Boston Marathon 2026

Here are the notes I took one week after running the Boston Marathon, addressed to a friend that will be running it next year.

- I arrived the Saturday morning at 8 am, for some reason the check-in for the airBnB was only at 4 pm (can't remember if it is how I set it or if it was the default), I got a weekly pass for public transit because it is as "cheap" as two daily passes.

- My friends from DC were meeting me later in the evening, so I decided to do all the running related things that day. I went to the Bandit pop-up around 11 am and the line was not very long so it took maybe 20 min. Inside they mostly have the capsule stuff, no line to try, so it went fast.

- Then I went to pick up my bib and the expo. There is kind of a line to get in and then they make you go all around the center with specific lines depending on your wave, so I might have walked for 10 min to get the bib. If you're a first time runner they ring the bells and everything for you, it's very nice.

- The Adidas part of the expo is crazy, many people trying things everywhere, with their bags and everything. I wanted a crop race bra and I didn't know my size so I went in line to try it on. They only have a few changing rooms so I waited in line for 1h, people were trying a lot of things. So, know your size in advance so that you don't have to try it on (both woman size and unisex because some of the items are unisex).

- After that I went for lunch (maybe 1:30 pm), there was a ramen place nearby that looked awesome, I joined the line and the line didn't move. All the restaurants in that area are just full. So I walked a little bit towards where I had left my suitcase to get vietnamese food, that was pretty quick (maybe 10 min wait).

- Finally I took the metro to the airBnB. That area was nice because it was quiet, but it's also the caribbean and african part of town, so not the best for pre race meal. If you prefer to cook your own meal there are stores nearby.

- At that point I realized I had forgotten to pack a few things, including warm cloth to dispose of at the start line, so we drove to the nearby target to buy a long sleeve shirt and some race day breakfast food. I was also starting to feel a tingle in my throat and that my neck lymph nodes were inflamed.

- Sunday we just did touristy things but the weather was terrible, rain and wind and cold. I had not realized how cold it would be and didn't have enough layers to feel comfortable outside, and I could feel my throat everytime I swallowed so it stressed me out...

- Sunday evening I got everything ready for the morning, discuss the plan with my friends, and told my coach I was starting to feel sick. She recommended to take some tylenol in the morning. Like an idiot, I had not packed any medicine, my friends (male) didn't have any, and I decided I'll try to buy some in the morning before getting on the race bus.

- Monday morning I had to leave the airBnB at 6:30 am, my wave was starting to go on the buses at 7:30 am, I looked for CVS but because it's a holiday and early nothing was opened.

- My bus started to move at 8 am, I had my food with me to have my breakfast on the bus. I was starting to be emotional until some runners realized the driver was going the wrong way. She was a good sport and one guy directed her to be back on track.

- We arrived at the start area around 8:45 am probably, I went in line for the bathroom then. That took a while but I was chatting with an older guy that was very nice and had run Boston before.

- Seeing what other people were wearing, I should have brought a pair of jeans that I wanted to get rid of to the start, on top of my long sleeves. I was cold every time I was outside (I didn't have external flu symptoms but I could tell my body wasn't 100%). Some people just bring a big fleece blanket that they can sit on as well.

- By the time I was done with the bathroom it was time to load my coral, so I started walking that way. I was supposed to do at 10 min warm-up so I tried to jog a little, but there were so many people. You have to walk almost one mile to get to the coral, there are things on the side to discard your clothes and other things. There is also an additional set of bathrooms right before the coral.

- Then you get in the coral and it's less than 10 min before your start (10:28 for me), everyone is so excited!

- You walk/job towards the actual start line and it's 26.2+ miles of dense runners, crazy cheering, and tons of paper cups on the ground (I was one of the rare ones with my hydration pack).

- The first 4-6 miles went very quickly, then you get into your pace, and then around mile 10-11 I started to feel my quads, so I realized I would not be able to hold the pace and it was not even halfway. I knew that was an option and even though I had trained seriously to get around 3:10, I didn't care about the actual results as long as it was under 3:30. There are so many runners and noise and everything, it would be sad not to enjoy it and only focus on the performance.

- At some point in the second half my stomach was not the best, nothing crazy but I was not getting hungry (which I usually do), the plan was to have a gel every 25 min (my coach recommends at least 200 cal per hour), I don't know how or when but I skipped one. I realised I was not drinking enough either because it was not warm, so I got really thirsty in the last third but my stomach was not into too much fluids at once.

- I was not able to go faster after the hills (I was thinking "stay comfortable during the hills and push after") and I was so happy to see the finish line.

- Once you go through you still have to walk a bunch, there are so many volunteers to take care of you, official photographers, etc. After a few minutes, is where you get the medal, then the blanket, and they tape you in. They have bags of food and drinks. You can get your checked bag after that.

- I didn't check my bag because the plan was for my friends to meet me in the family area after the finish line with it. They went to cheer for me on the course at mile 21 or 22, so I finished before they had time to come with public transportation. The green line was barely moving because there were so many people, I waited for them for an hour maybe, I was cold again because it was windy. The safest option is to check your bag.

- At this point everyone is happy and wobbling around, people on the street and metro congratulate you. We took the metro back to the airBnB to have lunch around there, it was probably around 4pm at that point.

- After eating I took a long hot bath (the friends were supposed to be driving back that night but because it took longer than expected to meet me so they stayed one more night). I told them I was still going to have some relaxing time in that bath.