When Craig Shimkus came home from Boston last week, he was exhausted. His legs, worn out by the rigorous Boston Marathon, needed some convincing to do what he wanted them to. And, on top of that, he developed a cold.
But Shimkus isn’t complaining.
Monday, April 21, marked the second time that the Durant High School social studies teacher ran in the famous marathon, his first attempt since 2011. With 2013 now in the rearview mirror, he and his fellow runners all seemed to flock to the city with the same mindset.
“After the events of last year, I think a lot of the runners that went back felt that it was making a statement,” Shimkus says. “We support the marathon, we support the city, and we’re not going to be counted out because of an act of terrorism.”
An act of terrorism he nearly witnessed for himself.
CLOSE CALL
The sights and sounds at the end of the 2013 Boston Marathon were unforgettable in the worst way imaginable: a coordinated bombing attack at the finish line killed three people and injured many others.
Having qualified for the event, Shimkus could have been there — in fact, many people were worried that he was.
“I was on conference, and I watched the end of the race,” Shimkus says. “I watched the elites come through, and then I turned off my computer and went about my business. My phone started sort of blowing up later in the day — people texting me, ‘Are you in Boston?’ They knew that I’d run it before. I got home and turned the TV on, I didn’t know what was going on, and that was a shock.”
Fortunately for Shimkus, some family plans came up and he had to stay in Florida. The events of that Boston Marathon had a profound effect on the running community, changing both procedure and culture.
“I think this whole year has been an adjustment, even in terms of running circles,” Shimkus says. “You go to races, there’s more security. But, nothing prepared me for when we got back to Boston.”
THE HEALING PROCESS
No matter what else could have happened in the 365 days between the 2013 and 2014 Boston Marathons, only one thing could finally give all of the runners — and the city itself — a sense of relief: a successful event.
Part of that, obviously, came from stricter security. According to Shimkus, Boston substantially beefed up its security staff this time around — he says he never felt unsafe.
“It was important for my son to see that you can go back to a place that was hit by terrorism and feel safe, feel secure,” he says.
Another part came from the Boston community itself. Although the marathon is always a big draw, Shimkus says that this year’s event couldn’t have been more different than the one he ran in 2011.
“The crowds were — I think they said there were over a million people on the course — supporting the runners this year,” Shimkus says. “It looked like triple the amount of people that were there the first time I ran it. It was really an amazing thing to see.”
There was a memorial run on Saturday morning, honoring the bombing victims and first responders, and even that drew a big crowd. Businesses shut down that morning, so that workers could come out and watch the run, and they did.’
The Old South Church, located at the Boston Marathon finish line, committed to making scarves for the runners as a church project. But, when word of that spread, it went everywhere: More than 10,000 people from around the country knitted scarves for the runners. They weren’t all the same shape or size, but they were all blue and gold — official marathon colors — and they all had a brief origin story.
“Each one has a little thing that tells you where they came from — mine came from Duxbury, Mass.,” Shimkus says. “A woman named Lori made mine. I think I’m going to have it framed, just as a remembrance.”
It wasn’t long before every runner in Boston was sporting one. With strong security measures in place, and an extremely supportive community, there was only one thing left to do: start running.
JUST LIKE ALWAYS
The marathon route remains unchanged. And, with so much security around, the runners didn’t have to fear for their safety. All that any of them had to worry about was their run, and runners such as Shimkus took comfort in knowing that.
Mental comfort, that is. Physical comfort is not something for which the Boston Marathon is known, and it can be especially tough on Florida-based runners.
“The big thing with Boston is, because of the hills — particularly the downhills — that’s where the stress is,” Shimkus says.
Unless they’re making the trek to south Lakeland or perhaps Dade City, there’s not a whole lot for Floridian runners to do to train for Boston’s hills.
“The Boston course is unique,” Shimkus says. “One, because it’s point-to-point. The other is, the first 13 miles of the course are downhill — the latter half, between mile 16 and mile 21, is where you have all the big hills. Running downhill, most people don’t train for that, so it really affects your quads. And then, trying to go up the hills in the back end, your legs are just shot.”
Shimkus will run anywhere from 30 to 90 miles per week, depending on what stage of his training schedule he’s in, but his quadriceps muscles are used to flat land. When he returned from Boston, it took a few days before the pain in his legs subsided.
Another aspect runners have to worry about is dehydration, which may the the most common ailment. That, plus the warm, 60-degree weather, affected Shimkus himself and may have contributed to the cold that he brought home.
However, Shimkus did go home happy with his time. He finished in 3:07, a huge improvement over his 2011 time of 3:22. He hopes to go back one day and try to do better but not before he runs a few other major marathons first.
That could be five years from now, when he moves into another age bracket. But, he’s in no rush — this year’s marathon was a rousing success, and he got to see a city come together to heal.
“It was neat to see that there was that much support for the city,” he says, “and for the marathon, from the surrounding communities.”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
TRAINING MODE
There’s really only one way to properly train for a marathon: run as far as you can.
Thanks to a supportive Durant High School administration staff, as well as his family, Craig Shimkus is able to train as he sees fit and travel to events such as the Boston Marathon. It was his 11th marathon and, although he didn’t record his fastest time ever, he left satisfied.
To prepare, Shimkus starts by running at least 40 miles per week. Whether he has to get up early, stay up late or even sneak a few miles in before church on Sundays, it takes a big commitment — especially three or four weeks before the race, when he goes up to 80 or 90 miles.
The week before a race, he drops to about 30 miles. He says the schedule helps improve his times, but he knows he could do better.
“I love food so much,” he says. “That’s one of the reasons I run, because I like to eat and I’m a junk-food junkie.”