Columbus Marathon 2012 Race Report

After back to back horrible Spring marathons, I set my sights on the Erie Marathon in September as my next goal race. The training didn't go as well as I had hoped (heat, travel, kids activities, etc.) and I finally decided to use Erie as a training run and schedule Columbus as my goal race. After running a 3:38 in Erie by running a 4 mile warm up, 14 at goal marathon pace, and an 8.2 cool down, I felt like I might be ready to run a strong race in Columbus. I also worried that I might have over reached by running a full marathon five weeks before my goal race.

In the training runs after Erie, my legs felt pretty good while I was running but they were much more sore than usual after the runs. This led me to take it very easy the week of the race and try to rest the legs as much as possible. I went into the Columbus race feeling healthy and ready to race.


I knew that I needed to run 3:24:59 or faster to qualify for Boston and I felt like I was in good enough shape to run a 3:23. So I decided to start at 7:45 pace and see how that felt and then either speed up or slow down from there. I figured as long as I ran every mile at 7:45 or faster, I would finish with a BQ time.

The gun sounds, fireworks begin exploding, and we're off. Fortunately, due to corral seeding, it doesn't take long to find my pace and some running room. It's a bit cramped but everyone is moving at approximately the same pace. I run the first mile in 7:40 and it feels very comfortable. When I look at my mile 2 split of 7:33, I realize I should slow down a bit and not get sucked in by the faster runners. I settle into a steady pace over the next few miles as nothing eventful happens. 7:43, 7:44, 7:40.

During mile 6, I remember that I need to eat a salt tablet. I've been training with these on my long runs all Summer to try to alleviate the late race hamstring and calf cramping issues that I've suffered through in the past. When I attempted to pull one out of the baggie that I brought, it was much more difficult than it had been during training runs. I finally realized that although I had practiced opening the baggies and pulling out the salt capsules in training, I had never done it while wearing racing gloves. It was still a bit too chilly to toss the gloves, so I ended up ripping the bag wide open with my teeth and swallowing a capsule, along with the bit of plastic baggie that was stuck to it.

The miles just cruised on by as I was completely in the zone, just knocking them down one mile at a time.

Mile 6-10 splits: 7:30, 7:46, 7:40, 7:26, 7:38. 10k split: 47:36

Mile 11, we leave German Village and head north on High Street. I'm still feeling great and for the first time start thinking that I might run a qualifying time today. We leave the half marathoners as they turn toward the finish and the marathoners continue up High Street. At the 13.1 timing mat, there is an announcer who is saying each runners name as they cross the mat. He doesn't say my name and for a minute I start freaking out, thinking that my timing chip isn't functioning. Then I decide not to worry about it and continue running. The crowds, who have been large and vocal in the first half, are noticeably absent as we approach the campus area. I'm still in the zone and running strong so I put it out of my mind and continue pushing.

Mile 11-15 splits: 7:38, 7:41, 7:38, 7:44, 7:38. 13.1 split: 1:40:23

We finally finish the 5 mile stretch of High Street and turn left on Lane Avenue. I'm anticipating running by, and through, the Ohio State football stadium. In my mind, we should be approaching it but then I realize that they are taking us down Lane Avenue and then doubling back to reach the stadium. I get a little annoyed as I realize the only reason we are running East is so that we can run through the stadium. When we reach the stadium, the first thing I notice is a sign that says, CAUTION, STEEP HILL AHEAD. My first thought is that it must be a joke because there is clearly not a steep hill anywhere around us. Then we turn into the stadium and head down a steep ramp leading down to the playing field. Now all I can think about is that there must be another steep hill to get back out of the stadium. Running through the stadium itself was anti-climactic. It was cool to run through it but we didn't actually run on the field and we were only in there for 20 seconds or so, and not as tourists.

We climb the ramp out of the stadium and start heading to the west side of campus. There is no crowd support here and it's a gradual up hill. We're now closing in on mile 19 and I'm starting to feel the first signs of fatigue. I try to calculate how much time I have in the bank but since my pace band fell off at mile 13, I really have no idea. I decide to slow down slightly as we climb toward the highest elevation of the race, thinking I can make up any time lost once we crest the peak. Slow and steady until mile 20, then pick up the pace.

Mile 16-20 splits: 7:35, 7:46, 7:42, 8:05, 8:30. 20 mile split: 2:34:26

I cross the mile 20 timing mat and am pleased to hear the announcer say my name. Now I know for sure my timing chip is working and I can focus on finishing this race. We're still climbing, heading toward mile 21 and I'm still trying to do the math to see what pace I need to maintain to finish in my goal time. Shortly after I pass mile 21, the 3:25 pace group passes me and I hear the pacer telling the group that they are a minute and a half ahead of schedule. This is my moment right here, all I have to do is stick with this group until the end and I know for sure I'll run sub 3:25. I pick up my pace and try to stay with them but before I know it they are slightly ahead of me, pulling away with each step. I tell myself that I still have this. I know I still have time in the bank and I just need to keep pushing. I battle my way toward Grandview, trying to keep my goal within my reach.

Mile 21-23 splits: 7:55, 8:00, 8:05.

I hit mile 23 and do the math. There is still a chance that I can do this but I'm fully aware that I'm running on fumes at this point. I tell myself to just push through to mile 24 and then try to find a way to get it done. I manage to run mile 24 in 8:31 but now I'm running up 5th Avenue, which is a slight incline but feels like a mountain. I feel myself slowing down despite my best effort. By the time I turn right on Neil, the wheels have fallen off. I'm mentally trying to push myself forward but the legs are barely responding. I cross mile 25 at 9:24 pace. It's over.

Right at mile 25, I see Eric, from Columbus Running Company. He takes my picture, gives me a high five, and offers words of encouragement. I somehow manage to keep moving forward and finally turn onto Buttles and another hill. I knew this hill was here. I mentally prepared for this hill. I was ready to challenge this hill. But when the time came, I just didn't have the energy to battle this hill. I lean down to give two little kids high fives and feel a twinge in my hamstring. Shit! I keep running, trying to shake it out, but no. Full on, agonizing hamstring cramp at mile 25.5. I come to a stop and start limping forward while trying to work out the cramp. It sticks around for a good 2 minutes. I'm so close to the finish but I can't start running again until the cramp subsides. It finally loosens and I start running again. I turn onto Front Street and I can see the crowds ahead. The finish line isn't far. I try to pick up the pace but the cramp starts to come back. I alter my stride slightly and manage to run/limp ahead for about 25 yards until the pain goes away again. I'm looking at my watch and my mile 26 split is 10:39. Ugh! Nothing I could do about it. I make the final turn and start running as hard as my legs (and cramps) will allow me. The clock is ticking. I'm sprinting (sort of) and staring at the clock. Doing the math as the clock edges toward 3:30. Can I somehow manage to sneak in under the 3:30 time? Running...running...running. I finish. Hit my Garmin. It reads 3:30:00. Crap! Then I realize that I stopped my watch after I crossed the line so maybe, just maybe my official time is a second or two faster. Sure enough, my official time is 3:29:59, which is way, way, way better than 3:30:00. Don't ask me why, it just is.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this race. I didn't achieve the Boston Qualifier time but I ran my strongest race in several years and now I know that the BQ goal is still achievable. There are a few things that I can do to improve my training and race preparation. Other than that, I really need to solve this cramping issue. Looking forward to getting out there and doing it again.

Hot Town Summer In the City - Cleveland Marathon 2012

One of the most frustrating things about endurance running is that no matter how hard you train, no matter how well rested you are, no matter how healthy and great you feel on race day, there are still going to be issues that are out of your control.

With that in mind, as I tapered for the Cleveland Marathon I felt like I was ready to run a strong race. My long runs were strong, my speed work was good, I had no nagging injuries that I had to worry about. I didn't feel like I was in PR shape but I thought that I could go out and run a pretty strong race and maybe even BQ if the weather was favorable.

As we counted down the days and obsessed over the weather forecast, it became apparent that the weather was not going to be favorable. I tempered my race goals accordingly.

Race morning was warm, mid 60s but fortunately, not too humid. I decided to line up just behind the 3:30 pace group and just go with the flow. I wasn't there to PR. I wasn't there to BQ. It was a rare opportunity to just go out and run at a comfortable pace and have fun.

The race was delayed by five minutes which seemed like forever when you're standing there waiting to race and have to listen to annoying announcers going on and on about things that had nothing to do with the race. Finally the race starts and I think the announcers even botched the start but the runners took off anyway.

Mile 1 was a log jam of runners. A lot of slowing down, bobbing and weaving between runners and even a complete stop or two. Not fun. I finally started to find some running room during mile 2. I settled into a comfortable pace and kept reminding myself not to go out too fast. The first 5 miles breezed right by although I did notice some runners had already started walking during mile 4.

Splits for miles 1-5: 8:20, 7:39, 7:54, 8:02, 8:01.

Mile 6 was the first time that I really started to notice the sun. We were running down Detroit Avenue and there was little to no shade and the sun was directly in front of us. We wound through a couple of cool little neighborhoods and I was feeling strong and having fun. I saw my friend Lisa in the crowd around mile 8 but didn't have a chance to tell her that I was feeling good. Somewhere around mile 9 we hit the only real hill on the course. It was unexpected and I had to work a little harder than expected but cruised right up on pace. About a half mile later I saw the first ambulance of the day, already carting a runner off of the course. It's always scary when you see a runner down on the course and I did a quick evaluation to make sure I was being honest with myself. I determined I was still feeling good and was OK to continue at my current pace.

Splits for miles 6-10: 8:07, 8:04, 7:54, 7:57, 8:03.

Mile 11 was a long, gradual ascent across a bridge leading back to downtown. I really started to notice the sun here as we were completely exposed. I entered downtown, passing Progressive Field and heading toward the Hard Rock Cafe. Crowd support picked up through this area but it didn't help to hear people yelling things like, "you're almost done, only a couple miles to go." While this was perfectly true for the half marathoners, my race had hardly even begun. Suddenly we passed the mile 12 marker and the half marathoners split off of the course. I was expecting the course to become deserted at this point as the majority of runners were running the half, but it turned out that I still had plenty of runners to keep me company on the course.

I hit the halfway split at 1:46:38. We were now running along a four mile stretch where the sun would be directly overhead and no shade. I decided to slow down a bit and save some energy. I adjusted my pace to the 8:30 range yet before I knew it I was running closer to 8:50 and desperately wondering where the next water station was going to be. By the time I hit a water station sometime after mile 16, I had to stop and walk and make sure I drank plenty of liquids. The heat was definitely affecting me.

Splits for miles 11-16: 8:17, 8:07, 7:57, 8:13, 8:34, 8:52.

Miles 17 through 20 is a down hill stretch that winds through a shady park. On a normal day, it's an area where you can increase your pace and make your move if you're still feeling strong. But this was not a normal day. By this point, I had seen at least 5 ambulances and countless runners being attended to on the side of the road. It was bad. I found that despite my best effort along this stretch, I just couldn't muster any speed. In fact, I really, really wanted to walk. I forced myself to keep running by telling myself that it was down hill. Just keep running. But it was getting tougher and tougher. Right around the mile 20 marker was a water station. Again, I stopped and drank as much as I could and then forced myself to continue.

Splits for miles 17-20: 9:59, 9:40, 10:03, 10:54.

So I've run 20 miles, I'm realizing that I'm in big trouble. The temperature keeps rising. We're back in the sun. I have over 6 miles to go and my pace has dropped beyond belief. Sweat is pouring down my face, burning my eyes and my calves are threatening to cramp.

Somewhere after mile 21 I hear some people yelling, "Go, CRC" (Columbus Running Company), and "Go, Columbus!" I look over and see a crew from Run DMC (Daily Mile Columbus), cheering me on. That really went a long way toward making me feel better, if only temporarily.

About a hundred yards later I spotted Lisa. She told me that it was now 85 degrees. She asked me how I was doing. I told her I was in pretty bad shape and she gave me a recovery drink and a Clif shot and told me she was going to run the rest of the way with me. I honestly don't know what I would have done without her. She told me I looked green and started asking me if I knew what day it was. Yeah, I was that bad.

The last 5 miles are a bit of a blur. I remember having to stop and walk a few times. I remember both of my calves cramping up at the same time and my legs literally locking up. I grabbed a traffic construction cone and held on for dear life as I waited...and waited...and waited for the cramping to subside. I remember a lady at a water station dumping half a pitcher of water over my head and down my back to try to cool me off. I remember bitching about having to hear Bon Jovi not once, but twice on the course. I remember laughing and telling a lady to stop lying for telling us that we were looking good. I remember Lisa thinking I was hallucinating and didn't recognize a train. I remember an ultra-marathoner trying to explain to us that ultra's are actually easier than marathons. I remember laughing at a sign, although I can't remember what it said, but it was clever. I remember cramping up a few more times. I remember Lisa talking on the phone and telling someone that I was in trouble and we would be out here for a while. I remember Lisa trying to convince me that I should just walk the rest of the way.

Other than that, it was just a slow, painful trudge through the hot streets of Cleveland. When I finally made it to the final turn, all I could do was plod along. If I tried to run any faster my legs were going to cramp again so I just slowly but surely made it to the finish line.

Splits for miles 21-26: 10:11, 12:28, 12:53, 14:54, 12:23, 13:21.

I crossed the line at a personal worst 4:11:41, but time didn't matter. It was all about survival. Someone handed me a medal and I started slowly walking through the corral. I noticed a guy watching me and he finally approached. He said he was Dr. So-and-so. Told me I wasn't looking very good and I should come with him. I didn't say anything. I just walked beside him until we reached these big fans. I stood in front of the fans as they started pouring cold water over me. Then they had me stand in front of the fan for a few minutes and checked on me periodically while they treated other runners. I remember knowing that I didn't feel right but not being able to pinpoint exactly what was wrong with me. I contemplated walking to the medical tent but thought that the other runners who were being treated all around me needed their attention more than I did. I was probably wrong.

I found Bill waiting for me as I left the recovery area and we found some shade as we waited for Lisa. They led me slowly and painfully to the car. I'm not sure what I would have done without them.