. 35th marathon in 5 years. Huge congrats on SLC (that was my first marathon) and your strength. That is just incredible to me. Isn’t it the best to talk and get to know the other runners? Out of 35… which one has been your favorite? Recover well!

Reply

I have to confess…last year’s Boston wasn’t as hard as it could’ve been because I just tucked in behind bigger people for wind breaks. :)

FAVE marathon? Big Cottonwood because it was my accidental PR; St G because it’s, well, St G. But in a couple of weeks, I have Big Sur, which I anticipate will be incredible for its views and the many people from so many places world wide.

Reply

I’ve always wanted to do Big Cottonwood! I agree.. St. G is just so great. STOKED for you to run Big Sur and I better get to hear all about it!

Reply

Congratulations on a great day! I ran but it was a rough one for me. Actually it was my reverse PR…slowest of 12 marathons. Still so much fun and I smiled the whole way. The crowds here are like no other and even though I had a hard day, I still loved it all! (Minus the cramping, do not love that part!)

Reply

Oh girl, I am so so sorry it was not your day yesterday. SO glad you were able to soak in those crowds and the energy. That humidity was no joke and CRAMPING is the worst. CONGRATS on powering through that cramping–> You just proved yesterday you can do very hard things!

Reply

What a wonderful experience!!! Congratulations Janae!
This post, and watching the e marathon on TV, just makes me want to run Boston so bad!! It looks amazing!
Enjoy treating yourself to some really good TLC!!
Well done!! ?

Reply

Oh thank you Wendy! I hope you get to go out and do Boston… you will love it. Thank you so much and I hope you have a great day!

Reply

Congratulations! It’s so nice to hear that you had a great experience this time and that the weather cooperated.

Reply

Thank you so much Samantha… I felt very lucky to not feel cold at all during the race. Have a great Tuesday!

Reply

Oh my gosh Janae so its hilarious because when you were writing about not bringing your own breakfast and eating the bagels and bananas they had at the start I was like “this is that ULTRA finisher talking..” I love that this was such a good experience for you and I feel like your ultra really prepared you to just relax and have an amazing time! I think we can all take advice from that, to relax, have a good time and enjoy the experience.

I loved tracking you and some other awesome people. Got so emotional! Also I loved watching your insta stories when Andrew was on….hearing him cheer for the elite woman “YOU GOT IT!!!!!!!” just made my heart happy because he was genuinely so happy to be there, I could tell!

My happy PR also goes to the first time I broke sub 2 in the half. I was just so happy to be there and enjoyed the experience and crushing my goal was just icing on the cake.

Humidity…yes…Florida. ’nuff said

Enjoy your rest and cuddles with the kiddos!

Reply

Bahaha the ultra totally changed me:) . Thank you so much for watching along and DES TOTALLY looked at him. Oh I love hearing about your happy PR. Your strength in that humidity is amazing. Thanks so much Eleanor!

Reply

I’m just stunned that you were doing Boston so soon after that Ultra. Amazing. Go you.

Reply

Thank you! I wasn’t sure how my body was going to handle it but I’m lucky it worked out well. Have a fabulous day Clark!

Reply

Congratulations on such a great race, Janae. Your recap make me tear up! It sounds like you had an incredible experience and I’m so happy for you.

Reply

Thank you Joy! It really was such a fun day! Have a wonderful Tuesday.

Reply

Congratulations! Sounds like a pretty cool race :-) I love you recaps…so inspirational. They make me want to get up and get out!

Reply

Oh thank you so much Zed. I hope you have/had a great run today!

Reply

Congrats!! Glad you got to have your dream Boston experience! Didn’t run yesterday but keep thinking I will go back one day.

Hmm stats. 7 marathons including Boston and a trail marathon. And 10 ultramarathons. I cant remember the other ones exactly.

Boston is my actual PR and NYC was my happiest PR.

Also I love those stuffed unicorns from yesterdays. I have the same shirt as the blue unicorn :)

Happy recovery Janae!

Reply

Boston is your PR… you are strong. I love that NYC was your happiest PR. 10 ultras… you are my hero! Thanks Kristine and have a great day!

Reply

Janae, what a nice surprise to see you during the race! It was great talking with you too! I was hoping to see you over the weekend but I was pretty busy hanging out with my teammates and my extended family in Boston. I’ve been reading for years and it was really great to finally meet you in person!

This recap is spot-on with the entire Boston experience. And you ran it very smart. It’s definitely one of the toughest races out there because of the timing of the hills. You did great AND got to enjoy it too. Plus you got to have an extended date weekend with Andrew. : -) Congratulations Janae!

Reply

I feel so so lucky that you came and said high to me during the race and talked with me. THANK YOU for doing that. Thanks Sandy and CONGRATS TO YOU! I hope your race was a great one!

Reply

YOU are amazing and your GRATITUDE and JOY from this marathon are infectious. I love it! I loved all of your pics and Insta posts, too! AND, I’m uber impressed that you got this long post done for today!!! :) I loved reading it!!!!! It’s so nice, also, that you and Andrew got a nice little weekend away—low stress, you enjoyed this marathon, and it was nice to celebrate his new job, I’m sure, too, with some time away.

Can’t wait to see what’s next for you after those blisters heal up :)

Reply

Jen, thank you so so much! It really was the best to have some time just the two of us after all of his schooling/NCLEX etc. Thank you so much Jen and what’s next for you?!

Reply

Congrats!! Loved this race recap! I had lots of friends running yesterday and they said it was a hard day so you are such a warrior!

I ran a small marathon in Oregon on Sunday and won my AG and BQed! It was my 9th marathon and second fastest time by less than a minute! Like you, I felt the big difference was my mental strength/game. It felt great and super low pressure!

How are you recovering this week? I alway flail in the recovery period. Yesterday I walked my dog for a mile and it felt good – quads are torn up and toes are bloody!!

Reply

HUGE HUGE HUGE congrats Lara on winning your AG and your BQ. You are amazing. It’s amazing what our brain can do for us!
Thank you Lara! That heat was no joke (especially after winter)! I think I’ll take a week off from running. It’s good to move but to remember that there is a lot of damage done during the marathon that we don’t realize. Keep enjoying that post-marathon high!

Reply

This recap makes me so happy for you!!! I am so glad you were able to have the Boston experienced you have dreamed about for many years! Watching, reading about, and following runners on their journey to & through Boston is so inspiring. Even at my age of 42, based on my current marathon times, it could be difficult for me to qualify. But man….reading the Boston (or NYC) experiences….kind of makes me want to get there in some way. I love your spirit, your attitude, your grit, determination….You are awesome, Janae!!

Reply

Oh thank you so so much Aimee… that means a lot to me! You are rocking it girl.. keep doing it! Thank you and I hope your day is a great one. Keep in touch!

Reply

Oh wow congrats on an awesome race, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the experience. You make me want to go up to visit Boston ASAP (but maybe not run a full 26.2 miles haha, maybe just like 8-10 along the river).

Sports drink in your eye hurts badly, at long distance triathlon worlds in 2017 I was getting confused the last 7-8k of the run and poured some on my head like a genius ahahahaha.

Tons of humidity where I live, and also at my races this weekend, but I view that as a blessing because it means I know how to fuel/hydrate/salt to handle it.

Reply

HEY YOU! JP Licks was incredible. Thanks for that recommendation! OH NO… you poured it on your head. You rock that humidity and I want you to come to Utah to do some races too though:) . Thanks girl and I hope your Tuesday is a great one!

Reply

Hooray!!! I (non-creepy) tracked you yesterday :) So glad you had an awesome time.
My Happiest PR race is definitely the Rehoboth (Delaware) Marathon. Nothing like that feeling of non-stop smiling, despite the legs that don’t want to move anymore.
I’m in humid Maryland. I definitely feel it, but it’s also what I’m used to. Altitude would probably kill me off!
I’ve done 9 marathons; first (bonk) was 5:26, most were 4:20-ish, and last was 3:54 to squeak under the BQ time. I don’t know how many halfs, but I had not raced a half before my first full.
Have a terrific Tuesday!

Reply

Thank you so much Corey for tracking along! I guess we just learn to rock the elements we are used to. HUGE congrats on your BQ time. Thank you so much and enjoy your day!

Reply

Congrats on Boston for you and Andrew! My son loves the Red Sox and would love to attend a game at Fenway some time.

Growing up in Kansas and now living near Seattle I know that dew point is actually a more important factor than humidity. Seattle is actually fairly humid at times but the dew point remains low. In a nutshell – a higher dew point means less water evaporation – so when you perspire there will be much less body cooling going on. So, watching the dew point is just as important as paying attention to the humidity. High dew point and humidity can create nastiness.
https://www.weatherworksinc.com/humidity-vs-dewpoint

My happiest PR’s were my 36:30 10K at age 20 was my 21:35 5K last year at age 54. I am just happy to be running at all with these knees, lol!

Reply

I hope that you and your son get to make it to Fenway someday! I didn’t know this about the dew point, that is very interesting! Good to know! You are rocking it John! Don’t stop ever!

Reply

I bet most people don’t know the average humidity in Seattle is actually higher than Miami! It’s just that we always have a much lower dew point.

https://www.currentresults.com/Weather-Extremes/US/most-humid-cities.php

Reply

During the summer, we have crazy nasty humidity. This post was so enjoyable to read. Just really enjoying the experience of running this race and taking in the crowd energy. Loved it and so glad everything went so well and you enjoyed the race and whole weekend. Sounds amazing !!!! Once I get past running 3 miles maybe I’ll set it on my radar, lol !!

Reply

I do not know how you do it… humidity is SO so hard! Thank you so much Michele and I hope you have a beautiful Tuesday!

Reply

Congratulations! What kind of shorts were you wearing? I would love to fit all that stuff in my shorts. :)

Reply

HEY!! I found some on Amazon but they don’t have a ton of sizes! I hope you find a pair you love. Have a beautiful day Cori and thank you! https://amzn.to/2XkYCtX

Reply

“In my 30s I feel so much gratitude during a race for a body that allows me to be there doing what I love. It’s a complete game changer for life and my running.”

This is EVERYTHING! I spent all of MY 20s battling bulimia and bullying myself for simply being a human. The moment I started celebrating who and what I already/always was, EVERYTHING changed. Running is a celebration of what our bodies can do, which is so much more important than just how we look! LOOK WHAT YOU DID YESTERDAY! That level of happiness is just as impressive as your sub-3 speed! Cheers!

Reply

Oh girl, I totally know what you mean about bullying ourselves. Thank goodness we are able to celebrate these incredible bodies of ours! Thank you Monica, I hope you have the most amazing day!

Reply

I am glad the running part wasn’t like 2015 or 2018 – I feel bad for people who had mentally prepared for the bad weather and then had humidity. I hate running in the humidity. I ran in DC this morning (first time ever!) and it was beautiful – 44, 60% humidity. I want to enter the lottery for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler but I could never to Marine Corp because the weather is too iffy. I just signed up for my 1st runDisney 1/2 in January (it will be my second official 1/2, 4th unofficial (2 races I trained for but couldn’t do the actual race in the day but still ran 13.1 during the training cycle) – I am already nervous about what the weather could bring!

Did I miss you telling us when you actually knew you were running Boston? Glad you (and Andrew) had a great weekend and that he made it to the finish line in time!

Reply

Hey Jessey! I think I first talked about it on 4/1! I knew about it a little sooner than that but had a bunch of things to work out before we could fully commit! I agree, I think the humidity was really hard for a lot of people (maybe it’s because I started in the first wave so I didn’t have as much sunshine). I am SO excited for you to run Disney… I want to join you! So glad you got out for a run in DC today, it sounds amazing right now. Have a beautiful day and keep me updated if you get into the Cherry Blossom 10 miler!

Reply

I got our whole office to watch the race at work with me and we watched for your IG stories – So great to follow from Charlotte NC!
Race recap made me cry. How amazing. Thank you for sharing so much with all of us

Reply

YOU ARE THE BEST!! Thank you so much for cheering along. Thank you Sage and have a wonderful day!

Reply

Congrats Janae! What an awesome “victory lap” for that sub 3!!

Also, what shorts are those?? They seriously are magic shorts with all that pocket room! ?

Reply

Victory lap… I LOVE THAT!! I found some on Amazon but they are low on sizes: https://amzn.to/2XkYCtX They are definitely magic! Have a great day!

Reply

Yesterday was my first Boston Marathon and I loved EVERY minute of it. My race plan went out the window when the sun/heat/humidity showed up but I smiled, high-fived and stopped to pet dogs on the way and had a great run. The miles absolutely flew by. The crowds were amazing, the volunteers wonderful and that finish line is the BEST.
I had my phone in a Koala clip but struggle to get it out take photos so didn’t :-( AND it’s not occurred to me to keep the airpod charger in there too…brilliant!
I put aquaphor on my feet and avoided blisters so that was good.
I’m going to wear my marathon jacket and medal for as long as I can :-)
Congrats on your 2019 Boston!

Reply

CAROL!!! CONGRATULATIONS! I love how you made the absolute best of the change in weather and soaked it all in. Great call on the aquaphor, I should have copied you! Enjoy that jacket and medal, you worked so hard for it!

Reply

Yay! Congrats Janae! I’m so happy you had such a wonderful race, I know a lot of runners who really struggled with the heat and humidity yesterday but I’m so glad to hear you felt good for most of the race! I’m also so jealous of your perfect Boston experience! I’ve run Boston 3x and New York once and I really struggled with keeping that positive attitude when things got tough. Like 20-something Janae, I’m usually pretty darn hard on myself when a race doesn’t go according to plan. It’s not a cute habit. I’m not sure if a marathon is in the books for me this year, but I’m def working on my mental game and attitude these days because I have every intention of making it back to Boston someday and I’m going to enjoy it NO MATTER WHAT!

Also where are those pants that you wore to the expo from? ;)

Reply

Oh thank you so much Annie! I totally know what you mean about it being so hard to stay positive when things get really hard. Keep up that mental training, you are doing awesome and I can’t wait for you to love your next Boston! They are from Lululemon but they don’t have the exact ones online (mine have a drawstring)! These are similar though:
https://shopstyle.it/l/2aiQ

Have a beautiful day Annie!

Reply

I WAS LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE!!! Here are the exact ones:

https://shopstyle.it/l/2a7U

Reply

Was so good to see you, you badass <3

Reply

I LOVED being reunited with you my love! Let’s see each other soon okay?

Reply

My happy PR goes to the Indi Mini half marathon. I did actually PR that race but I just felt amazing during it even though I had been sick that whole week. Turns out I was 4 weeks pregnant during that race.

We have so much humidity in Illinois. After awhile you get used to it.

I have the Illinois Half marathon coming up in a week and half. I had easy miles this morning that felt anything but easy but hopefully that means I got my bad run out of my system before race day.

Awesome job in Boston! I loved following along in IG and I so wish we had been in Boston this year to meet up. We expect to be there next year so I think you should do it again!

Reply

NO WAY… okay, that is crazy awesome that your had a PR when you were pregnant, that is huge. And your comment makes me even more excited for the Mini half marathon! Good luck in 1.5 weeks… I’m so excited for you and I totally agree with what you said about getting your bad run out of the way and now you will have an awesome race! Thank you so much. I feel so good about that plan:) . Have a wonderful day!

Reply

The weather for the race seems like my kind of race weather ;). So fun! I hope I get to run Boston one day, first I need to work on a marathon in general haha

Reply

YES! It was fabulous! I hope training is going well so fast! Thank you so much Jenny!

Reply

CONGRATS!!! Sad I didn’t get to see you out there but so happy you had a great race day!!

My race went awesome too!! Finished at 3:31:36 and was so happy about my time and overall first Boston experience :) Those hills were no joke and I was proud of myself for staying strong on them!! I ended up feeling super nauseous after the race (I don’t think I ate enough before or hydrated well during the race) but other than that, I felt incredible!

Boston Marathon #1 & Marathon #12 CHECK!

Rest up this week!!!

Reply

GIRL, you ROCKED IT!! I am so so happy for you… thrilled you had such an awesome experience during your first Boston. Recover well Arthi!

Reply

Yay, Janae! Congrats on an awesome race and amazing experience! Hope you can rest up with your sweet family today!

Reply

Thank you so much Jenny! I hope you have the best day!

Reply

It was so great meeting you Sunday morning and cheering for you from the halfway mark at the marathon yesterday. I was screaming your name and finally got your attention! I was the one waving to you with the gray hat! You did awesome yesterday and I’m glad it turned out to be a gorgeous day. You were definitely smiling the whole time you passed me by!!! Congrats, girl!

Reply

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING SUNDAY AND I TOTALLY REMEMBER SEEING YOU ON THE COURSE! Thanks for cheering so loud… I took that energy from you and ran with it. I wish we could eat donuts together more often! Thanks so much and have a wonderful day. Please keep in touch with everything!

Reply

Thank you for turning me onto Nanohydr8. I love it! I’m curious where you had room to stash one for mile 14. Did you just hold it in your hand? I’m strategizing for a Revel marathon in Vegas in 2 weeks and I think I’m going to want one at the half.

Reply

HEY! Andrew handed it to me at mile 8 and I just held onto it! YES YES YES… use it. I’m so excited for you to run that half and cruise through it. Keep me updated!

Reply

Congratulations, Janae! Loved the Insta stories and posts throughout the weekend, too! So happy that you had an amazing experience – knew you’d crush it! You’re such a positive person and all of your smiles are contagious – happy recovery!

Reply

That smile at the end when you see your hubs is amazing!!!!! You go Janae!! I entered the lottery for the NYC 1/2 but did not get picked so I will keep trying!! I have never done a full but have done 6 halves! I tell people I only run halves because I am only half crazy.
I live in the south so the humidity in the summer is unbearable and find myself on the treadmill!
I know its good to be home! Get some rest and hopefully one of these days we will find ourselves running together!!
XOXO

Reply

Great job on running your happiest race and with a solid time! I can’t believe you did that just a few short weeks after a 50 miler!
That was my first Boston marathon. It was a hard course and I agree the heat was hard after such a brutal winter. But I smiled my way through it, too! There’s just something so special about the course and the crowds. Such an amazing race day!

Reply

Congratulations, Janae! You are amazing!! I’m so happy for you that you had such an awesome experience at Boston – you deserved it!!

Reply

What a great recap! Love love what you said about racing in your 30’s and all the gratitude, it’s so true! You were speedy too considering how close this was to the 50! And what a fun weekend for the 2 of you, getting to sight see, eat all the good foods, hit up a game at Fenway. Oofos should set up a booth at the airport for marathon weekend ;)

Reply

Congrats Janae! You look SO happy in all of your pics. I’m glad it was such a great weekend for you and Andrew. You both deserved a fun and happy getaway together! ❤️

Reply

Amazing! I absolutely loved this post! I love all things Boston Marathon related. Great job!
Thanks to you I have a great love of OOFOS! I need a pair for home and for work I think! I don’t wear them outdoors. I have major plantar problems if I’m not vigilant about taking care of my feet!

Reply

So wonderful!! I’m dealing with being sick only 2 days from family vacation Boo!

What an amazing experience I watched from afar on TV and so inspired to run the 5k one day and volunteer! (I am not fast enough to qualify)

I love your positive posts! I’ve been so stressed with life in general I need to gain my mental toughness for life just like I do I’m running!

Reply

Congratulations Janae on your dream Boston! Always cheering for you and it makes me so happy that you have such a supportive parrner in Andrew! Have a great day!

Reply

Congrats on an awesome race! It seems like that atmosphere is amazing!!!

Yesterday I took my personal day for the year to do some yucky adult stuff and then I got 7 miles in. There is a beautiful 5 mile loop close to where I teach that I don’t get to do often so I did that and then did 2 miles with my track kiddos. It was a beautiful spring day and it was perfect to get in some miles.

Reply

Congratulations! As always, your race recap made me emotional. I have some runner friends at work and sometimes I say stuff like, “My friend ran a sub 3 at St. George” and I forget we’re not real-life friends. Ha! Thanks for sharing so much and inspiring me to continue running (I thought I was done for good after some injuries, but I’m bouncing back and it’s amazing). So happy for you!

Reply

Don’t ever stop talking like that… WE ARE FRIENDS and hopefully we meet someday!!!

Reply

I actually ran into you at Costco once a couple of years ago, so I guess we are real-life friends!

Reply

SEE!!!!!!!!

Reply

Congrats! It was fun to follow on IG stories and see how HAPPY you looked the whole time. Question: did this sponsorship come up at the last minute or were you just keeping it off the blog until after your Ultra was over? Just curious how these things work.

Reply

Hey Jenn!! Thank you, it was a blast. I announced it online the first day it was all approved and everything was signed but I knew about it before my ultra was over! Have a great day!

Reply

Congrats again!! So awesome to be able to run that race. You are such a motivation for me. Thanks for sharing a little bit about your fueling as well, I am running my first full next Sunday and I was trying to get a game plan for when tot ake thing gels and nanohydr8. You have also inspired me to not be so har don myself during the race, I have no idea what to expect but to go with an open mind and enjoy it is what I plan on doing. Enjoy that post race celebation!!!

Reply

Congrats on a great race. Your positivity throughout is amazing. I actually ran a smaller marathon the Sunday before Boston. It was my first marathon and I ended up with a BQ! I crossed 2 items off my bucket list that day and it was birthday, too. I could not have asked for more. I am so excited to be there, next year, and experience the crowds and all this marathon has to offer. ? for you, which shorts did you run in??

Reply

JACKIE, that is HUGE congratulations! I’m thrilled for you… on your bday too?! You are going to love Boston! I wore the rival 3 inch from Nike! I love them! Have a great day and keep recovering well!

Reply

You are amazing! Congratulations! I love following your races, and you really inspire me to be grateful for a body that can run and to enjoy the experience. I couldn’t run yesterday, but I did 17mi. today — copying your idea (but in a less hard-core way) by preparing to run 30K on my 30th birthday in a couple weeks!

Reply

Way to go on 17 today and I’m so excited for you to celebrate your birthday this way… it’s the BEST! Have a wonderful day!

Reply

Congratulations! I absolutely love your positive spirit! And you and Andrew are so darn cute together!!!

Reply

You’re awesome, Janae!!!! Way to go girl!!! I’m so excited for you that you had such a great Boston experience!! You deserved it, no doubt about it! Hopefully, you get all the TLC and rest!

Have a great Tuesday!!

Reply

When I grow up I want to be Janae for a day. I’ll never do Boston and I’ll never have a husband that says “Let’s sign up for NYCM lottery together next year.” But, I did have the best PR for my 40th bday…all I wanted was a sub 2-hr half marathon and the race was on my bday. I came through in 1:59. Best 40th bday present for this slow(ish) runner.

Reply

This is amazing! Best birthday ever! Huge huge huge congrats!!!!

Reply

I love absolutely everything about this post–you rocked Boston!! So beyond happy and grateful that I was able to meet you on Sunday, you are 100% my running inspiration. :) I have completed 2 marathons (I was training for my third this fall, made it through most of my long runs, and then had to DNS due to an injury), 10 half marathons, and countless shorter distances.

Yes to the NYC marathon…then you guys can visit Yankee stadium (I may live in NH now, but I was born in NY and spent 23 years of my life there, so I will forever by a Yankees fan :)). Here’s to lots of rest, recovery, and relaxation for you this week, you deserve it!!!

Reply

I’ve read this post several times. I’ve never wanted to run a marathon but I can’t get this idea out of my head that I want to run Boston! Can you recommend somewhere to start for marathon training….books? I run and compete 5k/10k/ragnar/halfs a few a year. Thanks for any recs you can send!

Reply

Congrats!! I could hear the joy in your writing. It sounds like an amazing time! Isn’t it weird after you do an ultra, how 26 miles somehow doesn’t seem so daunting? Weird. My Happy PR was probably the Pittsburgh marathon just months after the Boston bombing. The energy of the crowds was beyond amazing. I also got to run with a rescue greyhound for about a mile (my fastest of the race). It was just all around fabulous. I’ve run 22 marathons , about 50 half marathons, 6 relays, and a 50k.

Reply

I made it to the end of the post and loved every word!!! Congratulations on every accomplishment, especially just loving the experience and your body and self thought the run.
I ran in the Shape More Half Marathon in NYC Central Park this Sunday the 14th! If you have never run it you should put it on your bucket list. It is ALL women and such an amazing powerful experience! And it is a run/walk race so it is available to every women no matter age or physical ability.
This was my 5th half Marathon. And my 3rd after having knee surgery and being told I would never run again. HA! I showed them! I may not be the fastest but I can still put one foot in front of the other and that’s what counts the most!

I train ALL summer in the heat and humidity. I love in NY about 2 hours up from the city (I’m in the country) I have just learned to get out right before the sun comes out and usually I am pretty good!

Congrats again on your race! Happy recovery! ~ Karen

Reply

Congrats again, Janae! Boston is such a unique and incrediblly amazing experience! It’s the crowd support….heck…the ENTIRE CITY is full of support! Hands down the best weekend.

I consider myself so blessed to have qualified 6x and run it 5x. I never thought I wanted to until I actually did qualify (without trying to!) and after my first in 201, I totally understood the significance.
I’ve run 13 marathons: 7 in San Francisco (Nike women’s and San Francisco), 5 Boston…and one in NJ, but as a relay, so I only (only) ran 8 miles of that one. And a bunch of other local 5ks, 4 milers, 5 milers, and 10ks. I ran two half’s in San Francisco and the Lululemon SeaWheeze in Vancouver…and have a half in San Francisco slated for this July.

So excited for you guys in NYCM!
Enjoy the rest and your kiddos and Baretta!

Reply

Have you ever tried body glide or foot glide to help with chafing issues? No residue and scent free. I love it… saved me from foot blisters.

Reply

I totally took a picture of that same lake as I ran past it! Boston was a bit crowded for me while running. I had a few people step on the backs of my feet. I feel like I got the hang of it and just enjoyed it. I had otter pops, gave high fives, and took pictures and a video while running. I also managed to shoot Gatorade out of my nose at the last aid station (not intentional). Haha! I got to stay and tour the city with my sister after the race. In all it was a phenomenal experience. I’m so happy you had a great experience too!

Reply

How can you look so cute after running a marathon?? Great result, your running is an inspiration!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *