ING Georgia Marathon writeup

Ran my first marathon yesterday in my hometown of Atlanta as a participant in the 2010 ING Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon. I was under the impression that there was turnout a little over 19,000 however looking at the numbers, 10,481 Half finishers and 2,141 Marathon finishers I see that I was off by quite a bit. By the time you add in the number of those who did not finish or participate on race day then perhaps add another one-thousand to the number. Anyhow, let’s move on! The race started off early Sunday morning on Marrietta St by Centennial Olympic Park downtown. Corrals started from A to P and I was assigned to corral J so as you can imagine I was very close to the back. Nice cool morning, took the MARTA out to the event. Dropped off my gear at the Gear Check tent and quickly made my way to my corral. Eventually got there just in time and slipped in with others already there. Our group was quite empty and little to no one behind us which could only mean that most people just jumped in wherever. The race kicked off promptly and with some fanfare however it took me forever just to get to the front. I eventually got to the front and across the start line to a frantic and overcrowded race; the difference between my chip time and clock time was over twelve minutes incredibly. I could not understand why there was no stagger system to make things move a little more smoothly. I was not looking for a PR (Personal Record) at the event however having to cut across and past ten-thousand people is not my idea of fun. Risk of injury, risk of random persons cutting across you for one reason or another and the fact that all this cuts into your finish time made a frustrating situation far worse. I relegated myself to running in a straight line as best as I could but every once in a while I would come across groups of people running together paying little attention. In hindsight I can sympathize with Emmanuel my running friend who once told me of his frustrations after running the New York Marathon. As a serious runner you always want to keep pushing through and in his case he told me how so many people were just crowding and socializing on the course making it hard for him to pass and move through. Eventually he just started using his elbows and shouting as he made his way. The same ideas came to my mind as I was running those first few miles however in my case I would resort to making my person visible and doing things like coughing or dropping my shoulders in order to slip between groups and in some cases running on sidewalks and vegetation. Running etiquette is a big thing with me and I certainly go out of my way to not be rude but this was a most frustrating ordeal that lasted far longer than it should have. Please look to the side you are moving to before just veering across since you not only risk injury to yourself but to others as well. It is my hope that for next year’s event the sponsors will remedy this by instituting a stagger system. Also, I do not feel that the expected finish time should be used for placement in the event. I put an expected finish time of under four hours and fifteen minutes and ended up in Corral J; I can only imagine what others ahead of me put because there were so many ahead of me the first few miles that were walking.
Back to the race and course, I had my music in my ears and made my way stride by stride through the course. Coming around a bend after the first mile I could hear the frantic sound of a young woman wiping out to the far right. I felt very bad for her since at this time the light rain had started and was only going to make the route slicker. Many looked on and inasmuch as one wanted to help her veering across to assist would have contributed to even greater calamity. I pressed on through and collected myself in my mind and my music; I kept my head up to stay aware of everything around me. Whenever I saw an empty sidewalk or outlet I took it and around mile four I hit a very good sidewalk decline in the Inman Park area if I remember correctly. I hit it hard to break away from the masses and it rewarded me greatly. I am certainly not a fan of bounding down hills but the grade was subtle and not overpowering making it easier to control my movements and body. I kept moving, still frustrated at the sheer numbers ahead and around me but realized that it could not be helped at this point. Things would continue as such until the split past mile and just before seven. What a welcome site, I remember thinking to myself Thank God! Making my way past to the right I looked ahead and saw the numbers dwindle significantly. Finally I could make better on my progress to the finish line. My body throughout was solid and up to the task; I pushed on and made my way along the course. I stopped at a number of aid stations along the way and tried as much as I could to run and intake fluids rather than stopping. I had my saline solution on my back and it was ridiculously potent. The night before I had used sea salt instead of regular table salt and the first time I took a swig from it it felt like I was drinking salt water. At least with the table salt (in the same amounts) I could still taste the sports drink however this new concoction was far stronger which made me stop at more aid stations than I would have liked. Aid stations are of course a great thing but they can also be danger spots since you have veering and people flat out stopping. They are conversely a great place to overtake a crowd if you run straight through since many will stop at them and in the process move to the sides. I took advantage of this when I could and kept moving. The route continued through many suburban areas and city streets; I could feel my confidence propelling me forward and I worked to make sure that it did not turn into over confidence since I did not want to burn out. Moreover I wanted to stick to my strategy which was a 10/10/6.2 split. Run ten, rest five, run ten, rest five and run the remaining. Soon I made my way to the mile ten marker and could the desire in me to keep moving but that was overruled by reasoning and commitment to my strategy. I moved to the side and slowed to a halt. I fixed my left sock which had slipped down my foot during the run. My fingers offered little to no help as I worked to get my shoes off and adjust my sock. I eventually fixed the issue, straightened up and moved briskly up the route. I saw ahead of me a figure that I should have recognized but instead paid no attention to at the onset. I looked down at my watch and kept reading the seconds and minutes. When it hit two minutes and forty-five seconds I continued on the second leg of my split rather than count to five. Even at this time I felt very comfortable with my rest so I pushed forward. I was now in the Decatur area and making my way up I came to the MARTA train tracks and saw the same figure again just ahead of me. From the outline I was certain that it was Emmanuel but I was not fully convinced. I certainly did not want to run up on a stranger and make a complete fool of myself so I got closer and started looking at the face; sure enough it was Emmanuel. It was a very good and jovial meeting and I was very happy to see a familiar face. We spoke briefly as we ran together for about a good quarter mile and the fact that I was able to hold a casual conversation allowed me to accurately gauge my fatigue. We then parted as I made my way forward along the course. There were a number of signs in the city of Decatur with clever rhymes that kept me entertained. I am afraid that I do not fully remember any of them but they were all very creative and good nonetheless. I was now making my way through Agnes Scott College; I know little to nothing about the institution other than that it is a women’s college but quite a nice and peaceful appearance to it. I continued along steeling myself against everything and concentrating myself on my focus. Around mile fifteen I met Nicole from Scranton, Pennsylvania; awesome person. Fresh out of school and headed to the Navy to work in Biology. She had a bright yellow shirt on that had NAVY printed on the back; I would have kept moving but she started talking to me and I said why not. We talked about the hills, the crowds, cramping, 4:15 pace group and what our goal times were for the event. I told her how I would look for a marathon specific event in the future to abate the frustration I had had earlier and she told me about Philadelphia. We ran and talked for a good mile and alas I decided to add a little more kick; I told her I would see her at the finish line and we parted ways. Good luck in your endeavors Nicole and keep running! I kept moving and the mile markers kept coming; before I knew it I was at mile seventeen, then eighteen then nineteen and I hung a right on a street and went downhill, the street looked vaguely familiar but I could not place it at the time. The houses were faintly recognizable to me and then I thought ‘wait a minute…’ I looked to my right just in time to see a home that I once told myself that I would buy one day. A new home in an old neighborhood; out of place perhaps but beautiful nonetheless resting atop an overlooking hill. I was on Stillwood Dr and there it sat on my right, in my mind I remembered how much I loved the house at one point but now it was occupied and maybe at some point down the road it still could be mine. I trudged on uphill, moving past people one by one as I made my way to the finish line. I moved at a moderate pace but found that I was still healthy and moving ahead and to the front. It was just past Stillwood at a crossing when another frustration availed itself to me; a number of police officers were along the route obviously since roads were closed in order to direct traffic, etc. I have nothing but admiration and respect for their charge during this event but the one officer at this point almost let a car cross as I was less than ten feet away on my approach. Obviously error in judgment but very scary when you think of what could have happened. Soon at the top of a hill I had hit mile twenty. I slowed and moved to the side again, bent down to readjust my sock and straightened up to walk. I could feel the energy welling up in my person as I walked then. I had stuck to my strategy and it was working for me; only 6.2 miles to the finish. A wild man’s grin curled beneath my lips and I could feel energy, courage, ambition and sheer determination bellowing in the pit of my stomach scraping at my insides to be released. I turned on Los Angeles Ave and my brisk walk became a brisk sprint; my legs beneath me felt like oversized pistons moving and churning as my heart and mind empowered them. Whole crowds before me became individuals that I found myself moving past one by one. I was not racing anyone at all, it is just that the energy I had at this point was boundless. Crowds cheered us on along the route also; some braved the slightly inclement weather to come out and cheer. I kept seeing the same guy at like five different spots with a sign that read ‘Go Cousin Jim!’ I was just like man, this guy is really dedicated. He cheered everyone on that passed him too so that was awesome. Miles twenty to twenty-two flew by; before I knew it I was at Piedmont Park turning corners and curves still moving fast. I came across one young lady who had passed me several miles back; she had on this green and blue outfit and I guess for me she stood out because I had identified her as fast early on in the event since she moved ahead quickly at the onset. I think we all, as runners, identify people during the course of a run that we associate as fast, incredible or just threats. She certainly was not a threat to me, time was, but after I figured her to be fast and now found myself overtaking her it was a wakeup, self-realization that I needed to start giving myself more credit. It was just up ahead around the 800 meter track at the park that I saw it: a turnaround. Oh no, visions of Little Rock (see Little Rock writeup) hit me like ice water as I saw runners moving to and from. It was as if my confidence up to this point had wandered into darkness and despair and I was fighting to get it back on track; on top of that it was up an incline circling the track. I do not like turnarounds especially after Little Rock. They are just so drawn out, enervating and draining. I struggled through this at Little Rock and now had to push myself through again because I refused to let it kill my run. I proceeded one stride at a time; some were walking as they made their way back, the Wall I thought to myself as I saw them. I kept going one step ahead at a time; it had only been two days previous when I was out here running by myself. Off to my right I peered over at the statue atop a large stone pedestal, a woman gripping the feet of a large fleeting bird if my memory serves me correctly. Just down a small decline I saw the turnaround with mile marker twenty-two. I bounded around it and over the time chip check device on the ground; insurance if you will for anyone who would take advantage of the situation. I pushed myself and continued on and back around. I got to the bottom and rounded the track; just ahead a few feet was a guy clearly fatigued. I got up to him, put my hand to his back and commended him saying ‘good job man, you’re almost there.’ It is amazing how small words of encouragement can make a huge difference to someone. I felt enamored to motivate him because just like him I too had been at this point in previous events. If my few words got him to the finish just a little quicker then they served their purpose fully. I continued ahead and could still feel the push in my stride as I made my way to the 12th Street front park gate. I crossed Piedmont Road and the immediate site of 12th Street before me lay daunting and formidable. It rose like a lava formed mountain out of the ground and into the sky; littered with the fatigued and tired bodies of runners on both sides. My steps shortened but my resolve was terribly strong as I moved straight up. In the distance I saw what appeared to be Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders encouraging people up the ascent. Making my way towards them I concentrated on the hill and as I neared them I pushed past amidst their applause and cheers. I felt powerful as I hit the top and knew that through the gamut of this event the uphills had been my strongpoint. I attacked them each time and felt more and more confident. They are good weed out areas also if you are up to the task but will weed you out if you overdo it. Less than four miles at this point I thought to myself and I kept moving. I could feel my stride lessening and before I knew it I slowed to a walk. I was up another slight incline and headed towards Georgia Tech; turned to the school and was run/walking at this point. ‘Come on’ I kept thinking to myself, I knew I was almost there but it just seemed so far away; one older gentleman patted me on the back and wished me luck. A few feet up I noticed one woman who appeared as if she were keeling over. She eventually got up and started walking; made my way up to her and wished her good luck. She was cramping and I asked if it was her first marathon which it was. I told her I had the same issues at my first marathon and what I had learned from Emmanuel. I hoped that it would help her in the future. At mile twenty-four I realized that I missed Alan and could certainly use him here (see Little Rock writeup). He had motivated at a difficult point during Little Rock and turned it around to make it something unforgettable. Unfortunately he was not here and it was just me to motivate me so I did as best as I could. After more run-walking I was soon on Marrietta St. Did not realize how long the street was until I had to run it. A few people around me at this point all tortured souls and me among them; I was past the twenty-five mile mark and kept looking for 26 but it never came. Kept pushing one foot at a time and moving forward; hearing a slow rumble in the distance I realized that I was close. No great break to the finish this time as in the past; instead a good run but not the same feeling. I turned International Blvd and saw the finish about a hundred or so feet ahead and ran past it.

Review:

Organization: 3 There must be a stagger system implemented in order to make things run smoother in the future. I have heard nothing but good remarks about other ING Marathons around the country and aside from this things were very well done.

Course: 5 Tough and demanding with all the hills, etc but well done. I will be even better prepared next time. Great scenes and routes with nice cheering crowds who braved the inclement weather.

Awards: 4 Love the medal but not too crazy about the shirt as compared to previous shirts.

Overall Experience: 5 In spite of my frustrations I thoroughly enjoyed the event and the fact that I was able to participate in my hometown. Having a few friends also running made the experience even better. One more down!