Sprouts Mesa Marathon

This past weekend I headed out to Mesa, Arizona. I have never been to Arizona, so an opportunity to visit a new state and run another marathon always makes for a good weekend; this time would be no exception.

Sara and I took off from Cincinnati bright and early Friday morning, catching the first flight out of the day and just as the snow arrived. After the plane received a quick de-icing, we were in the air. We arrived a few hours later into Phoenix, where there was no snow, but it was cold. Picked up our rental car and decided to check out the expo.

The expo was in a large parking lot of a shopping complex. There were large tents sent up with many vendors, like many marathons. We quickly grabbed out packets and swag and checked out a few of the vendors. Since the sun was up, it warmed up quickly.

Sara and I had lunch and then proceeded to check out the area a bit. We kept the walking to a minimum as Sara wanted to make sure she was well rested for her half the next day. Downtown Mesa was a nice area and we checked out a few local restaurants as well as a Cider place to relax.

Saturday morning we were up early to catch a shuttle bus to the race. Having had some issues with races requiring shuttle rides to the start line before, Sara and I got to the parking lot first thing, about 4:15am. The race has different shuttles to take take you to the full, half, and 10k start lines as all the races are point to point. We parked in between where her shuttle bus would be and where mine would be, needing to walk about a quarter mile each to get there. My shuttle ride was about 30 minutes into a nearby park where the race would begin. No shuttle issues this time.

The full marathon start line truly feels like the middle of nowhere. Since it was still very dark when my bus arrived, I could not see that the area was a beautiful state park. What I could see where a handful of very tall cactus. The race had heater lamps and fire pits set up to keep runners warm, prior to the start (the desert can get very cold at night and only warms up once the sun rises). After a bit of waiting around and staying warm, it was time for the race to start.

The starter gun sounded and we were off. It was still dark when the race started, but there were no issues seeing. The full moon and the rising sun provided just enough light. I had heard a few runners say to stay off the center line of the road because there were some slightly elevated reflective markers and that they could be tripping hazards. I heeded the warning. The first few miles were some of the steepest downhill miles of the whole race (though not overly steep).

As the sun rose, I was concerned the race may start to heat up, but it was a non issue for many miles. The surrounding mountains helped shade the course early on, which made for a nice, comfortable run. At mile 5.5 or 6, the only uphill on the course appears. It’s about a mile long and definitely noticeable. I had to make a quick stop as I thought my shoe had come untied, despite double knotting it; it was not untied. When I restarted my run, my knee had a shot of pain, not general soreness from fatigue, but pain. I was able to loosen up the knee and felt fine after that.

Just before mile 13, the sun had risen above the mountains enough to be noticeably warming up the course. At the halfway point, the full marathon runs right underneath the half marathon starting arch and then continues to follow the route the half marathons have been running all morning. Shortly after going under the arch, there were citrus farms lined up next to the road. I didn’t get close look at any citrus in particular, but I believe they were oranges, lemons, and maybe some grapefruit. No, I did not take any as these appeared to be working farms. It’s about this time the race starts to flatten out and start running through more of the town areas.

Somewhere around mile 14 or 15, I heard another Marathon Maniac come up to me and ask me how things were going. Turns out it was another ambassador, JC, who I have been friends with on Facebook for sometime. We started talking and the miles ticked away. At mile 20, however, my knee started acting up. I slowed down trying to keep up my run. Eventually my knee didn’t want to run as much. I started to do a walk/ run as I didn’t want to do any real damage. Since this race was meant to be an enjoyable one, and not one I was shooting for a PR, I had no concerns over walking and running the rest. The course continued to meander through town and eventually the finish line comes into site. The finish is at the same spot where the expo was the day before. I came across the finish in 4:37 and received my medal. I did not stick around the finish line celebration long as a lot of the post race food areas had large lines, but it did look like a nice celebration area.

After the race, Sara and I spent more time exploring the area and even drove out to where the full marathon started to get a glimpse of what the area was like. The park is a beautiful area, surrounded by cactus and mountains. I wish the race had started a bit later so you could truly see the area before starting, but I understand they may be limited in doing so. In all, the Mesa area was a very nice area and we really enjoyed our trip.

Pacing the Columbus Marathon

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to pace the Columbus marathon. I’ve always enjoyed this marathon as it was my first and 50th full marathon or ultra marathon. Just one week earlier I was asked to pace the race, something I was happy to do.

Prior to the race I headed up to Columbus and did the usual pre race expo and then had a short shift at the expo. I answered some general questions about the race and pacing and met some runners who were shooting to stick with me (I was the 5:30 full pacer). Later, I went to dinner with my fellow pacers and generally took it easy.

Race morning came and I was feeling good. I got my gear ready and met up with my fellow pacers bright and early. We headed over to the start line so we could be easily found by runners looking to stick with us. The race started at 7:30, but my corral didn’t start until closer to 8am. I had an eager group with me, ready to conquer the day.

The first few miles were about finding a groove. Columbus marathon and half marathon both start at the same time, so there were lots of people around. I had told those wanting to run with me that we would do a walk run with a 5 minute run, followed by a 1 minute walk. After about 2 or 3 miles, everyone was settled in.

The course itself is mostly flat, but a few ups and downs throughout the course. I kept the group encouraged and many were feeling pretty good as we started to hit 10 miles. A few miles after, some of the folks who had been running with me turned off, thanking me just before they did, so they could finish the half. The course runs together (half and full) for about 13 miles of the 13.1 for a half marathon.

After the half split off, it got a bit quiet as many of the runners with me were running the half. I kept encouraging the remaining runners as we pressed out to the full marathon. For the next several miles, it began to heat up as we ran around Columbus. By mile 18, it had started getting quite warm. To top it off, the only “major” climb for the whole race is right at mile 18. Sadly, I lost quite a few of my remaining runners here, many of whom were trying to finish their first marathon. This was a tough stretch for many runners as I saw many walking slowly up the hill or struggling in the sun.

The last few miles level back off and I picked up some new runners who had struggled up the hill. They decided to join me for the last few miles so that I could help motivate them. Miles 18-24 went by quickly and many runners had joined our group.

At mile 25, a handful of the remaining runners ran ahead, and a few dropped back. I would pick up folks and lose others as I ran the remaining 2 miles into the finish. It was great to see so many first time marathoners finishing.

Cleveland Marathon

This past weekend I had the opportunity to pace the Cleveland marathon. This would be the first time I’d run the full marathon (I did the half last year) and I was looking forward to helping out folks on the course. The course itself is relatively flat, but with a few hills thrown in throughout.

Got to the race start early, about 6am, as pacers are usually required to check in early to get ready. Met up with my fellow pacer, took the pacer team pics, and prepared for the day. It was already fairly warm (relative to the rest of the spring weather) and was humid. Temps would only climb from here. I talked strategy with my fellow pacer (it was his first time pacing) and talked with runners planning to stick with us, and we were off. The first few miles are all about dialing in our pace and enjoying the run. We communicated strategy to our group, run to the water stops and walk a few moments once there so folks could hydrate.

Miles 1-4 are run with the 10k and the half, with a few small hills throughout, but mostly uneventful. Right before the 10k splits off, there is a short bridge that is grated that can cause issues, if not careful. Right after, the 10k goes up a large hill, but the half and full only go up a short ways, before splitting off. The reprieve from the hill is short lived, however, as by about 6.5, the half and full go up the steepest hill on the course. While not exceptionally long, the steepest will wear folks out, so the plan was to ease up the hill by running slightly ahead of pace up to it. We got the group up the hill and everyone was looking strong.

By about mile 8, the sun and heat were in full force. My fellow pacer and I maintained our strategy by walking through the water stops. We had several runners come and go with the pace as the heat rose. It would be a tough day for many racers (and several pacers, too).

After mile 11, the half had split off to finish their race, and the full did an out and back section for the next few miles. The sun had come out from behind the clouds, and the heat continued to rise. We did our best to remind runners to hydrate as we hit the water stops, taking slightly longer walks to allow ample time to hydrate. The out and back was a good opportunity to motivate runners both in front of and behind us. The heat had started to wear me out, but I was still hydrating and pushing through.

The out and back last until about mile 20, and after that it’s back into the city to finish the race. The course is mostly flat, with a few steep hills I mentioned earlier. At mile 23 though, there was a small hill and my quads simply stopped wanting to climb hills. I had to tell my co pacer my legs were done. Nothing worse (in my opinion) when you’re a pacer and have to drop back. My legs simply couldn’t find the strength to climb. I have been working on my climbing this year, so I think it may have just been the heat that played a role, but couldn’t say for sure. Either way, I was walking up the hill. I was hopeful that hitting the top would allow me to run again and catch up, but the legs had had enough.

At mile 24, I had turned my pacer shirt around (that’s a common practice if a pacer falls off their pace) because I knew I wasn’t catching up. I was able to keep walking and running periodically, while still encouraging other runners. Miles 24 and 25 are flat again, but the sun was right over head. At mile 26 you hit the final bridge, which brings the last bit of elevation gain, which isn’t much, but a lot of folks were feeling it. I crossed the line about 5 minutes past my pace time. I did see my fellow pacer at the finish and he told me he came in on time and thanked me for helping him out for most of the race (it was his first time pacing and he was a bit nervous). I received my medal, grabbed a post race beer (side note: when dehydrated, as I was, post race beer may sound good, but it’s probably not the best idea), had about a quarter of it, and decided it was time to head out, as I was spent.

Overall, the race is very nice. The weather can’t be controlled, so one has to do what they can to prepare. Some say they feel there aren’t enough aid stations, but we passed one every 1.5 or so miles. Due to the heat, maybe more would have been better, but I am not sure where they’d put them. The crowd support isn’t as large as some races, but there is still a decent crowd out there. I’d give the race a solid B.