Matt Bertrand, a 37-year-old runner from Lakewood Ranch, finished the Boston Marathon for the third time Monday with a time of 2:57:39. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputy shared his race diary with Unravel this week:

Hooray! Marathon Monday is upon us again! The Boston Marathon is a revered race in the running community, and the 119th marathon held this year was my third consecutive time running in the event. A few days before, this was the forecast:

Burr! Needless to say, there was a lot of moaning and groaning within the online running community. Excited to get going on my race weekend, I left Tampa, Florida early April 17, and flew into Manchester, New Hampshire.

I am fortunate my parents live pretty close to Boston so I can stay with them. This has so many benefits outside of being able to combine a family visit with a race. I get to eat normal food and stick to a fairly similar routine, which is something that can be lacking when you travel for a race. I had mailed some food items to cut down on food preparation time and to ensure I had exactly what I wanted. Some may call this “rigid” or “fussy.” I call it rigid AND fussy, but I also call it being well-prepared.

Like every runner before a big race, I had been checking the weather, compulsively. In a nutshell and as you can see from the forecast above, it didn’t look good. However, the weather in the three days leading up to the race were beautiful: sunny skies and mild temperatures. But, really, who cares about the weather before a race? It’s race day that matters. This was a video I made on my Sunday shakeout run, the day before the race. Look how beautiful the weather is!

The taper ought to be a time of celebration. It’s when your hard work and preparation get rewarded with tons of rest. Although I walked quite a bit in the days leading up to the race, I had reduced my mileage and eliminated any additional cardio activity (elliptical, Stairmaster, bike) in the two weeks leading up to the race. Although I know I have rested, I struggled with not feeling as rested as I’d like. Why were my legs a little achy the day before? There were little feelings of discomfort on my shakeout that had me worried in the beginning, although they soon went away.

Race Day arrived and I had slept well, which can be unusual before a big race. I made it to the drop-off point in a light rain…but by the time the bus reached Athletes’ Village it had stopped. I only had about 30 minutes before I had to walk down to the start line and in that time I had another banana (my fifth of the morning) and a spot of coffee. It’s about ¾ of a mile from Athletes’ Village down to the start line and, as usual, the atmosphere was thick with excitement with runners making their way. I was still wearing my warm clothes, which I was grateful to have; the temperature was 41 degrees without any wind-chill. About five minutes before the start I shed my sweat pants and trash bag rain jacket, keeping my sweatshirt, hat and gloves on.

For those who don’t know, the first miles of the course are downhill. After a taper, and with extreme excitement and eagerness to run, it almost feels like you’re falling. Below is the course profile with my pace (the dip in pace at mile 14 came courtesy of a potty break.)

Early running is easy but IT’S A TRAP! Going too fast here can cost you later in the race. I managed to hold back and was quite pleased with the restraint of my first three 5K splits: 20:45, 20:29, and 20:40. I felt good and could have gone way too fast! At mile eight the rain began and at mile 11 it was a complete deluge. I was soaked and, worst of all, my shoes were soaked. I cannot emphasize enough how miserable I was between miles 11 and 13. It was so cold. My face felt frozen. In short, it was very uncomfortable! My mental game went out the window with the downpour and I had to battle to get it back. I kept on and when I checked my watch at mile 16, saw a 6:31 split, and felt good, I knew I had made it through the worst. I would not allow any mental weakness for the remainder of the race.

Next up were the Newton hills, culminating with Heartbreak Hill. I knew the hills started at mile 16 and ended around mile 21. I told myself I was up for five miles of work and my reward would be an easy five (mostly downhill) to the finish. I used a few mantras during the hill climbs, including “run within yourself” and “do what you can do in this moment.” Furthermore, I refused to look up the hill. I kept my gaze about 20 feet in front and hammered it out. The final five miles were not as easy as I told myself they would be, due to the pounding my legs took in the hills. But it was nice knowing I was so close to the finish. At this point, I saw my average pace was 6:44 and I knew, barring anything unforeseen, I would be achieving my primary goal time: finish under 3 hours. I was very happy but I tried not to focus on the finish yet.

“Do what you can do in this moment!”

 

I ran as hard as I dared (could?) in the last 5 miles and I felt great! Turning onto Boylston is a real treat. You can see the finish line in the distance and the crowds really motivate you to go all out. I crossed the line in 2:57:39.

It turned out, in spite of, or perhaps because of the weather, to be a fantastic day…until I stopped running. Wow, that is when the cold hit me. Luckily, my parents were quickly on scene and had a sweater and jacket for me but it was still SOO cold. I knew I’d be posting about the race so I took a few (freezing) minutes to take some photos.

The walk to the car was brutal but I made it to the sweet, warm cocoon. Speaking of sweet warmth. This review was written on an insanely turbulent flight back to Tampa, but I have warm temps to look forward to upon my arrival.

Congrats to all runners who ran Boston! You’re all amazing athletes!