Each time I’ve run the Boston Marathon it’s been an amazing experience, so when I qualified again at last year’s race, I knew I was going to return for a sixth time (my fifth consecutive) in 2026. It’s really inspiring to hear about the runners who are a part of the Quarter Century Club and have run the race 25+ consecutive times. Then there’s Michigander Mark Bauman who completed his 57th consecutive Boston this year! If I can keep qualifying and am physically capable, I may continue to run the race year after year. This year was the 130th running of the race so there’s a historical aspect of it that makes this race special. The whole weekend is a runner’s paradise filled with tons of fun things to do, so it’s no wonder I love being a part of it.

I’ve always worked especially hard to train for this race but bumped up the intensity a notch this time around. I’ve been inspired by my friend Lisa who keeps getting PRs across all of the distances she’s run. She typically runs just about every day while I usually take at least one day off of running per week. For this training segment I decided to try running every day if my body felt up for it and if my schedule allowed. I had a number of weeks where I still ended up with a day or two off, but I also ran every day for over a month at one point. Eventually I neglected my swimming in favor of keeping up with sleep and basically went all-in on my running to see how it paid off. 

I’m finding the more I run, the better I run! I racked up more mileage than ever coming into the race – 871 miles since the start of this year versus 700 miles in the same period last year. I was also better about doing speed work, another thing that has helped Lisa see results. I’m happy to say that all of the hard work paid off. More about that later though, because the weekend was filled with plenty of activities that kept me very occupied leading up to the big race.

The fun started on Friday morning when I met up with my friends Jason and Mary for the flight out of Detroit. We happened to end up on the same plane last year so this year we made a point of coordinating and booked seats together.

We parted ways in Boston and I headed off to my hotel which was just east of Boston Common. I had stayed a few blocks south of there in the theater district for years but I could never sleep because of street noise in that area. Cars would obnoxiously rev throughout the night every Friday and Saturday and I couldn’t take it anymore. I hoped a new location would help. I was thankful that I was able to check in early and get settled before heading out to various brand “pop-up shops” along Newbury Street then off to the expo.

I made a couple of brief stops to browse merchandise but I’m especially partial to Brooks so that’s what I looked forward to the most. The Brooks Hyperion House was a mile and a half from my hotel so I knew I’d get plenty of steps in during my first day. That’s the idea though – do the heavy-duty walking and exploring early in the trip and rest my legs closer to race day. 

Brooks had a much larger space this year which allowed them to offer a bunch of fun things. They had a booth with freebies outside and inside they gave away stickers and Nerds Clusters. Inside they had some demo shoes for both the Hyperion Elite 5 and the upcoming 6, which will be available in August. I tried a pair on a treadmill for a minute and I had fun running in them.

I ventured off to Marathon Sports next which is where I like to buy the official race gear like the marathon jacket and hats. The back of the store was nice and spacious and I walked right up to the register with no wait. It’s so much more ideal than the craziness of the Adidas area at the expo.  

I’ve learned to avoid going to the expo right when it opens because it’s so busy. By 1:30 it was a total breeze. I got my bib and shirt, made a photo stop, and went to see who was speaking on the stage.

Even though he was injured and wouldn’t be running the marathon, Conner Mantz still spoke and it was fun to listen to him for a few minutes. After collecting a free hat at the Marathon Tours booth, there wasn’t much left to do at the expo so I left to get some food then went back to the hotel.

It’s tradition for me to see a game at Fenway each time I run the marathon and this year I finally got to see my hometown Tigers play the Red Sox! That helped me feel more invested in the game. I took the T and met my friend Kristine at the park and enjoyed a nice night at the park, aside from the part where the Tigers lost in the bottom of the 10th.

I kept plenty busy on my first day in Boston and Saturday was even busier. Just like last year, my friend Laurel did the 5K so I went out to spectate. With 10,000 people, it took about half an hour for her to start so I ran a few miles along the Charles River first.

I used the tracker to figure out where she was and kept popping up at various points along the course to take photos and cheer for her. We got food at the Map Room inside the Boston Public Library afterward and enjoyed catching up. 

After showering back at the hotel, I walked over to Faneuil Hall to meet up with Kristine again. We browsed a couple stores then went to look for food. As I was debating what kind of smoothie to get, she tapped me on the shoulder and told me to turn around. I can only imagine how much my face lit up when I turned to see Seth Meyers right in front of me! I’m a HUGE fan and I was thrilled to talk to him for a couple minutes. He was there with one of his sons and no one else was paying any attention to him. He was extremely kind and it was extra cool that Kristine and I caught him together because we went to New York City to see him do a standup show this past fall. I think I smiled for an hour straight after that and kept thanking Kristine for being observant and catching him. My trip was already totally made with that moment alone!

Next up was a live “Nobody Asked Us” podcast event at the Berklee Performance Center with running legends Des Linden and Kara Goucher. It’s a good thing I’m getting more comfortable with taking the T or I’d really rack up way too many miles going back and forth across town. I got there nice and early because it was general admission seating and I wanted a good seat. While a bunch of us were waiting for doors to open, we started chatting and I met a woman named Kristian from Columbus. She had such great energy and was a blast to hang with. The podcast was a lot of fun and filled with laughs.

By Sunday it was time to back off and make sure I didn’t squeeze too much into the day. I really debated whether I should do an organized shakeout run. I kind of wanted to sleep more instead. Although the location of my hotel was better noise-wise this time, it still wasn’t perfect. Too often there’s some issue at hotels that keeps me from sleeping. This time I suspect the subway was the cause. There was a droning/rumble/vibration that was disruptive. Trying earplugs and a “sleep channel” on my phone didn’t help very much. 

Even though I didn’t want to get up, I knew we were due for rain and I better get out early for a run either way. I figured the group run would be fun and I should just go do it. Of course I was glad I did. I took the T to the Brooks Hyperion House where we got even more of Des and Kara since they lead the shakeout run. As expected, they drew a large crowd.

I was able to say hi to Kara and grab a photo then we went outside for a group photo before starting the run. We ran over to the north side of the Charles River then came back on the south side for a total of 3.5 miles. 

Sunday is the big day for every brand, podcast, etc. to do shakeout runs so it gets pretty crowded out there. It can feel overwhelming to get packed in with so many people but it was a fun adventure.

As we got back to the Brooks house I was able to run next to Des long enough to chat for a minute which was cool. There was food inside and I finally caved and bought a shirt. We were also given free towels. Brooks did a great job with everything. 

I grabbed the T and went back to my hotel to shower before I went over to Boston Common for a gathering organized by MA Golden Meetups. A couple years ago I learned that owners bring their Golden Retrievers to the Common the day before the marathon and it was one of the cutest things ever. It was going to take place rain or shine and I was going either way!

I think they gathered all of the dogs and owners for a group photo which I missed, but I got out there for a good hour before the rain picked up too much. The iffy weather meant that many of the dogs were decked out in raincoats. 

One of the highlights was seeing Rich Powers with his dogs Jimmy and Jade. Rich’s dog Spencer was well-known along the marathon course for holding a Boston Strong flag in his mouth. He passed away, but Jade and Jimmy have continued the tradition. I watched Rich demonstrate some of the tricks the dogs can do and it was super cute. 

Visiting with so many great dogs and their owners got me smiling and was the perfect therapy the day before the race.

After grabbing lunch I took the T up to Fan Fest because Meb Keflezighi (2014 Boston champ, Olympian, etc.) was due to be there at 3:00. The rain had been heavy enough for Fan Fest to shut down for a while but it opened up a few minutes after I arrived and the meet-up with Meb still happened. He talked a little bit then met with fans. I was able to tell him that I’ve been to Boston six times and I’ve gone to see him every single time. I always have to get some of his good vibes! 

Even though I went out a few times, at least I helped limit my walking by taking the T several times. I hung out at the hotel until I went out to get food at Panera for dinner, then I spent the rest of the night organizing stuff for the race.

I made it to bed by 10:00 but got crappy sleep once again. I got up for good at 5:00 and questioned if my stomach would cooperate for the race because it felt a little bloated. I hoped that having 5-6 hours until go time meant it could be okay by then.

I ate a protein bar and spent a while applying sunscreen and Aquaphor all over. I left the hotel just after 6:00 because I had over a mile to walk to catch a bus that was chartered by a Michigan running store. I also needed to drop warm clothes at gear check along the way. It was in the 30s first thing and pretty chilly outside so I was geared up in track pants, a heavy fleece, and a raincoat I had brought from Salvation Army.

Some years I end up chatting with cool people on the bus but my seat mate didn’t seem interested in chatting so I kept busy on my phone for the hour drive to Hopkinton. We got there just before 8:00 so then I only had three more hours to kill! The waiting can be agonizing and is like a marathon before the marathon. I ate a couple more bars during that time and went out to our own special block of porta potties for the club buses. It’s a very nice feature versus getting dropped off at Athletes’ Village. Bathroom lines are short to non-existent for us. 

I ran into Jason and we were chatting when Tanner, another member of Infinite Multisport Triathlon Club, found us. Then I found that my friend Susy was on the same bus as me!

Sometimes I get too warm on the bus and it can give me a headache. This time the A/C was on! Since it was already cold outside that didn’t help. I may have preferred it to the heat though because when the driver fixed it, the heat was a bit much for me. At a certain point I went outside for fresh air and to stretch. By then the sun had started to warm things up a little bit. 

I couldn’t leave Athletes’ Village until 10:15 but I went over early so I wouldn’t get backed up in a crowd of people when it was my turn.

While there have been four wave starts when I’ve run the race before, it expanded to six waves this year to help decrease congestion. I’d been in wave three before which started at 10:50 and I was in wave five this time which started at 11:01. It seemed to be a good change from my perspective.

There’s a 0.7-mile walk to the corrals, and rather than being in a congested mess of people that whole time, corrals 1-4 split off down another street this time while 5-8 continued the old way. It went from crowded to nice and spacious. I could actually do a warm up jog if I wanted to! 

We still had a big batch of last-chance porta potties. Last year it was a total cluster with people trying to enter that area while people were also trying to exit and no one could move. I didn’t have any issues this year. Plus, the people who had to get to the front corrals didn’t have to battle their way through the masses from the back. I was in the first corral of my wave which was especially nice because I didn’t have to wait as long to cross the starting line and didn’t have as much congestion in front of me. I was really happy with the changes!

I’d been reluctant to shed my extra clothes and worried that I should have worn more than just a tank. The sun was out though and it was in the 40s by then. Once again it confirmed that as much as I worry about being cold, I will be fine and I should NOT overdress. We really had perfect conditions. When the sun was out it didn’t cook me, plus we had a tailwind. It’s hard to hope for anything much better than that.

I crossed the start line less than 30 seconds after the gun went off which sure was a nice part of being in corral one. Within the first mile I had already warmed up enough to put my gloves in my hydration belt and I quit worrying about being too cold.

The downhill start definitely gave me some good momentum. I probably would have started even faster if it hadn’t been so crowded. Still, I ran 8:03 for the first mile. I figured somewhere around an 8:00 pace was my general goal but knew it would be okay to drop to 7:50. I hit that for the second mile and even ran a couple of 7:40s after that. When I saw the 7:43 mile I thought I should back off a little bit. There’s so much advice out there about not going out too fast on the downhills at the start but I love to milk that momentum. Plus, I trained for them and I feel like my body is used to it. I talked about that with Jason afterward and he agreed. Neither of us felt like we paid for it later.

I went with what felt comfortable rather than truly trying to lock into a pace. I let it come naturally. The main goal is always to enjoy the Boston experience, but I really hoped I might improve my Boston best of 3:35, which I’ve run a couple times. I had worked really hard to prepare for this race, ran a half marathon PR a month earlier, and felt like I had potential for a great race.

Within that opening stretch I made sure to stick to the left side of the road in hopes of seeing Jimmy and Jade, the two Golden Retrievers. I’m glad I noticed them holding the flags in their mouths because I went by so quickly I wasn’t even sure it was them. I managed to grab a photo though!

Miles 4-16 are basically cruise mode, and I successfully ran around an 8:00 pace for most of it. I spent plenty of time appreciating the crowds and their fun signs. 

The “scream tunnel” at Wellesley College was energetic, made me smile, and gave me a big boost as always.

Shortly after that I hit the half marathon point in just under 1:45. If I also ran the second half in 1:45, I could possibly hit the 3:30 goal I always like to aim for. However, my stomach became an issue soon after that.

My stomach was the main thing that concerned me on race day. I did okay for close to two hours before I started to question if I was going to have to make a bathroom stop. I haven’t had to do that during a marathon before. Sometimes the iffy stomach feeling comes on one mile and fades by the next. It didn’t fade this time though and I became preoccupied with the thought of finding a porta potty. I worried that there weren’t enough and that spectators might be using them too. I was on constant lookout when I finally came across a bank of four of them with a couple other runners veering off for them too. They both found open ones and I only had to wait a few seconds before another opened up. It had a new roll of toilet paper that hadn’t been unwrapped yet and I struggled unsuccessfully as I tried to tear it open. Then I saw that there was an open roll stashed off to the side. Glamorous stuff we deal with as runners! Precious time was ticking away and I blew about a minute and a half. I felt better though and knew I couldn’t have kept going. My 9:33 split for the 15th mile reflects what happened, but I was very thankful that a downhill stretch came right after my stop. I was determined to use it to gain back some of the time I had wasted. It was practically all downhill to mile 16, so I logged a 7:33 mile. That would help balance things out! My watch showed that I still had an overall average somewhere around 8:03. Over 26 miles the stop wouldn’t hurt my pace too much.

By mile 16 it was time to start the Newton Hills. The next five miles would be the hard part to work through and survive, then I could go for it if I still had anything left. The climbs were slow, but downhill stretches followed which helped me recover from them. Crowd support was amazing with lots of cheering and reassurance that we could do it. I had done plenty of hill repeats during training and knew I wouldn’t run fast but I could handle them. It’s always such a relief to see the sign that announces that we’ve hit the top of Heartbreak Hill. 

I slowed down to 8:32 for mile 21, then dropped right back to 7:53 the next mile. The hardest part was done but I still didn’t want to totally let loose yet with five miles to go.

In the meantime, I went through stages of my stomach feeling a little crampy and hoped I wouldn’t have to stop again. Fortunately the iffy feelings faded and no more stops were required. 

I started eating a Clif Blok every other mile once I hit the sixth mile and I ate a salt tablet every mile in between. I was good about getting water at basically every water stop and stayed pretty well-hydrated between that and my fuel belt that had a Skratch electrolyte mixture. Eventually my mouth started to dry out and I didn’t want to deal with chews or salt anymore. Sometime during the second half I started to space them out a little more, and in the final miles I just stopped and figured I was going strong enough that I could hang on.

And I did! Throughout the race I jokingly thought about the mantras brought up during Des and Kara’s podcast on Saturday evening. Des said her self-talk got aggressive as she battled long days of racing through the desert a week earlier when she covered over 150 miles total. She told herself to be a “gritty bitch.” When she asked Kara about any mantras she had, Kara said hers were generally pretty cheesy. In contrast, when she raced with Shalane Flanagan in 2013, Shalane wrote “fuck shit up” on her shoes. Des wrapped the podcast by telling the crowd to go “fuck shit up” on Monday, and it was so funny that it stuck with me. I went to those funny thoughts at times during the race as I reassured myself that I was tough.

When I got down to the last couple miles I really started to pick it up. I definitely had to be gritty and was half wincing while also smiling as the crowd continued to roar. The spectators are one of the most amazing things about the race and whenever I really thought about their generosity it gave me chills and made me get a little emotional. 

I got to the point where I could see the Citgo sign in the distance, and soon enough I was right by it with a mile to go. I thought about how my mom has told me in the past that she watches me on the tracker and yells, “Go, Janet, go!” so I imagined her and my cousin Tracy doing that.

When I made the left onto Boylston for the final stretch, I really took in the crowd once again. 

Surprisingly, I actually heard my name from the crowd. My bib didn’t have my name on it so I was surprised and looked, and somehow I managed to spot my new friend Kristian (from Saturday’s podcast) yelling for me. I made sure she knew that I saw her and it made me smile even more. To have someone I just met cheering for me was extremely generous and really moved me. 

I breezed across the finish line knowing that I had definitely improved upon my Boston best of 3:35. I was thrilled when I learned that I ran 3:32:21. That meant I had shaved 30 seconds off the time I ran in Detroit this past October. Out of 17 total, this was now my second fastest marathon! It should also qualify me for Boston in 2027 by over 12 minutes.

I took a selfie with the finish line in the background and had someone tap my shoulder a second later. I turned and saw Meb Keflezighi! I was so thrilled to see him and he told me that because I showed up for him, he wanted to show up for me. He got a picture with me and I was thrilled. The fact that he spotted me and made that gesture blew me away. A minute later I couldn’t help but start crying. It’s already emotional enough to finish a marathon, but when I thought about Meb’s kindness it really set me off. Some people like to say that you should never meet your heroes and I often counter that by saying you just have to have the right ones…like Meb.

I got a heat sheet to stay warm, got another photo taken, collected food, then waited in a line for a photo in front of a backdrop. 

I made a quick call to my mom to update her and knew I’d try to catch up on all of the other messages I had received a little bit later. What a great feeling to have enough people invested in my race that I would need time to try to answer everyone. 

Fortunately I saw a message from Mary and Jason who were waiting nearby. I got my warm clothes from gear check then met up with them. Jason started the race an hour before me and ran a BLAZING 2:33 so he had a couple hours to shower and come back.

We thought we’d meet some other friends in the area for food but it was too crowded and difficult to get to the restaurant. Instead, we got on the T to try something in the North End. We reached a point where the T stopped and everyone had to get off even though we hadn’t made it to the North End. It was the stop by my hotel and my stomach was getting pretty dicey by that point so I told Mary and Jason that I better bail. 

The hotel cheered for each runner that entered the lobby and we were greeted with arches of blue and yellow balloons and some extra snacks. When I got back to my room I found a bag of treats waiting at my door. Notice bags on all of the doors!

I downed some Gatorade and ate protein bars as I caught up on messages and dealt with my stomach. I wanted to eat but didn’t feel up for going out until my stomach settled more by 7:30 or so.

I went around the corner from my hotel and got enough pizza to help make up for all of the calories I had burned. I watched local TV footage from the marathon most of the evening and packed to leave the next morning. 

I slept fairly decently for about six hours before heading out to the airport. My stomach was the one thing that hurt. My legs were fine initially, but I knew they’d tighten up after the flight and drive home. By the next day my hamstrings and quads were a little sore, but nothing too bad. My quads were decent enough that I could handle stairs without two-stepping them! I felt relatively normal by Thursday.

There’s just something extra special about this race. The marathon is regarded so highly in Boston that it’s unlike anything else. It feels like the runners are celebrities for that weekend with people congratulating runners everywhere. Everyone is pulling for people to succeed – both fellow runners and spectators. It’s pretty rare to encounter that in daily life and awesome to see everyone coming together for something and rooting for each other. 

My solid training combined with perfect weather lead to a great day. I crushed it, even with a bathroom stop. It was a really great feeling to have everything come together on that one day and have all of my hard work pay off. I didn’t have any chafing, blisters, sunburn, or any real issues aside from an upset stomach. A major win all around!

I am extremely grateful that I am physically able to do this. I don’t know how long that may be the case so I’m going to enjoy taking on these challenges and adventures while I can. It’s such a dream weekend every time that I will continue to be drawn back to Boston each year.

– Janet