After a lackluster training session this winter and spring, I arrived in Cleveland with serious doubt about completing a full marathon. Most last-minute training programs demand a peak run about four weeks before the actual marathon of 20 miles; I had peaked just last week at 15 miles, having built up my long run miles slowly to avoid injury.
Why was I running the Cleveland Marathon? I went to grad school in the City That Rocks and was coming back for a reunion of sorts in addition to running in the marathon. I’ve previously only run the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. which I was reminded as I went to the Race Expo that it is truly a larger race than others. The total number of finishers in the combined 10K, Half Marathon and Full Marathon was a cozy 8027. This number was small enough to not ever feel too crowded, except perhaps at the start line.
The race started at East 13th and Saint Clair in downtown Cleveland at 7 am. In Cleveland-fashion, a steady downpour that had started earlier in the morning started to peter out as the morning progressed. At 55 degrees, it was a bit chilly as I waited in my trash bag. One bizarre phenomenon was that the runners refused to begin running until they were at the start line! I think the philosophy was that all running should be done on the race course exclusively.
I ran with my friend Wendy, who was doing the half-marathon that morning; the race course covers the same route for the first 12 miles or so, before the lucky marathoners have to break off for their second half of the race. I kept to a steady 10 or 10:30 pace, but broke off a little bit when Wendy had to visit a bathroom around mile 4. The course winds through downtown before heading to the West side, through a nice residential neighborhood before turning around down a major business thoroughfare back to downtown Cleveland. After Wendy caught up to me at the split, I said goodbye and continued down desolate Chester Ave, which was even quieter now that it was just the marathoners. (Only about 1800 marathon finishers this day.) It was pleasant to jog through University Circle and past my old school building and my old neighborhood.
What came next however was not pleasant. Every marathon course I suppose has a challenging stretch of miles. For Cleveland, it is the portion along Lake Erie, a good three or four miles of high wind, quiet and little crowd support. These were the miles that I also hit a bit of a wall and had to resort to trying to find some “drafting” support to get through the wind. Even when we reached downtown and winded around through the streets to meet our 26.2 miles the wind was strong and rarely behind our backs.
I certainly enjoyed the marathon for its small size and friendliness. The w
eather rose to a respectable 60 degrees and was warmer in the sun. My biggest complaint is the wind, but other than that it was a delight to be in the City That Rocks.As for my personal time, this being my fourth marathon and my first post-winter training, I set a new Personal Record(PR) at 4:42. I finished with a great sprint for the last 0.2 miles which suggests that I held back on the energy I had; so, there’s still room for improvement and a chance for more in the future.
In terms of injuries and recovery, I had no leg cramps for the first time during the race, though I did cramp later after the race on my long walk back to my friend’s apartment. It was difficult to move quickly and I developed my usual fever, which I took a 325 mg of Tylenol for. Today, I am only mildly sore and doing fairly well. I expect and hope to be doing runs again in a week.
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Credit: Picture Courtesy The Plain Dealer, Lisa DeJong
