Subtitle: 1 Half-Marathon, 1 5K, a HUGE medal, 2 tee-shirts, one zip-up, a new gym bag, a Hello Kitty watch, too many free beers, live music, two free McDonald's Frappes, and a partridge in a pear-tree.
Pre-Race:
I have to say, I did not have very high expectations for this race. Were it not for the fact that I got a third medal for running this half marathon in the same calendar year as the Baltimore Marathon, I probably would have skipped it. I had wanted to "Do the Double" last year, since it was the 10th anniversary of Baltimore, but I had a bachelorette party the Saturday beforehand, and I figured (quite correctly) that I would be in no condition to run 13.1 miles after a night of toasting the bride-to-be. (As I recall, I was in no condition to move off the couch for most of that day.)
This year, I initially wasn't too keen on running this. I was not planning on running Baltimore in the fall. I had already done it two years in a row--the Half in 2009 and the Full in 2010, and I was/am anxious to try another race that weekend, since it's one of the most popular marathon weekends of the year. But then, as I realized how much traveling I wanted to do in the Dec 2011/Jan 2012 season--Vegas, Disney World, Miami--and realized that traveling to a "destination marathon" in October might not be the most practical idea. Also, I was looking for a late-springtime race that was convenient, and Frederick actually was perfect as far as its early-May timing and distance from my house. I decided to bite the bullet and sign up for the 2011 MD Double.
I should note that Frederick, MD is not exactly a central hub or an easy-to-get-to place. (Even though I just said it was "convenient" it still took me over an hour to drive there Saturday morning.) A lot of people live there because it's [relatively] close to DC and/or Baltimore, and cheaper than some of the suburban locations closer to the cities. It's a good compromise for families who work in both Baltimore and DC, which a lot of people do, and it's a really pretty town, but it's not a place many would go out of their ways to visit. It's certainly not a tourist destination, aside from maybe a Civil War buff passing through. For that reason, the Frederick Running Festival has struggled to get people to participate.
In previous years, Frederick hosted a Full Marathon as well as a Half Marathon. This year is the first year they decided against hosting a full. The city couldn't get enough support to keep the roads closed long enough for a Full, and participation was always a bit weak.(Even during this half marathon, I ran by people in cars arguing with the policemen who were closing the roads; demanding to get through.) Indeed, part of the reason they've partnered with the Baltimore Marathon to create the marketing ploy of the "Maryland Double" is to get some of the
suckers people like me to sign up for the less-popular Frederick race....People who will go to great lengths for an extra medal or a[nother] t-shirt. (Did someone say "coast-to-coast challenge?")
Another incentive the Frederick Running Festival offers is hosting a convenient bib pick-up in every imaginable location between Alexandria, VA and Baltimore, MD the week before the race. Although runners could not pick up their shirts at the locations, it was easy as pie to get a bib the week before the race. There was a packet pick-up right near my house, but I wasn't able to leave work in time to get there, so I had my girlfriend Cassie pick mine up for me, since she could go on her lunch hour. Because I didn't have to pick up anything, and I never visited an expo, the week leading up to the race didn't feel quite as "racey" as most do to me.
Also, I was feeling very out of shape. I hadn't gone on any long runs since the Cherry Blossom 10 miler, over a month before, and I hadn't done much as far as maintenance runs either. I think after the National Marathon and the Cherry Blossom combo, I took an unplanned brief leave of absence from long-distance running. Mainly to focus on excessive drinking. I wasn't nervous about the half, but I wasn't looking forward to it either. Back in January/February, when I'd signed up, I'd pictured myself getting into great shape for this race; and, since it's a flat course, possibly even getting a new PR. But, alas, my motivation had waned in the weeks leading up to this race, and now I was just not in the mood. As I said, my only motivation to finish this race was the prospect of the third medal. (well, also this medal is a pretty big and shiny piece of bling!)
Oh, almost forgot, the Thursday before the race I had a "date." My date & I initially met up for drinks, and I kept thinking that he was going to suggest getting food at some point. But he never did....and I never did either. We ended up having a [very large] liquid dinner. The conversation was flowing easily, as were the beverages (including a margarita, a bacon-bloody mary and four(?) glasses of wine.) Before I knew it, it was almost midnight (the time at which my DC metro turns back into a pumpkin) and I had to dash home. Hence, "Dehydrated Friday" was the prelude to race day. Add that to my lackadaisical training through the month of April, and this race was off to an ominous start.
Fortunately, I came home on-time Friday evening--Not scrambling to get to packet pick-up on race-day eve was a huge relief!--and had plenty of time to whip up a carbo-licious dinner of tortellini, shower, pack up all of my race gear, and get to bed early. so, even though my alarm went off at 4am, I still got a solid seven hours of sleep....
Race Day:
At the still dark hour of 4:00 am, my alarms went off....all three of them, and I got up to get ready to race. I had almost decided what to wear on race day. It has been a strange spring, weather-wise, and I wasn't sure if I should go with shorts or stick with long pants. I actually bought a pair of capri running pants on my lunch hour Friday, so I'd have them as an option, and I ended up wearing those. After far too much deliberation, I decided on my pink sparkle skirt and a gray Nike tee that had a cheeseburger on it and read "Runners have the best buns!" which, ironically is not currently true of this particular runner. (My buns are looking a bit super-sized at the moment.) Feeling indecisive, I packed a completely different set of running clothes in my car just in case. I also packed a few extra layers because, even after listening intently to the weather reports, I still could not gauge how hot/cool it was going to be.
I got dressed, packed my bags, made a quick to-go breakfast of waffles with peanut butter and my traditional beverage buffet, and set off for the race by 5:15am. The race didn't start until 7:30 am, but it was going to take me a little over an hour to get to Frederick, and then I'd still have to find Cassie and get my race bib. Cassie and I were running, along with our friend Katie, who ran the Cherry Blossom with us, and our friend Jordan, who has run a couple shorter races with us, including the Jingle-all-the-Way 10K. I was looking forward to seeing everyone.
Getting to the race went smoothly. Traffic was backed up getting off the highway and into the parking lot (or, in my case, a large field behind someone's horsebarn). I had a few moments of panic, thinking it might end up as chaotic getting to the start as the
National Marathon had been. But luckily, I made it with plenty of time to spare--thank goodness, because an hour of sipping coffee and gatorade in the car had me dashing for the bathroom as soon as I parked!
I found Cassie, who had gotten a great parking spot right near the start, even though she'd only gotten there maybe 20 minutes earlier, and Katie was with her. Jordan was supposed to ride with Cassie, but as I walked up to the car, I noticed she wasn't there. Cassie explained that she had only gotten off work at 3:30am (she's a bartender) and thus was unable to make the 5:00am departure for Frederick. I was so disappointed that she wasn't able to make it, and also really sad that she'd signed up for the double, and now wouldn't be able to get her third medal. Bummer...(Because of Jordan's job, Katie, Cassie and I are planning several "No-Pay 10K's" and longer distances over the summer, to make sure Jordan can train enough to prepare for the Full Marathon in October, which will be her first.)
But for now, it was just the three of us. Ready (or not) to run. I should also mention that Katie and I were both signed up for the "Go Nuts" challenge...which required us to run the Mid-Day 5K after we had finished the half marathon. (If you could have taken my lack of enthusiasm for the half, and multiplied it by a very high number, that's how much I was NOT excited about the mid-day 5K.)
We snapped a few pictures (or rather, Cassie did. I accidentally left my memory card for my camera at home), hit the bathroom one last time, then made our way to the start-line. Katie went to find her pace group (the fast one). Cassie and I joined the crowd around the two-hour pacer, even though I knew today was not going to be a 2-hour pace day for me. Cassie wanted to push toward the front so she could start out at a faster pace and slow down as needed. She had been battling a cold all week so she wanted to start strong and slow down as needed. I don't think I'm built for that strategy. After many races, I like to start slow and gradually find my pace. It usually works well, though admittedly better when I'm in shape. When I start out at a faster pace, I burn out rather than build up and usually get some knee pain. So when the gun went off, Cassie dashed ahead, and I began my slow and steady turtle-esque pace.
The weather was gorgeous, we could not have asked for a better day! It was cool, but cloudless and sunny. As I set off, I felt like a lot of people were passing me. I'm pretty sure I would have had that feeling regardless of where in the pack I'd started, but I felt a little guilty for starting so close to the front when I knew I'd be starting out slow. I felt pretty good for the first three or four miles. Slow, but the scenery was lovely--Frederick is quite picturesque--and I was comfortable in my pace. Around mile four, I heard someone come up behind me and say my name. I turned around to see Rich, a friend of mine from high school. He lives in Frederick, so I wasn't too surprised to see him, but it definitely bolstered my spirits to chat with him for a little while before he jogged ahead. (He said he had agreed to run the race during a drunken St. Patrick's Day bet.)
Miles five through seven were pretty standard. The view was still nice, and the course was flat. As the morning progressed, the sun began beating down a little hard and I could feel my sunscreen wearing off. (Note to self: find better sweatproof face sunscreen.) I saw one guy getting picked up from the EMTs about halfway through the race, and I'm almost positive it was heat/sun-related. The spectators were great and really helped motivate me through a race I was just not feeling. Everyone out to watch the race was so excited to be there, and lots of people cheered for my sparkle-skirt!! (yay!) I know it sounds silly, but when I get singled out from the crowd, it gets me excited and keeps me moving forward. (Possibly because I don't want to embarrass myself in front of cheering onlookers.)
At mile nine, I was starting to fade a bit. I just was not in the mood to race that day. But, then--thankfully--I saw Cassie...she had been forced to slow down because of her lingering cold (and allergies--apparently somebody was mowing their lawn along the race route.) I caught up with her and we ran with each other for most of the remainder of the race. It was great! We had some time to chat and catch up while we ran, since we hadn't seen each other since the Cherry Blossom race.
It was super-fun, and we ended up with some fun pics of the two of us running the last mile through Frederick.
What no one ever mentioned to us was that there is a STEEEEEP hill during the last 0.2 miles of the race. It was a little surprise party right at the end of the race. As I ran up I heard runners saying that this hill is "nothing compared to the hills in Baltimore." True, but it's something when you're not expecting it in the last little bit of the race!
After the hill, we dashed toward the finish line (Very cool--on the Fairground's race track!) and picked up our medals. We got our pic taken together at the finish...it was pretty fab! :)
The post-race situation is my one (and, probably only) complaint about this race. Because packet(bib) pick-up had been in so many places the week prior to the race, they did not distribute t-shirts to runners until after the race. Since most of the runners finished around the same time we did, Cassie and I finished in the 2hr-2:30 time frame, we got caught in a huge clogged up line to pick up our shirts. The shirt table was under-staffed--just crazy, chaotic and a mess. Moral: Run faster, wait in a shorter line for the shirt.
On the upside, the post-race food was fabulous! (Wegman's Grocery store sponsored the race, so obviously it was all going to be delicious. I heart Wegmans!) Both the medal, and the shirt were great too. The medal is as big and colorful as my Disneyland Medal (even the Team-Relay medal was huge!) and the shirt was a long sleeve collared shirt that had a half-zip---easily the best race shirt I've ever gotten! (Are you paying attention, National Marathon people?!) Also, while we were waiting in line to pick up our shirts, we were held up at the McDonald's booth. While there, I snagged two coupons for free Fruit-Smoothie Frappes, a Hello Kitty Happy Meal watch, and a really nice new gym bag with the golden arches o the side. I was so excited!! What a haul! I also got to meet Ronald McDonald--yes, THE Ronald McDonald himself! And got to spin a wheel, which I thought my give me an opportunity for more prizes, but it was just a guess-the-calories game. (I failed.)
My final time was 2:17:27, which is better than I was expecting, considering my lack of training. They email it to you, a few hours after the finish, which I think is a really neat idea! Especially if it's a race that I was traveling to and wouldn't have been able to get to a computer for a while. And, though the shirt line was exceptionally long, hectic and understaffed, the beer line after the race was surprisingly short and the beer was plentiful!! Hooray! I was ready to relax, sit in the sun, enjoy the band and the after party.....oh, wait. I still have to run a 5K in an hour....UGH!
To be continued.....
