My Failure at The Boston Marathon

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People who spout off the idiom about “there is no failure, only feedback” are plain wrong!

Failure is painful and it hurts and nothing can remove that pain except for time. You get worse by not acknowledging the gift of failure and trying to dismiss it like the plague.

However, It’s not an either/or, it’s both! There is failure AND feedback! 

Most of the time, failure can be attributed to a mess-up in planning and preparation. Because if you fully prepared, then you can accept the outcome much easier than if the preparation was incorrect or most likely incomplete…

My Boston Marathon Failure- (2022)

My goal was a respectable sub 4-hour marathon which was achievable for me since my best was a 3:21, I’m an athlete, and I know what it takes. However, my preparation in 2022 lacked because I did not include speed work!  

You have to be willing to do the things you don’t want to do!

I had researched the course and knew my strategy. I would “cruise” at 8:45 per/mile pace until I could kick it in after heartbreak hill. Being in the moment of a race or competition always produces better performances for me as well- rising to the occasion.  

I ran the first half of the Boston Marathon in very comfortable fashion of 1:55. It had started to warm-up temperature wise, but I was in a great position, felt awesome, and it was an incredible crowd the entire way!

Then, I encountered the first hill at mile 16. I knew it wasn’t “heartbreak hill” because it wasn’t supposed to be until mile 20 and I was only at mile 16! Nonetheless, I was feeling good enough that I powered up the hill and came down on the other side still feeling fine.

Then, there was ANOTHER hill. And ANOTHER hill. Wait, what? My research had failed me, I was not ready for it. I still powered up these hills, but I was burning massive energy and my legs were now not obeying.

Then, it was “heartbreak hill” which is the last hill at mile 20 and of course, I powered up it as best I could and got to the top and was done! I ducked into a port-o-john at the top of the hill and was seriously in trouble.

In hindsight, I could have powered walked these earlier hills and would have been better off, but I still had 5 miles to run and my legs were now commanding me.

My pace fell completely off and my 8:45 per mile were now at a very pedestrian 10:05 min mile. I tried my best and kept moving, but I had nothing left to muster any comeback. In fact, Boston College was at the bottom of mile 21 and those students were rocking and pumped! I was so bad off that I had to walk past them, ugh!

I saw my goal time slipping by and not being able to do anything about it. I “managed” to finish as best I could down “Boylston street”, but I limped in at 4:05.

In the moment, I focused on the gratitude and experience of the race. But afterwards and in reflection, it was a failure AND feedback! It was both!

My preparation did NOT include hill work and it did NOT include speed work. My planning was not keen to the series of four hills at mile 16 and my race strategy bonked hard after powering up them.

That was the failure and feedback! It was painful but, it will also help for future races, competitions, and challenges!