The Short Story
I wasn’t expecting much in today’s Manchester City Half Marathon because I hadn’t trained much (only once!) since my last race about 3 weeks ago and because the course elevation map showed me this was a very hilly course.
Unfortunately, I got what I expected: 2:15 minutes (per my Garmin), which considering how much I walked, was actually much better than where I thought I’d end up.
The Full Story
I had been procrastinating for quite a while and put off registering until it was too late, so this race met its 1500 runner limit (which I didn’t know existed). I guess part of me didn’t really want to run it, because I had seen that the course elevation map and knew this was a very challenging course.
So, when the race filled, I wrote to the Race Director, pleaded my case, and received a cordial reply explaining that all supporting materials (water, Gatorade, medals, shirts, food, etc.) had been pre-ordered for 1500 people, but that I was welcome to run as a “bandit”.
I’d never done this, but I’d seen many of these runners (also called Ghost Runners) during the Boston Marathon. The Boston Marathon is one of the most coveted and oldest Marathons in the world, but there is a steep qualification requirement that the casual runner can’t meet. So, typically, if you stand at the 13 mile point and wait past 2 hours after the start, you’ll start to see those bib-less runners lumbering along, sometimes in costumes, sometimes walking every tenth of a mile.
I’d thought about doing that in the Boston myself, but I’d never thought to do this in a Half Marathon with no qualification requirement. And yet, here was a race director inviting me to jump in to her race! I was running out of options for races this year, and I’d promised to run 10 races this year, so I decided to do it.
It was actually liberating. When you register for one of these races, in the back of your mind you think – what if I injure my foot or something critical comes up….I’ll waste that money! You also have to coordinate your packet pickup prior to the race, worry about where you’re going to put your race t-shirt and goodies if you pick it up race day, and so on. There’s just an additional level of complication.
Today, I drove up from Boston, arrived 30 minutes before the race, made a stop at the bathroom, took a couple of warm-up runs, stretched and stood at back of the pack (as a courtesy to the paying runners). Completely stress free.
I thought people would notice I was running without a bib and somehow chase me down or point, but I was wearing a sports jacket (it was 41 F at the race start) so no one could tell.
I always start with the goal of running a new personal record, moving towards my ultimate goal of a sub 2 hour race. However, I knew that I’d have trouble here because of the hills. So, I set the goal of doing the first 10K (6.2 miles) in an hour or less, then taking it from there. I gave myself the flexibility of choosing individual splits along the way, but knew I just had to run in a better than 10 minute pace (9:45 seemed reasonable). I stuck to this plan for the first 5 ½ miles.
The first mile of the race was downhill, lulling runners into a faster pace than they should have run. But shortly after mile 1, the fun started. We climbed about 150 feet for a mile (!), then shortly before mile 3 dropped about 50 feet. Then at mile 3 ½ we climbed another 150 feet to mile 5, only to drop 150 feet and then climb about 200 feet. Folks, when I saw this last hill rise in front of me at a 45 degree incline, my spirit was broken and my plans were out the window….I knew I’d have to walk part of the way.
I made a deal with myself that I’d run to a certain point half way up then start walking. I got a little charge when I found that I reached the halfway point in an hour, 1 minutes and a couple of seconds. However, when I got to what I thought was the crest of this big hill – the point where I was to start running again, I found that it was still climbing (with no end in site). I alternated, running, walking and sucking wind like an old geezer, which is not fair to all the old geezers that passed me.
I remembered that from mile 7 to the end there was a net drop of 250 feet. So I somewhat envisioned getting there and coasting down effortlessly (I run very well down hill, when others claim it really hurts them). What I didn’t remember, however, was that on the way down, there were lots of smaller hills, one very steep though brief incline and a 75 foot incline before there was a very fast last mile (175 feet decline).
Honestly, I could have run this better, but the unfamiliarity with the course left me in constant fear of the next hill (how big would it be?) and I got very conservative in the second half. I’m guessing I could have easily shaved 5 minutes off my total time if I didn’t walk as much. In fact, familiarity is the reason I’ve done better year-to-year in races I’ve run in previous years.
Now, the tricky part was finishing. I wanted to run through the finish line to get that “end of the race” feeling. However, I knew that just past the finish line, they’d be handing out medals, escorting runners to the food, massages….all those things I hadn’t paid for. I was sure I’d be stopped at the finish.
And I was right. I crossed the line and instantly a woman I assume was the race director stopped me and asked to see my bib. I mumbled something and she asked me to step out of the runner’s chute (I’m not sure, but she may have had a Tazer behind her back). I crouched under a cordon and out onto the street.
All I wanted was to lay on the grass and stretch, so I walked around the Veteran’s Park now deemed “Athlete’s Village” and found an entrance near a hot dog and sausage stand (presumably for the family members). I stepped in without problems – without any moral conflicts because I intended to not take anything I hadn’t paid for – and laid on the grass to stretch my legs.
As I stretched, a wave of post-race euphoria hit me. It was a beautiful fall day – azure skies, trees dressed in every autumn color ever seen, children running, an announcer excitedly anticipating the first marathon runner, even doves flying in the air (was that for the winner??). For 15 to 20 minutes, I forgot any trouble I might have brought to the race with me.
Since I wanted to see whether the race merited the $55 entry fee I didn’t pay, I walked around and looked at the offerings. The usual massages, bagels, fruit, t-shirts (very nice actually), a band….hmmm, I’m not sure this was worth the entry fee. For reference, the others I’ve registered for have ranged from $25 to $45 (the NYC Half was $85 but it was in a league of its own).
I also found, however, that 4 local restaurants were serving soup to all folks (runners and non) as part of a contest – and if you’ve read my previous posts, you know how much I love soup after a race. It hydrates you, keeps you warm, has carbs and you don’t have to choke it down like a dry bagel. The best of all the soups was the clam chowder (not too creamy, very fresh clams, a slight oniony taste), but they were all excellent and fresh – broccoli cheddar, corn chowder, minestrone and jacket potato and corned beef.
And that folks, reminds me that I’m starving and that I have some home-made soup in the fridge. So, in closing: it wasn’t my fastest time, it wasn’t the ideal race, but it was a great day none-the-less, and now I’m looking forward to next week.
By the way, I had planned to register for a small race in Monson, Massachusetts because the race I’d originally intended to run had filled up in September, but now that I’ve become a “running bandito”, I’m thinking I may just jump into this one as well because it’s a much flatter course and a better chance for me to set a Personal Record.
Stay tuned and check in next weekend to see what happens!
Filed under: Half Marathons
