Marathon number 6 is complete! The Boston marathon yesterday was the most exciting and amazing race I have ever done, and the fact that I ran it with my dad, while 20 weeks pregnant made it even more amazing. Not only is it extremely well organized, the support on the course is unbelievable (especially at Wellesley and Boston College!) Here’s how the day went:
I was up at 5, and we were out the door by 5:30. We were staying in an apartment a 20 minute bus-ride out of the city, so we caught the bus to the T and took it to where the buses would load to take the runners to Hopkinton. It was absolutely FREEZING and the wind was howling. After waiting in line for about 20 minutes, we were on the bus, and arrived at the Athlete’s Village in Hopkinton around 7:20.
I had a bagel, a little coffee, a PowerBar, and a bottle of water. I hung out with Aron and Page until it was time to walk to the starting line.
After dropping my check bag on the bus (such a well-organized system!) we had a .7 mile walk to the start.
We made our way to our Corral and within a few minutes it was time to go!
The first few miles are mostly downhill, and the crowds were awesome. I was feeling great, and my dad and I were chatting the whole time. I decided at the last minute not to wear a heart rate monitor because I’ve never worn it on my longer runs, so to make sure I wasn’t working too hard, I kept talking a lot. I never felt out of breath at all and was able to talk in complete sentences the whole time, so I think I kept the pace pretty reasonable.
I got SO many great comments about my shirt:
Are you really pregnant? – I said yes Woah, that’s awesome!
I am too! (2 women, one was 6 weeks, one was 24 weeks)
I’m not pregnant, I’m slow
Baby on Board? Woah, she’s pregnant! orBaby on Board? Holy Crap!
Can I borrow that shirt? (from a guy who was running)
Go Mama!
Go pregnant lady!
That’s the best shirt I’ve ever seen
That baby’s going to come out running!
You’re my hero!
Lots of people also asked when I was due, and if I knew it was a boy or a girl, and a bunch of women told me about their experiences running while pregnant. Everyone was so sweet and supportive!
I was drinking a ton of fluid (alternating water and gatorade) and taking a Gu every 5 miles. I was really paranoid about getting dehydrated, but since I had to stop at 3 separate bathroom stops, I think I was doing ok!
Wellesley college was around the halfway point, and it was definitely one of my favorite parts of the race. Everyone had signs like “Kiss me I’m from Texas” or “Kiss me, I’m vegan,” and although I didn’t seen anyone actually kissing anyone else, the signs were really entertaining.
I slowed down a little bit after that, just to make sure I could still talk easily. I stopped at a port-a-potty at mile 15, and although I think it’s kind of ridiculous to tweet during a race, I figured I may as well since I was just standing in line anyway!
The next few miles were just rolling hills, and I was still feeling pretty good (although my feet were starting to get a little tired). Heartbreak hill was definitely not as bad as I was fearing and we passed a TON of people who were walking
Boston College was right after the hill, and there was pretty much an entire mile of students cheering loudly. The last 4 miles had consistent crowds, which totally helped me keep my mind off my sore feet.
Not long after Boston College, I saw the infamous Citgo sign! By this point I was feeling kind of tired. I was talking less, so my dad kept asking me questions to keep me going. I wasn’t out of breath at all, but my legs were slowing down a little.
Not too much later we were making the last turn onto Boylston! My dad had called my mom and sister to find out where they were, and we were really excited to see them!
Our finish time was officially 4:56 (I stopped my watch at my bathroom stops, so I was actually running for 4:48). It was so much fun running with my dad, and I felt so overwhelmed and grateful for all the support from you guys on twitter and in your comments. Everything from the weather to the crowds was pretty much perfect, and I hope to be able to do it again!
Congratulations Cate! You should be very proud of yourself (and baby!). You are truly inspirational.
Congratulations again! The photo of you and your dad is absolutely priceless.
You are such an inspiration! I’m a new(ish) follower and I was looking forward to your post race post. What an amazing accomplishment! I started getting serious about running last year and started with 5k’s. This year I am running my first 10k and have actually been thinking of training for a half!
That’s so awesome, congratulations! I’m so inspired
I don’t know if I mentioned it, but I love the shirt too!
Awesome job Cate!!
I have to admit, I totally “athlete tracker” stalked you yesterday.
Congrats! I call Massachusetts home and have gone to cheer on the runners as a kid, so this article was particularly touching. What an accomplishment, too! I haven’t found myself to be a runner, but I am in awe and have great respect for those who do!
COngrats! So exciting!
So awesome! congrats, again!
You are so inspiring and amazing!! Way to go!
CONGRATS!! I’m a new follower and I think that is SO AMAZING!! You look like you enjoyed the whole thing too, and I bet your baby will come out running, and someday grow up to run Boston with YOU
Congratulations! You finished for two – that’s amazing! I was spectating at Mile 20 yesterday and hope to run Boston in 2012. It’s a truly inspirational experience!
Congratulations!! I am so glad that you had fun.
you are a rockstar!!!! I either saw you or saw someone else wearing a “baby on board” t-shirt. unbelievable!!! congratulations!!!
Congrats Cate!!! I went to the BM a few years ago to cheer on my sister – and it was such a fun race to watch and support. You did amazing!
Congrats you are so inspiring to do that race pregnant! I ran too and felt it was extremely hot. you are amazing! Congrats- what a story to tell your baby someday : )
Cate, you really are amazing – not just for running the Boston marathon, while 20 weeks pregnant no less, but for keeping up an upbeat positive attitude throughout your training and the race. It doesn’t seem like you even once lost perspective and got frustrated by not being able to run to your normal potential, which I think would have been hard for a lot of people.
Also, your dad is adorable.
Congratulations on your awesome finish! You did a great job…and really are an inspiration!
Priceless photo of you and your Dad!! Congrats on wonderful race
(p.s. new reader here – *waves*)
Congrats on Boston! Sounds awesome. I love the picture of you and your dad.
Congrats!! That is so awesome!:)
So awesome! I love the picture of you and your dad, and I’m really glad you had a great time.
Congrats again! I would love to do something like that with my dad. Best wishes for the rest of your pregnancy.
You are SOOOO awesome! Congrats!
Congratulations Cate!! I’m so glad the race was an amazing experience for you. I got teary eyed watching you all cross the finish line and it made me think if Boston was in my future.
I seriously cried reading this. You are amazing.
Congratulations Cate!! That is SO amazing that you ran 20 weeks pregnant!! That is such an amazing photo of you & your dad
Such a great moment!
Ditto to Kate…I got teary too! You are so awesome.
I am SO happy that I got to meet you and ever happier that you had such a great race and an amazing memory with your dad and baby! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
I loved reading this recap! And I’m so excited that you got to do this even while pregnant! I’m sure you were the most rock star pregnant runner out there!
Congrats on finding out you’re having a girl! I couldn’t be more excited for you!
You are amazing… I LOVE that you ran this 20 weeks pregnant and with your dad! You guys will be telling this story forever.
It was SO NICE to finally meet you on the other side of the country. I am so glad we got to spend some time together in Athlete’s Village too, definitely something I will always remember. Congrats on a great race and CONGRATS on becoming a mommy soon
[...] Cate’s World Kitchen [...]
What an amazing story! It is really special that your little one got to share that experience with you. I think that you are an inspiration to all women that being pregnant doesn’t impose any sort of limitations. And the best part is that you don’t even look pregnant! That will be such a special story for you to share with your child when they are old enough to understand.
[...] became a vegetarian! She is also a marathon runner and even ran a marathon, just a few months ago, while pregnant! What an idol! So aside from what an amazing person Cate is, she is also an awesome baker. I always [...]
I just found your blog and may I say that I love the hope in this story. I’m so excited to see how your child develops since you were SO active during your pregnancy. I’m so glad to see that it is possible to stay healthy and fit during pregnancy. XOXO
[...] short distances that you're fated to also. Some awesome ladies are able to run half marathons or full marathons safely during their pregnancies. Also, don't think you're a failure if you have to stop running [...]
i seriously had tears in my eyes reading this..what an accomplishment. congrats!
So glad I found your blog. I’m training for Boston and just found out I’m pregnant. I’d be about 18 weeks come race day, and have been flipping back and forth all day about what to do. This has truly inspired me to believe that so long as my body allows me, and I slow down, it may be feasible!