This was the big one. The key race I've been building up to since January. And it did not disappoint! I knew coming in that I would do better than last year's Spinx Run Fest Marathon (4:42) for two reasons. 1. Columbus is a much flatter course than Greenville, SC. 2. My training was so much better this year. My top long run last year was only around 16 miles. This year I did two 16 milers, a 17 miler, and a 20 miler. My body is a lot more accustomed to this kind of distance and that showed on Sunday. My realistic goal for this race was to break 4:30. My somewhat unrealistic goal was to break 4:15.
I stayed only four blocks from the race start, which was absolutely perfect. I was able to take my time getting ready, pop a gel, watch the traffic begin to back up outside the hotel, and then make my way to the start. It was about 7:00 when I made my way to Corral D for the 7:30 start. Now I've mentioned before that I usually don't run larger races. Last month's Air Force Half Marathon was the largest race I've done, but it wasn't overwhelming. This race was huge. It's like the whole city comes out to support this race, which is so cool. A band played at the starting line until we started and it was a party like atmosphere. At 7:30 a huge cannon went off, followed by fireworks, to start the race. It flowed pretty well and it took about 5-6 minutes for me to cross the start line.
I went out at a very conservative pace after learning my lesson last year. 10-11 minute miles for the first few miles is fine because I have plenty of time to make it up. We headed east on Broad St. toward Capital University for the first few miles and I was overwhelmed by the crowd. Cheering people were packed along every city block and were out in full force in the smaller neighborhoods, too. The first few miles clicked off like they were nothing and I just settled in and enjoyed myself. I didn't bother to get splits for every mile (not for a full marathon) but I do have the major splits from the race site itself. The fact is, I felt pretty good. The first 10k went by in 58:31. That's actually not far off from where I like to be in a half marathon but, again, this is a fast course.
We made our way through German Village and back north on High St. These miles weren't bad, but I began feeling a few aches, nothing major, during this portion. It seems it's always around mile 10 when I do start feeling the race, but it tends to go away pretty quickly. Again, the fans overwhelmed me during this stretch. So much support from the city. I hit the half marathon mark at 2:03.56. I think I was at 2:07 at this point at last year's marathon and really hit the wall around mile 17. It certainly didn't feel like I was going to hit the wall anytime soon, so I kept a steady pace.
I forgot what a powerless feeling it is when the half marathoners break off to finish their race and the rest of us keep running. That's the precise moment when you realize you're in a marathon. It is nice since we actually had room to operate once we lost the half marathoners. We ran their entire race with them. That's a bit odd as every marathon I've been to splits up the two races at an earlier point. With 17,000 combined in the half and full, you really had to watch where you were going. We continued up High St. and over to the OSU campus. We even made our way around Ohio Stadium! I still felt good (minus one pit stop) and was maintaining a steady pace. Mile 20 was in a residential area in Upper Arlington. There were plenty of cheering people at the Mile 20 marker, otherwise known as The Wall. The point every marathoner really begins to feel the race. We even went under an inflatable sign that said "Break Through the Wall!" I noticed one sign that said, "Every wall has a door." Awesome. I crossed the 20 mile marker in 3:11.52.
We continued through a few neighborhoods in Upper Arlington and started making our way back to downtown. I still felt good, but was feeling a few aches in the left knee and in the hips. My knees sometime ache when I get to about 15 miles and they had remained pretty quiet until this point. The hips are always an issue for me in a longer race. Something has to be off with my form and I plan to work on this in the winter. I stopped at mile 22 to stretch some and walked through the water stop. There were fewer spectators through a little neighborhood, but the ones who were out were very enthusiastic. Miles 23 and 24 were very slow. I was really feeling this race at this point. I stopped to stretch out again. Mile 25 was pretty good as I ran with a larger group and chatted with them some. As we made our way downtown, I knew a PR was a definite, and that a sub-4:15 was a good possibility if I kicked it in some. We hit the 26 mile marker and I gave it everything I had left, crossing the finish line in 4:13.49!
I had to have looked like death after crossing the finish line. After almost collapsing twice, I received my medal from a volunteer and very carefully made my way to the food. They gave each runner their own bag of food to ensure everyone got something. That's a nice touch. I just collapsed on the grass and tried to stretch out. I can say in all honesty that I gave this one everything I had and I'm very proud of it. Going from a 4:42 to 4:13 is a huge difference. Will it be my last marathon? No. I'll be doing another at some point. I'm leaning toward Indianapolis, Kentucky Derby, or maybe Columbus again (I've earned the right to start in Corral C next time). Rather than going through the post-marathon funk that some people don't believe is possible (it is) I have two half marathons planned to finish 2011.
Next race: Louisville Sports Commission Half Marathon- Louisville, KY
