I guess it’s only fair to write up the bad races too… so here goes…
First, the good stuff (so you can skip my whining at the end if you want):
This is a great race! It’s very well-organized, with great runner-support, and held in a beautiful natural setting. It is run on a soft surface (crushed limestone), and benefits the Cuyahoga Valley Recreation Area. I trained for my first marathon (Chicago ’01) on these trails and it was really nice to be back. It is a totally flat course and normally the weather in northeast Ohio is quite cool in October. I caught up with Paul and Mary Foster (Paul was shooting to qualify for Boston), and Mike from Baker Trail who I ended up running a few miles with. My brother and Paul spectated by bike, and it was awesome to see them out there. Afterwards, the guys had some beer at the post-race beer garden and we stayed a bit to cheer in some runners.
Now, for my whining… It was HOT in the midwest today! And humid! And I guess I was a little delusional to think I could race a marathon a week after Venture Quest. It was already in the high 60s in the morning, and very muggy. The haze burned off and the temps climbed into the upper 80s. The later part of the course was fairly exposed and that didn’t help. But I was hurting before then anyway. I started off running 8:50s (slower than my stretch-goal pace), which gave way to 9s, then 9:40s, and then a late-race death march. Interestingly, I did not get passed after about mile 16. I was passing TONS of people in the last few miles, even with my shuffling pace. People were hurting, and there were at least a few heat-related medical incidents. Even with the need to stop long enough at the aid stations to get in enough fluids, I still thought I should be able to break 4. I came in at 4:06, with some very, VERY sore, crampy legs.
All in all, I’m glad I did this race, but it was a tough day of running. If nothing else, it was a good last long run before Masochist! Now, on to relax with a nice Ohio microbrew….
First, the good stuff (so you can skip my whining at the end if you want):
This is a great race! It’s very well-organized, with great runner-support, and held in a beautiful natural setting. It is run on a soft surface (crushed limestone), and benefits the Cuyahoga Valley Recreation Area. I trained for my first marathon (Chicago ’01) on these trails and it was really nice to be back. It is a totally flat course and normally the weather in northeast Ohio is quite cool in October. I caught up with Paul and Mary Foster (Paul was shooting to qualify for Boston), and Mike from Baker Trail who I ended up running a few miles with. My brother and Paul spectated by bike, and it was awesome to see them out there. Afterwards, the guys had some beer at the post-race beer garden and we stayed a bit to cheer in some runners.
Now, for my whining… It was HOT in the midwest today! And humid! And I guess I was a little delusional to think I could race a marathon a week after Venture Quest. It was already in the high 60s in the morning, and very muggy. The haze burned off and the temps climbed into the upper 80s. The later part of the course was fairly exposed and that didn’t help. But I was hurting before then anyway. I started off running 8:50s (slower than my stretch-goal pace), which gave way to 9s, then 9:40s, and then a late-race death march. Interestingly, I did not get passed after about mile 16. I was passing TONS of people in the last few miles, even with my shuffling pace. People were hurting, and there were at least a few heat-related medical incidents. Even with the need to stop long enough at the aid stations to get in enough fluids, I still thought I should be able to break 4. I came in at 4:06, with some very, VERY sore, crampy legs.
All in all, I’m glad I did this race, but it was a tough day of running. If nothing else, it was a good last long run before Masochist! Now, on to relax with a nice Ohio microbrew….
2 comments:
Good job gutting it out - it was hot everywhere! And 4 hrs and change is not bad at all, esp. with that kind of humidity. Now with our luck it will be 20 degrees for Masochist and we'll be totally unprepared. Hat and gloves? What are those?
Congrats on pushing through on a really tough day. At least you had great weather for VQ. Now on to MMTR.
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