Track and Field Blogs - Patrick Rizzo

I'm sure by now that everyone has seen how I finished at Boston, so I'm just going to give a real short recap. My stomach was giving me trouble that morning, but nothing too serious. I wasn't throwing up or anything. I was actually bound more than anything. The gun went off and I got settled into where I thought I should be in the race. After the first 2 fluid stations, I still hadn't taken very much fluid, but I felt just fine and thought nothing much of it. Approaching halfway, I saw Kevin and told him that I still hadn't been able to take any fluids for most of the way. He told me to slow down as much as needed and make sure to get them in. Still, I was hitting my splits though and feeling about average now.
From 13 to 17, my body started to self destruct. I was slowly falling off pace (2 miles were on purpose to try to take fluids in) but then I really started to get bad calf and hamstring cramps. Likely this was from the dehydration. I limped my way to 19, where I stopped at the top of a hill at a Red Cross tent. They got me some water and I was convinced that I was done. I decided that since I kept a whole cup of water down, I can make it from there to the top of Heartbreak. Sure enough I made it to 21 and thought again that this was where I'd end my Boston experience as I didn't believe that my body would LET me get to the finish line. So I made friends with the Red Cross people again. They gave me a cup of water and I was again on my way, with intentions to stop when I saw Kevin and/or Keith again.
Just my luck, I didn't see either until 23.5 and I figured that it would be ridiculous to not finish at that point, despite severe cramping of my legs and the fact that I went from 5:16 average at 17 to now struggling to stay under 6:30 miles. When I got to the finish, I was definitely glad that I made it, but a bit torn as to my real emotion of upset, ashamed, embarrassed, proud, painful, and dead tired.
I was definitely embarrassed and ashamed that I couldn't represent my team and myself with any better showing at a major race. Still, I couldn't be too down given the terms of my training leading into the marathon. I had my best 6 months of my life training leading into that marathon training and then got hit by a car 5 weeks into it. I spent the next 4 weeks not running workouts and hobbling 7 minute pace, followed by 2 weeks of painfully attempting workouts. Then, perhaps as a false sense of developing my confidence going into the race, my pain started subsiding. The final 2 weeks of my training, I thought, were great. I entered the race with what I thought would be little adjustment to my goal of 2:15-6. Perhaps it was the missed training, perhaps it was my stomach troubles, perhaps, it was something else, but my Boston experience was certainly what I felt was sub-par.
Now it's time to move on though. It's time to decide what comes next. All that I know now is that I won't likely be able to train for a fall marathon this year, but I look forward to doing some faster training anyway. I can only benefit from banging some more of the rust and scar tissue out of my legs. Right now, my hip is almost 100% (though it only gives any trouble when I go hard). I think that this training period should be good for my overall progression and make the next marathon that much better. I definitely learned a lot from this last one and definitely will be more prepared for my next marathon in experience, fitness, and mental preparation.