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Pinterest Marathon Race Recap Boards

This year I opted to run the ING Hartford Marathon due to my dear friend Amy’s persuasive skills – she wanted to support her sister in law and Hartford is just a train ride away from NYC. Her sister-in- law was more than willing to host us for the weekend and I ended up partnering with the Hartford Marathon Foundation to drive awareness about the marathon. The weekend was a wonderful experience and the perfect girls weekend for me and Amy, as we’ve enjoyed girls’ running weekends together for more than 7 years. VIP after party

However, there is a part of me that misses the excitement that comes with running a large marathon.

  • Fellow runners across the internet providing motivation and words of advice
  • Facebook groups and in depth race pages which provide details about every curve, feedback from people who have run it in years past and tips & tricks
  • The opportunity to meet fellow bloggers and readers due to the number of people congregating in the marathon city
  • Streets lined with people, sometimes as deep as 20 people, just wanting a chance to cheer on a friend or looking for an excuse to party and celebrate

Part of me wishes I’d signed up for a large marathon in addition to Hartford. But, it’s a good thing I didn’t as there is no way I could make another flight back to the United States. Preparing for the ING Hartford Marathon wasn’t as easy as New York City or even Philadelphia, which I signed up for last minute due to Sandy.  I wasn’t able to chat with people who were familiar with the course. There was only one race recap I could find online which unfortunately was from the old course. Sure, maybe there is some benefit of showing up at a marathon with no clue what to expect. Every turn becomes a new adventure and there is no part of the race that is familiar or boring. But, I’ve found that I’m a runner who likes to know what to expect. I like training for the idiosyncrasies of a course.

At work the other day, I had the opportunity to gush about the New York City Marathon to one of our marketing directors who is running it for the first time this year. I introduced him to my Pinterest boards via email following our conversation. After my 20 mile run with Charlie, who is heading to New York City next week to conquer 26.2 miles, I sent her the link to my NYCM Pinterest board. Each time I share the link, people thank me profusely. Each recap makes their future steps and journey seem a bit more real. Reading and learning from those who ran before them helps calm the nerves. I realized this year just how much I missed that aspect of the race preparation. There was no movie to watch for inspiration. There was no book to read about each of the boroughs. There were no race recaps to study. There was a video posted on their YouTube page but that just made me nervous as it wasn’t taken on race day so all I saw were empty suburban streets.

Don’t get me wrong. The Hartford Marathon was a wonderful experience this year and due to circumstances it was the right marathon for me. It allowed me to learn about dealing with negative self talk during a marathon, boredom and loneliness. It helped me realize just how special my New York City Marathon memories are. You better believe that I’m putting my name in the lottery this year for the 2014 New York City marathon. The energy and passion that radiates from the marathon is contagious and I can’t wait to feel that again.

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As I’ve realized how much these Pinterest boards help my friends and colleagues, I’ve decided to make more of them, covering more marathons, focusing first on the Fall ones. Thus far, I’ve collected race recaps for the following marathons:

But, as I’ve made these boards, I realize how much each recap inspires me. Therefore, it’s my goal to make them for most of the big marathons including some of the upcoming Spring marathons such as Boston, Cincinnati, Country Music, Big Sur, San Diego, and Vermont City.

I hope these boards help you or a friend who is preparing for their marathon. If you have a race request, just send it my way! Good luck!

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Philadelphia Marathon Recap: Second Half

I knew the second half of the marathon was when my mental strength would be tested. During my past two marathons, both in New York City, I’ve hit the wall on or around mile 17. I told Elizabeth, who was still by my side during the middle miles, that I wanted to use the Philadelphia Marathon course’s out and back style to my advantage.

I’m going to focus on the runners coming back my way and smile at them while watching for people I know. Hopefully this will make the miles pass quicker.

For the next 3 miles of quiet along Kelly Drive I did just that. I enjoyed the people watching while also taking in the sites of Boathouse Row. While there were very few spectators in this area, I was lucky enough to be spotted by 2 old Philadelphia friends from my time living in the city and 3 more blog readers. In the back of my head, knowing that someone I knew could see me at any point on the course definitely motivated me to run strong.

Little did I know how true this was as within the next minute we came upon the Lululemon Cheer Squad where Leslie spotted me! Seeing her huge smile and scream was exactly what I needed at this point. I knew that I’d see her again around mile 22 and was excited to have something to look forward to during this quiet part of the course. (photo courtesy of Leslie)

By mile 17, when we reached the Falls Bridge, Kristin was running her own race and it was now just me and Elizabeth. Our pace continued to click away right around 11:08 and we both couldn’t believe how strong we felt. Even going back up the hill to Falls Bridge after the short out and back on the other side of the river, around 18, our pace stayed on target and our breath came smoothly. We decided at this point that we’d do our best to start pushing the speed. We knew we’d have to start ticking off 3-4 seconds per mile if we wanted to break 4:45 still.

However, as we tried to push faster we both realized that this wasn’t the best time to do so. We could tell that the next few miles were a gradual uphill through Manayunk, where we’d reach our next crowd. Instead, we decided to keep with our 11:08 pace and our plan to run the first 20 like a long run and kick it in gear a bit for the final 10k. This area of the course was a bit more challenging than I’d expected just because the out and back seemed longer. The gradual incline never seemed to end and the crowd support came later than I expected.

At mile 20, just past the turnaround point, Elizabeth and I saw Meghan pass us looking wonderfully strong. I knew she was going to kick this marathon based on her strong training, including a 15 miler just 2 weeks previous which was such a smart decision on her part. As she passed I tried to catch up but couldn’t do it. I spent the next 2 minutes screaming for her, not realizing that she had on her headphones. I swear the amount of energy I exerted during this time felt as if I’d just dashed a mile. When I crossed the 20 mile marker I knew I didn’t have the energy left in me to keep up with her pace. Elizabeth looked at me and said she wanted to push it a bit faster and asked if I wanted to join her. Her original goal was a 4:40, faster than my goal, and therefore I feared going out too fast at this point. Who knows if I made the right decision or whether my body could have handled it. I’ll never know. I thanked her for her amazing 20 miles worth of support and told her that I’d do my best to keep her in my sights instead. She had just helped me accomplish something I never thought possible- run for 20 miles without a single stop or even water walk. That in itself was an accomplishment enough for me.

At that point, mile 20.5, I put my headphones on, took another Gu, sipped water, and promised myself that unless I felt injury, I would not walk. I’d trained for weeks and wanted to make myself proud. I wanted to cross the finish line with pride. I slowly started to focus on people ahead of me and do my best to pass them, one by one. My pace at the 21 mile mark was 11:10, according to my Garmin and my goal was to keep taking it down each mile. While I didn’t necessarily have the energy to push out 10:30 minute miles, I did negative split those next five miles. Below is just a glimpse into my thoughts during these last miles.

Mile 22: 11:00 (I can do this. If I just listen to Pit Bull’s I Cry a few more times I’ll keep from crying.)

Mile 23: 10:58 (Okay let’s keep the body relaxed and no waving as that uses energy. One foot in front of the other. Oh look at those people cheering. Act like they are your own fans and read their signs as you push past them.)

Mile 24: 10:58 (Hmm, you could see epic cheer squad at any point. Remember that Ashley has her camera ready. Look strong. Keep focused. Okay, let’s change the music to something a bit more upbeat. Hmm, Call Me Maybe?)

Mile 25: 10:49 (How is it possible that I haven’t seen the cheer squad yet? How am I not tired of listening to Call Me Maybe on repeat? Oh lord my lower back is so tight. My legs aren’t hurting but my actual feet are. Okay, let’s change it to Gangam Style and then finish out the marathon with a Reach the Beach Tribute.)

Mile 26: 10:23 (Okay, I have to keep exactly on pace to beat 4:55. I’ve worked too hard to not make that goal. Wait, let me spend this minute figuring out if there is any chance of 4:50. Oh no, these legs don’t have 7 minute miles in them. Okay, focus on running. Holy shit there is the sign. Oh my gosh Bo and Beth are screaming so loud. I love them. I love the entire cheer squad for being here and being so supportive. How amazing is Michael. I can’t believe he is still out here cheering for me. Maybe if I show them how much I love them they’ll believe me. I heart them. Oh wait, let’s finish this marathon. Just .3 mile left. Time to sprint for them.)

See below in order, thanks to Ashley’s amazing race day photography!

I

LOVE

YOU!

Mile 26-26.5: 8:22 (Oh lord. My quad hurts so badly. Come on sprint just end. I wonder if everyone else from our team is finished. Okay just cross the line, don’t look at Garmin and walk directly to the Pennies in Action tent. I really want a banana.)

Finish: Holy hell. I just ran 26.4 miles without stopping a single time. My left leg is so sore. My shoulders hurt. I’m sobbing. I can’t believe this. I have to call Gia immediately. Do I want to run another marathon again or is this a good way to go out? Wait, if I can run 4:53 here what do I have in me if I don’t have a 5 week taper? Wow, I can’t believe how steady I paced myself during that marathon. Wait if it had been 26.2 I actually would have done closer to 4:50. Shut up Ashley no marathon is exactly 26.2 miles. Just go celebrate and find your friends and Bo.

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To everyone who made this marathon possible whether through generous donations to Pennies In Action (me with the founder in the above picture) or through your positive thoughts and motivation, THANK YOU!

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Philadelphia Marathon Recap: First Half

Our entire group woke up bright and early Sunday morning to party music and Beth serenading us with marathon morning greetings. I swear she was more excited than we were! I was blessed to be around a group of morning people so we were all moving faster than you’d believe.

We all sipped on coffee and tried to stomach some bagel, peanut butter and bananas as we danced to the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song.

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Meghann came over to Michael’s apartment at 6 and by 6:15 we were walking the mile from Rittenhouse Square to the race start. The walk gave us time to review our strategies for the marathon as a group and provide Nadia with some last minute motivation. By this point Kristin and I had decided that we’d start together and let our bodies and minds decide how long we stuck together. Our strategies for hopefully breaking 4:45 and at least setting a new PR was directly from Gia’s coaching:

  • Start out slower than you believe necessary, absolutely no faster than 10:50.
  • Treat the first 20 miles like a long run.
  • Sip water every mile.
  • Take fuel every 4.5 miles even when not in the mood.
  • Don’t use music until I absolutely need it, hopefully in the second half of the marathon.

We stored our gear at the Pennies in Action charity tent, just steps from the start line, before parting ways with our cheer squad (Michael, Beth, and Ashley) along with Nadia and Meghan. Meghan chose to deal with the hell known as the Philadelphia Marathon & Half Marathon porta potty line. They need to add at least an extra 25 more toilets next year!

Having this charity tent as a meeting place was so convenient and took stress off all of us!

As you can tell from the above, we also decided to wear our NYC Marathon bibs on our backs. We figured that around mile 20 it’d be a nice conversation piece for other runners which would hopefully give us an extra push.

Just as we were heading over to the corrals around 6:45, a friendly woman ran up asking if she could run with us. It turns out she raised money for Pennies in Action and also reads my blog! She knew from the blog that we were all trying for the same pace. Elizabeth was such a fun surprise and she too was running her 3rd marathon. A mother to two young children her humor immediately made Kristin and I smile!

The 3 of us confirmed our goals for the race and that we’d stick together as long as possible but would save our energy and therefore not talk much, instead taking in the sights and sounds of Philadelphia.

After the National Anthem and some last minute pump up jams and stretching, we heard the start and knew our time was coming quickly. By 7:10 we were crossing the starting line giving Mayor Nutter a high five and running in the cool, crisp Philadelphia air, ready to enjoy the gorgeous weather.

The first mile was a bit cramped but we saved our energy by hugging the far right side and keeping around an 11:08 pace. The slow pace gave us a chance to take in the crowds and see our cheer squad at 18th street, right past mile 1. They were already screaming their heads off and at this point Kristin threw Beth her watch as the Garmin wasn’t working well.

This spur of the moment decision by Kristin was the best thing she could have ever done! She looked at me and asked if I would pace our group, keeping us on target and ensure our pace didn’t get too fast. I’ve never been a strong pacer and am guilty of going out to fast more often than not. But, knowing that I had other people’s races on the line made me focus on the pace.

For the next five miles we took in the sights, laughed at signs, thanked the Philadelphia marathon planning crew for changing the course to avoid cobblestones, reminded each other to sip water, and took our fuel. Around mile 6 we started watching for our cheer section which helped this mile pass quickly. As we ran through South Philadelphia I watched for the neon signs and finally saw Bo’s red hair jumping up and down. Thanks to my sparkly skirt he saw me far earlier than I saw him and had our whole cheer squad prepared to greet us.

I am so thankful that Theodora shared this sign with me via our Marine Corps Marathon discussions as Bo’s sign was definitely a popular one on the course. Evidently lots of people gave him high fives and laughed as they read the sign! During these first six miles the spectators were a bit weaker than I remembered, many people stood silently holding signs but not screaming. Clearly they didn’t get the memo from Beth, Bo, Michael, and Ashley on how to be epic cheerleaders.

When we passed them I told the girls that the next few miles were pretty important since we’d encounter hills and quickly part ways with the half marathoners who would also be sprinting towards their finish line.  So far, for miles 1 through 7 we were holding our pace right at 11:07, never hovering more than a few seconds in either direction. Our goal was to hold pace through the hills, while  making sure we respected the uphills, allowing our pace to drop some if we needed. We ran up past the Philadelphia Zoo and across to Fairmount Park and the hills near the Please Touch Museum and carousel. The leaves were gorgeous in this area but there were definitely not many spectators. During these “hills” I had my first few tears of the marathon as I told Elizabeth and Kristin that last time I ran the half I had to walk these hills which I thought at the time were impossible. While these few miles included hills, nothing was worse than Harlem Hill and I felt very prepared for them.

As we exited the park we headed down the Schuylkill River path towards Philadelphia. It was amazing to look across the river and see that there were marathoners already running back towards the city, around mile 22! At this point Kristin started to run a bit behind me and Elizabeth. I knew she was feeling tired and tried to slow to stick with her but was worried when I noticed our pace was closer to 11:20 than 11:10. It was at this point that I started to talk with Elizabeth, focusing on getting to know her better to take our mind off the run itself. In addition, I continued to play tour guide, telling them about the Water Works, Boathouse Row, and the Art Museum.

As the marathoners and half marathoners split ways, right past the mile 12 marker, I realized I wasn’t going to see Sabrina who was cheering on Trig and instead took a chance to take inventory of my body and mind. I checked in to see how I was feeling, knowing I was about to enter into the second half of the marathon. I wanted to smile from ear to ear I was feeling so great. I had fueled 2 times so far (4.5 and 9), sipped plenty of water, run my first half without music, was dressed perfectly for the weather, was enjoying the sights, and my pace was right at 11:09. I told Kristin and Elizabeth that I had done the math in my head and if I could keep an 11:09 for the whole marathon I’d have more than a 10 minute PR. By this point I wasn’t sure if 4:45 was feasible as I’d been pretty conservative in the beginning with our pace, never dropping to the 10:55 we’d discussed.

As we crossed the half marathon mark, I decided that my body and mine felt like 11:09 was feasible but I didn’t know that the 5 week taper and other training bumps would allow me to run a 4:45. I wasn’t upset at all. Instead I was more thrilled with how I felt at this point and had just run a stronger half marathon, mentally, than I have in ages. As Kristin’s pace dropped I knew that we’d be parting ways soon but instead told her that she should try and stay as close as possible. I kept pointing to the space next to me in hopes that she’d take her place again in our trio. But, I know how it feels to enter the second half of a marathon not feeling great and therefore didn’t want her to waste energy sprinting either or feel any less of herself.

I spent the 13th mile watching for Bo and our cheering squad, who we were supposed to see around the half point. Even when I realized we’d missed them, the smile from my face still couldn’t be removed. I was about to run the strongest marathon ever and 3rd time was going to be a charm.

….To be continued tomorrow as I have a Notre Dame to finish watching!

PS Thanks to Erica Sara and Ashley Byron for amazing pictures since I ran the race without taking a single picture!

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