Episode 129: Mental Prep and Performance for the Boston Marathon
In this week’s episode, Elena shares key takeaways from her incredible day at the 2026 Boston Marathon, specifically focusing on the mental prep that went into the race and the mental strategies that helped her run a personal best on a day when her body wasn’t feeling great. We cover her mindset going into the race, what was going on in her head when she started to feel strain in her legs much sooner than expected, how she stayed in the game mentally through challenging middle miles and over Heartbreak Hill, how she willed herself out of some intense cramping at mile 25, and how she balanced feel vs. pace vs. heart rate data throughout the race. We also hit practical insights on her training strategy, what she learned for next time, menstrual cycle effects on performance, and general takeaways from other racers in Boston. This is a useful episode for anyone looking to improve their mental game going into big races and/or to keep soaking in the Boston Marathon energy! Check it out.
Elena’s Boston Summary:
First, the joy of seeing so many friends from so many phases of life! Brings me so much energy in addition to all the energy for Marathon weekend in Boston
Wasn’t taking it too seriously despite caring a lot – that tends to be my MO these days. Helps me to balance out the nerves. I focus mostly on what I can control but trust that it will all come together fine
Goals & mindset going in
The A/B/C goal framework
A goal: 2:50 — 6:30 pace felt smooth and comfortable in SLC, optimistic it would hold at sea level
B goal: PR — sub 2:57 (set at Boston 2023)
C goal: finish, soak in the energy, have a positive experience
Pacing → start conservative around 6:30-6:35 and see how it feels. Check that HR is <164 and that it feels steady. If so stay there around 6:30. If not, chill it back to 6:35-6:40 and see how it feels. Halfway start creeping up if feeling good, otherwise just stay consistent. Trust the feel!
Fueling → gel every 20 mins, gatorade every mile, water when needed, salt when needed
Takeaway: having a tiered goal structure isn't settling — it's an active mental tool that keeps you fighting when A slips away
The training block
Intentionally different cycle — 20–30 mpw less than previous blocks, no mileage targets, workouts skipped if body wasn't on board
Some of the best individual sessions ever: 9-mile rotation workout (6:45/6:30/6:15 rotating) felt effortless; 8 miles at marathon pace off 1-min easy also felt easy
But also a very inconsistent block — great week followed by 1-2 terrible weeks, repeatedly
Speed work suffered most — barely hitting 6:15 for 1-minute reps on bad days
Fatigue sensitivity, travel, work stress, and under-fueling all contributing factors
Missing piece: long road runs at marathon pace — tried a couple times, felt terrible, didn't force them
Takeaway: learning to listen to your body is a training goal in itself — but it comes with honest tradeoffs in specific fitness
Confidence & uncertainty going in
Fit but less prepared — the specific gap was road-specific endurance, not aerobic fitness
Also racing 2 days before period — luteal phase likely amplifying muscular fatigue (a thread to return to in the debrief)
"I went in knowing I was fit but less prepared. On a great day I could really surprise myself — but the uncertainty was high and I left it open to how the day would play out."
Race week
How the week felt
Arrived Thursday — exhausting travel day, jog felt ok but not great
Pre-race week fatigue and low appetite in the 1-2 weeks prior — common pattern, tried not to read too much into it
Emotionally: excited, a little nervous, but overall relaxed and curious
The approach: living normally, just intentionally
Didn't isolate — saw friends, did work, moved around the city
Extra focus on fueling throughout the day, hydration, light easy runs
Takeaway: race week routine is personal — full isolation isn't always the answer, especially if it adds stress or takes away joy
The mental prep session (day before)
~30 minutes alone, working through a structured mental prep framework
Negative narrative: wrote out every dark thought — "I haven't trained hard enough. Maybe I'm just cocky and deserve to blow up."
Positive narrative: wrote out every counter — years of diligent training, maturity as an athlete, amazing workouts, enjoying the process
Cookie jar: UTMB comeback as the anchor —feeling proud of that growth, proof of mental toughness under messy circumstances
Emotional scenario planning: worked through "what if I feel dead at the start," "what if I cramp," "what if I feel great" — pre-loaded the responses
Mantras locked in: "I think I can I think I can," "radiate love," "curiosity," "why not?", “do it for them”
I also imagined a C goal day and visualized myself having the mental approach to enjoy it and focus on the experience and realized it was not scary at all. Made the worst case not that bad at all.
If I start out and feel dead! It’s ok, stay conservative, pay attention to HR, go a couple miles and see if it improves, otherwise just recalibrate. NBD!
If I start out feeling great but start crashing early. Again, no panic. See how long I can sustain with a reasonable HR. always ok to bring it back a tad. I’ve done it before
If I feel amazing! Stay in control, 6:30s creeping up based on HR
If I get a sick stomach. Grit it out and see if it will go away. 30s porta potty break if needed. Readjust fueling to dial back a tad
If I’m cramping, take a salt pill!
If I doubt myself, nothing is harder than what I did to come back for UTMB. take solace in my toughness and know that everything will be ok. Focus on soaking in energy from the crowds!
Takeaway: writing out your negative narrative before race day — and countering it — defuses it. Sitting with the fear is the prep.
Race morning
Simple by design — mental prep done the day before meant race morning was just execution
Some logistics stress getting out the door, but once on the bus: music on, calm, just happy to be there
The race
Miles 1–3: scanning and settling
Trying to read how the body felt — HR and pace both being monitored closely
Happy with how it felt but a little tight — not the effortless flow state she wanted
Internal cue: "relax, just see how it plays out"
Miles 3–6: the window of hope
Comfortable, controlled, HR responding well and sitting low
"I've got this" feeling — excited and in it
Mile 6: first alarm
Legs started feeling heavy and strained — earlier than it should have hit
Internal response: "it's not linear — just keep going and see what happens"
It improved slightly, then got worse at mile 8
Miles 8–11: the negotiation
Worry setting in but not panic — staying rational
"Wow, this will be impossible. Maybe I should just quit." — and then immediately countered it
Counter: mantras, the emotional planning already done, the A/B/C framework — "I don't know how this is going to go, and that's ok. B goal is totally fine. I am not going to die."
By 10–11: clear I needed to back off slightly, not a lot — rolled to B goal pace
Takeaway: the mental prep pays off most in the 8–12 mile range when the first doubts hit — having pre-loaded your responses means you don't have to think, just execute
Miles 10–16: strained but still fighting
Running off A goal pace but still surprising myself with ability to keep moving — not slow, just not 6:30
B goal gave me something to fight for — key distinction between adjusting and quitting
"Adjusting" = still pushing at the pace that's more sustainable
"Quitting" = jogging it in, pretty much what happened in NYC for me
Miles 16–21: the hills with nothing to give
Normally comparatively strong on hills — had nothing this time
UTMB training principle: every hill has an end. Settle in and get to the top. Don't think about pace.
Crowd energy, friends on course — soaking it in when the legs couldn't contribute
Takeaway: the cookie jar is most useful when you can't think clearly — a single pre-loaded image or idea is enough to carry you through a hard stretch
Miles 21–25: survival mode
Cramping setting in — managing mile by mile
Knew I’d finish — just had to keep the body from giving up
Mile 25: the cramp moment
Full-body cramp was a little scary at mile 25
"No. You're almost there. And then I'll take care of you."
Theory: you can will your body out of cramping if you force it to keep moving — don't let the body negotiate
Takeaway: talking to your body with compassion — not aggression — in the hardest moments is a skill worth developing
The finish
Relief more than elation — a lot of pain, a lot of effort spent
PR on a tough day — didn't fully celebrate it in the moment because it wasn't the A goal
Pride has grown with time — left it all out there, and that's a great feeling
The debrief
What actually happened
Road mileage gap — specific fitness for a road marathon wasn't fully there
Luteal phase timing — racing 2 days before period, muscular fatigue likely worse as a result
Fueling during the race was solid, but may have needed more in the week prior
What I’d change — and what I wouldn't
Probably push a bit more road mileage — but do it compassionately, keep easy days truly easy
But honestly? Hard to say she'd change much — the block was about learning to listen, and that learning had value
"I don't know if I'd really change so much about training. I was learning how to listen to my body. It could have just been a bad day that I turned into a fine outcome."
Closing thoughts & what's next
Feeling the exhaustion — physically and mentally, the effort took a lot out
Trail season next — bigger adventures on the horizon
Most proud of: mental development as an athlete — most visible on the hard days, not the good ones
"Trust your body. Know that not everything will be perfect. But you can still make progress over time by aligning your mental strength with your physical feel."
Challenge of the week
Katie: At some point in your season, do a race completely by feel instead of watching splits/time etc.
Elena: celebrate the mental wins
Gear pick of the week
Katie: Women's Colter WINDSTOPPER® Down Jacket - my favorite non-baby-marketed baby gear piece
Elena: Shokz OpenRun Pro (mini)