I ran my first marathon in October 2013 at the Detroit Free Press marathon. First of all, I couldn’t believe I was going to complete a marathon. It seemed so recently when running just one mile seemed like an eternity.
I really didn’t have a particular goal except to finish. I thought it would be great if I could get a sub four hour marathon for my first. Guess what? I did! 3:58-ish. After that, I was hooked!
A friend of mine said it would be easy to shave off 15 or so minutes to qualify for Boston. What?!? Really? No way!
Well, what I thought was impossible, wasn’t. My second marathon at Bayshore in Traverse City in May of 2014, I BQ’d with a 3:39:40! I was ecstatic to say the least.
Training for my first Boston, I felt unstoppable. However, I pushed too hard here and there, and ended up with some IT band issues and sacral issues. My coach had to adjust some of the workouts. Over some time, things stabilized. I felt ready for Boston and nothing was going to get in my way.
My first Boston was amazing. If I could have changed anything, it would have been the weather. For Boston 2015, it was freezing and rainy, with wind guests of 20-30 mph. So many people were hypothermic. Luckily I pulled through and requalified with a 3:42:32.
My second Boston was equally amazing. However, the weather for Boston 2016 was the opposite end of the spectrum. We started the race in the 70’s! Coming from Michigan at the time of the year when we were training in 40 & 50 degree weather, my body wasn’t prepared for the heat. The sun was so bright and so strong for the entire race. I was ready to quit at Mile 6.
My body overheated so much. I felt like one big salt lick. It was great weather for the spectators, but definitely not for the majority of the people racing. I finished at about 3:55:01. The heat had made for a much worse result than the cold rainy headwind the year before. I was very down for a while because I knew I was trained for a better performance. Trained for everything except the heat, that is.
The good thing is I don’t give up that easy and I want a redo at Boston for next year. I set my sights on September 11th, 2016 in Erie, Pennsylvania, as the place to make that happen. I love Boston and I want to go back as often as I can.
Pellayia Roustemis
Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan
2015
Age 40
Bib # 20428
3:42:32
2016
Age 41
Bib # 21755
3:55:01