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| Not THIS kind of Easter egg |
The expo was lots of fun, as usual. I worked the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon booth for a few hours, and I got to see all my running friends.
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| Me, Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon RD Ralph Staph, Super runner (and Medina City Schools BOE Member) Ron Ross |
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| Fellow Ambassador Jeff Edwards and I say, "Run Cleveland 2020!" |
Then Marta arrived and we went to lunch. We came back in time for Marta's pinning ceremony (10 years of running the marathon!), and then we were lucky enough to meet Desi Linden!
She was so amazing and inspirational. She actually ASKED ME ABOUT MY TRAINING!!!! I stammered and smiled like a love-sick idiot.
Marta and I got our bibs and browsed the vendors.
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| Marta and I are ready! |
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| It's tradition to find your name on the car outside the Expo. |
I found my teacher friends, who were running the relay:
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| Me, Erin, Katie, and Mike |
Then we met up with fellow Ambassador Pam McGowan and her husband Steve, who is a pacer for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon. We all had a drink and went home to rest.
Flash forward to the race. I decided not to take the shuttle since it was making me so anxious. Luckily for me, my friend Jen offered to pick up Marta, Renee, and me downtown and drive us to the start line. She got us there in great time, and we didn't have to worry about lines. Thanks, Jen!
My second worry was available bathrooms. The start from downtown always had plenty of bathrooms, and I worried that there wasn't enough space for them at Stan Hywet Hall. I was right and wrong about this. We got there pretty early, so I had plenty of time to use the port a potties twice, but the second time involved a LONG line. There were lots of runners who chose to relieve themselves in the woods, and I wonder if the Stan Hywet committee thought of this.
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| Renee, Me, Marta |
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| Nicki, Me, Renee, Marta |
The corrals are in the parking lot of Stan Hywet, with A Corral right by the start line, of course. It took me nine minutes to get from my corral to the start, and while those minutes are super exciting on the road to the start downtown, at Stan Hywet they were. . .nothing. I stood still in the corral for 6 minutes watching a video monitor as the elites and sub-elites started the race. Then I walked very slowly for 3 minutes toward the start line. It was definitely anti-climactic.
I ran with my friend Jeanne and her cousin for as long as I could keep up.
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| Jeanne and I wait in the corral. And wait. And wait. |
I did pretty well with my pace, keeping it around 10:30-10:45 until Mile 17 when the wheels came off. One of the advertised appeals of the new course is that it is faster and flatter than the old course. This is true, in my opinion, but it wasn't an easier course because the last part of it was in full sun reflecting off of water. It was humid and hot, and many of us suffered. Had I been a better runner, though, with a predicted finish of 3:30 or sooner, I probably would have loved the new course. Alas. I am not a better runner.
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| This is EXACTLY how I look when I pretend I am a better runner. Photo Credit: Rob Thompson |
From Mile 19 to the end, I walked at least .10 of a mile and then shuffled my way to the next mile. At least 3 miles were on the boardwalk on Summit Lake, and it was really difficult. Part of the course goes behind Canal Park, where big factory pipes burp exhaust as you run by. That was not pleasant.
The finish line was wonderful, as always. Food, beer, a fabulous band, and a sweet medal. Per our tradition, Andrew waited for me at the finish, walked me to a patch of grass, made sure I wasn't going to die, and then he left. I found Marta and we got our medal shot.
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| Marta is fancy. She is drinking organic Mich Ultra Light. |
To sum up:
Plusses: End of race party, band, stadium finish, flatter course, crowd support in West Akron, plenty of water stops and fuel stops. Desi Linden! Kudos to Swensons for bringing their food truck out for the milkshake mile! The medal is awesome!
One note about the plusses: I didn't use the shuttle system, but everyone I know who did said that it was very smooth. We didn't have to delay the start, which is a win for everybody. So, kudos to the RD for having planned enough transportation!
Minuses: Fewer bands and spectators on the course (I guess this would be normal since it is a different course). Corral start is awful for back of the packers. Not enough bathrooms at start. The miles on Summit Lake are excruciating with little shade, and with next-to-no crowd support (but not everybody needs a crowd)
This race was not terrible, but it is gradually moving away from the race I loved. This is obviously my problem. Change is inevitable, and I'm sure that the RD wants to have the best possible experience for his elites and sub-elites. Because I am so weather-dependent, I would guess that if we had had an overcast day in the low 60's, I might have felt differently about the back half of the course. Or maybe I wouldn't. I do have to acknowledge that this is probably an awesome course as a half marathon.
I plan to sign up next year because it will be my fifth Akron Marathon, and I would like the pin. Will I fret less? Probably. Will I enjoy it more? Hmmmm. . .Time will tell.
What did you think, Peeps? Was this a fair recap, given my biases? How much did you love this race?
However you feel about the races you run, I hope you run happy with yourselves, Peeps!
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