Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon - RunMarathon

Only took two minutes to get to the start line after the gun went off. I was right ahead of the 3:50 group which was exactly were I wanted to be. 3:50 was a lofty goal for me but I thought 3:52 or 3:55 was very doable. I think had it not been for the wet conditions and wet shoes and socks I could've done it.

The first mile was very crowded and time was spent weaving in and out of slower runners. Mile 1 split was 9:32. The pacers apparently became concerned that we'd fallen off the pace and felt the need to make it up in the very next mile as it was clocked at 8:06. The next few miles were all up and down speedwise which was very discouraging. I was struggling to keep up at times and slowing down below pace at others. I decided to let the group go and not waste all my energy trying to keep up with them after the first couple of miles.

The first mile goes up through downtown and the next 2 or 3 cross over into KY and over three bridges. Then the course comes back through downtown and up 7th St where there is a large cheering section. I was very impressed with how many people came out in the rain. It was still raining pretty steady at this point and I was completely soaked to the bone. The 3:50 group was still ahead of me but not by too much.

Miles 5-9 or so are considered the hilly miles. I do pretty well on the hills and felt strong. There are also some really good cheering sections through here. If I remember correctly, it was around this time that the rain began to taper off. It didn't really matter at this point because the damage was done.

Somewhere around mile 9 is where I caught back up to the 3:50 group. After you crest the hills there is a long steady decline, not too steep though. I remember the group leader saying something about making up some time on the decline or something like that. They began to take off and I completely let them go. They were way ahead in no time. I made the right decision to let them go but actually I should've let them go earlier as the damage was already done.

Mile 10 takes you through Hyde Park where there are great crowds including a co-worker friend of mine who comes out every year to cheer on the runners. Hyde Park Square was crazy but I was already starting to feel pretty bad. The best way to describe the next few miles is... blah. The rain was off and on and that's just how I felt. I had gone out too hard so now I was basically in damage control. I crossed the halfway point around 1:55 which would've been great if I wasn't feeling so bad.

Mile 16 takes you into Mariemont where there are some great cheering sections. There's a two mile out and back section which I think is where I walked for the first time. I had taken several GU's at this point and couldn't stomach another one. The crowds were very uplifting and so were the aid station volunteers but I think all the rain and wetness was just sucking the life out of me.

Mile 18 or so begins a long stretch onto Columbia Pkwy which can be very boring and takes some real mental toughness. I took one more GU around mile 19 which was my last and continued on. I remember walking at the top of the ramp going down to Eastern Ave. In years past this was a place I'd turned it up a notch to pick up some time on the long downhill ramp. None of my walks were for more than 10-20 seconds but they can wreck your goal time and it is so hard to get going again.

I think I picked up a bit of a second wind in the early 20's and ran for awhile without any walk breaks. I saw Mojo owner Paul who ran with me for a 100 feet or so which got me motivated. Somewhere around that time I got some orange slices which were a real pick-me-up. I took orange slices at three different locations and they were always helpful.

The last couple of miles were just mind over matter as I tried to run from aid station to aid station. There were some brief walk breaks in between and a stretch break once or twice. Amazingly, I was still passing people as I guess everyone was having the same problems. I don't recall seeing anyone who I felt looked "strong". Somewhere around mile 24 after crossing under a train bridge, there is a tough uphill stretch. I managed to run the entire hill and passed a ton of walkers. Of course I walked once i crested the top but it still felt like a big "win" at that moment.

Somewhere around mile 25 I had stopped for a brief walk break as a medical personnel woman on a bike passed me going the other direction and asked if I was ok. I was fine and told her the same. Just as she passed a man about 30 feet ahead of me collapsed to the ground and was rolling around in obvious pain. He had severe cramps in both legs and just couldn't move. I stayed with him for a few seconds until the med lady got to him then I carried on.

As I was getting closer to the finish I was trying to calculate my finish time in order to beat last years time of 3:58:34. At least I could get a PR out of this race. The last couple of miles I would turn around checking for the 4 hour pace group half expecting them to be on my tail. As I was trying to do the math, I still thought I had the PR in the bag. Then with a mile to go I knew it would be close and I'd have to haul some ass. I really picked it up and was in some serious pain at this point. I saw my brother cheering for me around mile 26 and he ran ahead to get some pictures. Still looking at my watch as I got to the finish line I was giving it all I had. When I crossed the line my watch read 3:58:35. Bummer, missed a PR by 1 second. Well, given the wet conditions, I was really ok with that. Later, I got my split times which had been texted to my phone and it showed 3:58:33! Alright, a PR after all by 1 second. The next day when I checked the official results it was 3:58:34! Are you kidding me? The same exact time on the same course two years in a row? Hey, at least I'm consistent.

During the last mile, it really began to rain again. Not that I'd ever really dried off, but I was now soaked to the bone. For the first time ever, that mylar blanket thing they always give was definitely needed. I tried to eat a little in the finishers area but nothing sounded very good. I drank some water and gatorade and searched for running friends. I could only find a few and everyone sounded like they had a tough day. My brother and I stuck around to watch some finishers and then made the long walk back to the car.

During this race, I took GU's before the start and at miles 5, 10, 14, and 19. I took two Tylenol at two different times during the race... I think around miles 10 and 20. I drank either water or gatorade at every aid station but usually just little sips. I never had to pee during the entire race and even for another two hours later.

I would say the weather played a big factor in my race day but my main problem was that I went out too hard too fast. I knew this was a major no no, but I had a race goal that I thought I could accomplish and I wanted to go for it. I took a gamble going out that fast and it didn't pay off. I don't regret doing this because what's the point of setting goals if you aren't willing to go after them!

I was a little disappointed in the pace group leaders since I thought the whole point was for them to do even splits throughout the race and get you to the finish on time... not just the latter. They most likely evened out later on but it was too late for me. Either way, I don't blame anyone and I do appreciate their service and hard work.

Overall this was still a great day for me. I was very proud of my effort especially in the late miles. I easily could've packed it in and gave up but I stayed strong, took short walk breaks, re-evaluated my goals, and finished strong. I love the Flying Pig Marathon and have now completed four total marathons... four more than I ever thought I would. I love being out on the course watching others give all they have to accomplish the same goal.

I finished almost 200 places overall ahead of last year with the same exact time. I suspect that means that everyone had problems with the weather and conditions.

Walking back to the car was my warm down. I did some stretching but it was so painful. I wish I would've done more, but actually my recovery has been pretty good. I was sore for about three days and ran again on Thursday.


Wet shoes and socks. 26.2 miles.


Always a top notch event. Extremely well organized from start to finish. So nice to have a big time marathon right at home. The volunteers were amazing this year! Apparently there were 4000 of them in the rain and all were so motivating! Thanks to all of you!