So I did it. I ran the whole thing.
I did a much longer race report that starts at the beginning over on Reddit. That being said, this is a different version.
I was seeded unexpectedly high in the B corral, and started at the back. I was feeling good and doing good through the first 16 miles, but the wheels really started to fall off at mile 19 and it hit it’s worse at mile 24 where my quads started cramping. I was possibly saved by half a banana from a grunt, although that may have just been the placebo effect.
I went into this with the #1 goal of running the entire race. I wanted to be under 4, or even under 3:45, but general confusion pushed those two goals to the back burner. The confusion was the marathon time prediction calculators. I used the Runner’s World calculator and even after trying some different values (one of the inputs was miles per week, and given the time inputs, 85 miles/week would not have got me under 4 hours!). Several months later, I tried the calculator on Greg MacMillan’s website and it said I had to slow down to go 3:59:59 (it predicted 3:49:09). Then I saw another first-time-marathoner that ran his 20 mile run at the same pace as my 20 mile runs. He finished in 4:01. So I didn’t know, I didn’t care. First goals first, let’s run the entire way.
The marathon was an exhilarating experience. I felt great moving through the first many miles. Gilbert Hill just flew by (which has never happened in the history of me running), and it was a little bit of a chilling experience making the right turn onto Madison where I previously always went left. I remembered running on Madison and Observatory a while back and that it was easier than expected, and this was not different. Past the intersection of Madison and Observatory (around mile 10) was new to my feet, but not to me. Erie was easier than expected, although I missed looking over at the Mushroom House in the turns on Erie. Moving past there, I did see a restaurant I want to try (bourbon and barbecue!). Initially, Mariemont seemed so far away, but after making it on to Bramble and then onto Settle in mile 15, it seemed a lot closer. It’s interesting in recollection how I missed some things because I was seeing them from my running shoes – like the six-point-mess of an intersection at Murray and Plainville. I was half looking around in this area because I have family all over Madison Place (next to Mariemont and within walking distance of the course).
Mariemont has a little bit of a scream tunnel, which is pretty cool. Mariemont also has shade, which fucking rocks! Moving on to Fairfax and onto Wooster Pike for a few blocks and then onto the part of the course I dreaded the most: Columbia Parkway. Mother Nature decided to throw a curve ball in the form of sun. There’s no trees along the parkway, and there’s not much by way of crowd support. There is a med tent out there, though, and I saw the thing I dreaded the most… well, just below me waking up to see the top of the tent – a yellow flag.
I made it down to Eastern before my legs got really heavy. I was able to keep going until mile 24 when I began cramping. I tried walking backwards for maybe 100 meters or so, and decided it wasn’t working and turned back around. Not long after that, I was in an aid station and one of the grunts had half a banana that I took. I felt better (placebo? reality? we may never know!).
So I made it in 3:45:14. No complaints here!
