Short version: I ran 3:38:47 and qualified for Boston. Garmin data can be found here.
Long version:
I pulled my calf back in February of 2017 and it took me out for the whole year. I missed my chance to run Boston and I was pretty bummed. You can go back through my blog to read about the injury and my recovery if you want (please do!). But I had decided that once I qualified for Boston again, #beccasreturntorunning would be complete.
Mission accomplished!!! Here is how the race went down.
After a terrible night of sleep (my dog had an anxiety attack at 12:45) and then I accidentally went to the half-marathon start, I was finally lined up with one of my athletes with the 3:40 pacer. We were both shooting for the exact some time so we decided to start with the pacer and see how things shook out.
Found my Coeur Sports teammate Christine for our twin pic!
Our pacers were AMAZING!!!! Seriously, they paced us for the best marathon I have ever run! They took it easy on the uphill in the beginning, pushed the pace on the downhill in the middle, and dragged us along on the final uphill near the end. They told us stories and jokes and honestly the miles just clicked off! I wrote more about how I used my watch in the race here so check that out.
My husband and kid followed us down the hill all the way from Ojai to Ventura. Stuart met me specifically at miles 9 and 17 with a bottle of Red Bull (you can see why it is served in a can!) and an extra gel. Other than that I managed with a few Cliff Gels and the hydration on course (Fluid). Keep it simple people!
They were everywhere! The race was going great and it wasn’t until mile 23 that I was finally getting a bit tired.
Smiling on the outside but not on the inside!
After this we had a couple of hard miles up a long hill but my athlete, Sara, and I were just in a new gear. We powered up the hill and finally left the pacers by around mile 24. Once we got to the final mile Sara took off and cruised into the finish. I was about 30 seconds behind her. Now we are BOTH #BostonBound!
The next day I was laying in be reflecting on the race and wrote a quick post for my Coeur Sports Team. I think this sums up my day the best.
GO for it people!!! Really really go for it! That is the only way to make it happen!
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- All smiles!
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- Oy, this is getting tough!
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- Ugly cry I think
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- When will I stop biting my lip!?!
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- Not pee, I promise!
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- Still not pee…
Shameless plug for myself… I coached two women for this race. Each had PRs here and one qualified for Boston. Please let me know if you are interested in coaching. I am excited to help you get a PR! Check out my coaching site, Head Down, Do Work Coaching.
See Becca Try to Tri 
Your pre-race post made me boldly say out loud that I want to break six hours at my July 70.3. Not just say it, but I grabbed a calendar and jotted down some workouts & mapped out a plan through the race! Thank you for sharing all the grit and hard work that goes into an accomplishment like this! Congratulations! Super happy for you!
It isn’t easy but it is totally worth it!!
You are my athletic role model and continue to inspire and motivate me to do and be my best!! Thank you!! I’m so proud of you for pushing yourself (even during the recovery process), working hard, and achieving your dreams!! Congratulations!! ❤