Under Armour Baltimore Marathon - RunMarathon


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Baltimore, Maryland
United States
Baltimore Runing Festival
78F / 26C
Sunny
Total Time = 4h 30m 50s
Overall Rank = 1652/3114
Age Group = F35-39
Age Group Rank = 87/183
Pre-race routine:

Got up around 6:30am and got dressed. 8am start and we were staying in a hotel about 1/2m from start. YEAH! :-)

Stomach a little nervous so I really didn't feel like eating. I did choke down a banana, a mini PB Cif bar and some water.
Event warmup:

I walked to the start. I was running 26.2m - didn't feel the need to tack on any extra miles.
Run
  • 4h 30m 50s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 10m 20s  min/mile
Comments:

My goal was a) finish and b) break 4h30m or keep up 10m miles (4h22m finish). I almost made the b goal and would have but had some bad cramping w/ my hamstrings and inner thigh muscles starting at mile 22. I had lost the 4:15 pace group a mile or so before and was soon ovetaken by the 4:30 pace group going up a hill around mile 22. I was kind of bummed by that since I had been ahead of them the whole run.

My plan was hit the first half of the course hard and build a time cushion b/c I knew the hills would make me run slower then I could pick up the pace again. I was on track for most of the race. I did a 2hr8m half (9m49s) pace and hit the hills in good shape. Getting a bit foot sore but cardio and joints felt good. My big complaint here was the half-marathoners. They merged into our group at their mile 3 and our mile 15 right before the hills and there were so many walkers and these were not the end people. I spent the rest of the race weaving in and out of the walkers who thought they would walk 2 to 3 across in the middle of the road. That took extra mental concentration.

So the hills went fairly well, I stopped to pee around the lake and got a second wind. I was feeling good but the muscles started thinking overwise going up some of the last hills. I had to slow down to 11/12m miles to keep them from seizing and walking all to together. I did pick it up down the last mile and tried my best to get in under 4h30m. Almost - 50 seconds over.

Even though I had some cramping I feel like my nutrition was good. I ate a gel, Bonk Buster bar and 24 oz. of vitamin water over the first half of the race. Then alernated water/gatorade at almost ever mile after that. Plus a few other snacks along the way.

It was pretty warm by the last hour but a lot of the course was shaded. At the finish, I almost teared up at my accomplishment and was certainly happy to be done.

Really pleased with fnishes: 535/1126 overall female Top 50 overall women and almost top 50% men/women.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing - this was my first marathon and a year ago I was not a runner at all. I found a plan that I was comfortable with and followed it. I got to the race fresh, confident and injury free. I need to continue speed work to get faster and maybe a few more longer runs to get more time on the feet but I had no idea what to expect.

Side note: don't stop for the bathroom - that cost me my time goal. LOL
Post race
Warm down:

I was pretty shaky on my legs at the end. They were tight and sore. I just kept walking and stretching. Drank a little more and ate very little. My tummy was not interested in much.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

For my current physical state not much but the tightening of my legs certainly slowed me up a bit.

Event comments:

This race was good and well run but lacked a little something. The end was a little anti-climatic for some reason. The tent areas were very crowded and hard to get through. I did the Shamrock Half and thought that race was awesome from start to finish. And please fix that merge - I'm usually a nice easy going competitor but I really wanted to injure some half runners. It's just a frustrating factor to deal with when you have already been running for 15 miles and have the hardest part of the course in front of you.




Last updated: 2008-03-30 12:00 AM
Running
04:30:50 | 26.2 miles | 10m 20s  min/mile
Age Group: 87/183
Overall: 183/3114
Performance: Good
Stayed b/t 148-168 for the race. Mostly in the 150s except for the first 2 miles, last 2 miles and some of the steeper, longer hills.
Course: Mile 1 heads straight up a hill. Steepest hill at mile 2. Rolling until Fort McHenry loop which was fairly flat. Not bad until mile 15 then the hills really started. They ended at about mile 24.5 then it was all downhill to the finish. Great finish mile running down towards Camden Yards and through the stadium. I was really happy I live in Arlington, VA and train on big hills every time I run. Only negative comments - roads were rough - small potholes and wavy surfaces. I kept thinking thank goodness I was not riding a bike. Oh and did I mention the roadkill. One usually sees flattened squirrels but in Baltimore it's RATS!!!
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4