Knoxville Marathon Recap

Knoxville marked the second race of the year for me, and I'd rank it up there as one of my favorites!

The race started at the pretty reasonable time of 7:30, and we stayed about 10 minutes away in North Knoxville. (There were several host hotels within walking distance of the start/finish, but they were stupid expensive.)

We left the hotel right around 6:30. We probably should've allowed a little more time - I always forget how much time it takes to get ready and pack up all our stuff, too! The drive was easy, but there was a bit of a snarl trying to find parking. We knew what lot we wanted and where it was, though it took some doing to get to with the road closures. Google Maps didn't understand where one of the entrances was, so we ended up sitting next to the garage for a minute trying to figure out how to get in, only to realize where we already there! But for all the hassle, parking right next to the finish was totally worth it.

See you in 26.2 miles!

Our next decision was what to wear. The weather had predicted a low of 45, but it was actually about 25 pre-race. We knew with predicted highs of 60, it would be too hot for jackets, but it was so hard to go just in short sleeves. The walk to the start took about 15 minutes, and it was pretty miserable. However, I felt much better a few minutes after starting, so definitely the right choice. (I was really glad to have my hat and gloves, however.)

Michael and I had a moment of panic when we were almost across the bridge to the start (walking in the opposite direction of the way the race would run), when police started clearing the street, and the spectators on the sidewalk crammed into a standstill. Luckily we managed to shove our way through a tiny gap without getting yelled at. We stood off to the side until our corral came by, and then hopped in. I wish we had had time for a bathroom stop, but it wasn't an emergency.

The race started out with a few miles in the city proper, before we headed out to a huge, very nice neighborhood. The halfers ran with us to past mile 12 (I think), so there was huge crowd support in the first half. This area in particular was amazing. It probably stretched for several miles, but there were fun signs and cheer groups the whole way. It was awesome to see the community embrace and support the race, rather than being annoyed a giant pack of runners was being noisy and closing their roads on a Sunday morning.

The next section led us through some beautiful parks and wooded paths. I expected the parks to be more urban, but they felt really secluded and peaceful. It was a little tricky because the path narrowed at this point. There was a group of four sorority girls running together, all abreast, and everyone seemed equally annoyed about having to navigate around them.

By this point, we had run through a lot of major hills, but I still felt good. Other than miles where I quickly walked through the water stops, I was at or below my goal pace to run a 4:45. The weather was perfect, and my legs felt fresh. I still felt like a PR was easily in reach at this point.

Towards the 11 mile mark, we headed back towards downtown to drop the halfers off. While we got pretty close to the stadium, it was enough streets away that it didn't feel too painful. (Or maybe it was just because I get so disoriented in a race.)

We finally got to run through World's Fair Park, which would've been really neat to explore if we had more time. However, it got incredibly empty at this point. There were 700 people doing the full, so I expected to be surrounded by more people, like at Mount Desert Island, but it was fairly lonely. Except for spots with a quick turn or two, I could always see people ahead and behind, but I was essentially alone.

Also, in normal fashion for a race with lots more people doing the half than full, the second half of the course was much less scenic. After passing through the Park, we came upon a very depressed part of town. Like, I wouldn't ever run there alone, depressed. But since there were plenty of police around, I was able to take in what sights there were.

It was also at this point I continued on without Michael. His stomach really started bothering him, so I went on ahead. Mine bothered me later, so we think the roast beef sandwiches we made for lunch the day before probably had gone a little bad. (Luckily the race had plenty of bathrooms!)

After a few more miles in the depressed area, I got to another neighborhood that had embraced the race. There weren't too many spectators out, but lots of interesting signs were posted for my entertainment! However, someone made a Portal set promising cake (which was a lie), but it broke my heart. I got so excited for a cake pick-me-up. Not funny.

Glad I finally got around to watching Walking Dead.

The last main section of the course took me through a riverfront path and another swanky neighborhood. (I'm not a big city person, but Knoxville seems like a pretty sweet place to live!) The wind picked up at this point, and I put my hat back on.

It was also at this point that my legs were totally beat up by the hills. I had hoped to get under five hours, but after an extended bathroom stop, I knew that wasn't happening either. I decided to just do my best, and simply be happy with getting my tenth marathon under my belt.

I hadn't noticed too much of a camber throughout the race, but at this point, the inside of my left knee really started to hurt. There was a rogue aid station set up by other runners that had everything under the sun, and I was tempted to take some ibuprofen. I skipped it, but I really wished I had indulged when I got to the last couple of miles. I also saw Michael on the way back, and I was happy to see he was less than two miles behind me.

The last mile or two took us through downtown again on the way to Neyland Stadium. It was pretty cool to run down the streets we had walked the night before. In this big square, a musician was playing American Pie, which is one of my favorite songs. It was a nice treat for the last bit of the race.

However, my knee was really painful at this point. It hurt just as much to run as to walk, but I still took a few breaks, just for my mental state. There was a huge downhill leading to the stadium, which was much easier to walk. I felt so stupid walking down a hill half a mile from the finish, but it just hurt too badly.

I forgot the pain when I finally came up to the finish. We got to finish on the 50 yard line of the stadium (though the turf wasn't painted, and we were off to the side). I'm not an SEC football fan at all, but it was so cool! MSU needs to take some notes.

Time: 5:07:49

The gates leading to the bleachers were open, so after collecting my medal, hat, space blanket, and water, I stretched out on a bench to wait for Michael. I was ready to get a finishing photo of him, but he sprinted so fast I almost missed him!

After a very nice volunteer took our photo, we headed inside to the marathon finishing area. It was in a special lounge, with couches and a huge spread of food (pizza, fresh lemon ice, quiche, etc). I ate my fill, and then wandered to the stretching area. I expected a five minute work-over, but the therapist probably spent about 20 minutes hitting all the major areas (plus offered to more, if I wanted). This was so nice compared to most post-marathon areas, especially for a smaller race.

Overall, this was an awesome race! The majority of the course was super scenic (and the rest of it was at least visually interesting). The whole weekend was well organized, and there was great support from both spectators and volunteers. The area was also really cool, and it would've been great to spend more time in the area.

Knoxville sure was hilly, but it sure was fantastic.

Myrtle Beach Marathon Race Rating

Race: Myrtle Beach Marathon
Date: February 14, 2015 (note the race will be in March in 2016)
Location: Myrtle Beach, SC
Year Running: 18th
Registration: $60 (with the extra early bird deal, which I think has passed for 2016)

Race Information

Size: 1478 full, 2793 half, 86 relay

Course Limit: 7 hrs

Min. - Max. Elevation: 0 - 50 ft

Min. - Max Temperature: 40-62

Charity Supported: Red Cross, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Travel

Airports: Myrtle Beach has its own airport, but some direct flights are seasonal (like from DTW). It seems like a lot of flights connect through Charlotte, which isn't a bad drive from Myrtle Beach, especially considering the money saved. We ended up flying on a baby plane to Florence because it was actually cheaper than ending our itinerary in Charlotte. I'm not sure if more options will be available now the race is moving to March.

Rental car: Could do without. Some of the host hotels have an airport shuttle, and there is also a race day shuttle. Depending what else you want to see in the area, you could live without one. (I think there is a bus system, but it seemed to be running very infrequently in February.)

Host hotel: Many. But be careful - lots of them only can be reserved by people over 25, and these aren't specifically marked on the Myrtle Beach website. Maybe people from beach towns know to look for this, but we almost got screwed. (Also, we stayed at the Crown Reef Resort, which I do not recommend.)

Pre-Race

Communications: Very good. I think we got several emails leading up the race, including our bib number. It was communicated parking would be $3 at the expo, but it was not made clear that it was cash only. We got lucky I happened to have some. The expo is moving locations in 2016, so I'm not sure if this will still apply.

Expo: At the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, but it will have a new location in 2016. There was plenty of space, but the volunteers let people congregate in large groups and block aisles. I ended up feeling pretty claustrophobic.

Admittedly, it looks less crowded when I'm not hangry.

Other Activities: Friday night 5K, post-5K party, post-race party 
We didn't participate in any of these, but I think I've heard in the past that the 5K is fun. The post-race party sounded like a good time, but we had tickets for the Carolina Opry instead.

Race Day

Parking: Plenty, since it's at a honky tonk area. However, it was pitch black, and honestly dangerous to walk around in. Cars couldn't see you, and we almost fell into a ditch as well.

Shuttles: These cycled between all the host hotels every 15 minutes, but we didn't want to deal with finding them after the race, so we drove. I also read less than stellar reviews in the past, so I'm not sure if any of those issues were addressed this year.

Bathrooms: Plenty. We arrived at the start with about three minutes to go and walked right in.

On Time: Exactly on time.

Corrals: None, though they had pacer signs lined up. We got the whole road to start with, so it never felt crowded, even with the halfers.

Course

Type: Loop

Terrain: Concrete and dirt/rock - major road along the beach, neighborhoods, bike path

Bathrooms: Every few miles, but there was a wait until about mile 18.

Crowding: None

Highlights: Myrtle Beach

Support

Course Support: Great. There were plenty of volunteers, and most aid stations had a person clearly calling out the order of the water and Powerade. They also did a great job dealing with annoyed tourists that couldn't leave their hotels for a couple hours. I give them major props for that.

Spectators: Few, but it was unseasonably cold. 

Local knowledge of race: Hard to judge. The permanent population of Myrtle Beach is small, and we were mostly in the honky tonk areas.

Post-Race

Food: It seemed pretty picked over, and I couldn't find the promised donuts. There was a nice variety of sweet and salty options. They also had a police officer guarding the tent keeping out non-runners. He was a boss.

Atmosphere: Festive, since there was a post-race tailgate type area set-up. 

Party: The official one was later, but lots of people hung out and checked out the booths.

Swag

Shirt: Long sleeve technical T-shirt. I got a woman's small, and it actually fits!

The v-neck scared me a little, but it's pretty shallow once you put it on.

Medal: Awesome. I love the flip-flops to tie to the beach theme!

Each distance had it's own size and color.

Final Thoughts

• I'm glad the race is being moved to March. While the weather could be perfect in February, it was pretty cold (relatively speaking) this year, and someone we ran with said it had snowed the past several race days. It didn't bother us during the race, but it was hard to enjoy the rest of our trip when it was in the 30's-40's.
• Overall, the organization did a great job. I felt well taken care of on the course and afterwards. I think they could use some crowd control at the expo (but this might just be a Southern cultural thing) and maybe a few signs at the finish pointing towards the food tent. 
• Be prepared for the wind. The race made no mention of it (but again, maybe people from beach towns don't even consider it?), and I'm glad I read about it on Marathon Guide. It really sapped my energy in the final miles, but I think it would've totally drained me if I hadn't been expecting it.
• The course is very fast and flat. I did all my training in Michigan, and I don't think I noticed anything I would consider a hill the whole race. Some people have said they found the course boring, but coming from a small town, I thought the honky tonk was fun to see.
• Lots of the typical tourist trap stuff is closed in the off-season, so research some other things to do. Charleston was a doable drive, and we really enjoyed taking a day to go there.

Recommendation

• 50 Staters: Yes. The race is well-organized and a fun location. 
• Non 50 Staters: Yes. Myrtle Beach is already considered a big travel destination, and it's fun to go when it's not packed to the gills with people. I would recommend it even more now that it's been moved to March and will be warmer.

No Longer a Michigander

What a whirlwind it has been.

10 days ago I packed up a truck (and my car) with all my earthly possessions and moved them four hours away.

Nine days ago I traded in my boring white Michigan license for a shiny red Ohio one.

Seven days ago I started my new job.

Oh yeah, and in five days, I'm running another marathon. The best laid plans....

It's hard to believe all that has happened over the course of two weeks. It feels like about two years. There's a lot to adjust to here - my commute is 15 miles but takes an hour (can't wait until we move and I can take the bus!), my beloved Meijers is gone, and there's hills on every running route I seek out.

But there's so much more good than bad!

The library system here is amazing - there are 28 branches, 3 in my city alone, and I can see the closest one from my window. I managed to restrain myself and only check out five books this past weekend, and I binged on one in two days. (It probably would have been faster if not for March Madness.)

The book mentioned twice how terrible my previous employer was. I'll take it as a sign!

The Metropark system is also phenomenal. It's called the Emerald Necklace - since it forms a necklace-ish shape around the city of Cleveland. I thought having a couple metroparks by me growing up was awesome, but here there's more than I know what to do with, all within an easy drive. In fact, this past Saturdat, I drove five minutes to a parkway in the system and enjoyed a wonderful 10 mile run through quiet neighborhoods along a creek.

There's also tons of races in the area! I haven't had much to do at work yet, and one of my coworkers tipped me off to the big racing company in the area, so I finally found a comprehensive race calendar for Northeast Ohio. I spent quite a few hours yesterday drooling over it. Because not only are there actually choices, they have good start times (like 9 or 10 AM!), and lots of them have fun themes. I'm not lying when I say we have two different pierogi races within a three week span.

And speaking of work, I love my job! I've only scratched the surface, but it's a really nice change of pace to go from a for-profit chemical company to a non-profit hospital. I don't have any patient contact, but it's much more fulfilling, since I'm supporting clinical research. Plus, since we're a hospital, wellness initiatives are our jam. Right now I'm waiting for a free pedometer to come, so I can convert my daily steps into gift cards. How awesome is that?

This little guy is about to be my best friend.

But probably the most amazing thing about the move is getting to live with Michael. After being long distance for our whole relationship, it is amazing to be able to see him every day. Plus, since he leaves work an hour before me and has half the commute time, he has been doing most of the cooking. But even if he didn't, just being able to sit in the same room together each evening is so nice, even if we each do our own thing.

It also makes planning our trips so much easier! It was wonderfully easy to plan our Knoxville trip side by side on the couch, as well as to look at flight options for Montana. (If you missed it on Twitter, we got our vacation time approved and will be spending a whole week there in July! So so so so excited.)

How is Glacier a real place?

On the topic of Knoxville, I feel surprisingly good for the race this weekend. I was feeling really stressed about it before the move, but I realize now that I was just channeling all my anxiety into that one event, instead of thinking of every single stressor involved. (I guess there are worse coping mechanisms?)

I have noticed since moving that my easy pace has gotten substantially faster, despite the hills. I had a hunch that RLRF was stressing my body quite a bit (mostly because I gained a little weight and couldn't lose it no matter what), but this just seems to confirm it. I think my body has had enough time to recover, and I'm bouncing back with faster times. I had been a little nervous to try for a 4:45 again, but after keeping a 10:36 pace without trying (too hard) Saturday, I'm ready to give it a shot.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some downtown traffic to fight.

Any tips for dealing with driving in a major city?
Any tips for not crying when I look at how expensive flights to Montana are?

Weekly Training Recap: 3/2-3/8

I know I missed a few of these weekly recaps, but I've been so busy finding a new job and getting ready to move, that training recaps fell off the to do list completely. But the cliffs notes version is that I took the two weeks prior to this one very easy. Both weekends I made unexpected trips to Ohio, and I was overcome with this long-delayed exhaustion and relief once I got my new job, that I cut myself some slack and lazed on the couch.

I also needed some time to think about how I wanted to handle my training now that I've finished RLRF. While I learned a ton by trying training plans besides Hal Higdon's, in truth, his worked really really well for me. I need to get over the fact that I feel like a "newbie" runner for using them, if they help me run my best. I know I'm serious about my training, and that should be all that matters.

Therefore, I've decided to use his various Multiple Marathon plans through Missoula in July. (At that point, I'll evaluate what I want to do to train for Newport in October.) I will keep strength training and swimming twice a week each, since I really enjoy both, and I think they help keep me healthy.

I went back and forth on what pace to use, but I eventually settled on shooting for a 4:30 marathon time. I was making such great progress before I got injured, that I want to have faith in myself and shoot for it again. It will be interesting to see what time I end up running in Missoula!

You have no idea how excited I am for this race!

Monday, March 2
lunch - NROLFW Stage 1A
PM - 3.3 mi hill (12:11 min/mile)

Knoxville has some rolling hills, and Blue Ridge is nothing but hills mountains, plus Hatfield McCoy has a few monsters as well, so I decided to switch one easy run to a hill workout each week. As you can see, I kept the pace very slow so that it didn't get too intense. But man, can I feel the burn!

Tuesday, March 3
lunch - 600 yd swim
PM - 6 mi easy (11:25 min/mile)

I knew I would skip my run if we got snow as predicted, so I kicked my own butt and packed a gym bag. Getting back on the indoor track was no fun (so. many. laps.), but I'm glad I made myself stop making excuses.

Wednesday, March 4
lunch - NROLFW Stage 1B
PM - 4 mi easy (11:45 min/mile)

I did my run on an out-and-back route. I had a sinking feeling when my pace "out" seemed too fast, and sure enough, I had a killer headwind on the way back. I was just thankful I wasn't doing speed work.

Thursday, March 5
lunch - 600 yd swim

The lifeguard called me ma'am, and I wanted to give him a hug.

Friday, March 6
6 mi tempo (1 mi WU, 4 mi @ 10:11, 1 mi CD)

My legs had felt a little dead all week, and I was starting to get concerned, but picking up the pace turned out to be exactly what they needed. I had been saving Marathon Training Academy's interview with Sean Astin (his goal is also to do the 50 States - I just about died from geeking out so hard), and the run flew by.

If you disagree, we can't be friends.

Saturday, March 7
14 mi long (11:38 min/mile)

It felt so weird to slow down my long run (I'm doing Higdon's recommendation of MP+90), but it oddly seemed to go faster than before. I guess I'm using way less mental energy? My legs still felt pretty fatigued when the run was done, despite the slow pace.

Sunday, March 8
rest

My parents came up and helped me pack the apartment. I was feeling so overwhelmed, but together we got everything I could pack now packed in about three hours. Only a few days left in Michigan!

Run Miles: 33.3
Swim Miles: .7
Lifting Time: 38 mins
Total Time: 7:37

This week we're supposed to have temperatures go up into the 50's! The high on my last day of work here is 51, so you bet I'm leaving right after lunch to go soak it up. My whole routine will be different next week though, so I'm trying to savor these last days as much as possible. I'll be in Ohio before I know it!

Any tips on establishing a new fitness routine after moving?
Any tips on not going crazy while moving?