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Race Result

Racer: Kristin Adkins
Race: Baltimore Marathon
Date: Saturday, October 15, 2005
Location: Baltimore, MD
Race Type: Run - Marathon
Age Group: Female 30 - 34
Time: 5:07:36
Comment: My First Marathon - Completed



Race Report:



I don't have official times yet, haven't seen them on the website. But, I've got some time, so the report is getting done now.

This was my first marathon, so the goals were to finish and to try and beat Oprah. My training had gone ok, had a great 16 and 18 mile run, but had a horrible 20 mile run that I ended up having to walk 5.5 miles of it. I signed up with the 4:30 pace group as I have a horrible time keeping my pace consistent as you can see by the splits.

Splits:
10.16.16
10.24.51
9.59.57
10.14.89
9.43.87
11.31.50 (missed the mile marker)
8.27.50
10.14.52
10.10.65
10.27.68 (fell)
11.00.20
10.58.61
10.39.38
10.42.25
11.09.71
11.46.85 (hills started again)
13.31.79
12.15.25
13.37.84
13.59.87
14.41.16 (long time at water stop)
13.55.11
13.33.00
13.06.91
15.05.60 (had to do some walking - cramp)
16.02.35 (had to do some walking - cramp)

Observations: The Baltimore Marathon is a fun marathon to run. The course is hilly, which is nice because it allows you to use different muscle groups. Running by the waterfront and landmarks was cool. You do spend some time in the less desirable parts of town, but I found that the residents were much more supportive there than in the nicer sections. They look at you like you are crazy, but they are still out there high fiving all of the participants. Since the race starts and ends at the 2 stadiums, there are tons of nice bathrooms to utilize, no need to hit the few port-o-potties that were around! Its nice to sleep in your own bed because it only takes a little over an hour to get to Baltimore.

Miles 16 through 20 were especially hard with the hills and I wasn't running with anyone. Also, they ran out of water at the mile 19 stop (which was also where one of the relay exchanges happened). I was wearing my fuel belt, but that was when I was going to refill. That really made me nervous, so I drank way too much at the mile 21 water station which lead to late race cramping.

I met a really nice girl, Lisa, who had just moved to Ashburn. We ran together until about the 1/2 marathon mark where she took off for a while. I ended up catching up with her between mile 20 and 21 and we decided to get each other through the rest of the miles. It is really nice to have someone to talk to through those miles since they hurt the most. I don't think that I will do another marathon when I don't have a friend to run it with.

What I learned:
1. Stick with your pace group. I got ahead of them at mile 4 and then when they caught up with me I wasn't able to continue at there pace. That was a huge emotional blow as I ended up running miles 13 through 20 by myself.
2. I have a horrible stomach, so I always plan to take a Zantac after 2 hours of running. I should really do this prior to starting the race because I had a hard time drinking and eating until I took the Zantac which put me way behind in nutrition.
3. Flat grassy areas are deceptive. Between mile 9 and 10 we ran a loop around Fort McHenry, right by the water. My legs were a little tight, so I thought it would be great to run on the grass and give them a break. I was so busy looking at the view that I ended up falling. I didn't think that the fall was that bad, but looking back I think that it was harder on me emotionally than I realized while running.
4. Force yourself to continuously eat and drink. When you are running a marathon as slow as I am, you are out there a long time and you are burning tons of calories.
5. Have a great cheering section. My parents, husband and sister in law came up to watch the race. Seeing them at miles 6, 13, 18 and the end helped to boost my spirits. My dad, who doesn't run, even ran a little with me. That was certainly inspiring. Hearing my name being screamed at the beginning of the race got me ready for the many miles ahead of me. Seeing my mom push through some pain to cheer me on made it easier for me to keep going.
6. Ice baths are your friend! Really helps with the swelling in your legs.

I did this race because I wanted to train for a marathon. I wanted to see how it would be because I am considering going to IM distance races. I've never trained for more than a 10K run before this year and I wanted to see how my body would react, would I get hurt, could I take the mileage. I'm not sure that I am ready for IM yet, next year might be a half IM goal instead. Even though I completed the marathon, I wasn't able to maintain the pace that I was doing in my training runs, and I can't imagine having done anything prior to that run yesterday.

Next up: Turkey Trot time????