Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Boston Marathon 2012 Deferment, Breakfast with Joan Benoit Samuelson and lunch with Desiree Davila


So, I flew to Boston on Saturday, with this little e-mail zinger From the Boston Athletic Association waiting for me when I arrived:

"Those who have only trained in a cooler climate and who may not be acclimated (for at least the last 10 days) to warm weather running conditions should also consider not running.... 
This will not be a day to run a personal best.  If you choose to run, run safely above all else. Speed can kill."

Needless to say, I had not trained in weather anything like the conditions which were forecasted for the Boston Marathon Monday 4/16/2012.  The thought of slogging 26.2 miles in 85+ temps did not sound very appealing and certainly the possibility of death was also not appealing.  So, I strongly considered taking the deferment to the 2013 race that the BAA was offering.  On Sunday, the day before the race, I woke up and I ate in the hotel breakfast room. Olympic gold medalist, Joan Benoit Samuelson and her daughter sat at the table next to mine.  However, I just gawked at her and did not venture to say anything.  It's always a dilemma when I see a celebrity whether to respect their sphere of privacy or be intrusive.  Anyway, after chickening out and saying nothing to her,  I headed over to the Marathon Expo at around lunchtime.  I picked up my bib and tech shirt.  I then walked over to the Runners World booth, and got to see future Olympian Desiree Davila who was on some sort of panel discussion.
Desiree Davila at the 2012 Boston Marathon Expo
After listening to Desiree talk for a few minutes, I went to the Boston Athletic Association's booth.  There I talked to a BAA official about what the deferment process was.  He explained to me that I simply needed to pick up my bib and then not cross the start line.  They would e-mail me in a few weeks with the details of registering for 2013 with a guaranteed spot reserved for me.  With a forecast for Monday now near 90 degrees, my mind was made up, I would return to Boston in 2013, for another attempt at the race when temps would,  in all likelihood, be more reasonable.  So, I slept in on Monday, then turned on the television and watched the female and male leaders finish the race on the local broadcast.  After they had finished, I wandered down to the finish line to watch the real runners cross.





If you have never been in Boston for the Marathon weekend, it is incredible.  The whole city is full of what seems is only marathoners.  The bright orange Boston Marathon jackets were seen on at least 50% of the people wandering the streets and almost everyone was talking about the race and the weather.  The pilot of my American Airlines flight back to Chicago also made an announcement congratulating the finishers, because I would say 80% of the passengers were wearing marathon garb.  I hope to be one of those finishers in 2013.



8 comments:

  1. Aww! Bummer that you deferred! I hope next year is not as hot. I wonder if they will continue to let people defer because of the heat. That decision really surprised me. Are you bummed not to run after all of your training?

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    1. Yes, I was quite bummed. However, I don't race in high temps very well. I thought about deferring long and hard and realized I would be running the race just to say I did it, and I would likely not have any fun and it would essentially turn into a 26.2 mile death march. I have realized that with running, the stars don't align every time and sometimes it is best to sit out in order to live to fight another day. I hope I can hang on to some of my fitness until October when I will attempt a much cooler (hopefully) Chicago Marathon.

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  2. It sounds like you did the smart thing. It also looked like everyone that finished had a difficult story to tell. Are you considering doing another local marathon that isn't yet filled up because of all your hard training? I know the Illinois Marathon is 4/28 and I'm not sure if it is filled up yet. Just a thought! :)

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    1. Kelly,
      Running another marathon is a good idea. I guess I had not had time to think about that possibility. However, I have already registered and paid for the Indy Mini (Half) Marathon on 5/5, so I don't think I could run the Illinois Marathon on 4/28 and compete in the Mini a week later. Thanks for the idea though. Maybe I can find a race that will work!

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    2. I just thought I would throw it out there. I know there is always the Rockford Marathon too (5/20), but I see you have lots of other races this summer. Best of luck in finding something that works with your schedule! :)

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  3. As somebody who also doesn't run well in heat, and who didn't defer (and who started but didn't finish at Boston), I congratulate you on your good judgement!

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    1. Thanks for the support on my decision. Congrats on your attempt at Boston. I'm sure there will be more (hopefully cooler) marathons for you to finish!

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