Streaking at the Boston Marathon

How many Boston Marathons have you completed---in a row?

5?
10?
20!?

Keep going. And maybe someday you'll join the ranks of the 30+ consecutive Boston Marathoners.

Here's the 30+ Boston Marathon streakers, as of 2004

Consecutive Bostons
Neil Weygandt 38
Bennett Beach 37
Timothy Lepore 36
Mark Bauman 35
Martin Duffy 35
Bruce Migell 33
Samuel Paris 33
Dave McGillivray 32
Ed Sandifer 32
Russell Gill 31
Ronald Kmiec 31
Doug White 31
Thomas Homeyer 30
Kevin Petrovek 30

Top female
Andrea Hatch 27

source: BAA

Countdown to the 110th Boston Marathon

Hotels for Boston Marathon Weekend

I'd recommend getting a hotel room in Boston's Back Bay. Now that can be tough--cause everybody will want to stay in that area. But here's why you should:

1. You'll be a short cab ride away from the expo, number pick-up, and most of the other pre-marathon events. And in the Back Bay, you'll also be really close to the finish line.

2. If you want to sightsee before or after the marathon, you can take the "T" (the subway) to just about any attraction you want. So you may not need to rent a car. And that means less stress - no need to battle the Boston traffic. Plus, you can take the official buses from Boston Common to the starting line on Marathon Monday.

3. After the race, you'll be in the middle of Boston with plenty of places to eat and drink (that is after you walk, "T", or cab to your conveniently located hotel for a shower, ice and some R&R.) Then get back out into the city and party!

So what are you waiting for?

Start looking for Boston hotels by clicking here . If this is your first time in Boston, the "G" location on the map you'll see is the Lenox Hotel, which is located at 710 Boylston Street--only a few yards from the finish line. You can zoom in and out on the map.

If you can't find anything in Boston, try Cambridge, Brookline, Newton (by Boston College) or Somerville. When you're making reservations, ask the front desk where the nearest "T " station is.

I've always like Orbitz when I travel. See what they have in Boston here.

Boston Marathon Course Records

Men's Open: Cosmas Ndeti, 2:07:15, 1994
Women's Open: Margaret Okayo, 2:20:43, 2002

Men's Masters: John Campbell, 2:11:04, 1990
Women's Masters: Firaya Sultanova-Zhdanova, 2:27:58, 2002

Men's Wheelchair: Ernst Van Dyk, 1:18:27, 2004
Women's Wheelchair: Jean Driscoll, 1:34:22, 1994

Random thought on today's 14-mile training run with L Street:
How long would it take Lance Armstrong to run the Boston Marathon? What do you think?

Should we talk about the weather?

What's the forecast for this year's Boston Marathon?

I know, it's still months away but I was curious. So I checked out The Old Farmer's Almanac. These folks have been predicting the weather since 1792 and say their "results are almost always very close to our traditional claim of 80 percent."

Here's what the almanac had to say about April 16-20 (the Boston Marathon is April 17):

very warm, t-storms

Sunrise for April 17: 6 am
Sunset: 7:28 pm

Another Run for the Hoses? Stay tuned.

Best Restaurant on the Boston Marathon Route

And the winner is...Morton's. Located on Boylston Street right across from the Boston Public Library, you couldn't find a better place to celebrate after running the marathon. And you couldn't find a place as close to the finish line. Plus, after all that pasta you ate the last few days before the marathon, don't you just want to sink your teeth into a really nice piece of steak? Perhaps a glass of cabernet. And leave room for the Godiva chocolate cake. Make a reservation and bring your credit cards. Bon appetit!

www.mortons.com

The Boston Marathon and Beer

I miss the Eliot Lounge. Located on Mass Ave. in Boston, the Eliot Lounge was the place to be after finishing the Boston Marathon. Or on any other day of the year. I remember the running memorablia adorning the walls and friendly faces behind the bar. Heck, I even remembering getting one "on the house", which has always been a hard thing to find in Boston.

The Eliot Lounge closed in 1996. And recently a lot more Boston "institutions" have gone the way of the horse and buggy. But not the Marathon. The Boston Marathon endures, and gets stronger every year.

Here's a small piece from allaboutbeer.com on Tommy Leonard's legendary bar, The Eliot Lounge, and how for so many years it was the " best water stop" after the Boston Marathon.

The Boston Marathon Tradition
The policy for years at the Eliot Lounge was to award every Boston Marathon finisher a complementary brew. This was the marketing ploy of Tommy Leonard, who became the Eliot's bartender in 1972, and whose love of running made the Eliot the international welcoming center for the marathon for 25 years.

Leonard's 1972 debut behind the bar at the Eliot happily coincided with the biggest moment in the history of American distance running. That was the year that a skinny mustached Floridian named Frank Shorter won the Olympic Marathon title in Munich, and ostensibly kicked off the running boom in the United States. Leonard saw an opportunity here, and quickly began to draw customers to the Eliot from Boston's fast-growing running community. Runners migrated to the Eliot to glean training advice from Leonard, hear stories of past running greats, and admire his artful wall display of running photography.

Unfortunately, the Eliot served its last customer in 1996, but Leonard is still on the scene and pushing the running and beer connection. One recent venture has been with the Back Bay Brewing Co. in Boston which has opened a "Tommy Leonard Room." With Ted Mott, Back Bay's brewer, Leonard developed a special ale to award to the last-place finisher in the marathon.

"That's what's great about runners," Leonard said. "Most are out to have a good time regardless of whether they're running by themselves, with a group, or in a race. Half the time in races they don't even know about the contest being waged up front. They don't care about the elite guys. To them, entering a road race is a moving street party. And at the end of every race, they know that a cold beer is waiting for them."

from The Thirstiness of the Long-Distance Runner, The Natural Affinity of Running and Beer
by Jim Denison. www.allaboutbeer.com All About Beer Magazine. Volume 23 Number 3 July 2002.

The first Boston Marathon

Did you know...

Only 15 runners entered the first Boston Athletic Association Road Race (later renamed the Boston Marathon) on April 19, 1897.

John McDermott of New York (damn Yankees!!) won the race in a time of 2:55:10. The race was 24.5 miles back then instead of 26 miles 385 yards. And the race didn't begin in Hopkinton. The runners lined up in Ashland and made their way to the Irvington Street Oval near Copley Square in Boston.

Boston Marathon is part of World Marathon Majors

This year’s Boston Marathon April 17 will kick off the World Marathon Majors, a series of five races over two years to determine a men’s and women’s champion. Other races include London (April 23), Berlin (Sept. 24), Chicago (Oct. 22) and New York City (Nov. 5). Runners have to compete in 3 races over 2 years to be eligible for prize money.

Read the story here.

Boston Marathon Race Director Dave McGillivray

Dave McGillivray is the Race Director of the Boston Marathon. Each year before the marathon he takes time out of his busy schedule to say a few words to the L St. Running Club. And he never disappoints.

McGillivray's energy is contagious; his passion for life is inspirational. Every time I've heard him speak at an L St. meeting I'd walk away with superb running information and a meaningful life lesson. Talk about get you pumped up to run? I'd walk out of the meeting and feel like running through a brick wall! Luckily my brain would remind me, "Relax, you're running the Boston Marathon in a few days."

Dave McGillivray embodies the spirit of the Boston Marathon.
Read Dave’s bio at http://www.bostonmarathon.org/BostonAthletic/mcgillivray.asp and learn more about his sports event management company, Dave McGillivray Sports Enterprises, at www.dmsesports.com

As the race director, Dave McGillivray runs the Boston Marathon. And in the late hours on Marathon Day when most runners are tucked in their beds or enjoying a cold, frosty beer, McGillivray laces up his running shoes and runs the Boston Marathon. That's right. After working all day Dave makes the 26.2 mile journey from Hopkinton to Boston.

Boston's Run to Remember

If you live in the Boston area and been training for Boston 06, there's a great half-marathon you should add to your training plan.

It's Boston's Run to Remember presented by New Balance. The race will be held Sunday, March 12 and starts at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston. You'll run through the streets of Boston and see some of the most famous landmarks in the city.

Boston's Run to Remember honors law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty and provides funds to the Boston's Police Foundation's Kids at Risk Programs.

Adding a race or two to your training is a great way to gauge improvements you've made in your workouts. It also simulates a race day environment. Sure, nothing is like standing in the corrals waiting for the start of the Boston Marathon. But if you tend to be jumpy before the starting gun goes off, running a race like this one will help settle your nerves. And maybe you can wear the cool running apparel you plan to use on marathon day.

For more info on Boston's Run to Remember, visit www.bostonsruntoremember.org.

First woman to run Boston Marathon

Welcome back. As a newbie in the blog world I'm still finding my online voice. My last few posts were more personal in nature. And I will continue to post thoughts and such from time to time. But I'd like to offer you more interesting information on the BOSTON marathon here than you can find anywhere else. Information on BOSTON and the MARATHON that will inspire you to run or watch for the first time... or the twenty-first time.

So here's an interesting tidbit you may not know about the Boston Marathon. In 1966 the first woman to run the Boston Marathon was Roberta Gibb. She ran as a bandit - an unofficial runner- and posted an amazing time of 3:21. I heard her speak at an L Street meeting a few years ago before the Marathon. Gibb, originally from Winchester, MA, now lives in California. But her love affair with the marathon and the city of Boston is stronger than ever. http://www.angelfire.com/nd/bobbigibb/

Running and copywriting in No Man's Land

My mind likes to drift to when I rack up the miles. Thoughts and ideas ricochet around my brain like they're bouncing inside a pinball machine. And for me, that's a good thing.

Last night's run started at 6pm from L St. (weekday runs start from L St., Sunday runs start at M). By 6:10, one group split into three and I found myself in "No Man's Land"- a place where I wasn't running fast enough to stay with the creme de la creme and not slow enough to be the last group in. So for a while I ran alone. But running in "No Man's Land" has one big advantage - the chance to really let your mind go. And as a copywriter, that means I get to work while I'm working out. I can create a new headline. Brainstorm an ad concept. Or sometimes I'll think of just a single word--a better word-- to make ad copy more effective.

Gotta run....and write. See you tomorrow.

Training, part 2

Last night I wrote a general overview of my training plan. Tonight I'll provide the Sunday mileage I'll be logging with the L Street Running Club.

We hit the streets of Boston--and beyond--bright and early every Sunday at 8am from M Street in South Boston. I know, it's the L Street Running Club but we get to use the community center at M Street for refreshments, stretching and the all important bathroom facilities. So that's where we start and finish. If you want to check out the routes, visit www.lstreet.org. Join us for a run and become a member.

January 8 1 0 Miles
January 15 11.5 Miles
January 22 13.6 Miles
January 29 14.2 Miles
February 5 16.5 Miles
February 12 13 miles
February 19 17.6 Miles
February 26 14 Miles
March 5 20 Miles
March 12 Boston's Run To Remember (Half Marathon Road Race)
March 19 15.5 miles
March 26 20 / 22 Miles
April 2 12.1 Miles
April 9 10 Miles
April 17 26.2 Miles BOSTON MARATHON !

Training, part 1

This year I'm applying the "less is more" principle to my marathon training. But is it really less? Or just different. Let me explain.

I've tried more than a few training plans over the years. One year I ran six days a week with one day of rest. Some years I ran five days with one day of rest and one day of cross-training, like riding a stationary bike.

But here's what I'm doing this year:

Sunday - Long run with L St Running Club
Monday - Yoga
Tuesday - approx. 6-8 flat miles with L St Running Club
Wednesday - Yoga
Thursday - approx. 6-8 miles , some hills, with L Street RC
Friday - Yoga
Saturday - Rest, short run or yoga

I got the idea of alternate-day running from an article I saw in Runners World. But it's really not all that new. Running every other day allows your body to recover in time for your next workout. Plus, two 8-milers still equals four 4-milers, right?

I also try to pick up the pace on Tuesday and Thursday runs so they become "fast" workouts.

So far so good. These past few weeks I've been on the road 3 or 4 days a week instead of 5 or 6. And so far I love it. I'll see the results in April.

I'll go deeper into my training tomorrow. See ya.

New start times in '06 for world's oldest marathon

**Breaking news**

New start times -

Elite women: 11:31 am

Elite males: 12 pm

Wheelchair: 11:25 am

Field: 12:30 pm

The last mile of the race will also be changed so runners go through a tunnel under Massachusetts Avenue, instead of across it.

Who named it "Heartbreak Hill?"

Did you know...

In 1936, Boston Globe writer Jerry Nason coined the term " Heartbreak Hill" when Johnny Kelley tried to catch Ellison "Tarzan" Brown on the last of the Newton hills.

Kelley had passed Brown earlier in the race on the Newton Hills. But Brown, the eventual champion, responded and caught Kelley on the final hill "breaking Kelley's heart."

BOSTON MARATHON

There's nothing quite like running the Boston Marathon.

From the tiny town square of Hopkinton to Boston's Back Bay, runners experience 26.2 miles of highs and lows, pleasure and pain, and oh yeah, Heartbreak Hill.

The race is held every April on Patriots Day, a state holiday in Massachusetts. But the journey for most runners like me starts in January. It's time to train! And that means early-morning runs on the streets in my neighborhood, late-night treadmill workouts at the gym, and even a little yoga. This year it officially started two weeks ago with my first long training run with the best running club in the Boston area--the L Street Running Club.

This year I'll be running my 8th Boston Marathon.