Tomorrow… I run.
I’ve taken the last few days off, figuring I ran a double marathon weekend as my “taper” and I can afford a 72 hour break before tackling the Boston Marathon 2017. It’s been great catching up with my brother, albeit he’s struggling with a lingering flu and nasty hacking cough.
Nonetheless, he’s persisted… and I’m forever grateful.
I got to meet Alexis and then as she was headed to family Easter festivities I was lucky enough to steal her ticket to the two night Magnetic Fields event here in Boston. Stephin Merritt’s 50 Song Memoir performed live was a heckuva thing to see — and Steve and I had great seats for both shows, on opposite sides of the auditorium.
As today is Easter Sunday, Steve and I grabbed brunch at a spot I chose based on name only — it seemed like the right choice for us…
It’s looking like a warmish day tomorrow… albeit not as warm as today where the mercury is set to top the 80 degree mark. But the Boston Athletic Association has put up a weather advisory for runners.
The forecast is not as punishing as it was in 2012 but it’s enough to make me rethink my long sleeve official Boston Marathon shirt for the race tomorrow. Might be a RunKevinRun Club 7<4 kind of day after all.
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As for the course tomorrow, I’ve been thinking about the location of various “highlights.” MarathonFoto provided a handy map and as I look at it, I’m trying to mentally prepare for mile markers and what to look out for. We start in Hopkinton and head to the original startline of the race around mile 2. We pass through Ashland and into Framingham by mile 6. Natick is at mile 10 and the women of Wellesley will be kissing runners at just past the halfway mark. Newton is around mile 17 and the Johnny Kelley statue is at mile 19. That leads to Boston College and Heartbreak Hill in the early 20s… and this year I’ll be especially happy to have that behind me as Steve’s apartment is in Brookline (his front windows overlook the race) so I know he’ll be cheering me on from up high. The famed Citgo sign is at mile 25 and the finish at Boylston St is obviously at 26.2 miles from the start.
But there’s this weird nagging memory in my head. When I first started sorta living here with Meg I recall her telling me about the Harvard Bridge that some MIT smartass measured by using his own height as a unit of measure. His last name was Smoot so he called his unit of measure “a smoot.” One smoot translates into 5 feet, 7 inches Imperial Units.
By Peter Vince – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
By that logic, a marathon is 24,776.6 smoots long. I guess I can understand why the BAA has decided NOT to put up Smoot Markers for the race.
The strange things one thinks about while waiting for the dawn.
The countdown continues.
For tomorrow… I run.