Reflections

When it takes you an hour and a half to run your six-mile route, you have a lot of time to reflect on things.

Why so slow? It’s what happens a couple days after an all-out effort, like Akron. So let’s start with that.

Effort: Boy, was that hard. I would like to be able to say that at least the first half (which I ran faster than my recent half-marathon only efforts) was easy, but even that wasn’t. It was hilly, and I would have to say that it took much more effort than it should have. The next 3-4 miles on the Towpath were okay, but then the hills got ridiculous. I still don’t know how in the world I managed to do it.

Speaking of the World: I’ve been walking this planet for many decades now. In that time, I’ve traveled to downtown Akron perhaps a few dozen times. I swear that none of those times – not one – has seen the city without any major construction projects. When I say major, I mean BIG. And it’s not just the freeways (although they’re still part of this mix), it’s also the important downtown city streets.

The Akron Marathon: Having said all this, the folks at the Akron Marathon do have their stuff together. The race is well loved by runners, and that’s for good reason: they do a great job.

Friends: If you’re away from the racing scene like I’ve been, for any period of time, you may forget how much you’ve missed your friends. Until you make a comeback and see them all once again. I do see some friends during my weekday and weekend training runs, and that’s all great. But I see all of them and many more during a big race like Akron. And it’s wonderful.

Sub-Four: I’m not sure how sub-four-hour marathon times became a goal, but I suppose it’s for the same reason that sub-three times were two and a half decades ago. In fact, it was Fall, 1996 when I did my last sub-three at the Towpath Marathon. Now, I’m quite happy and proud with being an hour slower. Oh, how the times can change.

Where from here (1): My left hip hurts. The pain is hard to describe because it seems to be deep inside. Sometimes I feel it when I run (I did in Akron), but moreso other times. Like when I put my pants, shorts, or underwear on. To do this, you have to bend over and lift each leg up and forward a little in order to get that foot through the hole. This started to be a problem for me little by little over the past couple years. A big running effort like a marathon seems to exacerbate the pain. I’m trying to fix it the best I can with core exercises. But I’m aware that it probably won’t go away completely. And of course it will slow me down some, at least for a while. Wish I knew what it was.

Where from here (2): I’m registered for Loop the Lake 50K in November. And now I just signed up for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Half-Marathon at the end of October. Should I try to do some others as well? I do know that I need a rest. Maybe right now is the best time for that.

Akron Marathon 2022 Race Report

Mile 24: I began my Erie Marathon Race Report at mile 24, so why not do it again? Lots of things seem to happen at that point.

It's about this point where we make the turn onto West Market Street in order to move on to the finish. I suddenly notice that something about my shoe is scraping the ground, no matter how much I lift my feet. Those $250 Nikes must be falling apart. I don't think it's a problem, but I'll have to lift my feet higher still. Not my usual style, but I will have to deal with it.

What does seem to be a problem is that I don't think I'm going to make it. According to my watch, I hit mile 24 at 3:38:20. That should be plenty fine for my goal to get under four hours today. But maybe not. There's always the rest of the story.

Julie Boggs, Maureen Oblander, me, Michelle Wolff, Theresa Wright (photo: Julie)

The weather has been nearly perfect: 50s and 60s with a lot of clouds and no wind. I'd been a little concerned that that 13-day-ago Erie Marathon would slow me down, but I don't know whether that can be a legitimate excuse. 

What definitely can be a legitimate excuse are these here Akron mountains. Around halfway, the course turned onto the Towpath, and I remarked to Theresa Wright that it seemed like the old course. Theresa, who ought to know, indicated that it was. Oh oh. Although the first half was hilly, we'd come through in a stellar 1:57, but I now knew that the best was yet to come.

Just like in old times, we emerge from the Towpath somewhere after mile 16, and then make our way up through Sand Run Metropark. Up is the key word here. There definitely be mountains here. Big mountains. They ease up a little, and then they start again. And again and again. They don't quit until we run through Stan Hywet at about mile 23.

Said hills had slowed me down a whole heck of a lot. But now I know that the final two-plus miles are mostly downhill. Yay. 

My Nikes

The thing is, I don't know whether I can pick up the pace again. And I know that I have to pick it up a whole lot, because, much to my dismay, my mile 24 is a good 0.2 miles from the Akron Marathon mile 24. I always try to run the tangents, but things like this happen, and the extra distance can mean a couple of minutes added to my overall time. A couple of minutes that I do not have.

All I can do is try. Maybe picking up my feet due to the dragging shoes is a good thing. I run a 9:01 mile, then an 8:29 mile, and then, turning onto South Main Street for the final 0.41 mile, I manage to keep the pace up enough to just barely run sub-four hours.

What a relief.

Nice to see all my friends though!

Julie, me, and Theresa (photo: Theresa)

Weather or not

 It's Friday night, the eve of the Akron Marathon. As I've stated here about my previous race, the Hay is in the Barn. It applies here as well; preparation is over and there's nothing more to do. There is the concern about the weather, however. The problem? It may be too good. WHAT am I going to do for excuses?

Running in the U.P.

Munising

We're up north once again. This time, our mission is to visit Isle Royale National Park and to take the scenic boat ride to see the Pictured Rocks. Today, it's Munising and the Rocks. 

I am on the watch for aurora borealis. It's cold, and unfortunately, mostly cloudy. From the Holiday Inn Express, I run southwest towards downtown Munising. I reach it in 3 miles, then continue through town towards Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. I make it to the visitor center and entrance just when I need to turn back at 5 miles.

It's beginning to get lighter now. I pick up the pace a little on the way back. Coming back through town, I stop for another photo with a nice fellow I find on the corner.

As I get back to the HI, I'm treated to a nice sunrise over Lake Superior.

The other part of the journey doesn't happen. Our trip to Isle Royale is canceled due to bad weather. So this run is it for this trip. 

Maybe next year.

Erie Marathon Race Report, Beginning at Mile 24

Mile 24: 

Less than optimal. That's what a coworker used to say in reference to a situation (or project, in some cases) that didn't go quite as well as hoped or planned. I can say that today's weather is less than optimal for a marathon. The rain has been constant, sometimes lighter and sometimes heavier, but always one or the other. And now there are puddles galore. But I suppose it could have been worse. Although the rain includes humidity, I'm happy to say that it never got much warmer than around 70 degrees.

That said, I'm doing fairly well. Sub-four hours had somehow become a goal, and at 3:37:00 for Mile 24, I'm right on pace. All I have to do is maintain the current 9:00 to 9:20 pace for the final two-plus miles. And although it seems to be getting a little difficult, I firmly believe that I can do it. Unless, that is, something goes horribly wrong.

Mile 24.1:

Ouch. Well, that's interesting. I feel a minor tingle of pain in my right hamstring. It's the slightest sign of a cramp. But I'm not worried. I just have to keep on moving.

Mile 24.2:

Ouch. Another tingle of pain. It occurs to me that a smart runner would read these signs and slow down a little in order to avoid any major cramping. But no one has accused me of being smart. I've got to keep this pace going.

I should say that I was smart enough to take electrolyte pills throughout the race. I'm not sure why they aren't working, but I'll just figure that out at the finish. I should also mention that I've enjoyed seeing many new and old friends here, but many of them have been reduced to less-than-optimal performances, mainly due to the weather. What is working for me are my new Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT% 2 shoes. They feel great, and I believe they've helped me get this far at this pretty-good pace.

Mile 24.4:

Okay, I've gone more than a tenth of a mile without any leg cramp issues. Maybe it's a non-issue. 

I reflect some more on how well things have been going for me. The Erie Runners Club puts it on, and they do a marvelous job. It's become a big race, but they attend to every conceivable detail. And the course itself is also a star. Presque Isle juts out into Lake Erie, and the route takes runners around two times. I wrote about it when I ran the 2017 edition, so check that out here.

The classic course: two 13-mile loops

 

Mile 24.5:

EEEEEOOOOW! My right hamstring ties itself up into a very painful knot. I have to completely stop all forward motion. People run by and provide encouragement. They include the 4:00 pace group. "Stretch it out, they say as they go by." Stretch? I am going to die; what's the point in stretching? And it's not just my right hamstring, it's now the left one, too. Within a couple seconds, I've gone from "I think I can run under four hours," to, "I don't know if I can finish at all."

Mile 24.6:

Okay, I am managing to walk a little. Just a little. I find it interesting that some other runners are experiencing the same thing at the same point in the race. I think others have hit this point earlier, so I should consider myself lucky. 

But I don't.

Mile 24.7:

After what seems like forever, I begin to jog once again. I can still see the 4:00 pace group way up ahead. But they're pulling away even more now.

Mile 26.0:

I believe I ran all of the previous mile. But it was pretty darn slow. 

Even though I fully recognize that a marathon is 26.2 miles, and not 26.0 miles, I still try to get under four hours for this milestone. I miss by around 30 seconds.

Mile 26.4:

Yes, that's a little long, but that's typical for an accurately measured course. I cross the line with a chip time of 4:04. I did not place in my ancient age group.

Just for fun, here is my pace info. Notice the point where I stopped completely.

Hay in the barn

You've done all the training, and now the Big Race is only days (or perhaps a week or two) away. More hard training would likely not provide any further benefit, and may well hurt your chances of optimal performance during your Main Event. Runners refer to this situation as the hay is in the barn. 

It's in the barn for me, and that's why I'm not concerned that yesterday's long, hot, group run was somewhat of a stinker. Today's run was similarly less than optimal. Everything is fine. More hay couldn't be stuffed in my barn anyway; it's full.

Erie is a week away. The long-range forecast is for a high of 73 with a chance of rain. I'll mostly be concerned about the humidity. Not to mention the humility.