Boston Marathon rookies, we were all in your nervous, anxious running shoes.
You’ve worked so hard to accomplish this goal so few runners attain. Now, the whole experience is thrown at you with no perfect instructional guide…until now.
This post assists the newbies in the Boston Marathon weekend experience. We’ll discuss arrival, prep, managing emotions, and much more.
Don’t let the moment pass you by. You’ve earned this. Now, let’s enjoy the hell out of it.
Also, check out our other articles in the Boston Marathon Series
- How to Defeat the Boston Marathon Newton Hills | Learn from My Mistakes
- Top 10 Tips You Need To Know Before Running The Boston Marathon
Top Boston Marathon Rookies’ Mistakes
I’m far from perfect. However, I think I nailed the pre-race aspects of my first Boston Marathon experience.
The following are the areas I think Boston Marathon Rookies tend to overlook and by addressing them before arrival, they can really succeed at having a great weekend and a great race.
- Overcommitting. The Boston Marathon weekend experience is A LOT. At least for many of us who are used to running for hours on end by ourselves. Yes, experience as much as you can, but don’t let the festivities and efforts of doing EVERYTHING take away from the few things you do want to experience. We need to conserve that energy for a tough marathon course. My suggestion is to commit to 3-4 absolutes for you. Build break hours into your pre-race schedule. You might have a ton of online friends you want to meet, but we might not be able to see all of them since they are ALL in town. My pre-race ‘musts’ were to visit the finish line pre-race, go to a Red Sox game, and join my coach’s running group for their shakeout. On top of that was the normal expo visit, light runs, and shopping for my race necessities.
- Getting to Boston Late. I arrived in Boston Saturday morning. It ended up being the perfect time for me to arrive. Any later and I would have felt rushed. I would not suggest arriving by flight anything later than Saturday morning. Airlines are too unreliable and you want time to figure things out if your travel gets thrown in the air. It’s worth arriving a bit earlier to have that much more time to spread out all the festivities.
- Only Buying Gear at the Expo. Yes, I did buy a bunch of commemorative gear at the expo. However, it would have been a ton more had I not bought most of my race gear like shirts, jackets, etc. prior to getting to Boston. When I was at the expo on Saturday morning, they were already out of my size for a lot of clothing and the place was a madhouse. I was so thankful I loaded up by buying ahead. I was able to reduce my expo stress a ton knowing I had the gear I wanted to wear for years afterward already sitting at home.
- Waiting to Get Groceries. I know this sounds dumb. With all the emotions and crowds flying about, the last thing you want to do is work so hard to race, but not be fueled for it. I made sure to lock down the foods I needed (and then some) upon arrival. My fueling strategy played out fairly well for being in an unknown city. Waiting to get your fuel could lead to not getting the items you are used to consuming before such a physical event. Upon arrival, I’d make getting groceries for your hotel or AirBNB a top priority.
- Walking Too Much. Thankfully, I had well-cushioned shoes, but I even walked far too much Saturday. I should have been off my feet more. With the emotions high and wanting to do all the things, you could look down and see your watch say you just knocked out a half marathon in steps pre-race. Uh oh. Take the Uber. Book the hotel close to the festivities. Get back to the hotel earlier than you think. Get off your feet or you will show up at the starting line already exhausted.
- Not Stopping More. I’m so happy I went into my first Boston Marathon weekend experience with this mindset. Countless times, I just stopped in the middle of the street or walkway to look around and take it all in. Boston Marathon weekend is magical and I didn’t want it to fly past me. I saw many frantic people not taking a deep breath and just being in the moment. Your first Boston doesn’t happen again. Randomly stop and take it all in. Those mental Polaroids pay dividends for the rest of your life.
I’m Guilty Too
I made plenty of mistakes Boston Marathon weekend. I probably could’ve done more too.
I’m guilty and you will feel guilt too. It might be before not hitting up the expo for a longer time or meeting up with a running Instagram friend.
It’s okay.
Know that you will not be able to do all the things and that’s okay.
Appreciate the moments you do have during Boston Marathon weekend.
We are all only Boston Marathon Rookies once. Don’t take that moment for granted.
