Northern Ohio Marathon Race Report - A Tale of Two Races

Some races just don't go as planned, which was the case with this year's Northern Ohio Marathon. This can happen for several reasons: weather conditions, illness or injury. For me, it's a combination of late season fatigue and injury. I've been dealing with a hip and lower back problem for the last few months. It's actually an injury that affected me late last season as well. I was able to do some rehab and correct it last fall/winter but in truth it is something that was still there (just not as bad).

According to my chiropractor and the x-rays taken this August, my left hip is rotated in about 20 degrees. While I am able to run okay for a while at times when I run long or fast I sometimes get a pinched nerve from the hip that feels awful - almost like sciatica. My left low back gets tight and the hip presses on a nerve that also affects my piriformis. This makes is pretty painful to run at times.

At Northern Ohio I had no ambitions of a PR but I did think I could run between a 3:35-3:45 without

These splits say it all!

too much trouble. And the race started out pretty well. In fact my splits through the first half were perfect. Even through 16 I was on track but the hip was not cooperating and I had to slow down in order to keep going - even walk at times.

This made for a very boring, frustrating and long second half of the race. Between 17-20 I could hardly run but I could walk pretty well. I had made up my mind that I would walk it in if I needed to.

My friend Brenda saw me walking and checked in on me a couple of times. The second time I saw her she gave me some ibuprofen, which I am sure got me through the final 10K. By mile 22 I was able to run again and run it in with some miles in the low to mid 8's, which helped me to bring my finish time down a little more than I thought it was going to be.

While this was a personal worst for me in the road marathon I am happy with the effort and the fact that I was able to finish even if it was a bad second half. Some days things just go wrong and all you can do is try to hang on and finish. Who knows maybe this race will make me stronger for the next one. It certainly has reminded me that I need a break too sometimes and that I am not super human as I wish I could be.

Following the race I went in to my chiropractor and I have started lifting a few days a week. I think this coupled with lower running mileage and more cross training will get me back to fighting shape for next season. For now I have altered my late season running plans. Instead of running Doan Creek 50K this weekend I bumped down to the 25K, which I think I can handle. I also signed up for a couple of half marathons and will likely sit out the Bills Badass 50k in November as well. My body just doesn't want the high mileage right now and I need to listen to it. For the rest of the year I will run for fun and not be too hard on myself with expectations.

I leave you now with the tale of two races:

First half:

Feeling good early on in the race!

Second half:

Cleveland Marathon Race Report

It was a very busy and exciting Cleveland Marathon race weekend this year! I finally got off the plane Friday from California around 7:15PM, hurried up to change into a dress and head downtown directly to the Marathon VIP Reception. It's always wonderful to see my fellow race ambassadors and their significant others as well as the marathon staffers. Although we were later to arrive than I hoped it was a fun and exciting night. Shortly after taking our annual group photos, my friend and fellow ambassador Melissa's boyfriend surprised us all and proposed right there in front of us!

The following day there was lots to get done including unpacking, cleaning the house, grocery shopping, hitting the race expo to pick up our bibs and goodies and then we had my Aunt Shelly's surprise 60th birthday party at 5:00. We got home around 8:00 and finished getting our stuff ready for an early race morning.

4:15am Sunday came early and we were up getting ready to race. I had been worried about the weather and how I would run all week. I had been pressuring myself to get the BQ again this season. The night before I decided if a BQ happened it happened but there is much more to running than that and certainly much more to life. There are the friends and family that make us feel special and inspire us so I decided to make my race about more than a BQ. I wrote down the names of my friends and family members that have had cancer and I dedicated the race to them. Perhaps that helped me to have a better race then I would have otherwise...

Prerace with fellow ambassadors

Steve had to be downtown by 6 to pace the 3:35 group so we got here early enough that I was able to see many friends before the race including most of my fellow race ambassadors. I even made the pre-race photo this year! Around 6:45 I ran over for one last potty break before lining up in the corral with the 3:35 group. Instead of worrying myself I tried to take in all the excitement.

The first couple of miles didn't seem too bad to me and then I started to feel hot and labor on some of the hills. I thought to myself this is not good. It's too early to work this hard...you're doomed! Then I told myself to just be quiet and steady. I got a pick me up around mile 8 or 10 when we saw our friend and Snakebite Racing team member Eric fanning in his speedo and cowboy hat!

Focused on the finish!

Around the halfway I just started running out of steam. I am not sure why. I decided to allow myself to slow down a little. I thought who cares if you can't hold onto the pace group you can just run alone at your pace. That's not that bad. So that's what I did. I held on and worked quietly at the pace that felt right for me. Before I knew it I was on mile 19 and I was working through the fatigue. I never really bonked. I never walked - just stopped for a quick drink or gel as needed. Most of my late miles were 8:40ish versus the 8:10 I hoped for but I did what I could do. There were more Snakebite, CTC and other friends out on the course cheering so it really helped me stick with it. I want to say thank you to everyone that volunteered at the race or came out to cheer. The crowd support was really solid this year!

The last few miles I thought I still had a chance to BQ so I ran my heart out and came up a little shy with a 3:41:21 - less than a minute and a half off. I finished with mixed emotions over doing my best but not succeeding at the BQ. In the end this was still a Cleveland course PR for me and it's the second fastest 26.2 I've run out of about 15 now so I am happy with my effort.

The weekend went so fast and there was so much excitement. After the marathon my friend Dan and fellow ambassador Stephanie got engaged also! You may have seen the video. It was super cute. He waited for her at the finish line and proposed right there! Even if she didn't have a PR this year I know she'll never be able to forget this year's race! And it brings me back to my point that there is more to running than just the numbers and the goals. It's the people we meet that become our friends and sometimes significant others that really make these events special. In fact when Steve and I first met our first official date was on my birthday several years ago at the Perfect 10 Miler race. Who would have known that running would bring me my very best friend and husband?!

I'm sure I will be back next year for another Cleveland Marathon - and with the extra 5 minutes I'll have to qualify for 2019 maybe I can actually BQ. Or maybe I will just run it for fun. I guess we'll see. I'm not giving up on that second BQ. I know it will come but now I have to switch my focus entirely to training for the Canal Corridor 100, which is only about 6 weeks away...eek! I have the Green Jewel 50K next, which I will likely use as a training race versus racing it. I need to practice my 25 minute run/5 minute walk approach for the big race! Plus I will have to get in another long run on Sunday.

The hard earned 40th anniversary medal! The race started just before I was born in 1978!