My first race in over 19 months, you would think I would have been ready to race right? Not exactly, nonetheless I was excited to return to the racing scene at the end of April to run the very popular Glass City Half Marathon in Toledo Ohio. Let’s revisit some history.
For years my running friends have raved about running Glass City, then three years ago when my daughter urged me to run Glass City with her. So I took advantage of their early entry opportunity and signed up to run with my daughter for the 2019 half marathon. She needed to cancel our running together months ahead of race day. This left me with running alone for the 2019 event. While I thoroughly enjoyed the event and it was all that my friends said it would be, except, in April 2019, I was coming off of knee surgery and an injury to my so called good knee. Nonetheless I ran (and sometimes walked) that race and was determined to return in 2020 and challenge for the lead in my age group. So again, I entered the 2020 race at the first opportunity about 9 months in advance.
I ran in The Brooksies Way Half Marathon in September of 2019 and at the time did not realize I was very sick. So sick that within days following Brooksie I was hospitalized with a severe internal infection. Later in December I had major abdominal surgery. I will spare the details except, I was looking forward to returning to running with the 2020 Glass City Half Marathon marking my targeted return. My goal was to proudly brag to my surgeon that I completed a half marathon just four months following surgery. You know what happened next, covid. So, no half marathon for me. In fact no real live races until this year’s Glass City!
You might think I would have taken advantage of this time to truly prepare for this year’s race. However, due to various mixed reasons (ok excuses) including the covid affect, my training diminished. My weekly mileage was down, I had gained weight, and lost some motivation to train. Before I knew it, it was the month of March and race day was 8 weeks away!
I started to increase my weekly long runs, but that was not easy. I tried to pay closer attention to my diet and strength training but frankly often wimped out. My runs were nowhere near the pace I had become accustomed to running and they often included many walking breaks, but I got them done. Four weeks ahead of race day I managed to complete a 12 mile training run. It gave me confidence but I felt my conditioning was still lacking. I was losing weight, I can say I lost 20 lbs. The problem was, it was the same dang single pound that kept returning to my mid-drift.
I had recently viewed an informational meeting touting a 30 Day Jump Start Weight Loss program. The program was lead by a long time professional sports trainer who I had worked with in the past, and in fact did a 4 week challenge with him three year prior. The difference this time was the inclusion of a systematic use of specified products designed to first cleanse you thereby allowing your body to become more efficient at actually loosing weight.
Frustrated by my lack of weight loss progress I joined the challenge. The problem was, the first week of the challenge was two weeks ahead of race day! The first week of cleansing does not allow any strenuous exercise, as in no running!. This probably would not have been an issue except three weeks out from race day I had my second covid shot and as you might know that keeps you from even wanting to run.
So the week ahead of the race I did manage a few very short, slow, runs, again with the need to stop and take a walk on occasion. Whatever confidence I had finishing my 12 miler several weeks earlier had vanished. The good news was that on race day, about half way into my 30 Day Jump Start Weight Loss, was that I had already lost 12 lbs.! Well on my way to my targeted goal.
However, the weight loss program presented other difficulties. I was on a tightly subscribed diet of food types and supplements. Normal pre-race food such as carbs, natural sugars, caffeine, and even the extent of fruit was not permitted. How was I to be assured I would have enough energy to run over 13 miles? I cheated, but just a bit. I loaded with bananas the night before the race and the morning of the race. I also used a slow release carbohydrate product that I had a great deal of success with previously, UCan. I also packed two energy gel packs in my belt just in case the need arose later in the race.
Unlike the first time I raced Glass City in 2019 where I made the hour long drive from home to the event, this year I booked a room at the very near Red Roof Inn. Being nearby on race morning allowed me to not only get a good night’s sleep but also enabled me to still get to the event in plenty of time to secure a good parking spot.
Awakened to race morning and was glad to see the overnight rain had stopped, temps were in the high 30’s and there was a slight breeze. I compared the wind direction with the race route and planned for an undesirable head wind for most of the first 8 miles. The good news was the final 5 miles I would have a tail wind. This influenced my decision to wear the famous garbage bag jacket, at least for the pre race and early miles.
The race organizers did a good job of keeping the runners separated at the start and this meant few runners in large corral pens and up to 17 different wave starts. This also required an earlier than normal race start time at 6:30 AM. The sun was still below the horizon while runners waited in their corrals. But before we knew it, the race had started. Each corral walked to the start line and were greeted with their own official start. This could not be done without runners wearing timing chips in their bibs.
For a large race, the start actually felt like a small hometown type event which was actually nice. No mega crowds to stubble and weave thru at the start. I started the race with the idea of aiming to keep my pace at or slightly under a 10 minute per mile mark. But with less then a quarter mile into the race I saw I was at a 9 minute pace even though I felt like I was going very slow and relaxed. So, I relaxed a bit more and quickly settled into a 9:30 pace. Even though this felt very easy, I was very nervous about my ability to maintain this throughout the entire 13.1 miles. But I ran on regardless.
The thinly spaced group of runners became a large group of runners somewhere short of the 2 mile mark when the marathoners joined the road with the half marathoners. The covid restrictions required the marathoners to start several blocks away from the normal race start. I actually welcomed this site as it suddenly seemed to become a normal race again and besides, there were many more marathoners running closer to my slower pace than half marathoners too.
Switching to that next gear as I push to the finish line.
The race route is generally very flat and what few hills there are are not all that steep or long. This is another reason runners are attracted to Glass City Half and Full Marathons. Runners love to aim for new personal records (PRs). I was able to maintain a reasonably evenly paced run at about 9:25 for the early miles and was surprised I still felt good.
Somewhere after the four the route flows into a very nice well established neighborhood of larger and older homes. This is the scenic part of the race. It’s also where there were a good number of bystanders cheering on the runners, a bit surprising in these times. I always find it interesting to compare the outfits worn by the crowd versus the runners race outfits. With an overcast sky and cool temps many of the bystanders were bundled with heavier coats, hats, gloves, etc. watching the runners run by in their shorts, long sleeve shirts, and even singlets! But as a runner, I felt very comfortable especially since I was still wearing my garbage bag top!
The miles flowed, I remained pleasantly surprised at my pace and somewhere around mile 6 I lost my garbage bag top. The miles seemed to be passing much faster by than I had been accustomed too. There is a point in the race where the runners pass one another in opposite directions. I always enjoy seeing who is faster and ahead of me. Then on the flip side, I also enjoy watching those slower than me and giving them silent encouragement.
I remembered that there was one nasty little hill somewhere after the 8 mile mark. Two years ago that hill beat me as I was forced to walk it. I was determined not to let that happen this year. Before I knew it mile 8 was history but no hill? Oops, there it was! I kept looking up and challenged that little stinker of a hill and before I knew it, I had successfully conquered it! I also had picked up my pace a bit too!. Now, onto the real challenge.
The final 3.1 miles of a half marathon are always a special mark. On one hand I think, only a 5K race to go! On the other hand, the first 10 miles have drained most of my resources. I take on the challenge to make the first hand wins this battle. Two years ago this stretch of the course was very tough on me. I called out my reinforcements for the first time and devoured a pack of my energy gel (Boom) to help me fight off any additional fatigue that was surely about to add greater challenges for me to overcome. It seemed to work, while I was nowhere near feeling like I was running a 5K race, I was able to keep up my pace with an occassional short spurt of speed too!
A few miles earlier the marathoners split from the joined race route and they headed out for their 13+ additional miles. This meant the final few miles were runners competing in the half marathon. The route was sparsely populated with runners. The sun peeked out and the road flattened. Up ahead was the tower on the University of Toledo’s campus. A significant landmark for runners as it marked less than a mile to the finish line. The problem for me was that while it seemed so close, I also seemed to be taking my sweet time in reaching it. My thighs were tired and sore but I knew if I could just hang in there for a bit more!
Finally ! The Finish Line ! Happy this was over and very pleased with the results.
Then a big surprise that I had totally forgotten about from the race two years ago. Another hill, where did this come from? It was not a long hill but it was draining me, I could feel my pace slow significantly. So I made the strategic decision to walk this hill so that I could not only catch my breath but also regain some strength to finish strong and look good as I crossed the finish line.
I passed the tower, saw the traffic signals way ahead where I would make a sharp right turn and kick it in strong. Like the prior tower in the distance, those traffic lights seemed both close and far away. I felt like I started to run stronger again, I could begin to smell the finish line. I passed all the runners who had ran past be while on my short walk plus a few more. I was at the intersection, made my turn, and shifted to my next gear.
The final stretch started with a long winding and slightly downhill route. It seemed to be longer than I remembered but being so close to the finish I had no choice but to continue to push. Another final turn and I saw the final stretch leading to the stadium and the finish line. This too was longer than I had imagined but push on and do not let anyone pass me at this point now! A few quick turns and I was soon sprinting from the corner of the football end zone to the finish banner ahead! I could hear names of finishers ahead of me being announced and before I knew it I heard my name as I crossed the finish line!
Fully very winded it was a welcome relief to walk through the finish area feeling I had run much better than I had anticipated. It was far from my previous half marathons for the past 10 or 15 years where I was regularly running 1:40 or less. But it felt like many of those races and perhaps given my running and injury history for the past few years, this one was more gratifying. I learned later that my official time was 2:03 or 9:23 average pace, and a full 7 minutes faster than my time for this race two years ago. I also finished a respectable 6th place in my Age Group (and yes there were more than 6 runners in my AG too!).
Like the aftermath of my race two years ago, I once again look forward to registering to return to run Glass City in 2022. I will be in a new age group and my goal for next year will to WIN my age group!
Thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy report and story, I hope it may inspire a non runner to run and an old runner to run again. Continue to Run Happy!
Coach Lee