Hi, I am a total Beginner marathoner. I just ran my 1st marathon ever in Philly and qualified for the Boston. I was so excited and had so much fun after my marathon that I signed up that afternoon for the Boston. I have come to read a bit more about the Boston, and am now questioning whether I've made a bad mistake! Sounds like a tough course...

First off, i was thinking about runing another marathon as I was finishing the Philly because I was running with my husband, (who is built larger than me) and he was trailing behind. I stayed behind to cheer him on to make sure he didn't stop during the last 6 miles. In doing that I was running at what i felt like "fast walking" pace. I definately could have run much faster during the last 6 miles if I wasn't trying to pull him along and waiting for him (nevertheless, it was great to finish together with him). Anyhow, i finished the race with plenty of energy and juice. So I really felt I didn't run my fastest and want to do a second to see what I can really acheive.

So that leads me to signing up for the Boston, (which I didn't even know what qualifying time was). question is...

1) I wanted to see have fast I can actually run a marathon without waiting for someone, is boston not a good one to achieve one's PR bc of the rolly hills, etc??? I get the idea that people tend to run slower during this race bc of the course/terrain?
1a) Just how tough is this course, the more a read about it, the more I'm scared, and I'm starting to think I should have entered a different race for my second marathon, ever. Especially bc I wanted to get a good time.
2) are there Pacer groups at the boston? (as i said, i'm a beginner)
3) where would one even begin to find all these hills to train on, there are a few inclines along a path I run, would one just do them over and over. For the most part, most of the paths available around here are pretty flat
4) In general, how cold has the BM been in the past few years?? I've looked up weather.com for averages, and it looks like 50-hi 30's?? By unpredictable, does one mean snow fall is a frequent concern???
5) How hard is it to get accommedations? Do people leave that mon night? It is a Monday night, don't people have to work on tues?
6) What does one do to prepare for hill, other than do the, ie, what about squats, or other strengthening exercises?
7) Coming downhill seems tough on one's knees, esp if one has laxity in their ACL, ligaments, or meniscus tears? any tips??
8) Any resources people know of to find others who are training for the BM locally? philly?
9) I just ran the Philly on Nov 19. Being that I'm new at this, is running in April too soon? When should a beginer level person start training again, if they have just ran one 5 months earlier? (I feel pretty good for post- marathon day 1, just some mild soreness in quads, can still do 2 flights of stairs at work without groaning too loudly)
8) Overall, if you have any opinions on whether or not I've made a big mistake on entering the boston, please be honest and just tell me, (such as being to much of a beginner -esp. bc real runners scare me-, not a good race if I want to obtain my PR, or the likelihood of getting stampeded by real runners).

On the other hand, I feel like I should run it, bc I was lucky enough to qualify, who knows if I'll qualify again???
anyhow, thanks for reading my million ?'s. and even more gratitude if you respond.

If you qualified for Boston without really having to push yourself, then you are a better runner than you are giving yourself credit for. I just ran Boston this last April and it was one of the best experiences of my life. One of those lifetime achievements that you don't get many shots at, you know?

As for the course yes it's got lots of rolling hills throughout and "heartbreak hill" is actually a series of hills from about mile 16 to mile 21. Just find some hilly roads and start running them. I'm fortunate that I live in a hilly area just outside Tucson Az so the hills I run were very similar to what I saw at Boston. Another thing I did which helped immensely was I did several long runs with a long uphill starting at mile 15 which is what you willl encounter at Boston. I had no problem with heartbreak hill and ran a qualifying time at Boston.

As for all the good runners they are all just super people. There is nothing at all to be intimidated about there. They also break the runners up into 2 waves based on your time so you won't be in a position with tons of elite runners whizzing by you. It's very crowded for sure, and it stays that way for most of the run.

Actually the weather can be the biggest factor. We had a great day with temps in the 50s but it can be pretty hot which is no fun in any marathon.
Other than that it is just a great race and if your in shape for it and in a position to do it then go for it. If you have any specific questions I'll be glad to answer Good luck Mike

I missed these the first time I read your post.

1) I wanted to see have fast I can actually run a marathon without waiting for someone, is boston not a good one to achieve one's PR bc of the rolly hills, etc??? I get the idea that people tend to run slower during this race bc of the course/terrain? RE: I PRed, but a lot of people don't. Personally I don't think that PR'ing at Boston is as big a deal as completing it.
1a) Just how tough is this course, the more a read about it, the more I'm scared, and I'm starting to think I should have entered a different race for my second marathon, ever. Especially bc I wanted to get a good time.
RE: Pretty difficult. The rolly hills don't kill you especially if you train for them but they are fairly frequent. The hills in Newton (aka heartbreak hill) are the toughest part of the course by far. That is why I really recommend incorporating hills late in your long runs. It will really pay off.
2) are there Pacer groups at the boston? (as i said, i'm a beginner)
RE: No pacer groups
3) where would one even begin to find all these hills to train on, there are a few inclines along a path I run, would one just do them over and over.
RE: If you live in a real flat area you might have to do just that, get to a hill and run it up and down a few times.

4) In general, how cold has the BM been in the past few years?? I've looked up weather.com for averages, and it looks like 50-hi 30's?? By unpredictable, does one mean snow fall is a frequent concern???
RE: I'd be more concerned about heat, they had a very warm day a couple years ago that was very tough on the runners. We had a great day in the low 50s.
5) How hard is it to get accommedations? Do people leave that mon night? It is a Monday night, don't people have to work on tues?
RE: If you wait like I did, hotels will sell out at the finish line. I had to stay in Framingham and rent a car. I took Tuesday off and flew back that morning but a lot just take the late flight out that Monday night.
6) What does one do to prepare for hill, other than do the, ie, what about squats, or other strengthening exercises?
RE: I did some leg extensions with weights, but other than that, just long runs with hills.
7) Coming downhill seems tough on one's knees, esp if one has laxity in their ACL, ligaments, or meniscus tears? any tips??
RE: Shorten your stride just a bit. Try to keep your footstrike parallel with the hill, not scraping your heels. Increase your turnover a little too. That worked for me and it makes you faster on the downhills with not a lot of extra effort. Don't lean back and strike with your heel with long strides. That's the worst thing you can do.
8) Any resources people know of to find others who are training for the BM locally? philly? RE: Can't help you there I'm in Arizona.
9) I just ran the Philly on Nov 19. Being that I'm new at this, is running in April too soon? When should a beginer level person start training again, if they have just ran one 5 months earlier? (I feel pretty good for post- marathon day 1, just some mild soreness in quads, can still do 2 flights of stairs at work without groaning too loudly) RE: If that's all you feel after your first marathon, you are fine for running in April.
8) Overall, if you have any opinions on whether or not I've made a big mistake on entering the boston, please be honest and just tell me, (such as being to much of a beginner -esp. bc real runners scare me-, not a good race if I want to obtain my PR, or the likelihood of getting stampeded by real runners RE: You have nothing to be scared of, you ARE a good runner. Have fun