boston.com Sports Sportsin partnership with NESN your connection to The Boston Globe
2006 Boston Marathon
 
The course: Fun, then sweat, then heartbreak hell

Stage Two

| Back to Framingham | On to Wellesley, Newton |

10.1 miles: Through Natick
The crossing of Routes 135 and 27 in Natick Center is a critical juncture, for one's condition at 10 miles often tells the tale of the day. To run well, the marathoner must feel fresh here. If I've run 10 miles in less than 59 minutes, a warning bell sounds and I slow down -- not an easy thing to do on a flat road built for speed in front of a boisterous, cheering crowd.

| Back to Framingham | On to Wellesley, Newton |