Great Boston and Lessons to be Learned

Wednesday, April 23, 2014 · Mike Davis

Good morning! Nice to be hump day, especially as we move into the warmer days of spring. How great was it on Monday to see American Meb Keflezghi cross the finish line ahead of the pack! Kathy and I were watching it on my laptop and probably like most that were watching the race on TV, the finish line seemed like it was getting further away as those behind him moved closer. Meb's shear determination carried him the last couple of miles as his aggressive strategy rapidly caught up with him around mile 23. No doubt Meb had a plan to push hard early and run with heart late. Not a strategy that often works, as Shalane Flanagan can attest too firsthand. Through much of the race Shalane looked strong, but her strategy only served to help multiple woman runners break the 2:20 mark for the first time at Boston, while Shalane fell off the lead pack during the final few miles. Rita Jeptoo certainly owes Shalane a hug for helping her run a 2:18:57 and killing the Boston record. While that was certainly a great accomplishment for on the woman's side, the day belonged to Meb and what he accomplished for his country. Like most people that follow running, I had become doubtful that I would witness an American win at Boston, but Meb used the emotions of this special day to drive him through each mile. Being out in front like he was is quite difficult as there was no one else even close to push him, leaving only his discipline and his watch. Not a typical marathon by any standard and I don't believe it is something we will witness again anytime soon. While Meb's strategy helped him bring us all a great deal of pride, Shalane's aggressiveness was a far greater learning tool. Shalane was running at world record pace almost immediately and like most watching my heart was like "oh yeah", but my head was like "oh no"! Running at a record pace at mile 10 is not where you want to be and not to be critical of Shalane because I believe her heart was in the right place. Being a native of the Bay state her desire was off the charts but 26.2 mile races require more than desire. The ladies that trailed her for most the race were all comfortable with Shalane's holding the lead while they stayed close and waited. Waiting or staying patient is something all of us runners have to be constantly reminded of when running races. So many factors drive us to compromise what we know works early on and that's the fact that we can't run our best race by going out too fast. Running a PR requires hours of training and attitude but can be quickly derailed on race day by emotion and impatient running. Most of the time we feel strong and energized early and that often leads to misguided thinking that goes contrary to what we know works best. Shalane Flanagan is a far, far greater runner than I could ever dream of and no doubt a much more knowledgeable runner than I as well, but I believe her desire and heart led her to run at a pace early that was not conducive to winning. No doubt Shalane will have another opportunity and will be even better with the emotions of this particular Boston behind her. Till then we can all learn something from one of the best runners in the world. Well my coffee cup is empty and it is time to get my workout done. Have a great Wednesday and get those feet moving! Mike