2022 One Plus Month after Boston

Thoughts 1+ month after Boston 22:

• Due to changes in airplane flights, had to push flight from mid-afternoon to 1st thing in the morning.  This worked out well in the end.  Arrived in Boston by 8:30am.  Slept till noon and then went to lunch and the expo.  
• Meals were much "lighter" then the 1st time I ran in the fall.  This was a good idea.
• The expo was MUCH better.  Felt more like the Chicago expo vs. the horrible Oct Boston expo.  Jess tried alot of shoes.  We did end up buying a roller (R8).  I still like this device, especially for calfs.
• Surprised how much time we spent at the expo (over 3hours between getting bib and walking around).  Didn't buy anything except the roller.
• Had to stop by tracksmith to buy a singlet.  The color one I wanted was out of stock (a bummer).
• Now to rag on the Ritz.  As soon as I arrived, asked about breakfast on the day of the run.  Didn't get any clear answers.  By Sunday, I had given up and went to CVS to buy peanut butter and jelly.  Annoying, on the day of the race, they did have coffee and bars.  But, was putting it out at 7:00am, too late for runners.  Newberry was much better.
• Sunday was a rest day.  Main objectives were lunch at Chinatown, baseball game, then dinner in Little Italy.
• Lunch went ok except they forgot our last dish and we had to wait.  Jess was very annoyed since we notified them the 2nd dish was late and they should check.
• Baseball game was great.  It was a bit cold, but we dressed up to handle it.  Interesting person sat next to us that was paying for alot of things for people around him.  We left around inning 7, for which Boston then scored 6 runs.  Still had fun.
• Dinner was at an Prezzas in Little Italy.  As we were heading there, saw huge lines at Mikes and Modern pastry.  Decided to go after dinner.  Prezzas ended up being average.  I got gnocchi with bolognas.  It was too salty and the pasta was ok.  
• Back to pastries.  Gave up on Mikes and Modern, and went to Bovas.  Still had to wait.  In the end, the cannoli was ok.  Jess liked some cookies she bought.  We took lots of things back to Baltimore.
• Went to bed around 11:30pm.  Probably woke up every 1 - 1:30 hours.  Finally started prep at 5am.  No issues eating and getting ready.  Brought extra items (blanket and poncho) in case it is cold at the start line.  No issues getting on the bus.  Sat with a gentleman from a nordic country.  He was 20 minutes faster then me.  Good discussion.  Ate a waffle for fuel.
• Arrived with about 2 hours before the start.  Ground was not muddy, but the garbage bag helped.  Tents were available but the weather was sunny and warm, so stayed outside. About 40 minutes prior to moving to the start line, shifted to another location behind the building.  Took last break and dumped alot of un-need equipment (blanket, pants, poncho, etc...). 
• Headed to start line.  Lots of people putting on suntan lotion.  Saw Popcorn lady (more later on this).  Didn't make sense for me at the time, but I did get burned on my shoulders (noticed a day after the race).  One last bathroom stop.  No issues getting to corral.  Retied shoes 4+ times to get pressure right.  Dumped arm warms and gloves (weather was good).  
• Boy, the wave start this year is totally different than the rolling start last year.  Had no room to maneuver for the first 10+ miles.  Decided to go to the right as it enabled me to move around people easier.  Probably lost some time in the first few miles because couldn't go at full speed.  Felt really good up to around mile 10.  Then starting getting concerned if I went out too fast.  Spot on in terms of pacing.  Popcorn lady was around me at this time, so enjoyed following her.
• Passed Xuesong before mile 10.  Was a surprise since he was 2 corrals in front of me.  Normally, he is much faster. 
• Still feeling good going into Newton Hills.  Honestly, went through the hills without too much drama.  They weren't easy, but not trash at the end. Got through the hills in pretty good shape and ahead of pace.  I thought there was some chance at hitting a PR, but that faded pretty quickly.
• Felt pretty good on mile 22 - 23.  Then things got hard.  Hamstrings were noticeable, but not a problem.  Somewhat of a slog the last few miles.  Missed the last gel and probably should have taken it.  Last hill over the express way was tough.  
• Upon finishing, no issues/pain.  Didn't feel much worst than the fall.  It was very chilly as I was waiting for Jess.  No issues walking around after.  
• No problems for the rest of the day and then travel back home.  
• Reverse taper has been ok.  Slowly ramping up up in mileage.  Approach is slower since current target is not a marathon in the fall.

• Ramp-up to the race worked well.  There was alot of aches and pains leading up, but everything came together.  Hamstrings were a concern, but with PT's perspective of it being ok, got through it.
• Airplane flight was great.  Highly suggest taking care of bibs and such on Saturday.  
• Hotel around the commons is optimal.  Very little effort to get to the buses.
• Sunday is a rest day.  Take it easy.  Worked great.  Pasta for dinner continues to work.
• Bring own breakfast.  I don't trusts hotels to have what you need.  If they happen to support you, that is fortunate.
• Forgot my pods.  That was unfortunate as the metrics would have been very interesting.
• Path shorts/underwear were great!!  No issues.  Chicago singlet ended up being great because it was easier to see me.  The volt Next % had no issues.  Socks (ultra ininiji) worked fine.  One salt tab, but no issues with cramping.  
• Over planning for time at the start line is worth it.  I know that I had to dump some equipment, but it is better than shivering (like someone I saw).
• Fueling strategy was a success.  Every 3 miles, took fuel.  No issues with Spring and Huma.  Should have taken last gel to be sure.
• Took water every mile.  That was awesome, along with some on my head.  Love Boston for that.  Going to have to do this for all future marathons.  Didn't really need my carry water (maybe took once).  
• Went out pretty fast at the beginning taking advantage of the downhill.  Did that whenever I could.  First 21 miles went as planned.
• Last 5 miles were harder than expected.  Wanted to make up some time, but never got back down to the paces at the beginning.   

Overall, very happy with the race.  3:29:42 and probably a BQ time!  This was probably the most strategic race I have run because of the wait at the start, number of people in a wave start, rolling hills, and newton hills.  Not sure if I need to run this a 3rd time.