Crowley’s injury-free for Boston

To many, the 26.2-mile course that comprises the route of the Boston Marathon is considered to be perhaps the toughest marathon course in the world.From the time runners set off from Hopkinton to their arrival in front of the Boston Public Library, their journey is one that takes them through the suburbs of Boston and up and down a series of hills that would make any runner scream for mercy.One person who certainly can attest to the difficulty of the Boston course is Lynn resident Joe Crowley, who will be taking part when the gun goes off at 10:30 a.m. on Monday.”If you don’t train on hills, it’s tough,” Crowley said. “You have the downhills, but you also have the uphills, and it beats up on you.”Crowley is an experienced marathoner, having run Boston on five previous occasions, but not since 2000.He also has run in two of the world’s other famous marathons – the IMG New York City Marathon and the Dublin Marathon – while also competing in the Marine Corps Marathon and the Ocean State Marathon twice.Yet, with all that, nothing can compare to the grandeur of Boston and the thousands of runners who make the trek yearly ? and especially this year, when more local runners than ever will take the Boston plunge.That’s something that Crowley finds amazing.”The last dozen years or so, it’s amazing with how many local runners there are,” Crowley said.”Back in the ’70s and ’80s, there were maybe a dozen or so. Now it’s great how many people do run it.”This year will mark the first in a long time that Crowley will have gotten through his training without an injury, unlike past years, where injuries have thwarted his hopes of taking part in Boston.”I’d start training for it and would come up with an injury,” Crowley said. “This year, I’ve been able to get through injury-free.”Another thing that has helped the cause this year was an abnormally warm winter, which allowed Crowley the chance to get plenty of long runs in to build up his stamina.”With the weather, it’s tough to get long runs in,” Crowley said. “But we had a warm winter, and I was able to get those in.”And with the eyes of the American running world set to be on Boston on Sunday as the US Women’s Olympic Trials are set to be contested on a special course that will use the finish line along Boylston Street, Crowley knows that Boston will draw out a special significance.”It usually brings out the best,” Crowley said.The 55-year-old hopes to finish in less than four hours.His best time for the Boston course was 3:25 in 2000.