Keep reading for more details on this picture.

(Sunday Paper, Year VII, Issue 7)

I wouldn’t call myself an expert…

But I’ve certainly gotten to know the Boston Marathon course very well over this past year.

And, after living in the Boston area for more than 20 years at this point, there are specific points along the marathon route that I know extremely well.

On the new Instagram page - @johnnyrunsalot - I asked people if they would be interested in hearing my takes on some of those spots.

The response from a good number of followers (many of whom, I think, are preparing to run the Boston Marathon without living in the Boston area) was unanimously yes.

So I will spend some of the weeks between now and April 18 devoting some Sunday Paper space to some of my favorite (and maybe least favorite) spots along the marathon route.

And we start with the spot that maybe means the most to me.

I have certainly told you about this before - when I was in college I lived right along the Boston Marathon route on Beacon Street, a little more than a mile from the finish line. (I’m guessing it’s about mile 24.7 or so of the marathon - in other words, about a mile and a half from the finish.)

On Marathon weekend during college I was woken up by the hammering of the temporary fence along the street. (I don’t know if I ever mentioned why I lived there - it was an on-campus apartment building. I was late returning my housing forms…and instead of terrible housing I ended up with a roommate in a studio apartment on the ground floor of this apartment building. Then, after a year in the dorms to be with friends, when I could choose my housing in my senior year, I was able to return to 864 Beacon one floor up in a one-bedroom apartment.)

My first Boston Marathon experience was accidentally stumbling into it during a college visit with my dad, brother, and great-uncle.

My second Boston Marathon experience was the crowds outside my door and the race going by out my window. It was really amazing…and after learning that all of those people who came by hours after the leaders were just ordinary runners, it was the first time I was like, “Oh, maybe I should do that one day.”

So in the October marathon, after seeing Kathy and the girls and my parents in Framingham (with my brother and my in-laws) and then Wellesley, which was a place Kathy chose because she knew her way around the area, I told Kathy to wait for me at 864 Beacon.

I figured the finish would be exciting enough without their morale boost…and I would need to see them more at 864 Beacon. (I was right - I was awfully gassed when I got there. At the other stops I made sure to take a picture of the family watching - I wanted to remember it. At 864 Beacon I barely got out the words “I can’t stop…need to finish.”)

So before I quickly tell you about the terrain here, let me quickly illustrate the picture above.

I’ve thrown an arrow on there showing you which apartment building is 864 Beacon Street…and for reference/proximity to Kenmore Square, you can kind of see the Citgo sign there through the trees. (I didn’t want to step out into the middle of Beacon to get a clearer shot. Also…they’ve built some weird building on the corner that has words that kind of block the Citgo sign. That’s new.)

There’s also two arrows pointing in either direction of Park Drive - to the right is the apartment where I lived for a year after I graduated, and to the left is where I spent most of my days in college - the main campus along Commonwealth Avenue, the College of Communications, that sort of thing.

So I knew this was going to be a very exciting stretch of road for me during the Marathon for very nostalgic reasons…and it kind of was, but it was also very difficult because it was mile 24 and I was tired and sore.

I also knew from practice runs that there was a rise as the road lifted and became a Massachusetts Turnpike overpass…and after doing the Newton Hills I wasn’t looking forward to more hills. (There’s also an underpass that goes under Mass Ave that leads uphill to Hereford Street…those are two tough hills, so close to the end, for a runner like me.)

The five or so miles from Boston College to the finish line are a long stretch of Beacon Street - lots of apartment buildings, a few busy squares (Washington Square, Coolidge Corner) - it can feel like a slog…

But even if you don’t have personal connections to 864 Beacon Street this stretch is exciting because it’s the last of that bit before you hit Kenmore Square and the final mile of the race.

It’s just a touch more meaningful for me for many reasons…and I’m looking forward to being a touch stronger when I approach it this time around.

What I’ve Been Enjoying

‘Pet Sounds’ - The Beach Boys
‘In My Tribe’ - 10,000 Maniacs
‘Damn The Torpedoes’ - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Miracle

I listened to Pet Sounds last Sunday when I drove into Boston for my long run and then I listened again on the run while wearing earphones just to see if I should appreciate it that way also. I really enjoyed it. But the fact that I listened to it twice has me worrying about the end-of-year algorithm…since I’m listening to so many albums once through this year, the fact that I listened to this one twice might move it to the top of the list of favorites in the algorithm’s mind, right? Even if I listen to any one song twice that’s going to skew the algorithm. I don’t know what to think about that…this year’s algorithm is not going to be very indicative of a typical year of music that I listen to.

Notes

*If you’re not already, maybe you should check out the Instagram I mentioned above - @johnnyrunsalot - that’s where I’ll do the majority of my posting about my running as I train for the Marathon, just a little more than two months away.

*You can also keep tabs on me by Liking the Facebook page here, or following me on Twitter here. If you’re new here, the Facebook page is where I post about my writing (mostly this weekly Sunday Paper, these days, but there’s always a chance there will be more!), and I’ve been trying to get back to tweeting again on a regular basis.

*Also, if you’re new here: Hey, welcome! Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed your visit.

*I think I got everyone their Super Bowl numbers, but if I didn’t make sure you reach out - good luck in the pool! And thank you for the support - that’s a solid kickoff to the marathon fundraising.

*And if you’re interested in contributing, you can donate here. For information about the charity, you can check out the Wonderfund’s website.

*Slowly but surely I’m coming out of my pandemic-forced comedy hiatus. We had our second Exhibit ‘A’ show last night and it went really well. I’m feeling more comfortable getting out…I’m going to try to hit a couple of shows between now and the next Exhibit ‘A’ one. (That would be the second week in March if you’re thinking about attending…we’re back to the second Saturday of every month!)

*Running Update: Saturday was unusually warm here and the Team Framingham run started at around 8am in 45-degree temps. We ran from Framingham to Hopkinton and back - I finished at around 13.1 miles, and did it in 2:20-ish. If I keep that pace for the full 26 miles I will be extremely happy with my marathon result.

*I don’t have much of a rooting interest in the Super Bowl today - I’d be fine with seeing either team win. I like the Matthew Stafford story, and I have a friend who’s a Bengals fan, and I don’t particularly dislike either team. So I won’t be happy or unhappy either way. I just hope it’s as entertaining a game as the rest of the playoffs have been…which there’s no reason to think it shouldn’t be.