Akron Marathon

My big race for the year took place in Akron this past Saturday.  It was my first full marathon since the 2011 Columbus Marathon.  I chose it due to the proximity to home and because it is often rated alongside Columbus as being one of the best organized races in the state.  My training has been very hit-or-miss throughout the summer, but I hit on most of my long runs.  The real challenge was training for the hills of Akron while living in pancake flat Northwest Ohio. 

I arrived in Akron a couple days before the race and hit the expo on Friday morning.  This was a piece of cake as the convention center was easy to get to and the expo itself was very well organized.  One of the extra perks to this race is the swag.  Marathoners get a very cool Brooks running jacket, a year subscription to Running Times magazine, cool free samples (love the Emergen-C mix), a finisher towel, and amazing finisher medal.  I especially like getting the jacket as my closet is full of race shirts.  After the expo, I simply relaxed for the rest of the day, contemplating the pain that awaited me on Saturday.

Getting to the parking areas for a race this size can be a pain, but if you simply plan ahead it can be a piece of cake.  I arrived about an hour and a half early and found a parking garage one block from the start and one block from the finish.  It pays to plan!  That also gave me some time to read my book in the car, stretch out, and make my way to the start.  Here are a few pics of the finish area before the race:

I forgot about the energy before a full marathon.  It's amazing.  Loud music, an energetic crowd, fireworks, and me just wanting to start the dang thing.  The experience is unlike any other, but it's really hard to enjoy it when you are embarking on a 26.2 mile journey.  We started at 7:00 on the dot.  Here are my thoughts throughout the race:

Miles 1-5: I wanted to start out nice and easy during the first ten miles or so.  Everything started well as I was in the 10:00 range during the early miles.  We made our way through downtown, then back the way we came heading south.  There were a few gradual hills but nothing major.  I didn't do much maneuvering as I had lined up at the exact right place at the start.  Not much to report here.

Miles 6-10: We head east for a mile and then back north around mile 7.  This led into the University of Akron campus, which was a nice little section of this race.  Some students were actually out and about to cheer us on.  I sped up a bit and was hitting anywhere from 9:00-9:30 per mile during this stretch.  We headed back to the downtown area at mile 9 and then north again at mile 10.

Miles 11-15: Here's where I had no choice but to abandon my plan and, thus, screwed up my race.  We started heading back south right after mile 11 and hit a couple of wicked downhills.  The second of which went on for about 3/4 mile straight down.  I had two choices: fly down this thing or hold back.  Either way, my quads would be destroyed.  I tried to hold back but I had two miles clocking in at 8:53 and 8:40.  It was WAY too early for that to happen and I knew it would screw me up later in the race.  My hope was that I could hold out as long as possible.  At least I was greeted with an amazing running environment soon after.  We ran through some gorgeous parks on the Towpath trail starting at mile 13 and would remain on their for over 5 miles.  It was a nice, scenic part of the race and the shade was very welcomed.  Honestly, you could still see people's breath at certain points on the course.  My half time was 2:00:34.  Well on pace for a PR.  I held steady during this section and was averaging 9:17 per mile.

Miles 16-20: We kept on the Towpath during most of this stretch.  Everyone knew the hills would start around mile 17.  After looking at the elevation chart, I see now that miles 15-20 are actually one long, slow climb that you don't really notice at first.  Mix that with the MEGA hill at mile 18 and you have a recipe for crapping out.  That is, unfortunately, what happened to me.  I began to feel like crap around mile 20 and hit the 20.7 mile marker in 3:15:50.  I knew, with how I was feeling at this point, a PR was no longer in the cards.  Seriously, it was like flipping a switch.

Miles 21-26.2: We ran through some residential areas and I really enjoyed how many people came out to cheer us on.  It wasn't the same as Columbus but still pretty special.  I was simply trying to hold on by taking water and Gatorade at every stop and taking plenty of walk breaks.  I was also beating myself up until mile 23 or so.  A PR was never a given but I absolutely hate the fact that I crapped out like this at Akron.  Finally, I decided that I'm finishing my third marathon and should simply be proud of that fact and enjoy the last three miles.  Thankfully, I did.  We made our way back downtown for the final few miles and the amazing finish inside the Akron Aeros minor league ballpark.  My final time was 4:23:57.  I was actually surprised, considering how I felt the final 10k, that I was only ten minutes off from my Columbus time.  That's really not too bad since this was a much tougher course.

Despite my feeling through part of this race, I really enjoyed the overall experience.  This was a well organized marathon and, dare I say, slightly better than Columbus.  The ease of getting around and the fact that the course wasn't completely congested were pluses.  I'm really hoping this is the last time I do a full marathon but, let's face it, I'm already thinking of what I could do on a flat course.

Next race: Dayton River Corridor Classic Half Marathon- Dayton, OH

Columbus Marathon

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