Oh it happened! And it’s done! Never let anyone downplay the HILLACIOUS hell of the Baltimore Marathon. I went into the day having never looked at the course and banking that there would be “some hills.” Think again, Ericka. Think. Again.
The Baltimore Marathon is a complete hill. As Maggie noted at the end, it seemed like we should have been on top of a mountain because when did we ever get to go downhill? Whew, it was hard but I’m still really happy with how I did. Here’s Maggie and I before heading to the starting line:
Gear Up & GO!
(Miles 1-6)
The weather was amazing. I waited for the start in just shorts and my dry fit t-shirt and felt fine. Slightly breezy, sunny, and about 65-70 degrees is my guess. I felt awesome as we got into our corrals. My body has never felt so good at the start of a race.
We took off and I lost Maggie within a mile, because well, she’s FAST. I felt discombulated without a watch or any clue what my pace was. Soon, I fell in line with a Geico 3:50 pace group. Immediately, visions of a 3:50 finish started dancing in my head. Their pace group leaders were cheerful, doing trivia, and encouraging everyone. I was stickin’ with these kids. At that point, I was determined to stick out the whole race with these folks.
Making Friends
(Miles 6-15)
Around mile 6, I started chatting with a girl who turned out to be from Indiana, had gone to IU and was married a guy from my hometown (that went to my high school!) Total coincidence! We talked and pushed eachother forward with the Geico group but I could tell the pace was just too fast for me. The group ran through the water stops and it felt impossible that I’d be able to keep pace with them. Nevertheless, at miles 10-14, I felt pretty darn good. Could I do it?
Answer? No. After the halfway mark, they totally sped up. At mile 15, my legs just said “STOP!” I thought to myself, already?! No! So I lost my new friend and stopped by the side to stretch my muscles. My legs were already sore from all the hills and I started to worry. But…after a stretch, I started up again and felt okay. However, my pace was now drastically reduced — and I could only imagine how fast my first 1/2 would be compared to my second 1/2. It’s going to be a shocking difference.
The Hard Part
(Miles 15-20)
After mile 15, you can kind of start the countdown. Once you get the 16, there’s only 10 left and everyone knows, that’s no big thang, right? Riiiight. It was after this 15 mile slowdown that the crazy started to take over. Until then, I had been feeling good, chatting it up, etc. but now my body was saying — you went TOO fast that first half even though I told you not to! Ambition…what can I say?
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| Getting our swagga on. Underarmour long sleeve dry fits? Mmm, okay! |
The end of the race felt years away. I began pondering generic phrases in my mind — no pain, no gain. Well, that’s true, I told myself. Forget those achy legs and push it. I couldn’t believe how badly my legs hurt at only mile 16 or 17. I had done four 20-mile training runs with no pain of any kind. Hills. Hills. Hills. Did I mentioned I have NEVER done any hill training? Mmm, yeah.
The thought that most frequented my mind for the entirity of the race was this one: I can’t believe I’m doing this again in two weeks. Seriously? I also thought things like:
- I could walk for a few miles and people would still respect that I did a marathon.
- Would it be so bad to quit right now?
- Why is this sooo hard?
- Then, this is why most people don’t do marathons, because it’s soooo hard
- You claim to be a marathon runner? Why do you want to be that?
- I don’t care about anything in life besides being done with this race.
- I hope no one is tracking my time online because this will be embarrasing.
- I may stop doing marathons after this year…that seems like a great idea.
By this time in the race, we had been joined by the 1/2 marathon crowd — which started around the time that I hit the halfway point. Most of them were wearing the “half marathon” shirts so I could really tell the boys from the men. Ya know. They were all irritating me. A measly 13 miles? Puh-lease, that is nothing! At least, that’s what I felt at mile 19 when some of them were booking past me.
The Harder Part
(Miles 20-23)
As I rounded a corner to mile 20, my legs were throbbing, my left food felt like it was totally swollen inside my shoe and my right ankle/foot was aching with a slight stress fracture. Miraculously, my knee hardly gave me any issues. At mile 20, I thought how miserable the next hour would be but knew at that point I would finish. I never REALLY doubted I would finish but until I get within a reality’s distance of 26 miles, a part of me wonders if I can actually finish this freakin’ marathon (every time!)
Thankfully, I missed seeing a sign for mile 21 and was pleasantly surprised when I found a sign for 22. Hooray for not seeing those horrendous mile markers! I walked for about 2 minutes at this point, seriously wondering how I was going to run the rest of it. More generic phrases abounded: “Slow and steady wins the race.” Or, in this case, finishes it.
I felt like I was moving at a snail’s pace. So discouraging. People were passing me left and right and I had seen the 4-hour pace group pass as well. At this point, things were so tough, I thought screw that stupid time goal — let’s just finish and be happy we did. Why would you have an overly ambitious time goal when you aren’t that fast of a runner, I cursed myself! No more time goals. Marathons are only for fun, I said! Of course I’m going to run at my mom’s pace in 2 weeks, why would I consider trying to go faster?!
Almost There!
(Miles 23-26.2)
At this point, I had no clue where I was time-wise. As 23 hit, I felt like 3 miles seemed like an eternity. Unbelievable, I thought, after ALL my training, this is STILL so stinkin’ hard? Yes, friends, it was still hard. I felt kind of like a schizophrenic in my own head then, thoughts jumping all over the place and me just telling me legs, “keep moving.” At mile 24, I was like, I got this.
I trudged along at what seemed like the slowest pace of my life but did start passing people. It seemed at the last haul, lots of folks resigned to a lot of walking. Not I. Slow and steady, slow and steady, keep moving. RUN! I made a lot of pathetic faces and heard some nice people from the crowd saying, “You can do it #121 — you’re almost there!” I’m kind of a baby sometimes 🙂
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| You can’t see me. These are fast people 🙂 |
Here we go, mile 26! And the last .2 seems to never end. As I round the curve and saw the finish line ahead, I squinted unbelievably…did that time board say 4:11? No. freakin’. way. With THOSE hills? And THAT snail-ey pace? Wow. Adrenaline kicked in as I booked it to the finish line completely floored that I had made that time. A 12-minute PR on a course not known for PRs! As I slowed to a walk, my legs felt like barely hardened jello and my body was completely exhausted. I collected my medal and felt satisfied.
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| Happy, Baltimore Marathon finishers with their medals!! |
Reflection
I had wanted a 4-hour marathon so badly and even though I got that PR, I was still feeling down about not reaching my goal time. Then, I told myself to shut up. This was a HARD course. Those hills were unexpected and really difficult. Getting a PR on this course is a big deal. I never would have come close to this time if I hadn’t done everything I did to prepare. On any other course (like Chicago or MCM), I would have gotten sub-4 NO problem. I did really well and I’m happy with my time.
Of course all my thoughts about quitting marathons after this year or possibly not running two weeks from now in Marine Corps melted away within minutes after crossing the finish line. It’s like anything other hard, but satisfying thing. You forget the pain and remember the glory. I have a feeling the reflection from this marathon will come in bits and pieces to me over the next few days. It always seems surreal that I actually did it — but I did. I’m lucky to have these strong, capable legs.
Post-marathon cooldown
After the race, Emma had us over for an amazing brunch that I forgot to take photos of 🙁 but I did manage to get a good pic of here delicious cupcakes:
Emma is a very nice girl (awesomely Irish) who made me feel great about my 4:11 even though she’s an elite runner who can kill a marathon in some ridiculously low time! Actually, her husband placed 7th in the 1/2 marathon race. Woa. Anyway, it was really nice to sit around and talk about runner stuff with people who get the craziness in Maggie & I’s runner minds.
She also has an awesome home with a beautiful rooftop. Baltimore is a nice, little city and these rooftop decks were everywhere. I loved the look and feel. Thanks for such an amazing post-race hang out, Emma!
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| Emma, Ericka, Maggie relaxing post-marathon!
Last notes:
1) Sweaty Bands are AMAZING. They are truly the only no-slip headband and I’m now obsessed. The other brands don’t work for heads like mine!
2) Body Glide is a life saver and you MUST invest!
3) NOT overeating the night before is a grand thing. Do that.
4) Emergen-C helps cure colds. I drank 2 per day all week! (Gargling salt water = awesome too!)
5) If you think you are going a snails pace toward the end, you might be going faster than you think. Just keep going and know you will make it!
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Congratulations, Ericka!
So proud of you Ericka!!!! Ok what is body glide and pr?
Thanks! Angie, body glide is stuff you put on your body where you normally chafe. It keeps you from skin on skin (so you don't end up bloody!) Lifesaver! PR = personal record!
Great recap Ericka! Very proud of you!
Very proud of you, Ericka. Thanks for sharing your story, and congratulations!
Way to hang in there through those killer hills – now you know you can beat MCM like it's nothing :).
Congrats on the race! I went to college in Baltimore so I kinda want to run this one… but the hills…
congrats! inspirational! I have been a runner all my life but have not got around to actually training for a half marathong/marathon. it will happen next year- at least thats what I am hoping for.
Congrats, Ericka! That's a great time! And while I was 34 minutes behind you, I had all of the same thoughts. The marathon is such a mental race! The difference with being a 4:44 runner vs a 4:10 runner in this race? At the half marathon merge, we joined all the half WALKERS. So discouraging. At that point, when I wanted to walk so badly, I would have preferred to have them zooming past me!I'll be at MCM too. Fingers crossed it'll hurt less 🙂
Congratulations, Ericka!
Love your recap! It can be so hard to combat those negative feelings. I've only ran one marathon and at the end of my training I swore I'd never train for another one again (and of course I am training for another one now). Congrats on the PR on such a tough course!
So proud of you Ericka!!!! Ok what is body glide and pr?
Thanks! Angie, body glide is stuff you put on your body where you normally chafe. It keeps you from skin on skin (so you don't end up bloody!) Lifesaver! PR = personal record!
Great race report, Ericka!
Great recap Ericka! Very proud of you!
Very proud of you, Ericka. Thanks for sharing your story, and congratulations!
Way to hang in there through those killer hills – now you know you can beat MCM like it's nothing :).
Congrats on the race! I went to college in Baltimore so I kinda want to run this one… but the hills…
congrats! inspirational! I have been a runner all my life but have not got around to actually training for a half marathong/marathon. it will happen next year- at least thats what I am hoping for.
Congrats, Ericka! That's a great time! And while I was 34 minutes behind you, I had all of the same thoughts. The marathon is such a mental race! The difference with being a 4:44 runner vs a 4:10 runner in this race? At the half marathon merge, we joined all the half WALKERS. So discouraging. At that point, when I wanted to walk so badly, I would have preferred to have them zooming past me!I'll be at MCM too. Fingers crossed it'll hurt less 🙂
Amazing job!!! Congratulations!
Congrats Ericka!!
Great job pushing through Ericka! I did the half and I thought it was so weird that we hopped into the middle of the full marathon. I tried to encourage the full runners – I couldn't tell if I was being annoying or helpful haha.Congrats! 🙂
Love your recap! It can be so hard to combat those negative feelings. I've only ran one marathon and at the end of my training I swore I'd never train for another one again (and of course I am training for another one now). Congrats on the PR on such a tough course!
great recap!! maybe your body felt so tired because you were really pushing hard! you had an awesome race and pace!! it's funny those same thoughts run through my mind at every race, the longer the race, the more stronger the thoughts! but at the end, it's still worth all the pain. i'll be doing MCM in 2 weeks too!! good luck!
Woohoo! Congrats!!
Great race report, Ericka!
Amazing job!!! Congratulations!
Congrats Ericka!!
Great job pushing through Ericka! I did the half and I thought it was so weird that we hopped into the middle of the full marathon. I tried to encourage the full runners – I couldn't tell if I was being annoying or helpful haha.Congrats! 🙂
Congratulations! I can only imagine how difficult it was to finish…but good for you for sticking with it!
great recap!! maybe your body felt so tired because you were really pushing hard! you had an awesome race and pace!! it's funny those same thoughts run through my mind at every race, the longer the race, the more stronger the thoughts! but at the end, it's still worth all the pain. i'll be doing MCM in 2 weeks too!! good luck!
Woohoo! Congrats!!
Congratulations! I can only imagine how difficult it was to finish…but good for you for sticking with it!
Proud of you… Congrats
You are awesome! Congrats.
Great great great great job Ericka! You made my 10k on Sunday look like cake! And I could have totally used the Body Glide during the half, I came out of with with bloody thighs. Ew!
Great Job! You should be proud of yourself regardless of the time on the clock! The course is hard. I tell myself I will never run bmore again, but somehow always end back there.
Sensational Ericka Andersen. I am one of those pathetic people doing a half in a couple weeks and I'm totally dreading it. I like to run races without training at all. #lazy
4:11 is amazing!!!! I can't wait to see you crush MCM!
Proud of you… Congrats
You are awesome! Congrats.
Great great great great job Ericka! You made my 10k on Sunday look like cake! And I could have totally used the Body Glide during the half, I came out of with with bloody thighs. Ew!
Great Job! You should be proud of yourself regardless of the time on the clock! The course is hard. I tell myself I will never run bmore again, but somehow always end back there.
Sensational Ericka Andersen. I am one of those pathetic people doing a half in a couple weeks and I'm totally dreading it. I like to run races without training at all. #lazy
4:11 is amazing!!!! I can't wait to see you crush MCM!
Yippee! Congrats! Isn't a marathon the most amazing experience? I hope you're resting (and eating some more of those yummy looking cupcakes). 🙂 Love your Mizunos too- they're the only kind of shoe I can run in. 🙂 You have a new fan.
Yippee! Congrats! Isn't a marathon the most amazing experience? I hope you're resting (and eating some more of those yummy looking cupcakes). 🙂 Love your Mizunos too- they're the only kind of shoe I can run in. 🙂 You have a new fan.
WAY TO GO, ERICKA! A 12 min PR? Amazing! And on such a killer course? Wow…well done. 🙂 I'd been meaning to read how this went and finally got around to the recap – loved how you wrote it and loved following along the journey – an inspirational one! Congrats again (and loved the caption about pain and cross – to God be the glory!).
WAY TO GO, ERICKA! A 12 min PR? Amazing! And on such a killer course? Wow…well done. 🙂 I'd been meaning to read how this went and finally got around to the recap – loved how you wrote it and loved following along the journey – an inspirational one! Congrats again (and loved the caption about pain and cross – to God be the glory!).
thanks to everyone who left a note! It means a lot to hear your congrats 🙂
thanks to everyone who left a note! It means a lot to hear your congrats 🙂