Boston’s Run to Remember 5 Mile Recap
**I appologize for the lack of photos in this recap – I am just really bad at taking them when I am getting ready for a race**
Sunday’s Run to Remember was such a great race that I already can’t wait to do it again! It was well-run, very organized, the volunteers were so supportive and cheerful, the course was beautiful AND it supported a great cause – to “honor Massachusetts Law Enforcement Officers killed in the line of duty by celebrating their lives and giving back to the community”.
Henri and I drove into the city on Saturday night to pick up my bib and spent a little bit of time looking at the booths at the expo but it was pretty small so we only stayed for about half an hour.
When we arrived on race morning parking was very easy, there were hardly any lines for the porta-potties and there was music blasting in starting area to get everyone pumped up – I loved that. After a little warm-up run, some drills and strides, and a good luck kiss from Henri I made my way to the starting line.
They started the 5 miler and the half-marathon at the same time but all the runners were mixed in together but that was no problem at all. There were also clearly marked pace areas for all the runners to line up in which I really appreciated because it made the start less congested up front.
After a few speeches and a beautifully sung National Anthem by a Boston policeman the race went off! Now, even though this race had a happy ending it was a perfect study in positive split racing which is always no bueno! I shot off the starting line a little too enthusiastically and the first mile was a blur. All I remember is looking at my watch and seeing 5:37 at the first mile marker – just 13 seconds faster than goal pace (as my coach said, I went out a little aggressive).
At that point I was already ahead of the field of women by quite a bit but there were still some men in my sights. I set my eyes on their backs and just focused on keeping up with them as best as I could. I went through the second mile in 5:40 and started to feel the pace that I had set start to affect my legs.
Right after the second mile marker we reached the Boston Commons – one of my favorite areas of the city – and also where the half and 5 mile courses split. Unfortunately the guys I had been chasing continued on the half-marathon route so from 2 and a half miles on I found myself in no-man’s land. There weren’t many spectators/cheerers along the whole course, but around this time it also got even more sparse. I could tell I was starting to lose a little focus and when I hit mile 3 my watch blinked 5:58 at me – my pace was really starting to slip.
Miles 4 and 5 were much of the same – it was really fun to run through the city but it was pretty lonely out there. These miles were also hillier than the first 3 and my legs were just so tired! I tried my best to keep up the pace I had started at but there was just no way – my last two miles were in 6:15 and 6:18.
As I was coming down the last straight-away I saw that I was really close to breaking 30 mins! I also realized that they were holding tape over the finish line! I have won races before but never one with this many people running, and I’ve NEVER gotten to break finish line tape before. So I dug deep for that sub-30 and dug deep for that finish line tape! 5 miles in 29:56.
Henri may have missed the finish line photo ( 😉 ) but he did snap this of the last straight away.
First female and 7th finisher overall while repping all my faves – ProCompression, Newton and Oiselle!
I was told that the awards ceremony wasn’t going to be held until after the half marathon finished so Henri and I decided to skip out early – breakfast sounded much more appealing than waiting upwards of 2 hours in the cold!
If you know us, you know no race morning is complete without trying out a new breakfast place so we hit up The Friendly Toast on the way home! It is a super cute, 50’s style diner with very eclectic decor, homemade bread and a lot of really cool tea options (unfortunately I didn’t try any).
I am a sweet breakfast person so I went with the Coconut Cakes which were loaded with cashews, coconut and chocolate chips and topped with some sort of coconut cream. They were so good – and GIANT!
Henri (the savory breakfast king) got the Breakfast Burrito with eggs, beans, salsa and cheese – he ate it way too fast for me to sneak a bite but he did share a few of those homefries and they were delish!
Great race, great food all before 10AM – that’s my kind of Sunday!
Hope you have an amazing Memorial Day. You can find me by the pool relaxing and soaking in the sun, who knows, maybe some aqua jogging will even be involved!
By The Numbers
29:56 * 7th Overall * 1st Female * 1st in Age Group
Are you a sweet or savory breakfast person?
Do you have any fun Memorial Day plans?