2:38 in Boston
If someone had asked me to describe what my dream race at the Boston Marathon would look like, I don’t think I could have even dreamed a better day. My goal going in was to break 2:40, and that’s what I did. I negative split big time (1:20:01 first half, 1:18:43 back half) with the last 5 miles being my fastest miles of the race. A 5 minute and 22 second personal best for a final time in 2:38:44!! It was a day where everything just went according to plan.
First, the weather was ideal (so rare for Boston). Sunny, not too hot but also not too cold, but most importantly a slight tailwind!! The last time the weather was this ideal was 2011. Second, I had a great crew around me the whole weekend. I saw so many Boston friends the day before, shared race day with a cast of MIT track alumni (David, Sam, Rory, Alex, Josh, Jared, Michael, and Hannah) and Central Park Track Club training partners (Tiger), and best of all had the support of my husband Harrison for the whole weekend but also this whole journey over the last decade+.
The race
I am proud to say that I followed my race plan almost exactly.
Miles 1-6 Downhill: After learning how downhills can destroy your quads the hard way at CIM 2025, I was committed to going out slower than my goal pace in the first 6 downhill miles. Tiger and I started together, averaging ~6:08 pace which was perfect. Honestly with how crowded it was those first couple miles, I doubt I could have gone faster if I wanted to.
Miles 7-15 Cruising: At this point, I lost track of Tiger but then linked up with Josh and a friend of a friend. We locked in together right around ~6:00 pace, going a little over and a little under depending on the terrain. When I hit the halfway mark right at 1:20:01, I knew a sub 2:40 was still possible, but would take a negative split. I felt great still so I didn’t think a negative split was crazy, but I wanted to hold back until we got through the Newton Hills.
Miles 16-21 Newton Hills: On the steep downhill at mile 16, I could feel my quads complaining slightly, not enough to impact my race but just enough to keep me running scared. So I let myself drift back from Josh and co, and just focused on running within myself at my own pace. Before I knew it, we were cresting Heartbreak Hill at mile 21 (amazing vibes on that hill!), and when I did a system self-assessment, I realized that I actually still felt quite great.
Mile 22 to the finish: My quads were tired and sore, but not enough to stop me. And when I saw that I was zooming by others on the downhills, I realized that I was ready to absolutely cook. I stopped holding back and just gave it my all, and saw my splits drop from 6:00s → 5:50s → 5:40s. This has never happened to me before but I didn’t ever hit a wall this race. Yes, I was redlining in the last mile, but I was also running faster than my half marathon pace. It was completely magical and allowed me to really soak in those final few miles past the Citgo sign and down Commonwealth. And when I made that final turn on Boylston and checked my watch, I realized that I was not only going to break 2:40, but that I might even sneak under 2:39.
Takeaways from Boston
I waited some time to write this recap in order to really reflect on this build, what I learned, what I proved to myself, and to decide on what I’d do next.
My key takeaways:
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High carb + bicarb is so real. I took between 115-120g/hr of carbs and had Maurten Bicarb pre-race, and I felt amazing. And it’s not just me, the new world record holder in the marathon who ran 1:59 at the London Marathon also took 115 g/hr + bicarb. I don’t necessarily think 115g/hr is the perfect magic number for everyone, but I do think what people should take away is that more carbs are better and that you should experiment with upping your intake and training your gut to handle more. I also do think the bicarb effect for marathons is real and barring any pre-existing medical condition/high blood pressure/disclaimers etc., then everyone looking for marginal gains should give it a try.
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Be patient early in Boston. I’ve only run Boston once so take what I say with a grain of salt. But going into the race, I did read a lot of articles on optimal course strategy and talked to my coach about how to approach it. I think really being patient in the first 6 miles and actively running slower than my goal pace was really key to keeping my quads (relatively) fresh enough to take advantage of the fast last 5 miles of the course.
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Consistency and more easy aerobic volume. My workouts this build were not too different from previous builds, but I did really increase my overall easy aerobic volume. I had many more weeks close to 70 miles with my peak hitting 80 miles, and started doubling (first with cross training and then transitioning to a few double runs per week as my mileage increased). This volume increase was only possible due to the health and consistency I’ve had in my training over the last 2 years. As tempting as double threshold workouts sound (all the rage in professional marathoning and triathlon these days), I keep reminding myself that staying healthy and consistent are the name of the game, and there is still so much more to gain through increased easy volume.
So what’s next?
I will be targeting an OTQ attempt at the Chicago Marathon in October. I had signed up for both Chicago and CIM before running Boston and originally had been leaning towards CIM to give myself more time to train. But running a 2:38 in Boston, with a big negative split, feeling amazing all the way to the finish, makes me believe that I am closer to an OTQ than I knew! I still have more work to do to get there, but now more than ever I believe I can do it. It no longer feels like an if and instead feels like a when.
Some part of me worries I am being impatient since there is still another whole year in 2027 to qualify for the trials. But if there’s anything that my injuries have taught me, it is to never take health for granted. I am healthy today and I am ready to push for this now, so why not keep going?
The Chicago build plan
Even though I sound like I’m saying there’s not much time until Chicago, there is still a lot of time until Chicago. I’ll plan to start my marathon-specific training block in mid July. So that leaves almost ~2 months for a little track fun :) !! As much as I love marathoning, I love track even more. And I would LOVE to PR in the 5K. I also think working on some (relative) speed and VO2 max this summer will help my marathon fitness in the fall. There are a couple local track races in NYC throughout June and July, so I’ll likely make 2 attempts on a sub 16:30.
Training-wise, I’m planning to stay the course for Chicago. I didn’t hit a fitness plateau in my Boston build and I think I’m close enough to the OTQ time that I should keep doing what I’ve been doing and just keep building up my aerobic volume.
For some training specifics:
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Mileage: I would love to hit the mini summer track season with consistent 60-70 mile weeks, and then start my Chicago build from there and peak at 90 (!!) miles
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Doubles: Keep doubling consistently! While my mileage is under 70, I’ll plan to do 3-4 cross train doubles per week, and then slowly sub those out for run doubles as my mileage increases
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Workouts: Hold the course at 2 quality sessions per week, more VO2 max work while focusing on the 5K and then transitioning to more tempo + marathon pace once I start the Chicago build. KEEP DOING MY STRIDES 2x per week. No double thresholds.
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Strength: Lift twice per week and even try to lift heavy during the 5K block.
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Injuries: I’m still managing some plantar fasciitis in my right foot. It’s calmed down since Boston but I can still feel it lingering. So I will try to be diligent on my PT exercises and periodically electrocute my foot with some shockwave therapy to hopefully take care of this once and for all.
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Marginal gains:
- Heat training: The sauna sessions pre-Boston were definitely relaxing and probably helpful. The nice thing about a New York summer is that it will be unavoidable active heat training. But once the temperatures start to cool down in the fall, I’ll restart my 1-2/week sauna sessions.
- Altitude: My husband and I visit his cousins in Buena Vista, CO (~8000 ft!!) every summer, so I’ll get to experiment with some altitude training.
And that’s the plan!! I’m so excited for what’s next and to just see how fast I can go! But for now, I’ll continue with my lovely training downtime post Boston, and just run easy (or not run at all!) these next few days.
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