Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Race Recap: Baltimore Marathon

I can sum up my Baltimore Marathon in two words: deceptively hilly. Friends had told me this course was hilly, but the elevation profile didn't seem too intimidating. Given the weather forecast and how my legs had been feeling on recent runs, I thought I would give this race a good effort and attack my PR. While in hindsight I would have been better off saving a PR attempt for another day, I have no regrets trying. Overall, I had a great weekend in Baltimore with friends.

Friday afternoon I met up my friends Kristy and Cathy and we grabbed a train from DC to Baltimore. After checking in at our hotel we went straight to the expo, which was located conveniently across the street. Bibs in hand, we headed to Baltimore's "Little Italy" for a delicious pre-race meal.

The following morning Cathy and I hung around the hotel until about 30 minutes prior to the start. The hotel was only a few blocks from the start line, which was nice. We wished Kristy well (she was running the half) and made our way to the start. Cathy and I were running different paces and after sharing words of encouragement, we headed to our respective corrals. It wasn't too long after I got into my corral that the race was under way!

Note: My thanks to Cathy for all her race photos!

Start
I started off around an 8:30 pace with the goal of inching down to an 8:15 pace by the half. I struggled to find a balanced rhythm from the moment the race began. My pace was jumping all around. I was able to keep my average pace on target, but I never found my groove. I remember saying to myself around mile 7 or 8 that a PR wasn't gonna happen unless something turned around.

Gorgeous sunrise at mile 5
Course-wise, the first half of race was pretty nice. Mile 3 through about 5 went through the zoo and many zoo keepers were out cheering us on. A few of them even had some of the animals with them. I remember seeing a couple birds and a baby penguin. With the exception of running through the grounds of Under Amour Headquarters around mile 11, miles 10 through 13 was a rather bland out & back section of the course.


I ran the first half in about 1:50 which gave me a little boost of confidence that I might just be able to pull a PR off. However, the heaviness of my legs and knowing that there were more hills to contend with later didn't give me a very cozy feeling. Nonetheless, I kept pushing because like many of us, the desire to PR outweigh the doubt.

Mile 12 and my bright laces
Meanwhile, the half marathon started almost two hours after the marathon and around mile 15 the half course joined up with the marathon course. This turned the rather cluttered free marathon course into a traffic jam. I knew that half runners were gonna join up with us, I just forgot how many of them there were. For me, it felt like the beginning of the race all over again as I jockeyed with the other runners for running real estate.

Lake at Mile 20
By mile 20, my legs were pretty toasted. The effort I put in on the hills to maintain my pace took the life from them. I knew then and there that a PR was off the table. I struggled the remainder of the race to maintain a sub-9 pace. It was certainly frustrating, but that is part of running. Some days just aren't yours. I finished in 3:46:10 hurting, but grateful. Grateful that I got to enjoy a beautiful day doing what I love most...even if at times I was cursing at myself or the course.

Mile 26 went through Camden Yards
We don't run marathons because they are easy. We run them because they test the limits of our endurance. We run them because of the emotions we get on the days when we exceed what we think our limit is. However, on the days when things don't go our way, we have one of two choices: we can either feel sorry for ourselves and make excuses or we can finish feeling proud of what we accomplished and learn from our mistakes.

The Baltimore Marathon was my 39th marathon. You'd think by now that I'd be a pro at these things and know everything there is to know to about running them. But, the fact is I don't. Each time I toe the line of race, whether it be a 5K or a 50 miler, I'm always learning. That desire to learn more and turn my goals into reality is what drives me to continue to push myself and click "Register" on that next race entry form.

Garmin Upload

Kristy, Cathy, me and Erin

2 comments:

  1. Holy crap I didn't know it was your 39th?! Way to go! And yes-deceptively hilly is the perfect description for this marathon!

    ReplyDelete