In this video I talk about my 2024 Boston Marathon experience, which was vastly different from last year's. I also talk about the highlights of being in the beautiful city of Boston on race weekend.
I’m new to your channel… I was just looking for any & every thing Boston 2024, because I ran too & was trying to relive it! I’m sorry your Boston was not what you wanted it to be…. But yea for, you finished! This was my first Boston & thankfully I had the most wonderful marathon experience of my life! I train in HOT & super humid weather ( I live in southeast Texas) so the temps & sun in Boston was not an issue for me 🙏 I actually negative split my half’s! I’m 66 years young… my time was 3:50:57. First half was 1:57 & second half was 1:54. My last 10k was my fastest miles! So I’m still on cloud nine! I will be back next year! #Boston2024 💙💛🦄🏃♀️🏃♀️ I saw so many runners struggling & I prayed for them as I was running…. So many with leg cramps, nausea etc… Boston Marathon was just amazing! I love Boston! So happy I found your channel! Good luck on your next race! 💙💛
I’m so happy you had a great race! Congrats on your amazing race. Boston is still my favorite race, hands-down. I love the course. I had an amazing experience race wise last year, so everything else is a bonus. It truly does change you. It’s magical.
Hello SeeLeftyRun, I've watched several of your videos and always so helpful, thank you. I ran Boston this year, 2024, and coming from the summer heat and humidity of Australia, I was loving the temps (I trained during the summer in 80-90 F in 90% humidity, rainforest). However, I had "the runs" 12 hours bf the race from a health-shake I bought. I was depleted of nutrients/electrolytes for the race and really felt the dehydration. By 21km I began cramping up badly (did not bring salt tablets) so it was one-foot-in-front-of-the-other mentality that got me through. 25 min behind my goal race of 0345. My friend, however, in her 63rd year of life, ran a 0330 (from Canada). I'm telling you, once we hit our 60s we're going to run better! ;-) Take care and best wishes for your next race.
Oh, no! I’m so sorry. How awful. Congrats on the finish & I agree, we’ll rock it in our 60s. Look at Jeannie Rice! 76 & ran a 3:33 in London. Thanks for watching!
I ran it as well. I felt I was in good shape, but I had to back way off in the 2nd half of the race. It was the heat for me - I also don't do well in the heat. But the sun was the killer. Weather is the most frustrating aspect of the marathon experience. Congrats on finishing in tough conditions.
I hear you about the heat! I ran a 4:07 myself, but I've run it 13 times, so you'd think I knew the variations. Geez. I've been trying to get my last three stars, but not successful in getting in yet to those international runs, especially Berlin. Hope it goes well for you. I'm supposed to run Mtns to Beach this weekend, but not likely. Come up to Sacramento and give CIM a shot. Great course for a PR....
Thank you so much for watching. I just squeaked into Berlin w a qualifier…Revel Big Bear, which is a quick drive for me so I’m lucky. I know a lot of people have success at CIM! 4:07 is amazing given the conditions. So many people had a tough day. I know that Tokyo & London will be hard to get into. I’ve been working on it since 2006. I’m not in a huge hurry, but would like to get them done while I can. I’ve ran Mountains to Beach. It’s a lovely course, but even my easy runs right now are feeling hard so I couldn’t imagine running it this weekend. Good luck if you do run it. If not, look into Revel Big Bear for your Berlin qualifier. It’s in November so weather is typically cold.
It’s hard to train through a Hansen cycle and not have your race a go as planned. Proud of you for toughing it out and still finishing. Thanks for the encouraging words “if you’re trying to get into Boston keep trying you’ll get there”
You’re so right. Hanson’s is very intense so it’s frustrating to have something like weather impact the outcome, but it’s part of Boston’s grit & you have to be gritty even when temps are great. Funny how the days before & after the race the weather has been great…again, that’s just Boston. Yes, 100% keep trying. If I can qualify 2 times, you can, too. I truly believe that. Boston really is the world’s best marathon & it will change you.
This was my 8th in-person Boston, it was a mediocre weather year. I hit what I expected to hit (no taper, ran 65 mi the week before), but it was far more uncomfortable than what I expected. I did a similar thing last year, ran Boston then London 6 days later, 3:22, 3:27. Boston this year 3:31. Was almost as bad as 2017 as far as heat. I am in San Diego, we really have had a mild winter. Not a lot of opportunity to heat train event if you run at lunch or afternoon! Berlin is fantastic! I ran it in 2022. It is a fast course and usually good weather. My partner and I will likely do Big Bear. I've never done a Revel so will be interesting!
Congrats on your outstanding race. Being from Long Beach, I’m so surprised the weather affected me the way that it did. However, all of my not so stellar marathon performances have been weather related. Outside of Boston, Big Bear is my favorite race. I’ve done it 2x & my best was a 3:27. I’m registered as well, but I’m going to see how I feel after Berlin.
I’ve watched a couple of your videos, and I remember you doing some marathon pace sessions that you said did not feel super good. Maybe this plan was a bit too aggressive, only one way to find out. I am running my first marathon in May this year, and Based on previous years it’s going to be super hot. Some thing I have found to be really helpful for me in some of the marathon pace sessions and long runs I’ve done, is to super over hydrate the morning of. Not sure how concerned you are with pre-race hydration. Maybe something to look into.
Thank you! Really appreciate that. Yes, this block never fell into place for me like my others have. I feel like I hydrate well, but I could always do more. Perhaps it was a bit too aggressive. I’m going to try a less aggressive Hanson’s plan for Berlin & see how that goes.
Hey hows it going seeleftyrun? my name is Trey and i have been running and distance running since 2017. As a former powerlifter when i first started in 2017 i was way SLOWER my first marathon was in 2017 myrtle beach i did in 4 hours and 36 min.......then i did charlotte in november 2017 and got my time down to 4 14 on a COLD charlotte morning. Im way better in the cold by the way...then in March 2019 i ran my fastest marathon in 4 hours 1 min just missing sub 4....in 70 degree weather that year.....i thought i was on my way to big gains after that but in march 2022 myrtle beach when i ran marathon i struggled and barely ran a 4 16 marathon no where near sub 4........and now just yesterday myrtle beach marathon in the high humidity i struggled once again and barely got under 4 20..........i feel like i have went BACKWARDS. I was wondering if u you had any advice on what i would need do in more of my long runs and training....i mostly train my long runs at lower heart rate slower pace 9 min paces.....do u think i need to start doing more tempo long runs? like try getting more 8 min paces in my long runs mostly? i started out conservative yesterday 9 min paces and fell apart after mile 19, prabably was humdity. Anyway it has been very very frustrating as runner who gets up 6 and 7 am EVERY weekend to run 18-20 milers and put in all mileage i do and never see results....do u think i just need to start focusing on getting faster at shorter distances like the half marathon? my best half marathon is around 1 44, but all out effort. I also do strength training 5x5 bench pressing and squats every week. Any advice on how i could blast past this marathon plateau in future? Thanks Trey
Wow! It sounds like you’re making great progress, but I can totally understand the frustration. My worst races have all been weather related. I’ve never trained harder than what I did for Boston & the weather still took me out. I did have a chest cold for 3 weeks so I’m wondering if the residual effects of that were also still lingering b/c I just couldn’t catch my breath & that was weird. Nonetheless, the outcome still stings. I started seeing real success with “Luke Humphrey Running”. I used to train Willy-nilly, but his plans gave me structure. He wrote the “Hanson’s Marathon Method” books. He offers two plans in those books, but has a much wider variety on an app called Final Surge. I really like getting the plans from there (they are about $50). You put your time goal into the algorithm & it produces workouts to help you achieve your goal that you can push directly to your Garmin watch. In order to run marathon pace, I believe you have to practice it in your long-run. Let’s say you’re running a 16-mile long run, 10 of those miles can be at marathon pace. Of course you’d work up to it during the course of the plan. The three most important workouts in a week should be a speed run (short intervals where you’re pushing it), tempo (marathon paced work) & a long run. You can add the tempo work into your long run or do it separate. The other 2-3 days of running should be painfully easy, conversational so you’re recovering while still working on your aerobic system. That’s what worked for me. I have other series where I detail week-by-week what my training is & then I run the race to see if it worked. I have them for Mt. Charleston 2022, Big Bear 2023, Boston 2023 & of course Boston 2024. I will do another series for Berlin 2024. Best of luck! It sounds like you’re doing all of the right things, but need to add some speed & marathon paced work…be more strategic w how you do it & don’t run 2 hard days back-to-back. There is also a “Luke Humphrey Running” Facebook group. Check that out & you can get a better idea of what people are doing.
Thank you for the tips lefty ! Yea weather can be really frustrating! Especially on east coast and south east where it’s super humid . U train months in cold winter weather getting faster then race week comes and their heat spell, always! Seems to be case at myrtle beach! Last summer I had my best half marathon training and was on pace to hit a new pr in the half in October of 2023. I ran 13 miles in training 1 hour and 46 min pretty easy effort in training so was on pace to hit pr. Then one week later October race day….. it was 72 degrees 95 percent humidity . And what would normally have felt easier I started out to fast in half and blew up and ended up running 1 49…. I was faster in training a week before when it was 50 degrees. So u think I need do most of my long runs 16-18 milers at or near marathon pace? I need work on negative split more also it feels better. U think having keep specific long runs and tempo runs 3-4 times week is more important than just trying run everyday easy? I notice I start get shin splits if I try run more than 4 times week.
I used to run only 3-4 days a week. I like you was concerned I’d get injured if I ran more. When I found Luke Humphrey Running & read the Hanson’s Marathon books, I learned that I have to run 5-6 days a week. Only 2-3 runs are hard. The rest are really easy & I don’t even worry about pace. Some days my easy runs would be 9:30, other days 9:45-9:50, whatever felt good. Typical week would be Sunday 6e, Monday 6e, Tuesday 8-12 miles w some track work or mile repeats, Wed rest, Tuesday 6e, Friday 6-8e, Saturday up to 16 miles. 3 mile warm up, 10 miles at marathon pace, 3 mile cool down. Because a majority or the runs are easy, your less likely to get injured. Why not just take a rest day then? Because even if you are running easy, you are still building your aerobic engine & that’s what you need for endurance. Your body is a car, when you run everything at one pace, you are only working on one part of the car. By mixing up your runs, you’re working on your whole engine. Some days you’ll work on your aerobic, other days your anaerobic, both are important when training to run a PR. Hope that helps. I highly recommend “Hanson’s Marathon Method.” The author explains it very well.
