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Cleveland Marathon - Run


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Cleveland, Ohio
United States
Cleveland Marathon
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 4h 53m 51s
Overall Rank = 1148/1708
Age Group = F40-44
Age Group Rank = 60/98
Pre-race routine:

I stayed with Greg both Friday and Saturday nights. Saturday morning we found a bagel shop so I could get bagels for the next day. Leigh made us a spaghetti dinner on Saturday night. I got up Sunday morning at 4am and ate my usual bagel with peanut butter, a banana, and caffeinated Crystal Lite drink. Greg got up early and drove me in to the start. He had reserved a parking spot in a garage perfectly located between the start and finish. We were able to get to it despite a few road closures. We parked almost on the top floor and walked down. I was thinking about finding a porta potty when he suggested the casino! Brilliant! He talked to the security guard about the Christmas Story movie and then asked where he might get breakfast. Next thing I knew we were headed in and I got to use a nice restroom with flush toilets, running water, and NO other people. Perfect.... We walked over to the start line. Once we figured out where the 4:25 pace group was we talked for a few minutes and then he left me so I could get lined up.
Event warmup:

Nothing other than walking to the corral and hanging out there. It poured on us just before the start.
Run
  • 4h 53m 51s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 11m 13s  min/mile
Comments:

UGH!! Well, I knew going in that this wasn't going to be a PR effort. I think maybe mentally that was part of the problem. I attempted to start with the 4:25 pace group. The start was a cluster. Like Little Rock, this race starts the marathon, a half, and a 10K all at the same time. The streets of downtown Cleveland are just too narrow and in too poor of a shape for that many runners. I was dodging walkers within a block of the start!! I believe the pace group went out too fast. We hit the first mile OK (10:08), but then that was followed by two miles close to 9:45 - way too fast. I lost the pace group my mile 3 and knew then it wasn't going to be a good day.

I was determined to run at least to the half. Things got somewhat better when the 10K split off (around mile 3) and again when the half split off around mile 9. I took a twizzler from a spectator not far after the half split. I didn't eat all of it. There were a few hills that I wasn't expecting in the 10ish mile range. I toyed with the idea of running until my mile splits dropped to 11+ min/miles but for some reason I started walked through the water stops after the half. Sometimes I walked much farther than just through the stop. It poured again at both mile 15 and ~mile 20, but in between/after the sun would come out and just bake! It was miserable and the humidity was ridiculous!

I saw Jennie from the Rehoboth Beach marathon at ~ mile 21. She was still heading out for what looked like it was going to be along day! She did make it, in just over 7 hours! What a trooper!

The section right before the shoreway had a ridiculous pitch to it (of course in the opposite direction that is good for me). I walked most of that. Then came the shoreway. I had read about this but assumed it was mid-westerners exaggerating. No, this is a legitimate hill at the end of race that claims to be flat! Not so much! The worst part was that because it was a highway, there were no trees which meant no shade!! UGH!!!

I did a gel at ~ 6.5, 13, 18, and 22ish. I also ate a part of a twizzler, most of a small box of Nerds, an orange slice, and a few pretzels. I got the orange slice at an aid station, but the rest came from spectators (the pretzels came from little kids!).

I had several minor meltdowns. The polka playing somewhere in the 20s made me think of Emil. A few times I was discouraged about how I ever thought I could BQ. One time a volunteer (?) with a hose told me that was the last one. This was ~mile 23 and I thought she meant aid station (she meant hose). I asked the volunteer who gave me water at that aid station why she said that. I assume she told that lady not to say that anymore. Some nice volunteer on the Shoreway gave me ice. I put that in the front of my sports bra, but didn't like the sloshing so I put it in the back.

At many of the aid stations, I got either a cup of PowerAde and a cup of water or two cups of water. At most of them, I poured the excess water down my back. I kept having to wring out my skirt (between the times it poured and the water that I dumped on myself).

It was a long miserable day and I've never been so glad to see a finish line (OK except maybe at TCM that time I ran injured).
What would you do differently?:

I could make a list!! First, I should've trained better - the ridiculous winter that shortened a few long runs and three weeks in Taiwan that took out 3 weekends of long runs put a dent in my training! Then, because I knew I wasn't in PR shape, I did some things that I normally wouldn't have - didn't really have lunch the day before, walked all over the zoo, and stayed up later than I normally would have.

Also, I should have been prepared to ditch the pace group earlier or start with an even slower one.
Post race
Warm down:

Not much. Walked through the chute, got my medal, a bottle of water, and a banana. I took a bag of Cheetoh type things put only ate a few. Got my picture taken and then found Greg. We walked around the finish area to see if I was missing any other food. I wasn't, so we just walked back to the car. Luckily there was an elevator in the parking garage even though it had a sign that said, "Any more than 8 people will cause this elevator to get stuck!!" We rode up with another girl and what appeared to be her dad.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of training - both running and strength training, poor decision making both during the race and the day before.

Also, I ran the Guthrie Gallop a week before and inadvertently got videotaped running. It seems that I had reverted back to doing something funny with my right foot (in addition to my normal weirdness on the left). I had that in my head that I had to worry about that. I know I tried to be conscious of that, but I have no idea how much of the time I was really successful in keeping my right foot tracking straight.

Event comments:

The volunteers were great! The race itself seemed pretty well organized, but they should consider having the 10K start at a different time (different day?, same day, different route?, something...) The course is relatively flat, but not completely.




Last updated: 2015-05-12 12:00 AM
Running
04:53:51 | 26.2 miles | 11m 13s  min/mile
Age Group: 60/98
Overall: 1148/1708
Performance: Below average
Garmin splits: 10:08, 9:47, 9:47, 10:18, 10:05, 10:10, 10:13, 10:11, 10:18, 10:42, 10:38, 10:54, 10:51, 11:44, 12:11, 11:11, 12:25, 12:16, 11:06, 11:50, 12:57, 11:38, 13:12, 11:44, 13:07, 11:08, 8:45 (last 0.2?) Official Splits: 10K: 1:03:28 (10:13 pace) Half: 2:16:32 (10:25 avg. pace) - between 10K and half - avg pace 10:35 30K 3:22:39 (10:52 avg pace) - between half and 30K - avg pace 11:56) - avg pace from 30K to finish = 12:02
Course: Supposedly flat: start near the Cavaliers stadium, winds through downtown (over TERRIBLE roads), through a bunch of neighborhoods. 10K splits off around mile 3 and the half around mile 9. Some hills around mile 10. Long out and back on a street with nice homes and lots of spectators (turnaround near mile 18). Stretch in a park(?) with a terrible pitch to the road, then maybe a mile-mile and a half on a highway (read as no shade) and uphill! Crest of the hill was at ~25.5. Downhill/flat finish, but too little, too late!
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
Good race? No
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? No
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3

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2015-05-27 9:45 PM

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