Akron Road Runner Marathon (5th annual)

I am in there, monkeying around!

We bopped around at the expo, enjoying seeing some running acquaintances. Tony picked up some very cool shades, and I nabbed a few of Chef Bill's pure fuel energy bars (soon to be available online, I think), as well as 4 packs of energy gels for the race from Vertical Runner. Also, I got a pair of running shorts I thought would work for the race. They are from Asics and have the compression shorts built right into them. I was skeptical to try something new on race day, but decided to risk it. If you remember the Cleveland marathon and my lovely green shorts, the chafing there was a nightmare. They only had a liner though, not full compression shorts. In case I forget to revisit it (I expect this to be a LONG blog post) the shorts were great! I want to get more of them now and will have to look around or online, for different colors. I got blue of course for the Akron Marathon.

I returned home and awaited the arrival of the Trail Goddess for the overnight prior to torturing her on the roads. Kim arrived from her stop at the expo and we chatted while I prepared a couple of batches of my pumpkin bread and muffins (yes Bill, from scratch.) As the first batch hit the ovens, we popped her new DVD about Massanutten into the player and started watching. It wasn't long before I was missing my ultra times and wondering if I would be off the weekend of Massanutten in 2008. I think I will focus my energy on finishing a more "entry level" 100 miler first.

Soon the dinner was being cooked by my wife and we were treated to very tasty spaghetti and salad. I tried to eat "just enough" to get my "carbo load" on, but not so much that I would be pooping it all out on race day. I completed some last minute prep actions prior to bedtime like printing out a pace band (3:58 goal PACE), trimming some stuff off of my shoes, printing some maps for my wife and kids to find me on race day, and even, yes, completing an artificially induced BM to lessen the chance of any race day surprises.

My crutch for the day - thank you www.marathonguide.com!

I got to sleep at a pretty decent hour for me and slept right through the night. Alarms went off at 4 am and I arose (as did Kim) and went to the kitchen to get some calories in 3 hours before the race as recommended. I drank a chocolate Slimfast, ate one packet of sugar free oatmeal, and had a pumpkin muffin. I would not drink anything else pre-race hoping to keep urination delays to a minimum.

Kim spent the morning in the kitchen telling me about a dream she had where she was at an ultra and there was a lake that had Godzilla in it, with all kinds of drama surrounding this issue. Hmmmm... a monster eh? I had a monster to slay today, my 4 hour nemesis.

5:20 a.m. getting ready to leave!

We left for the race at 5:40 am, knowing we would have to sit awhile in the car, but we had plenty to chat about. After a bit though, we wanted to search out fellow runners and left the car for the start line. I left behind my jacket, because a close friend gave it to me, and I didn't want to ditch it at the start. Enroute to the start I ran into Dr. Joe Salwan and Bob Clark along with the rest of their relay team. We continued up to the starting line tent and I was pretty chilly just wearing a sleeveless mesh-like t shirt. Inside the tent I found I could stay a touch warmer by standing right under some exposed incandescents. They had plenty of clothing donation bins and I should have brought an older t shirt to wear and ditch just prior to start.

I would run into the Inca Princess in the potty line while waiting to take my last minute pee, and also see Maria in street clothes and looking good (she has an injury right now precluding running a bit longer.) Chef Bill and I would find one another, we were both running with the 4:00 pace group and had agreed to more or less ignore each other verbally to avoid wasting energy talking. Kurt popped up and said hi in the starting corral. A few minutes prior to start Tony found me a gave me a fist pump wishing me luck. He has been such a huge inspiration and help to me getting ready for this. I imagine Tony will always be my marathon mentor in my mind. He had to then move up to the very front of the corral for the start. Tony was shooting for a 2:55 today.

I tried to figure out why there was a pace sign on the side of the corral for 3:56 or 9:00 per mile pace, but yet our pace group was for 4:00 finish (or 9:10 per mile pace.) I lined up with our Pace team leader Dave, but didn't say much, because as mentioned before, I wanted to be quiet while running. A minute or so before the start Dave offered his throwaway jacket to anyone cold, and after no one took it, I grabbed it and wore it for like 90 seconds before heaving it off to the side. I didn't want to run with a jacket on. Off we go, and I started my stopwatch as I crossed the starting line, some 1:30 or so after the official start. This would help me to see my actual time as my chip would be recording it.

As we finished the first mile and were almost off the Y bridge going north, the leaders started to come back down the other side. I looked hard for Tony, but only ended up seeing Vince in the lead pack before giving up and focusing on my race. I was dismayed at first not to see Tony very close to the front until I remembered that the half marathon runners were in there blazing a fast track. Looping back for our southbound leg across the Y bridge. We were still all bottled up at this point, but things were ever so gradually starting to thin out.

Mile 1 - crossing the Y bridge (from the Akron Beacon Journal, Paul Tople)
Any questions why locals call it the "Y" bridge anymore? It is actually the All America Bridge.

Back through town, and head south, I felt it coming. By the 4 mile mark and rest stop there would be no option. Next port-o-john and I had a date, and I couldn't stand her up (umm, literally folks.) I was lucky though, and had almost zero wait for a open john. I really felt like so much came out, I was going to be good all day now. Dang! I thought I took care of this the night before. Well, I would just come out and catch the 4 hour group as gradually as possible to save energy.

One half mile later on the sidewalk, I see a prone dead body....just laying there. I was kind of shocked. Who knows how that cat died?

(I didn't carry my camera, I found this on Google....)

Onward we go...I see the pace group and I am ever so slightly gathering them up. By mile 5.5 or so, I am back with Bill and the group. By mile 6, I am headed for the next port-o-john, but this time I only have to pee. Not an option though, I HAVE to pee. Damn. I have to wait a little for a potty this time, which sucked. I probably stood there for a full minute or so.

OK, WHEW! Feel better now, get back out and start reeling them back in again. I do it again in about a mile and half, using the downhills to gain ground with less effort. Mile 8.5 or so comes, and, yes, you guessed it, I have to pee again. WTF over? So I peel away from Bill, by now he is wondering what is going on with me. I get to the potties and have to wait again...this time the wait is bothering me and taking too long...I was thinking about moving over and going on the abandoned building, when finally one opens up and I dash in, pee, and get out. OK, please now, let's just run the rest of the day, OK body?

Up Brown Street and onto the University of Akron campus, the end of my second loop is near and I am happy to have the towpath ahead of me, and the long downhill to get to it. I know as I turn left in front of the Y bridge that I have another stop though. This is getting crazy! This time is going to be full service like the first stop. I open up my stride and make some distance on my pace group going down the Howard Street hill, and get to the two potties at the start of the towpath. I wait, and wait, and wait, and get in and try to hurry. The seat has stuff all over it (some of which was vomit) and I HAVE to clean that off, and then do my best again to be thorough but quick. Again, I am sure leaving that this is my last stop of this type. (If this were a big ultra I would be pulled from the race for weight loss!)

The towpath (miles 11-15+) (Photo via the Akron Beacon Journal, Paul Tople)

The towpath was wonderful and relatively soft compared to the last 11 miles. I don't see the pace group all the way down the towpath, but do reel in Kurt O. again. He had caught me briefly on the streets and "tagged" me with a little disc he gives people while running to solicit donations for the Children's Hospital. As a rule, I ignore these kinds of solicitations, but Kurt really cares about this effort and I respect him, so I think I will cave in and donate. So, I caught him and passed him with no fanfare, figuring I might see him again, especially if I have to poop again! When I ran past the 15 mile mark near the end of the towpath my head was swiveling around looking for where Tony hides his Gatorade in a tree. I didn't see any likely candidates.

Off the towpath there is a short uphill to get to Sand Run Park, which I am also looking forward to. There is a lot of commotion with relay teams handing off at the start of Sand Run, and I enjoyed passing this area with all the people. Now I know I am getting deep into my last big loop of the race, but I am also fighting to catch the pace group and hoping my excretionary excursions are at an end. I am feeling a little sore now, but I have been there before and will just ignore it. After a mile or more into Sand Run there is a stream that crosses the road. In a trail race we would laugh at that and run right through, but road runners have none of that and there was a temporary bridge in place that allowed us to cross the water with dry feet. (I think running through the stream would give this marathon character - although it needs nothing else, it was a GREAT, fun, well organized race in my opinion.)

The stream is the low point and then you start uphill. Mile 17 comes and I check my time, just about 30 seconds off my pace band of 3:58 pace, and I promptly find a tree and go pee...no waiting this time, just the peeing. That makes 5 bathroom stops if you are counting!

I keep going, and this section is a long uphill on which I do my best at maintaining pace. I am thinking about the joy of making my goal. I am thinking how temporary my discomfort is...all kinds of things to keep me going at pace. I turn the left onto Revere Rd and I know I am at the far point now of my large loop! Keep going Mike! I see my neighbors standing right near this corner and give a hello, one of the few words I utter all race long. I think the only other things I said were when Bill pointed out I was going too fast early on, I told him I was building time for a poop, and when I saw my girls just before the finish line I hollered out my love.

Somewhere going down Revere Rd, I have a funny sensation in my right leg. No pain, but I have this feeling like my leg could buckle if I try to go to hard. I was thinking that the muscles were just fatigued and I just tried to stay right below the threshold of that feeling. It didn't really make me go slower, it was just something I noticed. It would come and go over the next 4 miles until I got on the final stretch. I was relieved to get to Market Street and see a long flat stretch of road. Turning off of Market I am anticipating Debi's house and party in a few minutes, but also noticing that I am almost 5 minutes behind when I said I would get there, or 3 minutes behind the 4 hour pace now. I really do my best and as I get to Debi's I am looking for my girls, I haven't seen them yet during the race. No girls, but I do get a HUGE lift when I see the signs for all of us in Debi's front yard. Many of our running group had signs and mine simply said "Mike K" with two jets in silhouette below the words. I was smiling for a full 2-3 minutes from that. Thank you Debi! That was so cool.

As my smile faded, it was replaced by flowing tears. Yes, I cried and I don't mind admitting it. I had put a song on my mp3 player which always gets to me. It is called "Wild Mountain Thyme" and was the song we all sang at my brother's funeral. I was happily crying remembering my brother, but at the same time thinking that onlookers must think I have a bad injury or something. Sure, I felt like crap, but the tears were for John.

The tears just seemed to morph into a strange resolve that the mountain ahead of me, Mount Garman, would not claim me. I saw it looming, and everything within me said to just walk it briskly and run from the top, but my resolve built and I said NO! I will run it! I did and when I crested the top I was so relieved to feel that my climbing was more or less done. I had to now start building back some time to try to recapture 4 hours. Dash in to Stan Hywet Hall's grounds and back out, and now I have the mostly flat section out to Market Street. I keep my resolve up to give all I got and pass a bunch of people heading out to Market. Thankfully now, all my peeing and pooping is behind me, but I fear I don't have enough real estate to make up my deficit.

I open up whatever I have left, remembering that Tony says the bad feelings are mostly in my head. I am thinking "Go Mike Go!" I pass a few people going down Market. I am acutely aware when people pass me of whether they are marathon runners or relay runners. I am not supposed to be racing them, but it does make me feel better when the people passing me are mostly relay team members, having only run a 6 mile or so leg.

I know when I hit the 25 mile mark with something like 8 minutes or so left that 4 hours has slipped my grip. My proverbial "monster" will live to fight me another day, same as Kim's Godzilla dreams. But I have a mile left, and my spirit is not done, even if 4 hours has gone away. I crank up my pace to whatever I have left, and I think I ran the last mile in about 8:20 or so, determined to get my PR as low as possible. The last mile though, was from 25.2 to 26.2, and that two tenths was too much to let me get in under 4 hours.

The home stretch

I see the girls, turn down into the stadium, and do my best on the warning track to the line. I crossed the line in 4:02:48, an overall pace of 9:16 per mile. A new PR by almost 10 minutes. Tony is there right after, and I relay my disappointment and apologies, but he is proud of me, and will not hear it. I get a big hug from Tony and gather my goodies, the medal, the mylar blanket making me feel like a rock star. In true fashion, I profusely thank the volunteers I see for being there. One sweet old lady bends down and clips my time chip off of my shoe, making me smirk that she can now bend down better than I can.

Up to the concessions level and I am re-hydrating and grabbing a couple food bags. I sweet talked the volunteer into two of them. I ate the turkey and cheese off of the sandwiches and one of the energy bars. I am moving slow but find my family soon, and we choose to waste little time and get going. I just want to sit down and shower at this point.

I look back on the race and it is hard when I realize the bathroom breaks took me over 4 hours (suggestions anyone? Imodium or something?) If I could have ran through without stopping I would have been under 4 for sure. Bill Bailey did 3:57:47 with only one stop to pee. Tony fell a touch shy of the 2:55 hitting 2:59:10, but you know... he IS old, so what are you going to do. One of the funnest realizations I had this week is that while Tony gets older, and I get fitter and faster, there MAY come a day when our marathon times converge and we can run a race together! I am quite sure that day is still far off though.

No cats were harmed in the making of this blog post. The cat was already dead and I merely documented it's passing. I may have a supplemental post regarding the marathon when pictures come in from Maria. Don't forget to watch for blog posts from Red, Bill Bailey, Kim, and Maria regarding the race!