2017 Columbus Marathon Race Report

I'm so relieved that Columbus Marathon is over and that I did not re-injure my leg. If you've been following me, then you know that I originally pulled something in my calf in June, healed it (or so I thought), and then hurt it again at Mile 10 of Air Force Half Marathon. I had to miss a couple races and work on rehabbing it again. Unfortunately, my calf's good day was a bad day for my big toes. I developed bad blood blisters under the nails, had to see a doctor, and missed Marine Corps Marathon. The good news is that I should be healthy for my marathon in China. Without further ado, here's my Columbus race report.

Earned the hard way

I knew I would run Columbus again after moving back in January. It was a good race for me the first time I ran in 2006, and now it was my local marathon. Then in June I was selected as a Columbus Marathon ambassador to our sister city of Hefei, China. This underscored the importance of running this event. I was registered months ago, and my friend Karen decided to come run with me, traveling from Maryland.

I got to the expo Friday afternoon a little bit before Karen got into town. I spent some time at the Greater Columbus Sister Cities International booth, where I got to meet runner Hewei Liang (Bernard) from Hefei. I would see him in a month on my trip to China. When Karen arrived we picked up our race packets and spent some time visiting vendor booths. We both loved one of the marathon shirts in the Second Sole booth. After the expo and on Saturday Karen and I hit up some Columbus breweries (of course) and some favorite places to eat. We had a low-key dinner at home while watching the Ohio State game.

Official Columbus Marathon vehicle
Bernard, me, and Paul (previous ambassador) 
Expo vendors from above

Race morning was Sunday, and it was going to be a hot one. It didn't feel too bad to start, but it would get uncomfortably hot and humid quickly. We planned our clothing choices and hydration to our best advantage and set out early. As the Marathon Maniacs ambassador for Columbus (yes, I am two kinds of running ambassadors), it was my responsibility to coordinate the Maniac photo. We got a nice group there for a 6:45 AM picture, but I know there were other Maniacs at the race too. Andrew, the Maniac ambassador for Cincinnati was at the photo and this was going to be his 50th marathon. After the photo, Karen and I headed to Columbus Running Company's VIP tent for running clubs, where I met up with some of the Columbus Westside Running Club (CWRC) crew, and we got a photo there too. After a port-o-potty visit, it was time to head to the start corrals.

Some of the Marathon Maniacs at the race 
And some of the CWRC members at the race

Karen and I were in different corrals, so we wished each other good luck and then separated ways. In my corral I found Kristian and Avery, two of my fellow Columbus Marathon ambassadors who would be going to China with me. The start of the race was nice, with a very fine rendition of the Star Spangled Banner and fireworks for each wave of runners. Unfortunately, I didn't have a good view of the fireworks as my corral was down a side street. But they were a nice touch.

I found Kristian before the start
Not quite to the start yet
Kristian and Avery, who was running in memory of her father

Months ago, my goal for this race was to earn a new PR, and at the end of May I was on track for that. I had been running faster and doing speedwork, and had a great half marathon in Medina, where I finally believed this was the year I'd be ready to PR. My June injury put an end to those dreams. The re-injury in September was another downer. So, I set a revised goal for Columbus Marathon, which I thought was achievable based on my recent performance at the Emerald City Half Marathon. I set my watch for intervals of 3 minutes running and 1 minute walking, and mostly kept to the plan for the first half of the race. We headed East past the Ohio Statehouse, to Bexley, and then back to run past Nationwide Children's Hospital, the race beneficiary. In Bexley I saw Andrew on the course. He had run 20 miles the day before (Maniac!) so on this day he was taking it easy and simply enjoying his 50th marathon; Columbus had also been his first.

Selfie with the Ohio State House
Possibly the worst pic of me ever taken, plus a photo bomber and a clueless guy in blue; but Andrew was doing great at his 50th marathon
The Drexel theater in Bexley

Every mile featured a Nationwide Children's patient. Runners had the opportunity to high-five the child, who always had a tent with a big support group of friends, family and volunteers. As we entered the mile, we could see a sign with the kid's name, and then follow-up signs with fun facts about that kid, such as their interests and hobbies. In the crowded miles, I didn't always have a good opportunity to get across the race course, but when it was less-crowded, I made a point to give a high-five, or at least a wave and shout-out to the kid. Part of the course near the hospital featured signs with the names of the fundraising runners. I learned that, like the more famous St. Jude's Children's Research hospital, Nationwide Children's does not turn down a patient based on their family's ability to pay. That's awesome, and that's why this marathon is so important to the city.

Nearing Nationwide Children's
Fun stilts ladies outside the hospital 
It's for these kids

Close to Mile 13 the half marathoners split off for their finish. Before that, I found Carl from CWRC, or rather, he saw me. Carl had finished the half marathon and then came out to cheer on the remaining club members. It was great to see a friendly face!

Seen in Schiller Park in German Village
Because anytime you can take a selfie with two unicorns, you have to do it
These guys just looked so cute out on High Street

After the split from the half marathoners, we headed to the Short North and then to Ohio State campus. After Mile 13 I ate an energy gel that I wasn't used to and within five minutes my GI tract was protesting. I was on pace to meet my goal, but I was going to need to stop, and there were no port-o-potties in sight. Just when I was about to find a local business and beg to use their bathroom, I was saved! My new friend Andrea was outside her condo on High Street, right on the marathon course. She saw me coming and was cheering for me, when she and her husband Jim offered me the use of their bathroom right inside. They also filled up my water bottle with ice, which was great, because my energy drink was lukewarm. I didn't care that I lost some time on this stop; it was necessary and helped me out not only physically but also mentally. I didn't stay too long though.

Thank you, Jim and Andrea!

I was feeling better now, but the heat and humidity were getting worse. Not only that, but there were strong winds. I slowed down. I was now definitely behind pace, and I could only expect to fall further behind as the weather worsened. And it did worsen. We started the race under overcast skies, but the sun came out later on. That was not good. The race, which had started out at a threat level of Yellow, changed to Red. Lots of people were slowing down. I felt well enough that I knew I would finish the marathon; it just wouldn't be pretty. I walked much more in the second half, but tried to stick with intervals. I couldn't afford to slow down to a solid walk; that would have taken way too long. I leap-frogged the course with some runners and passed others. I found Avery on the course in the campus area. She was doing a lot of walking due to an injury, but she was on track to finish.

We ran right by Ohio Stadium...no, right by it...but this pic from a distance was better than the close-ups
The stretch by the cornfield was full of corny jokes, signs and music, and lifted my spirits

In Upper Arlington there was some shade, and beautiful houses to look at. There were also several residents out spectating. One group near Mile 19 had an unofficial aid station and I could tell the water was cold from the condensation on the carafe. I had to stop, since everything else I'd had to drink was warm, and the ice cubes from Andrea had already melted and my drink was warm again. Then I saw that these kind folks also had beer, so I had a small cup of that too. Cold and refreshing!

Running through Grandview was tough. It was hot and there were some long stretches without shade. And then in Grandview Yard we ran on some cobblestones. They weren't as bad as the cobblestones in Rome and Paris, but they were still uncomfortable. Carl was out there on the course again in Grandview. It was so nice to see him. Then we had more CWRC club members at Mile 22+. I love how my running club supports its runners!

Silly selfie with Carl - thanks again for being there when the going got tough

I made my way back to Victorian Village and knew that I was in the final miles of the course. Unfortunately, I slowed down even more. I had some side stitches, as sometimes happens when I run in heat and humidity. And I developed a strange pain behind my ear; thank goodness it subsided quickly after I massaged it a couple times. Feeling as blah as I did, but knowing that I would finish the race, I decided to walk even more. With all my goals unmet, my time no longer mattered, and it was more important to finish feeling as well as I could, without hurting any body parts.

Goodale Park in the last mile and a half - I've done many a run here
The best decorated Halloween house I saw, on Buttles across from Goodale Park
So near to the finish, and yet so far, and also uphill into the wind; this last mile dragged

As I neared the final turn of the race with a half mile to go, I saw Kristian on the course. She had finished her half and was out there cheering on the marathoners. Another familiar face. Good. And then in my last .2 of the course, there were Andrea and Jim. Wow! I love running my hometown race where people know me and cheer my on along the way. That was unexpected and wonderful. I picked up my pace from a walk to a shuffle and crossed that finish line.

In the finish chute now, Andrea got this pic of me; if I'd known, I'd have picked up my pace

After crossing the finish, I was handed a bottle of warmish water and a volunteer placed my medal around my neck. There was some guy offering me a heat sheet, which I really didn't need. And then I looked at his face and realized it was Chuck. Well, of course I'll take the heat sheet from Chuck; I'd use it sometime in the future. Chuck had not only run the marathon, but he was part of the Columbus Marathon crew both before and after the event. Apparently he just took a couple hours off work on Sunday to run the race. I had seen Chuck twice on the course in out & back sections. He told me that he didn't come close to meeting his goal either. He's much faster than me, but we're all human and we all have tough days and tough races.

Walking on, there were some water misters, so I stopped in front of those to cool off. That felt nice. And I wished they'd had misters on the course. I also wished that the water bottle had been on ice. I needed something cold. I walked through the rest of the finish chute, picking up a few snacks. I walked past the guy handing out chocolate milk, because I really don't like chocolate milk. But when he told me it was cold, I was sold. It was way too sweet for me, but I drank most of it anyway.

Neither of us had the race we wanted, but Karen and I got it done

Karen was waiting for me back at the VIP tent. She finished about an hour ahead of me and had some time to talk to the CWRC runners. I was the slowest of the full marathoners, but some of them waited at the tent until I texted Karen that I had finished. That was nice. We sat there for a little bit so I could rest my legs. Then we went back to the parking garage, where I found Kristian and Avery again. At the car, Karen and I tidied ourselves up a little bit, and walked over to Gordon Biersch for some beer and cheese curds. Andrew said hi to us while we were at the bar. Another friendly face.

Walking out of Gordon Biersch an hour later, the weather had changed. It was now chilly. We were shivering in our short sleeves as we walked to the parking garage. We were so cold that we stopped at Starbucks for a warm drink. Where was this weather earlier when we needed it? We could have done without the wind, but those cool temps would have been so welcome just a few hours earlier. We got home, cleaned up and then went out for a celebration meal at Condado Tacos and we each had a specialty margarita; mine was jalapeƱo. In spite of a less than stellar race, I had a good weekend. It was great having Karen visit (the cats thought so too), and weather aside, the Columbus Marathon was a world-class event. It was also nice to know so many people on the course and be cheered on by name. I was also very lucky that my calf held out, but disappointed by the blood blisters that developed later. In any case I'll be ready to run in China as a Columbus Marathon ambassador, and excited to represent my city and it's awesome marathon.

Comments

  1. Love this!!! Tough race - congrats on your finish!

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    1. Congrats on your race too, and thanks for all the support!

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