2011 Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon

I had all these mental notes about how I simply dislike (hate is too strong a word) the Cleveland Marathon. I said two years ago I would not run it anymore, and didn't last year. I was still stuck driving up there last year because the Mrs. went and promised to run with someone, as she did again this year. I signed up for this year's race thinking it would be a decent way to have a long run the week after a 50 miler. There would be aid, motivation, and a SAG wagon if needed.

I'm not going to lambaste the race or the organization as I had planned, but I am going to vent a bit. Yes, the course is less than desirable. No, there aren't nearly as many spectators on the course as at other big races. Yes, moving the expo to East B-F Euclid was a horrible and embarrassing decision on their part. No, they don't serve a decent sports drink on the course. Or gels. And no, I don't know when I will run Cleveland again or be involved with in any way. OK, rant over.

We had a large group running one of the three races Sunday morning, plus others running the 5K on Saturday. Most of us made it to the big wind turbine at the Science Center for the group photo, but like last year, some were stuck in traffic. Why is traffic such a problem here? It looks like rain in the photo, but it was just a heavy mist/fog. The flash reflected orbs of moisture to give an interesting effect.

Much as I decided on Saturday what my plan for the day would be, I also decided what my race day attire would consist of: Tropical! If Mother Nature wasn't going to provide sunshine and dry skies, I would radiate what I could. Actually, the cloud cover was a good thing, keeping temps from creeping too high. The humidity caused more sweating than mid to upper 50 degree temps would normally bring about, so I hydrated at every aid station. I should have ran with fluids on me, but opted instead for just a gel flask. The miles were warm with the wind at our back, and chilly running into it. With the wind out of the east, that meant we had a tailwind finish. That was nice!

Without going into too much detail, my plan was to run 8:00/miles and see how long I could last. That's a 3:30 pace, so I lined up with the 3:30 pace group. I lost them after the start for a couple miles, but found them again before we turned around on the west side. I was able to stick with them for the entire first half, even finding Debbie S. on the other side of the pack from where I was running. Around mile 13 or 14 I began to pull away a little. My mile splits were dipping under 8:00 and things still felt good so I kept going.

I pushed as best I could pretty much all the way down MLK Blvd. Hitting the lake though, is when my body began pushing back at me. Nothing too severe. I just began getting really tired. And running an 8:15 pace took as much effort as running a 7:35 had done just a few miles before. I took the last of my gel and gulped water, fearing dehydration setting in. At the remaining aid stations I would take the Poweraid, needing calories and sodium. The little games in my head evolved from nailing my mile splits to seeing how long I could hold off the pace group from catching me. The answer to that would be mile 26! They caught me with just .2 to go. I finished with the pacer carrying the sign, about as close to 3:30 as you could get without going over: 3:29:47.

You know, it's fun finishing a marathon when there are still half marathon walkers finishing! Even with all the things I listed to gripe about, I enjoyed myself at this run. I didn't know what to expect or how I would hold up. I haven't been training to run a hard marathon. This was a pleasant surprise and tells me that I have maybe been underestimating my fitness. That's a good thing! I don't want to head in to these next two long races with an inflated view of what I can do. I would much prefer to toe the line and surprise myself.

So, Cleveland was a success for me this year. It was my best marathon since Boston last year. I may, or may not, return. I had every intention of divorcing myself from this race, but I'm going to settle for a temporary separation. There are so many great marathons in Ohio. I think I will stick to running them and not worry about this one for a while.

For what it's worth, I think Cleveland is capable of hosting a world class event. Just not where it is currently being produced. Let's look at starting it out in the suburbs somewhere and run into downtown. A point-to-point course like Boston. A net downhill! Our suburbs are beautiful, would be pleasurable to run through, and give out-of-towners something more to look forward to than blighted inner city neighborhoods and industrial sections of town.