1& 2) Performance and Group
A's all around this time. I really feel I did a good job at Akron this year. Other than the downhills producing two quick miles at the end I was really on all day long. While I am a bit disappointed my perfectly paced day was foiled by those downhills at the end (but glad they were there for my runners to come in quicker) I don't think those two miles broke anyone in my group and I was able to get a few of the girls in a little quicker than they might have gone otherwise.
I wore my garmin just so I could have the data after and just used it to see each individual mile. I wore my timex and set a timer for 8:24 each mile and used that all day to tell the group how far off total time we were. This worked out well, although I noticed towards the end that the marathon guide pace band for 3:40 actually has some 8:23 miles mixed in and I had a little bit of a mix up at mile 25 and 26 looking at my timer versus the time on the pace band. (Should have stuck with the timer since those downhills were a bit too quick!)
I love this race, but I must admit doing 26.2 for this first time since May I was nervous and didn't sleep a wink the night before. My mind was just racing and all it was full of was paces, oddly enough not my paces ;) I was glad to be leading the 3:40 group since my training has been going so well this year 3:50 would have been tough for me, but I must admit I was nervous that even 3:40 was going to be an effort since I am in shape to run almost 90 seconds per mile faster than that in a few weeks for my own race. I practiced the pace all week to make sure I would be on.
I was up early and got to the race in time to chat with some locals before getting to the start around 6:20ish. I had a huge group at the start. I went through my spiel at least twice in full and tried to talk to individual runners until the group got too large. I had a lot of half marathoners, quite a few full marathoners, and even a handful of relay runners with me.
We started off our first mile just a hair slow and given the net downhill and crowded start I was happy with the effort. My neighbor Neil was in the group and entertained us with his relay's "Crazy for Swayze" Team shirt and negative morning attitude. I introduced a few of my other local friends to the group and asked around to see where everyone was from, how many first timers we had, and how many gals I had aiming for a BQ.
The group wasn't too chatty but they did chime in every now and then. It became apparent to me quickly that just like last year humidity was going to play a major role on every ones day. I tried to make sure runners were taking in fluids and sports drink throughout the day as well as keeping their upper bodies and breathing relaxed. The weather was very misleading because it was obviously cool, but my humidity radar is pretty good since it affects me so strongly.
My group was very complimentary and commented frequently about me being inhuman as we were really nailing the pace all morning. I just tried to keep them entertained and on task. I did a much better job this year with the rolling miles and not letting the pace get far off overall at any point. At mile 11 before we split from the half marathoners we were about 10 seconds ahead of pace, As they split off I let them know they were likely 20 seconds ahead of pace from the steep descent before the marathoners headed right to the towpath. I know at least one of my local friends made the 1:50 time and when they split off there was at least a handful with him. I am sure the 20 second buffer was appreciated as I heard the hill they had to run up before mile 12 was pretty brutal.
I made sure the full marathoners settled back into our pace as we headed onto the towpath. A lot of people tend to pull forward with the momentum from that steep downhill at 11 but we got back on pace quickly and we were just 2 seconds under at the half marathon mark.
I knew last year I lost a lot of runners through Sand Run. This year I tried to get the group prepared mentally to work the hills. I gave them my tips for keeping strides short, relaxing the breathing, focusing on a spot just a few feet ahead of them on the ground etc. I think this really helped. I still had at least 10-15 with me as we crested Sand Run, and many stayed close to us even if they fell back. And a few were even able to pull back to us once they crested the top. That said I started to lose runners, many due to cramping which was obviously a trend for people that day. At mile 15 I spotted a local friend who has planned to run 3:10 walking backwards, her day thwarted by cramping/trashed quads. I also spotted the 3:20 sign in a trash cash at some point during this stretch which led me to believe the day was even taking it's toll on pacers.
I kept advising my group to take sports drink and gels where available. The area before Garman hill seemed to be the last straw for many. I was down to a small group of 4-5 by that point. I picked up a friend who had run the 4th leg of the relay and introduced her to the group. As it was getting windy I had her run next to me so we could block some wind for those still with us. I lost my last male from the group near the last gel station. His stomach was revolting a bit but he really had done a fantastic job all day (and didn't finish far behind me). At this point we were down to one girl right with us, one close behind, a few we had picked up, and a few within 60 seconds of us.
We were close to right on at 24 and I let the group and those behind us (yelling back) that we could use the downhills to ensure an on time finish. Only one of the girls stayed right with us. Her breathing had become ragged around mile 22 but I encouraged her to relax and she did a great job sticking to us like glue and pulling ahead in the finish chute. I got a little caught up in seeing her finish and got carried away at the end on the pace. (Too excited!) I crossed the finish line and turned back to cheer on the 4 girls behind us that all made it under 3:41 clock time. A glance at the results confirmed that 5 gals that ran with my group all day or at least some of the day made it to Boston. Very exciting.
The chute workers tried to shoo me through but I let them know I wouldn't be moving until the time went over to 3:41. I made my way slowly through the chute so I could chat with those that came in just behind me. Quite a few from my group that I thought were lost came in within 2 minutes which was great to see.
I gave my sign to Ky who I had met at Buckeye half two weeks ago. She did a great job all day and even though I lost her around Garman she gritted it out to get in under 3:41 and was very excited with her performance.
In addition to my group I spotted a few runners who I had chatted with at the expo after the race who were very pleased with the day. A couple first timers who let me know they had gone against my conservative advice and gone out too fast, but who were still very excited to have completed their first marathon.
Splits
mile split (off from total time)
1- 8:26.19 (+2)
2- 8:21.34 (-1)
3- 8:24.00 (-1)
4- 8:15.40 (-10)
5- 8:21.73 (-13)
6- 8:29.97 (-7)
7- 8:25.83 (-5)
8- 8:28.99 (0)
9- 8:13.08 (-11)
10- 8:24.40 (-11)
11- 8:24.47 (-11)
12- 8:25.38 (-10)
13- 8:30.20 (-4)
1:49:58 at the half
14- 8:16.70 (-11)
15- 8:22.92 (-12)
16- 8:36.15 (0)
17- 8:08.98 (-15)
18- 8:29 (-11)
19- 8:21.10 (-14)
20- 8:21.98 (-16)
21- 8:23.32 (-16)
22 -8:35.23 (-5)
23- 8:23.19 (-6)
24- 8:31.23 (+1)
25- 8:01.62 (-21)
26- 8:09.95 (-35)
26.2- 1:32 (-38)
3) Marathon Suggestions-
Top notch race as always. My only complaint was the weird surface at the finish. If I had been trying to sprint in I wouldn't have liked it, it seemed like it was loose and you could easily trip over it. Other than that this is a first class event. The expo was great, the pasta dinner was great, and the volunteers were great.
One other nitpicky note, I was on the line early and made a game time decision on where I should position myself. Around 6:45 or so they put up signs for time suggestions and they were way off from where we were placed as pacers. If those signs are going to go up late they should adjust them to match us because once we are in place with 30-40 runners it is really hard to get them all to move :)
4) Pacer Suggestions-
Loved the booth placement this time.
I think maybe that our mantra for this race needs to be to preach conservatism. This is the second year in a row here that humidity played a factor, and this course is not easy to begin with. I really thought about what my approach would have been here if I had been racing it and I think I would have backed off my personal goal by 4 minutes and really tried to go for even split day with even pacing through mile 16 allowing for a slight drop in pace through 19 and a strong finish from 24 on.
I think so many people would have had more pleasing days had they gone out slower. I think it is tempting for people to bank time here but I just don't think that strategy works, I think if you bank it is just going to leave you too trashed to do anything after the climb at Sand Run.
I think perhaps a reminder to the pacers that we shouldn't be banking any time here either would be good. I know it would have been really easy to go way too fast on some of those early downhill stretches. I am glad I was right on at the half, while obviously many were not ready for the course on the day I think it ensured I had many with me at the top of sand run. Many who might have fallen off earlier if I had done one or two miles too quickly early on.
As always thank to Jim for organizing and for having me on the pace team. It is really rewarding to give back to the running community and help other runners. I know next year my pace jobs will be limited by my own racing and training so I am grateful for all the opportunities I had this year.
Showing posts with label pacer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pacer. Show all posts
Pacing Akron 3:40 Group This Weekend
Last years Faux Hawk
Looking forward to seeing many friends out at the Akron Road Runner Marathon this weekend!
I will be pacing the 3:40 group and hoping to help a lot of young women (as well as some older men!) make it to Boston!
Probably have too much hair to go with the Faux Hawk again this year but I promise to bring enthusiasm and high spirits for the duration of the race!
Stop by the expo and sign up for a pace group! It is going to be a lot of fun!
Meep Meep!
Last years Akron Pace Team
Air Force Recap In Photos
Photo credit: Brightroom Photography
A big Happy 1:40 Group
More Happy Halfers
Group still holding strong
Happy Pace Leader Right on Target
Group is starting to feel it a bit
Hey I'm Still happy, but there's some wind now
Starting to send those with legs ahead now and starting to lose some of the group
Heading into the finish
Yeah this has got to be closest to the pin worthy
What the heck?
Did you see that?
Oh my god I went over!
1:40:30
A review of the others pacers confirms that only one pacer was under the goal Saturday. Just goes to show we are only as good as the mile markers. Having the mile 13 marker at 12.9 caused all of us to go a bit over the goal. Thankful I was still within 30 seconds and the two ladies I pulled into the finish with me were still ecstatic as well as many that pulled ahead or fell a little behind.
A big Happy 1:40 Group
More Happy Halfers
Group still holding strong
Happy Pace Leader Right on Target
Group is starting to feel it a bit
Hey I'm Still happy, but there's some wind now
Starting to send those with legs ahead now and starting to lose some of the group
Heading into the finish
Yeah this has got to be closest to the pin worthy
What the heck?
Did you see that?
Oh my god I went over!
1:40:30
A review of the others pacers confirms that only one pacer was under the goal Saturday. Just goes to show we are only as good as the mile markers. Having the mile 13 marker at 12.9 caused all of us to go a bit over the goal. Thankful I was still within 30 seconds and the two ladies I pulled into the finish with me were still ecstatic as well as many that pulled ahead or fell a little behind.
Air Force Half Pacer Report
A direct copy of my pacer report for pacerjim@hotmail.com
I had a blast pacing today and had a great group! Please email pacer jim if you have any suggestions for me or just want to send positive feedback! Thanks to everyone who ran with me today, sorry I was off at the finish! My first finish over the pin :( 1:40:30
1. Your performance
A+ For enthusiasm, A for pacing, C for finish time. wore two pace bands to avoid a loss this time and wore two watches. I was set on keeping track of pace!
Very even effort day, I felt great and did a great job of encouraging runners throughout. I decided to wear the new garmin since we had been told markers were off here before. Typically the garmin gets behind so I figured I'd just keep an eye on it as an extra point of reference. First few miles seemed to line up pretty well. We were on pace until we hit the incline before mile one, as typical garmin pace was right on but we were about 10 seconds behind at the mile marker. I knew we would be slow but would make it up on the downhill that followed and we did. Very even effort all day, got a little behind on the hills and a little ahead on the downhills. I missed the 11 mile marker and so I never realized that mile 12 and 13 we were actually behind (since 11 was not actually 11, but closer to 10.9, and therefore neither were 12 or 13) when I thought we were ahead, this caused me to be 30 seconds over when I thought I was going to be 20 seconds under. Completely shocked when I looked at the clocks from a distance and realized I was over and had to look at the splits to figure out what the heck happened.
Splits for analysis as well as the garmin mileage for a point of reference. I believe the mileage as I probably added extra at aid stations and not running tangents early in the race and as you can see mile 11 and 12 were short, likely shorter than the Garmin indicated as I definitely was weaving at the aid station around 11.
Split (mile pace off, total pace off) garmin distance
1- 7:50.40 (+12, +12) 1.02
2- 7:23.45 (-14, +2) 1.00
3- 7:34.90 (-4, -2) 1.00
4- 7:45.08 (+7, +5) 1.00
5- 7:30.12 (-8, -3) 1.00
6- 7:46.85 (+8, +5) 1.01
7- 7:37.98 (0, +5) 0.99
8&9- 15:27.22 (+9, +14) 2.01
10- 7:33.23 (-5, +9) 1.00
11&12- 14:48.15 (-28, -19) 1.96
13- 7:38 (0, -19) 0.99
13.1- 1:35.55 (+50, +30) 0.22
garmins average pace was 7:36 so I thought I was good to go as it is usually about 2 seconds fast for me compared to the actual race pace.
2. Your group
I had a large group throughout the day, so large I had runners comment to me after that they decided to run ahead or behind because they felt too crowded. I had many PRs and quite a few runners go ahead at mile 12 (Thank goodness!) and earlier. I had a lot of first timers that came in ahead or close to me. One lady with headphones that ran right next to me through about mile 10 but lost her at the hill. Since I thought I was ahead at mile 12 around mile 12.5 I started running backwards and calling back to runners to reel me in and get under 1:40, I managed to get quite a few to go by me and two women who thanked me at the finish for it despite being a little over 1:40. Had I known I was over I obviously would have dialed it in and told everyone we needed to hammer, ideally I would have slowly got us back on from mile 11 when I should have known we were behind.
3. Suggestions for the marathon
Expo needs to be more streamlined. The way it was setup was forcing "cross traffic" Runners want to get their stuff, then peruse the expo. The way it was setup runners trying to get their stuff were walking against the flow of traffic of those heading back to check out the expo, felt very crowded.
Loved the outfits!
Fix mile marker 13. It shouldn't be too hard to measure .1 from the finish line backwards. I can understand other markers getting off, we are all only human, but .1 and .2 are very different at the finish.
4. Suggestions for the pace team
Better directions for getting around the base. Those of us that are navigationally challenged were a bit stressed getting lost and getting stuck n crazy traffic that could have been avoided.
Cell numbers on a list for everyone. would have helped with some of the last minute changes.
I had a blast pacing today and had a great group! Please email pacer jim if you have any suggestions for me or just want to send positive feedback! Thanks to everyone who ran with me today, sorry I was off at the finish! My first finish over the pin :( 1:40:30
1. Your performance
A+ For enthusiasm, A for pacing, C for finish time. wore two pace bands to avoid a loss this time and wore two watches. I was set on keeping track of pace!
Very even effort day, I felt great and did a great job of encouraging runners throughout. I decided to wear the new garmin since we had been told markers were off here before. Typically the garmin gets behind so I figured I'd just keep an eye on it as an extra point of reference. First few miles seemed to line up pretty well. We were on pace until we hit the incline before mile one, as typical garmin pace was right on but we were about 10 seconds behind at the mile marker. I knew we would be slow but would make it up on the downhill that followed and we did. Very even effort all day, got a little behind on the hills and a little ahead on the downhills. I missed the 11 mile marker and so I never realized that mile 12 and 13 we were actually behind (since 11 was not actually 11, but closer to 10.9, and therefore neither were 12 or 13) when I thought we were ahead, this caused me to be 30 seconds over when I thought I was going to be 20 seconds under. Completely shocked when I looked at the clocks from a distance and realized I was over and had to look at the splits to figure out what the heck happened.
Splits for analysis as well as the garmin mileage for a point of reference. I believe the mileage as I probably added extra at aid stations and not running tangents early in the race and as you can see mile 11 and 12 were short, likely shorter than the Garmin indicated as I definitely was weaving at the aid station around 11.
Split (mile pace off, total pace off) garmin distance
1- 7:50.40 (+12, +12) 1.02
2- 7:23.45 (-14, +2) 1.00
3- 7:34.90 (-4, -2) 1.00
4- 7:45.08 (+7, +5) 1.00
5- 7:30.12 (-8, -3) 1.00
6- 7:46.85 (+8, +5) 1.01
7- 7:37.98 (0, +5) 0.99
8&9- 15:27.22 (+9, +14) 2.01
10- 7:33.23 (-5, +9) 1.00
11&12- 14:48.15 (-28, -19) 1.96
13- 7:38 (0, -19) 0.99
13.1- 1:35.55 (+50, +30) 0.22
garmins average pace was 7:36 so I thought I was good to go as it is usually about 2 seconds fast for me compared to the actual race pace.
2. Your group
I had a large group throughout the day, so large I had runners comment to me after that they decided to run ahead or behind because they felt too crowded. I had many PRs and quite a few runners go ahead at mile 12 (Thank goodness!) and earlier. I had a lot of first timers that came in ahead or close to me. One lady with headphones that ran right next to me through about mile 10 but lost her at the hill. Since I thought I was ahead at mile 12 around mile 12.5 I started running backwards and calling back to runners to reel me in and get under 1:40, I managed to get quite a few to go by me and two women who thanked me at the finish for it despite being a little over 1:40. Had I known I was over I obviously would have dialed it in and told everyone we needed to hammer, ideally I would have slowly got us back on from mile 11 when I should have known we were behind.
3. Suggestions for the marathon
Expo needs to be more streamlined. The way it was setup was forcing "cross traffic" Runners want to get their stuff, then peruse the expo. The way it was setup runners trying to get their stuff were walking against the flow of traffic of those heading back to check out the expo, felt very crowded.
Loved the outfits!
Fix mile marker 13. It shouldn't be too hard to measure .1 from the finish line backwards. I can understand other markers getting off, we are all only human, but .1 and .2 are very different at the finish.
4. Suggestions for the pace team
Better directions for getting around the base. Those of us that are navigationally challenged were a bit stressed getting lost and getting stuck n crazy traffic that could have been avoided.
Cell numbers on a list for everyone. would have helped with some of the last minute changes.
Pacer Report-Spirit of Columbus Half Marathon
More details to come but this is the brief summary (forgive the spelling errors, lack of sentence structure etc) I sent to Pacer Jim on my performance. If you ran the Spirit of Columbus Half be sure to send Pacer Jim some feedback, especially if you used the pace groups! PacerJim@hotmail.com
1. Your Performance
1. A for Effort, A+ for Enthusiasm, C for execution
Mile-Mile splits, (total time), how far off overall pace
Mile 2 14:56 -20
3-7:45.67 (22:41) -13
4-7:44.72 (30:26) -6
5-7:53.39 (38:20) +10
6-7:43.51 (46:03) +15
7-7:43.70 (53:47) +21
8-7:33.95 (1:01:21) +17
9-7:37.72 (1:08.58) +16
10-7:18.35 (1:16:17) -3
11-7:37.37 (1:23:54) -4
12-7:44.41 (1:31:39) +3
13-7:05.90 (1:38:44) -30
52.95 (1:39:37) -27
Never saw mile 1, was around 7:33 according to others around me. Just saw mile 2 and despite same effort this mile was fast thanks to the downhill. I eased it off to get back on and just about when we were getting close I lost my pace band around mile 5. For some reason I lost my mind and could not do any sort of math after that. I knew we were a bit behind pace with the hills and a few slow miles, but got it in my head we were around 40-60 seconds behind. Just worked on picking it up a hair and using the downhills in mile 10 to get back on pace. Really poor math skills on my part at mile 12 resulted in a fast last mile. I thought we were still behind and that we would need to push the final mile. I was wrong! If only I had trusted my pace. The good news is that everyone that was with me at mile 12 either beat me to the line or came in close enough behind me to still get under 1:40. I had one pacee let me know that he heard me yelling back to him in the last mile and that it really helped.
2. Your Group
2. My group was great. After backing it off in mile 3 I lost a lot of people who went ahead and stayed there for good. This was just a good course to run better than your goal and it was no surprise people were listening to their legs and pushing forward. Those that stayed with me were chatty and fun. I had a few people mingle in and out of the group but had a core group of 5 or 6 who were with me the whole race. I had a first timer that came in right on time. The course was a little narrow for a big group so I am not sure how that affected pace group dynamics but it felt like we were a small bunch the whole way, but those around me commented after that they could hear me the whole way and that it was helpful.
3. Suggestions for the Race Director
3. Organization, Organization, Organization.
My guess is for everyone under 1:40 this race was probably just fine, but for everyone over that this was unacceptable. Running out of water on such a cool day is not good.
Promising all kinds of nutrition (that was not needed imo) is only good if you follow up on it. I never saw anything but water, gatorade, and heed on the course.
The finish needs to be streamlined and next year give out the shirts ahead of time. By the time pacer Kristen was in line they had about 3 small shirts left and no xs. Giving the shirts out ahead of time gives better assurance that you will get the size you ordered. Next year I would advise medals right away as you cross the line, and hats a bit further down. Don't do all the give aways in one place. You need more volunteers handing these out and you need them spread out. Having to find shirt sizes just slowed the process way down.
More signs to make it clearer where things are located. Especially the food and shuttles since that wasn't in line with everything else.
If you are going to have bag drops you need to provide stickers with race bib number with the bags and clear instructions, and volunteers to watch them and hand them out.
need to have consistent mile markers throughout the course. having the first two miles marked only on the ground is unacceptable.
website needs to be updated much earlier, final instructions should go out in an email to all runners, not just available in a pile at the expo and not even pushed/directed to runners. people had a lot of questions at packet pickup and it was obvious there was confusion about the shuttles, start/finish location, and relay shuttles/locations. as of Friday when i checked the website the pdf instructions about the course were still not up.
great course. awesome if you are looking to pr.
great support of the elite runners.
Traffic control was great! There was an officer at the road when we headed onto the paved path at Griggs and he was screaming at cars to slow down and get off their cell phones. Very good to see a cop taking his race duties seriously as many times they seem to just stand around.
4. Suggestions for the Pace Team
4. I thought this was a tough course to pace, especially given the first two miles were not clearly marked and were downhill. if we pace here again need to emphasize the first two miles here are fast and that there are some rolling miles in the middle.
nix the 8:30 group, Paul didn't have anyone with him because all the runners wanted to go under 1:50
i thought the pasta dinner was great and staying with pacer Kristen was nice. she was extremely close to the race start and it worked out well. although it would be nice if the race had provided us all with a place to stay, it is fun to have all the pacers in one place.
for future races where we pace a half Pacer Brett had an awesome idea for the predicted pace time chart, to add in the new york qualifying times for avoiding the lottery system for each age group to the bottom. The half qualifiers are actually relatively easy compared to their marathon standards!
1. Your Performance
1. A for Effort, A+ for Enthusiasm, C for execution
Mile-Mile splits, (total time), how far off overall pace
Mile 2 14:56 -20
3-7:45.67 (22:41) -13
4-7:44.72 (30:26) -6
5-7:53.39 (38:20) +10
6-7:43.51 (46:03) +15
7-7:43.70 (53:47) +21
8-7:33.95 (1:01:21) +17
9-7:37.72 (1:08.58) +16
10-7:18.35 (1:16:17) -3
11-7:37.37 (1:23:54) -4
12-7:44.41 (1:31:39) +3
13-7:05.90 (1:38:44) -30
52.95 (1:39:37) -27
Never saw mile 1, was around 7:33 according to others around me. Just saw mile 2 and despite same effort this mile was fast thanks to the downhill. I eased it off to get back on and just about when we were getting close I lost my pace band around mile 5. For some reason I lost my mind and could not do any sort of math after that. I knew we were a bit behind pace with the hills and a few slow miles, but got it in my head we were around 40-60 seconds behind. Just worked on picking it up a hair and using the downhills in mile 10 to get back on pace. Really poor math skills on my part at mile 12 resulted in a fast last mile. I thought we were still behind and that we would need to push the final mile. I was wrong! If only I had trusted my pace. The good news is that everyone that was with me at mile 12 either beat me to the line or came in close enough behind me to still get under 1:40. I had one pacee let me know that he heard me yelling back to him in the last mile and that it really helped.
2. Your Group
2. My group was great. After backing it off in mile 3 I lost a lot of people who went ahead and stayed there for good. This was just a good course to run better than your goal and it was no surprise people were listening to their legs and pushing forward. Those that stayed with me were chatty and fun. I had a few people mingle in and out of the group but had a core group of 5 or 6 who were with me the whole race. I had a first timer that came in right on time. The course was a little narrow for a big group so I am not sure how that affected pace group dynamics but it felt like we were a small bunch the whole way, but those around me commented after that they could hear me the whole way and that it was helpful.
3. Suggestions for the Race Director
3. Organization, Organization, Organization.
My guess is for everyone under 1:40 this race was probably just fine, but for everyone over that this was unacceptable. Running out of water on such a cool day is not good.
Promising all kinds of nutrition (that was not needed imo) is only good if you follow up on it. I never saw anything but water, gatorade, and heed on the course.
The finish needs to be streamlined and next year give out the shirts ahead of time. By the time pacer Kristen was in line they had about 3 small shirts left and no xs. Giving the shirts out ahead of time gives better assurance that you will get the size you ordered. Next year I would advise medals right away as you cross the line, and hats a bit further down. Don't do all the give aways in one place. You need more volunteers handing these out and you need them spread out. Having to find shirt sizes just slowed the process way down.
More signs to make it clearer where things are located. Especially the food and shuttles since that wasn't in line with everything else.
If you are going to have bag drops you need to provide stickers with race bib number with the bags and clear instructions, and volunteers to watch them and hand them out.
need to have consistent mile markers throughout the course. having the first two miles marked only on the ground is unacceptable.
website needs to be updated much earlier, final instructions should go out in an email to all runners, not just available in a pile at the expo and not even pushed/directed to runners. people had a lot of questions at packet pickup and it was obvious there was confusion about the shuttles, start/finish location, and relay shuttles/locations. as of Friday when i checked the website the pdf instructions about the course were still not up.
great course. awesome if you are looking to pr.
great support of the elite runners.
Traffic control was great! There was an officer at the road when we headed onto the paved path at Griggs and he was screaming at cars to slow down and get off their cell phones. Very good to see a cop taking his race duties seriously as many times they seem to just stand around.
4. Suggestions for the Pace Team
4. I thought this was a tough course to pace, especially given the first two miles were not clearly marked and were downhill. if we pace here again need to emphasize the first two miles here are fast and that there are some rolling miles in the middle.
nix the 8:30 group, Paul didn't have anyone with him because all the runners wanted to go under 1:50
i thought the pasta dinner was great and staying with pacer Kristen was nice. she was extremely close to the race start and it worked out well. although it would be nice if the race had provided us all with a place to stay, it is fun to have all the pacers in one place.
for future races where we pace a half Pacer Brett had an awesome idea for the predicted pace time chart, to add in the new york qualifying times for avoiding the lottery system for each age group to the bottom. The half qualifiers are actually relatively easy compared to their marathon standards!
Spirit of Columbus Half
I'm pacing the Spirit of Columbus Half this weekend. 1:40 group unless I hear otherwise (I thought I was 1:45 originally but looks like things got moved up which is fine by me!) so 7:38 pace for 13.1 miles. Course looks to be good and advertised as point to point rolling slightly downhill. It will be interesting to see who all comes out, a lot of money for top 5, top 5 masters, top US athlete, and top Ohioans.
I was checking out the site to see if pacer bios were listed and noticed bib numbers are up and I am 1177. Now why can't I get good numbers like this for all of my personal races? I'll keep my fingers crossed for the same at Columbus Full in October ;) But I have a good feeling this bib number will all but ensure a closest to the pin pacer finish this Sunday so look for me to roll in even splits to a 1:39:59 finish!
Maybe I will see some friends at the event. If so good luck and stop by and say hi at the bib pickup or post race!
I was checking out the site to see if pacer bios were listed and noticed bib numbers are up and I am 1177. Now why can't I get good numbers like this for all of my personal races? I'll keep my fingers crossed for the same at Columbus Full in October ;) But I have a good feeling this bib number will all but ensure a closest to the pin pacer finish this Sunday so look for me to roll in even splits to a 1:39:59 finish!
Maybe I will see some friends at the event. If so good luck and stop by and say hi at the bib pickup or post race!
Flying Pig Marathon Pacing Report
It has been 10 days since I drafted the title for this and several other posts that I have been intending to write. Figured it was about time I posted something and I just received Pacer Jim's email including emails he received back from runners about our pace groups. I was really excited to receive so much feedback and super stoked to help so many runners at the flying pig. So now seemed like as good a time as any to finally get up a pig report.
This was by far my best pace group so far. I think runners at the flying pig really had a handle on a realistic goal for the race (maybe those hills convince them to back off the goal a wee bit). The group was huge, I don't have any idea how many runners I started with but I know the group was large enough that many following our group were not right with me. (Thank goodness my voice carries and our signs are so visible!)
I really had fun at the flying pig. I was decked out in my bright yellow asics outfit, under armour shoes (more about that later), and a visor with a pig snout on top. What had been predicted to be a rainy day was actually quite lovely with just a few sprinkles before the start. I kept a large group up through miles 20+ and this time decided that after mile 20 I would start telling stories about Boston to help encourage any females going for the BQ to stay with me and get pumped up to get that BQ! I think I really helped quite a few first timers and veterans to achieve their goals at the pig and the feedback was quite nice.
Below is my pace report I sent to Jim and it is followed by the feedback I received.
1. Your performance, including the start line
1. I give myself a B+
Pace was pretty good throughout the day. I struggled to get right on though. from about 10 on we were always 20-30 seconds ahead of overall pace. For every mile I would get us close to overall the next would have a downhill or a large crowd causing pace to go back. probably should have walked every other water stop instead of jogging them. I did a good job of letting everyone know every mile where we were and informing new comers of my chip delay. Start line I think I did a good job, never had that big of a group before so I did my best to make sure everyone knew the drill. There were two miles that were faster than 8:30 or were short (mile 11 was either short or I was way too fast) and I feel badly about that although I don't think I lost anyone those miles. I did a great job of motivating and really had fun with this group. By mile 25 I sent those with me ahead and I encouraged those behind me to reel me in and finish ahead of me.
Just want to comment here that I think the pacers must have done an excellent job getting people to sign up, this was by far the biggest pace group I have ever had, and by far had the most people prepared to actually run the pace they chose.
This time around I saved my stories about the Boston marathon for the final 6 miles and kept telling the group they had to stay with me through 20 in order to hear the stories. Not sure if it helped but I had at least 5 women get to Boston that ran with me up through mile 25.
2. Your group
2. My group was just plain awesome. I had so many people I think a lot of them were just trailing the sign. The 20 or so close enough to directly talk to did a great job. This was the longest I have ever held onto runners with almost all of them still with me at 22. I encouraged them to stay accountable to their neighbors in the later miles and that helped. I had three guys who finished just a few minutes behind me and one of them commented that the two young guys grabbed him and helped pull him along after a bathroom stop.
Had 5 women that I know of make it to Boston. At least one PR who I talked with (A TNT gal who came up to show me her watch finish time). And quite a few first timers that came within 3 minutes of their goal time.
Pleasant surprise in the first mile realized I had a college teammate in my group running the half. At least 4 half marathoners that I am confident went on to make their pace.
inspirational/funny story, one gentleman in my group dressed in a t-shirt, driving shades, and a necklace with a peace sign (and long hippie hair with a beard) started the race with me. I thought for sure this guy would finish slower than 4 hours but encouraged him throughout. His ankle locked up early and he informed me that he had only trained 5 weeks and had taken the last 9 days off. Well with encouragement to stretch his ankle out every few miles and slowly catch up he managed to finish in about 3:53. Just goes to show that you really can do anything you put your mind to.
3. Suggestions for the race director
3. Better instructions for the water stops. The Gatorade and water were not always in the same order and half the stops used plastic water cups. Not ideal. I found it awkward that the stops were not every mile. not sure how much they can do about placement, but more consistent distances between aid makes it easier to instruct the group when aid is coming up.
they should get more pacers here, definitely a 3:10 and a 6 hour group. People really seemed to use the groups at this race.
The start is awkward and the berm in the middle of the road is dangerous, this happens several times, they need a better method of marking these center berms.
pace team uniforms that distinguish us as a part of the marathon. The yellow certainly was visible, but some sort of connection to the race would be nice.
4. Suggestions for the pace team
4. people liked having the pace bands so definitely bring those back.
we discussed this but perhaps provide our own signs and bibs and charge extra to the races. It was awkward using other race bibs etc.
Thanks again for the opportunity to pace! I had a great time and was glad I could help some people with race strategy before hand at the expo as well as get so many of my group to their goal time.
Check out the awesome feedback (and thanks to Jim for the opportunity to pace and sending out the feedback, since I will be pacing 3:40 in the fall at Akron it is nice to know what the runners enjoyed and what I can improve upon)!
"I ran the half-marathon in Cinci on Sunday and was in Elizabeth's pace group. She did an awesome job, so much so in fact that when I finished I told my husband that I hardly even noticed the hills! She was very encouraging and her enthusiasm was quite motivating. You are fortunate to have her as part of your pace team! So are those of us who she paces! My goal time was 1:55 but I was able to pick it up in the last 4 miles (thanks to Elizabeth’s encouragement as they veered off to continue the marathon) and finish in 1:48.58.
Please pass along my thanks to Elizabeth. Will I see some of your pacers at the Marine Corps Marathon in Wash., DC in October?
Thanks again!"
CO
"Please let Elizabeth know she was awesome! I hung with her quite a bit, and she encouraged me and a friend tremendously. She had great running advice along the way -- I learned a lot. She saved her "Boston" stories for the last 5, which was great. She was a big part in getting me to my goal of qualifying for Boston, helping me save my energy for the last leg. I was even able to go a little ahead of her in the last few miles, finishing in 3:48:15! I didn't say much to her during the run, so am not even sure she realizes how much she helped. Thank you Elizabeth!!! Keep running!"
AM
"I started out with elizabeths group but lost her around 4.5 - 5 mile mark. I guess I was running faster than her and was ahead for some time. That being said as the marathon went on (my first) around 22 mile mark Elizabeth pulls up still cheering me on and encouraging me as well as the others in the group. I finished behind her slightly – finish time 3:50:20. not bad for joining a pace group of 3:50:00. Kudo's to Elizabeth. Totally enjoyed the race. Please let Elizabeth know I was sorry for moving ahead. I continued running and lost her in the other runners. I did not slow down until I hit the invisible wall HARD!"
ML
"Hi Pacer Jim,
I just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know how WONDERFUL Elizabeth my
3:50 pace leader was for this past weekend's Flying Pig Marathon! She was so motivating and helpful throughout the entire race! Thanks to her my hard work over the past 17 weeks paid off and I'M GOING TO BOSTON!!!! Please pass on my thank you and let her know what a fantastic leader she is!
Sincerely,"
KP
"Hey Jim,
I ran with Elizabeth yesterday in the 3:50 group. I needed someone to get me in to qualify for Boston and I made it! 3:48:58, I am SO EXCITED. She was really awesome. I paced for the first time this year, Little Rock, AR, 4:45, and I'm a fitness instructor at our local gym, so I can appreciate the effort that goes into blowing sunshine up peoples' behinds for four hours. She was really upbeat, very informative about what was happening, about to happen......always encouraging and "coaching", short strides, save your energy, etc. Her confidence in running and the race spilled out on to us. Those last few miles were kicking my bohunkus, and she would turn back and power me on. I drove eight hours to get the job done and she was a major part of it happening. Great race, I loved it. THANKS!!!"
LT
"Hi there,
I recently ran the Flying Pig half marathon. I was between the 3:45 and 3:50 goal, so to play it safe, I started with Elizabeth in the 3:50 group. I really enjoyed her during the race. She talked the entire time which made it easy to know where she was on the course even when I couldn’t see her. I was very sad to leave the group at about mile 4 because I really enjoyed running with her pace group! I am scheduled for several more halves this summer and will be running the Chicago marathon…do you know if she will be pacing any races in Chicago?
Thank you,"
CS
"Just wanted to drop a line and say that I had a great time yesterday following along with Pacer
Elizabeth and the 3:50 pace group. I was running the half-marathon and used that group to pace me up through the big climb @ the flying pig. She was great to run with and I had a great experience running with a pacer for the first time. She was a wealth of experience and info, and was fun too :) She kept the pace well, and was good about letting us know where we were and what to expect. I did lose her a bit climbing after mile 6 and before the half and the full marathon's split up, but I was at the top in a time, and was able to cross my finish in my goal time! anyways, just wanted to say "Thanks" for the great job with the pacers!!"
"Just wanted to say thanks, and that you did a great job pacing @ the pig this weekend. I was one of your half-marathoners, and I came across well ahead of my goal! Thanks it was a blast!" JP
This was by far my best pace group so far. I think runners at the flying pig really had a handle on a realistic goal for the race (maybe those hills convince them to back off the goal a wee bit). The group was huge, I don't have any idea how many runners I started with but I know the group was large enough that many following our group were not right with me. (Thank goodness my voice carries and our signs are so visible!)
I really had fun at the flying pig. I was decked out in my bright yellow asics outfit, under armour shoes (more about that later), and a visor with a pig snout on top. What had been predicted to be a rainy day was actually quite lovely with just a few sprinkles before the start. I kept a large group up through miles 20+ and this time decided that after mile 20 I would start telling stories about Boston to help encourage any females going for the BQ to stay with me and get pumped up to get that BQ! I think I really helped quite a few first timers and veterans to achieve their goals at the pig and the feedback was quite nice.
Below is my pace report I sent to Jim and it is followed by the feedback I received.
1. Your performance, including the start line
1. I give myself a B+
Pace was pretty good throughout the day. I struggled to get right on though. from about 10 on we were always 20-30 seconds ahead of overall pace. For every mile I would get us close to overall the next would have a downhill or a large crowd causing pace to go back. probably should have walked every other water stop instead of jogging them. I did a good job of letting everyone know every mile where we were and informing new comers of my chip delay. Start line I think I did a good job, never had that big of a group before so I did my best to make sure everyone knew the drill. There were two miles that were faster than 8:30 or were short (mile 11 was either short or I was way too fast) and I feel badly about that although I don't think I lost anyone those miles. I did a great job of motivating and really had fun with this group. By mile 25 I sent those with me ahead and I encouraged those behind me to reel me in and finish ahead of me.
Just want to comment here that I think the pacers must have done an excellent job getting people to sign up, this was by far the biggest pace group I have ever had, and by far had the most people prepared to actually run the pace they chose.
This time around I saved my stories about the Boston marathon for the final 6 miles and kept telling the group they had to stay with me through 20 in order to hear the stories. Not sure if it helped but I had at least 5 women get to Boston that ran with me up through mile 25.
2. Your group
2. My group was just plain awesome. I had so many people I think a lot of them were just trailing the sign. The 20 or so close enough to directly talk to did a great job. This was the longest I have ever held onto runners with almost all of them still with me at 22. I encouraged them to stay accountable to their neighbors in the later miles and that helped. I had three guys who finished just a few minutes behind me and one of them commented that the two young guys grabbed him and helped pull him along after a bathroom stop.
Had 5 women that I know of make it to Boston. At least one PR who I talked with (A TNT gal who came up to show me her watch finish time). And quite a few first timers that came within 3 minutes of their goal time.
Pleasant surprise in the first mile realized I had a college teammate in my group running the half. At least 4 half marathoners that I am confident went on to make their pace.
inspirational/funny story, one gentleman in my group dressed in a t-shirt, driving shades, and a necklace with a peace sign (and long hippie hair with a beard) started the race with me. I thought for sure this guy would finish slower than 4 hours but encouraged him throughout. His ankle locked up early and he informed me that he had only trained 5 weeks and had taken the last 9 days off. Well with encouragement to stretch his ankle out every few miles and slowly catch up he managed to finish in about 3:53. Just goes to show that you really can do anything you put your mind to.
3. Suggestions for the race director
3. Better instructions for the water stops. The Gatorade and water were not always in the same order and half the stops used plastic water cups. Not ideal. I found it awkward that the stops were not every mile. not sure how much they can do about placement, but more consistent distances between aid makes it easier to instruct the group when aid is coming up.
they should get more pacers here, definitely a 3:10 and a 6 hour group. People really seemed to use the groups at this race.
The start is awkward and the berm in the middle of the road is dangerous, this happens several times, they need a better method of marking these center berms.
pace team uniforms that distinguish us as a part of the marathon. The yellow certainly was visible, but some sort of connection to the race would be nice.
4. Suggestions for the pace team
4. people liked having the pace bands so definitely bring those back.
we discussed this but perhaps provide our own signs and bibs and charge extra to the races. It was awkward using other race bibs etc.
Thanks again for the opportunity to pace! I had a great time and was glad I could help some people with race strategy before hand at the expo as well as get so many of my group to their goal time.
Check out the awesome feedback (and thanks to Jim for the opportunity to pace and sending out the feedback, since I will be pacing 3:40 in the fall at Akron it is nice to know what the runners enjoyed and what I can improve upon)!
"I ran the half-marathon in Cinci on Sunday and was in Elizabeth's pace group. She did an awesome job, so much so in fact that when I finished I told my husband that I hardly even noticed the hills! She was very encouraging and her enthusiasm was quite motivating. You are fortunate to have her as part of your pace team! So are those of us who she paces! My goal time was 1:55 but I was able to pick it up in the last 4 miles (thanks to Elizabeth’s encouragement as they veered off to continue the marathon) and finish in 1:48.58.
Please pass along my thanks to Elizabeth. Will I see some of your pacers at the Marine Corps Marathon in Wash., DC in October?
Thanks again!"
CO
"Please let Elizabeth know she was awesome! I hung with her quite a bit, and she encouraged me and a friend tremendously. She had great running advice along the way -- I learned a lot. She saved her "Boston" stories for the last 5, which was great. She was a big part in getting me to my goal of qualifying for Boston, helping me save my energy for the last leg. I was even able to go a little ahead of her in the last few miles, finishing in 3:48:15! I didn't say much to her during the run, so am not even sure she realizes how much she helped. Thank you Elizabeth!!! Keep running!"
AM
"I started out with elizabeths group but lost her around 4.5 - 5 mile mark. I guess I was running faster than her and was ahead for some time. That being said as the marathon went on (my first) around 22 mile mark Elizabeth pulls up still cheering me on and encouraging me as well as the others in the group. I finished behind her slightly – finish time 3:50:20. not bad for joining a pace group of 3:50:00. Kudo's to Elizabeth. Totally enjoyed the race. Please let Elizabeth know I was sorry for moving ahead. I continued running and lost her in the other runners. I did not slow down until I hit the invisible wall HARD!"
ML
"Hi Pacer Jim,
I just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know how WONDERFUL Elizabeth my
3:50 pace leader was for this past weekend's Flying Pig Marathon! She was so motivating and helpful throughout the entire race! Thanks to her my hard work over the past 17 weeks paid off and I'M GOING TO BOSTON!!!! Please pass on my thank you and let her know what a fantastic leader she is!
Sincerely,"
KP
"Hey Jim,
I ran with Elizabeth yesterday in the 3:50 group. I needed someone to get me in to qualify for Boston and I made it! 3:48:58, I am SO EXCITED. She was really awesome. I paced for the first time this year, Little Rock, AR, 4:45, and I'm a fitness instructor at our local gym, so I can appreciate the effort that goes into blowing sunshine up peoples' behinds for four hours. She was really upbeat, very informative about what was happening, about to happen......always encouraging and "coaching", short strides, save your energy, etc. Her confidence in running and the race spilled out on to us. Those last few miles were kicking my bohunkus, and she would turn back and power me on. I drove eight hours to get the job done and she was a major part of it happening. Great race, I loved it. THANKS!!!"
LT
"Hi there,
I recently ran the Flying Pig half marathon. I was between the 3:45 and 3:50 goal, so to play it safe, I started with Elizabeth in the 3:50 group. I really enjoyed her during the race. She talked the entire time which made it easy to know where she was on the course even when I couldn’t see her. I was very sad to leave the group at about mile 4 because I really enjoyed running with her pace group! I am scheduled for several more halves this summer and will be running the Chicago marathon…do you know if she will be pacing any races in Chicago?
Thank you,"
CS
"Just wanted to drop a line and say that I had a great time yesterday following along with Pacer
Elizabeth and the 3:50 pace group. I was running the half-marathon and used that group to pace me up through the big climb @ the flying pig. She was great to run with and I had a great experience running with a pacer for the first time. She was a wealth of experience and info, and was fun too :) She kept the pace well, and was good about letting us know where we were and what to expect. I did lose her a bit climbing after mile 6 and before the half and the full marathon's split up, but I was at the top in a time, and was able to cross my finish in my goal time! anyways, just wanted to say "Thanks" for the great job with the pacers!!"
"Just wanted to say thanks, and that you did a great job pacing @ the pig this weekend. I was one of your half-marathoners, and I came across well ahead of my goal! Thanks it was a blast!" JP
Akron Marathon Pacing Report
Yesterday was my third official pacing job. Friday night rushed down to the Akron expo to sign up some runners for pacing groups. Ran over to the pasta dinner but we were too late, all out of pasta! So instead we got to eat at the Mayors dinner. Fancy! Saw a few people we knew, but definitely felt under dressed and a bit out of place. By the time all of that had happened the expo was almost closed so we helped clean up then it was back to the hotel to go over last minute instructions, have a beer, and get everything ready for the next day. Took some fun photos and went to bed. It's always fun meeting the other pacers and Pacer Betty and I chatted until we were both finally tired enough to actually hit the pillows.
Race morning we were up at 4:45 and I proceeded to go to work on the Faux Hawk that my hubby had suggested I sport for the race. I had not really brought the right hair product for that but it looked all right and at least would be entertaining at the start until sweat and humidity took its toll. Had some coffee, cereal, and an apple then we all hopped in our cars and drove to the start. The race grew a lot this year and traffic was heavy, I got cut off and wasn't sure where the others were planning to park. The heavy traffic was making me anxious so I just pulled off into some bank parking lot and hustled to the porta potties and the start. Had to cut in line to check my bag because I was supposed to be lined up at 6:30 and it was already 6:40. I was freaking out a bit but teh volunteer was great about it and I got to the start with plenty of time to meet my group and get them all ready to go.
Pacer Betty getting ready
Mess of stuff prepping for the race
Trying on the race outfit night before
Wake up call are you ready to pace?
Pace Team members at the hotel
Saw quite a few familiar faces at the start line which was nice. Lots of SERC, CTC, and Vertical Runner friends all stopped to give me some encouragement or comment on the Faux Hawk. It looked like I had a great group and I was excited for the race to start!
At the start Chef Bill caught a photo of me. Thanks Bill!
In the interest of time (as in I have none!) I am including my pacer report as the rest of my race report, then going on to finish it out with a report on pacing in my cousin.
The first few miles were a little slow. It was very crowded and I didn't want the group to be split up. The first few aid stations were chaotic and volunteers were struggling to get water to everyone. The group did a good job though and we were never more than 27 seconds over desired overall time at each mile and later on never got below by more than 23 seconds (all miles were within 10 seconds of desired mile pace with the exception of mile 18 (Over due to hills 9:02) and mile 23 (Under, 8:26, yikes!) Although this did have us arrive at mile 23 right on pace.
Like any rolling course it was hard to hit even miles, but effort was even and the group did great. Other than that one fast mile I am happy with my performance (if I had nailed that mile I would have finished only 3-4 seconds under!), it was definitely hard to keep the pace back in those last few miles, I did not realize how much downhill there was in the last three miles of the course, it definitely helped the group get to their goals. Despite losing quite a few runners in Sand Run I still had a large group at the top and over 5 of them went on to finish in front of me, pulling away around mile 23. I was able to help a lady named Tracy get her Boston Qualifier and gave her the sign after the race. (Had several female Boston Qualifiers finish just ahead of me!) Tracy had looked strong at 23 and I thought she would pull ahead with a few others but she struggled a bit from then so I was really grateful to help her pull through and get her Boston qualifier. Came across the finish in 3:49:37. 23 seconds under and my furthest from the pin pacing finish so far, but still within the 30 second target we give ourselves.
At the last relay exchange point, 7.6 miles to go. Thanks for the photo Elizabeth!
I got highly praised by a lady who will be pacing next week and was a Badwater finisher this year, skinny little blond thing that said she has paced for Jim before. She definitely inspired my group! She did a great job and pulled ahead of us through Sand Run.
I focused a lot of my energy on reminding people to stay relaxed with the breathing and posture and reminding them to drink and take in electrolytes. The humidity was wreaking havoc on people, either through breathing struggles, cramping, or stomach issues due to electrolyte imbalance. I myself had some pretty bad stomach issues, but was able to soldier through. Donated some of my salt pills to some runners who had went out fast and were death marching with cramps.
I was actually able to pick up a few runners in the last few miles who were struggling, this was a first for me, usually they won't stay with me so it was nice to be able to help them finish a little faster, even if they didn't meet their ultimate goal.
I had a great time out there with this group, the time really flew by, even when I was feeling sick. A lot of 1st timers. Many of them didn't make it to the finish with me but all said thank you for my efforts. I even saw one of the first timers at Walgreens after the race and he thanked me and was still proud of his 4:05 finish. He was one of the ones I lost at Sand Run.
My only suggestion for the race director is longer and better staffed aid stations early on. With the halfers, relay runners, and full marathoners the first 3-4 aid stations were overwhelmed and it was impossible to get water to everyone without dropping pace. I had to get in and grab water for several of my runners.
I think the pace team did a great job (from what I saw). This was the hardest race I have done so far as far as pacing goes. Lots of little rollers and lots of aid stations made it tough to nail those miles. Bonus was actually having the 26 mile marked! Unfortunately with it being a bit of downhill to the finish if you were right on at 26 you were going to be ahead at the finish. The one thing I didn't do well this time was remind people to email Pacer Jim enough.
After I was finished pacing I grabbed a kiss from my hubby then it was time to change into my cheerleader outfit and get my butt back out on the course to run in my cousin Noreen who was running this as her first marathon. I was a bit worried about the timing, so I opted to run backwards through the course to make sure I did not miss her. I cheered on the other runners as I went. Heard lots of "You're going the wrong way" comments and just kept telling people that I was going out to run in my cousin, or made some remark about how I hadn't had enough and was going out for more. I surprisingly didn't feel too bad and was actually still running sub 9s on my way back out. My stomach issues thankfully had subsided and I was having fun cheering everyone on and thanking all of the volunteers for their help.
I found my cousin around mile 22. She was in a bad place. Bonking majorly and very worried about the 6 hour pacer catching her. She had felt great through mile 16 but the hills and drained her energy and between that, the pain, and blisters she was getting worried about finishing under the cut off. We power walked for about two miles while getting in powerade at each aid station. I told her there was plenty of downhill in the last 3 miles and we just needed to stay ahead of the 6 hour pacer til then where we would naturally pick it up and finish on time. We powerwalked the hills and when we would get to flats or downhills we would jog as best as she could and I would pick out points and tell her where we would run too and when we would get to walk and how far it was until we got some more powerade. She did a fantastic job. I could tell she was in pain but she soldiered through and we even helped a few others we passed to pick it up and finish strong. She did so well despite feeling so low and even managed to sprint in to the finish to finish under 6 hours clock time, about a 5:54 watch time. Somehow I had missed the race director earlier so I got to shake his hand officially at this point and we were greeted by our family cheering Noreen on. You could tell how proud they all were and I was so honored to be a part of her finish. Added bonus Tony the tiger and Mike and Kim were still all hanging out and Noreen got to meet some of my fabulous running friends. Tony had broken the age group award for Masters! How awesome to get to see him and give him a hug after such a long morning.
Noreen was kind enough to give me her beers and I sipped on one of those while we chatted with the family. Other than a nasty blister on my heel I felt surprisingly good for having covered 35 miles of pavement. We got to see our cousin John who lives in Texas now which was very nice. My hubby helped me find my car and we headed over to TBs to hang out with Solar and him to celebrate our days. Team F5 did great without me and came is second for females again. TB finished comfortably under 3:30. BB had an amazing day finished in 3:33! Twizzle and Beth broke the 2 person female relay record! The Speed Bumps kicked some serious booty! Basically lots of great races by lots of great friends. (Huge thanks for those that helped to cheer on my 3:50 group after their relay legs, it was much appreciated!) (I have missed quite a few friends here, my community of runner friends is getting so large, congrats to all of you!) And not under ideal conditions. The temperatures were great but I saw a lot of people broken by the humidity out there. Some really great runners were forced to jog/walk or call it a day. Everyone should be so proud of their efforts out there!
Post race in my cheerleader outfit and my rats nest on my head
All cleaned up and enjoying a martini with my hubby
Race morning we were up at 4:45 and I proceeded to go to work on the Faux Hawk that my hubby had suggested I sport for the race. I had not really brought the right hair product for that but it looked all right and at least would be entertaining at the start until sweat and humidity took its toll. Had some coffee, cereal, and an apple then we all hopped in our cars and drove to the start. The race grew a lot this year and traffic was heavy, I got cut off and wasn't sure where the others were planning to park. The heavy traffic was making me anxious so I just pulled off into some bank parking lot and hustled to the porta potties and the start. Had to cut in line to check my bag because I was supposed to be lined up at 6:30 and it was already 6:40. I was freaking out a bit but teh volunteer was great about it and I got to the start with plenty of time to meet my group and get them all ready to go.
Pacer Betty getting ready
Mess of stuff prepping for the race
Trying on the race outfit night before
Wake up call are you ready to pace?
Pace Team members at the hotel
Saw quite a few familiar faces at the start line which was nice. Lots of SERC, CTC, and Vertical Runner friends all stopped to give me some encouragement or comment on the Faux Hawk. It looked like I had a great group and I was excited for the race to start!
At the start Chef Bill caught a photo of me. Thanks Bill!
In the interest of time (as in I have none!) I am including my pacer report as the rest of my race report, then going on to finish it out with a report on pacing in my cousin.
The first few miles were a little slow. It was very crowded and I didn't want the group to be split up. The first few aid stations were chaotic and volunteers were struggling to get water to everyone. The group did a good job though and we were never more than 27 seconds over desired overall time at each mile and later on never got below by more than 23 seconds (all miles were within 10 seconds of desired mile pace with the exception of mile 18 (Over due to hills 9:02) and mile 23 (Under, 8:26, yikes!) Although this did have us arrive at mile 23 right on pace.
Like any rolling course it was hard to hit even miles, but effort was even and the group did great. Other than that one fast mile I am happy with my performance (if I had nailed that mile I would have finished only 3-4 seconds under!), it was definitely hard to keep the pace back in those last few miles, I did not realize how much downhill there was in the last three miles of the course, it definitely helped the group get to their goals. Despite losing quite a few runners in Sand Run I still had a large group at the top and over 5 of them went on to finish in front of me, pulling away around mile 23. I was able to help a lady named Tracy get her Boston Qualifier and gave her the sign after the race. (Had several female Boston Qualifiers finish just ahead of me!) Tracy had looked strong at 23 and I thought she would pull ahead with a few others but she struggled a bit from then so I was really grateful to help her pull through and get her Boston qualifier. Came across the finish in 3:49:37. 23 seconds under and my furthest from the pin pacing finish so far, but still within the 30 second target we give ourselves.
At the last relay exchange point, 7.6 miles to go. Thanks for the photo Elizabeth!
I got highly praised by a lady who will be pacing next week and was a Badwater finisher this year, skinny little blond thing that said she has paced for Jim before. She definitely inspired my group! She did a great job and pulled ahead of us through Sand Run.
I focused a lot of my energy on reminding people to stay relaxed with the breathing and posture and reminding them to drink and take in electrolytes. The humidity was wreaking havoc on people, either through breathing struggles, cramping, or stomach issues due to electrolyte imbalance. I myself had some pretty bad stomach issues, but was able to soldier through. Donated some of my salt pills to some runners who had went out fast and were death marching with cramps.
I was actually able to pick up a few runners in the last few miles who were struggling, this was a first for me, usually they won't stay with me so it was nice to be able to help them finish a little faster, even if they didn't meet their ultimate goal.
I had a great time out there with this group, the time really flew by, even when I was feeling sick. A lot of 1st timers. Many of them didn't make it to the finish with me but all said thank you for my efforts. I even saw one of the first timers at Walgreens after the race and he thanked me and was still proud of his 4:05 finish. He was one of the ones I lost at Sand Run.
My only suggestion for the race director is longer and better staffed aid stations early on. With the halfers, relay runners, and full marathoners the first 3-4 aid stations were overwhelmed and it was impossible to get water to everyone without dropping pace. I had to get in and grab water for several of my runners.
I think the pace team did a great job (from what I saw). This was the hardest race I have done so far as far as pacing goes. Lots of little rollers and lots of aid stations made it tough to nail those miles. Bonus was actually having the 26 mile marked! Unfortunately with it being a bit of downhill to the finish if you were right on at 26 you were going to be ahead at the finish. The one thing I didn't do well this time was remind people to email Pacer Jim enough.
After I was finished pacing I grabbed a kiss from my hubby then it was time to change into my cheerleader outfit and get my butt back out on the course to run in my cousin Noreen who was running this as her first marathon. I was a bit worried about the timing, so I opted to run backwards through the course to make sure I did not miss her. I cheered on the other runners as I went. Heard lots of "You're going the wrong way" comments and just kept telling people that I was going out to run in my cousin, or made some remark about how I hadn't had enough and was going out for more. I surprisingly didn't feel too bad and was actually still running sub 9s on my way back out. My stomach issues thankfully had subsided and I was having fun cheering everyone on and thanking all of the volunteers for their help.
I found my cousin around mile 22. She was in a bad place. Bonking majorly and very worried about the 6 hour pacer catching her. She had felt great through mile 16 but the hills and drained her energy and between that, the pain, and blisters she was getting worried about finishing under the cut off. We power walked for about two miles while getting in powerade at each aid station. I told her there was plenty of downhill in the last 3 miles and we just needed to stay ahead of the 6 hour pacer til then where we would naturally pick it up and finish on time. We powerwalked the hills and when we would get to flats or downhills we would jog as best as she could and I would pick out points and tell her where we would run too and when we would get to walk and how far it was until we got some more powerade. She did a fantastic job. I could tell she was in pain but she soldiered through and we even helped a few others we passed to pick it up and finish strong. She did so well despite feeling so low and even managed to sprint in to the finish to finish under 6 hours clock time, about a 5:54 watch time. Somehow I had missed the race director earlier so I got to shake his hand officially at this point and we were greeted by our family cheering Noreen on. You could tell how proud they all were and I was so honored to be a part of her finish. Added bonus Tony the tiger and Mike and Kim were still all hanging out and Noreen got to meet some of my fabulous running friends. Tony had broken the age group award for Masters! How awesome to get to see him and give him a hug after such a long morning.
Noreen was kind enough to give me her beers and I sipped on one of those while we chatted with the family. Other than a nasty blister on my heel I felt surprisingly good for having covered 35 miles of pavement. We got to see our cousin John who lives in Texas now which was very nice. My hubby helped me find my car and we headed over to TBs to hang out with Solar and him to celebrate our days. Team F5 did great without me and came is second for females again. TB finished comfortably under 3:30. BB had an amazing day finished in 3:33! Twizzle and Beth broke the 2 person female relay record! The Speed Bumps kicked some serious booty! Basically lots of great races by lots of great friends. (Huge thanks for those that helped to cheer on my 3:50 group after their relay legs, it was much appreciated!) (I have missed quite a few friends here, my community of runner friends is getting so large, congrats to all of you!) And not under ideal conditions. The temperatures were great but I saw a lot of people broken by the humidity out there. Some really great runners were forced to jog/walk or call it a day. Everyone should be so proud of their efforts out there!
Post race in my cheerleader outfit and my rats nest on my head
All cleaned up and enjoying a martini with my hubby
Tampa Gasparilla Marathon-3:50 Pacer Report
Another year, another pace job. I was a little less nervous coming into this race being my second pacing experience, but still nervous enough :) I was under the impression I was going to be pacing 4 hours this time around and Pacer Jim gave me the go ahead to "race myself into the ground" at Buckeye 50k. Thankfully I did not race myself into the ground because Tampa had a few tricks up it's sleeve to make today a bit tough, in addition to the fact that I got moved up to 3:50.
We woke up around 4:30 to leave the hotel by 5:20. Race start was at 6AM. It was cool out but I was nervous it would get brutally (to me) hot and humid before long. I had a decent sized group at the start. Three girls aiming for Boston, a few going for PRs, a few just looking to run a good race. I also had 3 or 4 half marathoners. I got a few jitters and was nervous about making sure we were all ready to go at the start. But after a country style star spangled banner and about a 5 minute wait we were off. It was completely dark out and there were lots of turns in the first few miles. A bit treacherous (especially when trying to maneuver around those tuned into i-pods so loud they couldn't here you).
I was a little nervous about talking this race as I have been a bit quiet on my runs lately, but it was apparent when I got to the expo this weekend that talking would be no issue :) I was right and was gabbing away and before we knew it the sun was up and it was almost time for our half marathoners to pull away from us. The half marathoners split from us around mile 7. We were back into downtown here and then we headed out for another small loop until about mile 10.
The first 10 miles went well. Pace was good and I was feeling good about the race. Then all of a sudden the next two miles were fast, really fast (relative to what we want which is to be within 30 seconds of total time every mile). All of a sudden I hit the half and was almost 60 seconds ahead of pace. I did my best to ease pace and asked if there was anyone with a Garmin on to try and see if the markers were accurate. (Post race I think they may have been a bit short, and it turns out there was a strong tailwind which you didn't really notice until you were heading back into it)
We got back within our 30 seconds range of overall as we headed out along the harbor. The sun was out but thankfully it wasn't as hot as I feared it would be. After mile 14 or so we headed back into this beautiful park like neighborhood with these "100 year old"trees with these fuzzy hangings on them. Very neat. I forget how fascinating tropical plants are! There was plenty of shade in this section and I still had a fairly strong group with me. Around 18, just like in San Fran, I started losing a few and gaining a few people. I lost one to cramps, and most others just quietly fell off the pace. It's hard to realize when they fall back unless you were specifically talking to them, and I am not confident any amount of encouragement from me could pull someone through from 18 or 20 if they are already feeling a bit bad or cramping.
W picked up some more people as we came around a little pond and park that was lined with pirate flags. As we rounded the pond the wind kicked up. It was pretty apprent the last 4 miles of the race were going to be tough. The wind was supposed to get up to 14 mph, direct headwind. We were a bit ahead of pace as we ran back through the fuzzy tree park and I wasn't worried about it as a 30 second cushion sounded really nice heading into that wind.
About mile 22 is where things got tricky, we had one slow mile into the wind and all of a sudden we were right on target pace, and I was extremely nervous about holding perfect pace for the last 4 miles into this wind. It was ridiculous, I couldn't imagine how hard it had to be for my group. At this point I was down to two women and one younger guy as well as a Boston bound gal just ahead of us who had been with the group the whole way. I kept encouraging them, letting them know at this point it was painful but it was all in your head now. The body would respond if you willed it forward. The next mile I pushed a bit as it was hard to tell if I was keeping pace. I lost one female and the young guy this mile and ended up being a tad quick, but was happy to have a few seconds to work with the next 3 miles. Thankfully at this point a young man who had run the 15k the day before decided to tag along with us for a way and started chatting us up. This saved me from talking and let me focus on the pace this mile. It was a great distraction from carrying my sign in this crazy wind.
Around 24 the wind dies down for about a mile. After that it came back with about a mile to go. At this point we had ushered our Boston bound gal ahead and our new friend ran ahead to pace her in cheering loudly and telling the crowd that she was headed to Boston. What an awesome guy!
I had one female runner left with me from Minnesota. Let me tell you they grow them tough in Minnesota, because she did such a great job the whole day, especially in that wind! About a half mile from the finish we picked up a TNT guy who had been with the group at the start. He was cramping, but with some water from my handheld and a little "tough love" I got him and my Minnesota gal in under 3:50.
Again no 26 mile sign (whats up with that?) and I was dissapointed to see that I would be coming in a little faster than San Fran. 3:49:44 was the official chip time. I hung out after the finish to chat a bit. My boston bound gal was quite a hoot. Her first marathon and still tons of energy left, very happy and bouncing around, she was ready to go out dancing! Hopefully I'll catch up with her in the future, we may have a pacer in the making! My Minnesota gal did great and we took a photo, not sure I hope to get that or not, my face and hair were covered in salt by the end of the race. I did a good job of making sure my runners got their nutrition in but I definitely should have found a way to get a bit more salt in myself. A few other runners who were with us for the first 10 miles came up to tell me how they did and it was nice to see they went on to have great finishes! Again it was sad that I couldn't get everyone in at their goal but it is such a great feeling when you help the ones that do get in.
The race was very nice. Other than the wind the weather was perfect. Never hot enough that I had to go with the sports bra, so that was good! The Gasparilla Pirate theme was very cool. Cute hats that said "Will Run for Booty," shirts that said "hooked on running," and since the race had decided to go green recycle bins at the finish that said "hooked on recycling." Publix sponsored the race and we got reusable grocery bags instead of the regular plastic goody bag. And at the expo for the low low price of $99 you could get your teeth profesionally whitened. (Am I the only one that finds this bizarre?)
All in all a very nice weekend and another great pacing experience. Met some very fun pacers and runners, and managed to snag closest to the pin despite not being as close as in San Fran!
The legs feel pretty good. Got a few nice blisters and my lower back and quads are a bit stiff, but not too bad. Looking forward to a few easy weeks as I ease into Boston training, but I am not looking forward to the 9 degree weather I am going home to tonight. On that note I think one more swim in the pool is in order before I head to the airport!
We woke up around 4:30 to leave the hotel by 5:20. Race start was at 6AM. It was cool out but I was nervous it would get brutally (to me) hot and humid before long. I had a decent sized group at the start. Three girls aiming for Boston, a few going for PRs, a few just looking to run a good race. I also had 3 or 4 half marathoners. I got a few jitters and was nervous about making sure we were all ready to go at the start. But after a country style star spangled banner and about a 5 minute wait we were off. It was completely dark out and there were lots of turns in the first few miles. A bit treacherous (especially when trying to maneuver around those tuned into i-pods so loud they couldn't here you).
I was a little nervous about talking this race as I have been a bit quiet on my runs lately, but it was apparent when I got to the expo this weekend that talking would be no issue :) I was right and was gabbing away and before we knew it the sun was up and it was almost time for our half marathoners to pull away from us. The half marathoners split from us around mile 7. We were back into downtown here and then we headed out for another small loop until about mile 10.
The first 10 miles went well. Pace was good and I was feeling good about the race. Then all of a sudden the next two miles were fast, really fast (relative to what we want which is to be within 30 seconds of total time every mile). All of a sudden I hit the half and was almost 60 seconds ahead of pace. I did my best to ease pace and asked if there was anyone with a Garmin on to try and see if the markers were accurate. (Post race I think they may have been a bit short, and it turns out there was a strong tailwind which you didn't really notice until you were heading back into it)
We got back within our 30 seconds range of overall as we headed out along the harbor. The sun was out but thankfully it wasn't as hot as I feared it would be. After mile 14 or so we headed back into this beautiful park like neighborhood with these "100 year old"trees with these fuzzy hangings on them. Very neat. I forget how fascinating tropical plants are! There was plenty of shade in this section and I still had a fairly strong group with me. Around 18, just like in San Fran, I started losing a few and gaining a few people. I lost one to cramps, and most others just quietly fell off the pace. It's hard to realize when they fall back unless you were specifically talking to them, and I am not confident any amount of encouragement from me could pull someone through from 18 or 20 if they are already feeling a bit bad or cramping.
W picked up some more people as we came around a little pond and park that was lined with pirate flags. As we rounded the pond the wind kicked up. It was pretty apprent the last 4 miles of the race were going to be tough. The wind was supposed to get up to 14 mph, direct headwind. We were a bit ahead of pace as we ran back through the fuzzy tree park and I wasn't worried about it as a 30 second cushion sounded really nice heading into that wind.
About mile 22 is where things got tricky, we had one slow mile into the wind and all of a sudden we were right on target pace, and I was extremely nervous about holding perfect pace for the last 4 miles into this wind. It was ridiculous, I couldn't imagine how hard it had to be for my group. At this point I was down to two women and one younger guy as well as a Boston bound gal just ahead of us who had been with the group the whole way. I kept encouraging them, letting them know at this point it was painful but it was all in your head now. The body would respond if you willed it forward. The next mile I pushed a bit as it was hard to tell if I was keeping pace. I lost one female and the young guy this mile and ended up being a tad quick, but was happy to have a few seconds to work with the next 3 miles. Thankfully at this point a young man who had run the 15k the day before decided to tag along with us for a way and started chatting us up. This saved me from talking and let me focus on the pace this mile. It was a great distraction from carrying my sign in this crazy wind.
Around 24 the wind dies down for about a mile. After that it came back with about a mile to go. At this point we had ushered our Boston bound gal ahead and our new friend ran ahead to pace her in cheering loudly and telling the crowd that she was headed to Boston. What an awesome guy!
I had one female runner left with me from Minnesota. Let me tell you they grow them tough in Minnesota, because she did such a great job the whole day, especially in that wind! About a half mile from the finish we picked up a TNT guy who had been with the group at the start. He was cramping, but with some water from my handheld and a little "tough love" I got him and my Minnesota gal in under 3:50.
Again no 26 mile sign (whats up with that?) and I was dissapointed to see that I would be coming in a little faster than San Fran. 3:49:44 was the official chip time. I hung out after the finish to chat a bit. My boston bound gal was quite a hoot. Her first marathon and still tons of energy left, very happy and bouncing around, she was ready to go out dancing! Hopefully I'll catch up with her in the future, we may have a pacer in the making! My Minnesota gal did great and we took a photo, not sure I hope to get that or not, my face and hair were covered in salt by the end of the race. I did a good job of making sure my runners got their nutrition in but I definitely should have found a way to get a bit more salt in myself. A few other runners who were with us for the first 10 miles came up to tell me how they did and it was nice to see they went on to have great finishes! Again it was sad that I couldn't get everyone in at their goal but it is such a great feeling when you help the ones that do get in.
The race was very nice. Other than the wind the weather was perfect. Never hot enough that I had to go with the sports bra, so that was good! The Gasparilla Pirate theme was very cool. Cute hats that said "Will Run for Booty," shirts that said "hooked on running," and since the race had decided to go green recycle bins at the finish that said "hooked on recycling." Publix sponsored the race and we got reusable grocery bags instead of the regular plastic goody bag. And at the expo for the low low price of $99 you could get your teeth profesionally whitened. (Am I the only one that finds this bizarre?)
All in all a very nice weekend and another great pacing experience. Met some very fun pacers and runners, and managed to snag closest to the pin despite not being as close as in San Fran!
The legs feel pretty good. Got a few nice blisters and my lower back and quads are a bit stiff, but not too bad. Looking forward to a few easy weeks as I ease into Boston training, but I am not looking forward to the 9 degree weather I am going home to tonight. On that note I think one more swim in the pool is in order before I head to the airport!
3:49:45
Another pacing job completed! 3:49:45 was my watch time so probably within 20 seconds or better. The end was rough, straight into 14 mph headwinds!
Now I'm ready to go scarf down some bar food and hit the pool!
Now I'm ready to go scarf down some bar food and hit the pool!
(Almost) Ready to Fly
I head to Tampa tomorrow morning. Other then packing I am so ready to get out of the cold! And this winter hasn't even been that bad. I guess I was spoiled by our trip to Arizona!
If you are going to be in Tampa this weekend stop by the expo and say hi! I'll be at the booth tomorrow night and Saturday before lunch. And if you are racing look for me at the start! I'll be the one holding the 3:50 sign ;)
Looking forward to my mini vacay, looks like storms tomorrow so hopefully there's an indoor pool to lounge by, but weather for Sunday looks perfect. Lows of 45, highs of 70. We start at 6 AM so I should be done long before it gets too hot.
Have a great weekend everyone!
If you are going to be in Tampa this weekend stop by the expo and say hi! I'll be at the booth tomorrow night and Saturday before lunch. And if you are racing look for me at the start! I'll be the one holding the 3:50 sign ;)
Looking forward to my mini vacay, looks like storms tomorrow so hopefully there's an indoor pool to lounge by, but weather for Sunday looks perfect. Lows of 45, highs of 70. We start at 6 AM so I should be done long before it gets too hot.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Final Thoughts on San Francisco
I absolutely wouldn't exchange this experience for anything.
Pacing was awesome, San Fran was awesome, The marathon was awesome, the expo was original.
I was excited to meet some bloggers. Hopefully I will meet them again at a race in the future and have more free time to spend with them.
My only disappointments were the following:
The club run corral. From a pacer point of view this was just plain stupid. I probably lost a lot of runners because of this set up. Hopefully next year they will do something a little different. Perhaps have multiple club run areas in each corral so that runners are still lined up according to appropriate pace.
No official pacer Tee. I was more than ecstatic to accept all the fun Nike Schwag that was given to the pacers. But if I was in charge I would have included an official pacer technical tee with the marathon logo on it and something signifying that we were pacers on the back. And I would have made the shirt match the shorts they gave us to run in! I consider it a major faux pas to wear a mismatched outfit on race day! So glad I had my own Nike tank that matched the shorts.
No pace bands to give to runners. We had a ton of runners ask for pace bands and had to reply by suggesting they print them online. Not exactly what someone wants to hear when they are staying at a hotel and have no printer access.
Other than that I would highly recommend this race. Not as a BQ or PR attempt but as a wonderful course with spectacular views. Also I took pride in pacing for a race that was completely created to fund raise for a cause. Props to Nike for creating a race especially for TNT.
Pacing was awesome, San Fran was awesome, The marathon was awesome, the expo was original.
I was excited to meet some bloggers. Hopefully I will meet them again at a race in the future and have more free time to spend with them.
My only disappointments were the following:
The club run corral. From a pacer point of view this was just plain stupid. I probably lost a lot of runners because of this set up. Hopefully next year they will do something a little different. Perhaps have multiple club run areas in each corral so that runners are still lined up according to appropriate pace.
No official pacer Tee. I was more than ecstatic to accept all the fun Nike Schwag that was given to the pacers. But if I was in charge I would have included an official pacer technical tee with the marathon logo on it and something signifying that we were pacers on the back. And I would have made the shirt match the shorts they gave us to run in! I consider it a major faux pas to wear a mismatched outfit on race day! So glad I had my own Nike tank that matched the shorts.
No pace bands to give to runners. We had a ton of runners ask for pace bands and had to reply by suggesting they print them online. Not exactly what someone wants to hear when they are staying at a hotel and have no printer access.
Other than that I would highly recommend this race. Not as a BQ or PR attempt but as a wonderful course with spectacular views. Also I took pride in pacing for a race that was completely created to fund raise for a cause. Props to Nike for creating a race especially for TNT.
A few Pacer Photos
Waiting for my manicure
I'm on the wall in the middle
Welcome to China Town
Pacer Jim made me climb up this hill!
To get this view
From this tower
Pier along Fisherman's Wharf at Night
More to come soon!
Pacing the Nike Womens Marathon
I was a bit nervous at the start especially faced with a rather large group lined up right behind me. I answered questions. It would have been impossible to remember all the names but I did my best to try to remember faces. I had a lot of half marathoners at the start and I made sure to go over how we would be running targeting their exact overall pace at their turn off. I talked about my plan of running even effort miles. On a hilly course it would be impossible to hit even mile splits. The group seemed to like that plan and after some quick sizing up where I was asked my PR we lined up and listened to the Star Spangled Banner. Then it was only a few minutes before the start. I made sure to let me group know there was a corral between the elites and us which would have runners of various paces, not our own. They had a Club Run corral which was made up of runners who had trained together for the marathon. It was a nice idea but it made for a very rough start. I warned my runners not to waste energy weaving back and forth and to make sure not to trip.
I had studied the course adjusted pace band and was planning to wear both that and an even pace band to keep track. But at the expo a runner came by wanting a pace band and she was 3:50 so I gave her my pre printed course adjusted band. I remembered most of it and it was somewhat irrelevant as the whole second half of the race would be off as we had to hit the half right on even pace. From memory I knew the first mile was supposed to be fast. Tell that to the crowds! We started and it was apparent immediately that we would have to do some wading to get back up to pace. I put on my best authoritative voice and ran pretty much up the middle. "Pace group on your left. Coming up right behind you. 3:50 pace group coming through." I noted that I should use this trick in my own races :) People mostly moved for us but I am guessing I lost a lot of half marathoners in this first mile shuffle.
Once we got to the wharf things spread out a little bit and we could move. The view opened up and we pretty much watched the sun rise over the Golden Gate Bridge. Seriously breathtaking. The next two miles were a little quick but our 5k pace was right on target. (After reviewing mile splits and the course and a few other pacers splits I think the 5k paces are a better reflection of performance, the individual miles with the ups and downs made it hard to hit every mile right on). The section through here had trolley tracks so I made sure everyone was careful of their footing. We reached the first water stop and I slowed to grab water. It was still crowded so I didn't walk. I announced there were bathrooms on the right and let my runners know that if they needed to use one they should catch up slowly over the next mile. Made sure to promote hydration as it would get hot later! *edited to add:* I completely forgot that right after this one of our runners shoes came completely off. I had to yell for her not to sprint to catch up, just like if she had made a bathroom stop. I was shocked. This has happened to me in a muddy cross race, but never on the roads! I felt so bad for her. I wonder how she did after this, it was still so crowded so I really don't know if she ever caught back up to us. *end of addition*
We made our way up our first steep but short incline and into a little park with a winding path. I started going over the marathons I had done (per request). It was hard to remember them all on the fly and I actually forgot about Cleveland (maybe I subconsciously meant to leave that one out) and laughed about it in a later mile. The next three miles were quick. The scenery was great, lots of lovely trees. This 5k was fast for all the pacers I looked at. Must have been mostly downhill. But it was good as we were about to make a significant climb.
Mile 6 started a long winding climb. I told my group to watch their breathing. If it is labored you are pushing too hard. We want to feel like we are running flat. Taught them my little trick about looking about two feet in front of your feet so that it looks like you are running flat. The hill actually wasn't bad. Similar to my regular Sunday hill but a bit steeper. On the way up we passed a free oxygen bar. No time to stop though! We made it up the hill a little faster than I expected but not too fast. On the way up my friend TS from TNT spotted me and cheered. It was nice to see a familiar face out there!
Once we got to the top it was time to come down. This mile was fun! The trees here were amazing and you looked out to your right over the ocean and beautiful hills beyond. Best view ever! I took it easy down the hill. Saving my marathoners quads for later. It was funny as we would go up I would lose one of the half marathoners and on each downhill she would go blazing past us. The next few miles had some steep climbs. I knew they were going to be there but I underestimated them, I thought they would be rollers, but they were short steep climbs through some residential areas. I thought the architecture was neat here and was pleasantly surprised by an orange stop here. I had thought there would only be luna products and bananas out on the course.
We picked up a male runner around mile 9 who is training for his first 50 in two weeks. So that gave me the chance to talk ultras. We discussed 100 miles, Burning River, the spartathlon, pretty much all running extremes :) This talk got us through to the half marathon split before 12. I hollered for my half girls and was disappointed to find I only had one! But she looked great and we were right on target for her. I am confident she finished in style and on time.
At this point the full marathoners headed on an out and back. This allowed viewing of the leaders. We cheered for the other pace groups as we headed to our own turn around before mile 14. We hit the half right on target 1:55:15. Miles 11-15 were all uphill but my group was doing great. Our hard work was rewarded with a beautiful tall waterfall on the right before mile 15. About the hundredth time I wished for a camera that morning. Around 15.5 we re-merged with the half marathoners before heading into the Nike+ tunnel which was kind of neat. You ran through and they displayed sample run graphs and they were playing Just Lose It by Eminem as we ran through and heard Lance Armstrong congratulate us on our workout. I joked that now that our workout was done it was time to get to work. It was work to get through this section. We went from having a lot more room and just seeing the occasional group of marathon walkers on the right to merging with what felt like thousands of half marathoners about to finish their race.
Once we were clear of the half marathoners we headed out onto the great highway. We had an amazing view of the ocean and a very cool old windmill. I love the landscape here. It looked like miniature versions of the badlands set right on the ocean with enormous hills in the background. The waves looked huge and it was fun to watch them come in to shore.
This was when I knew the race would start to get tough for my group. We were out in the open now, the sun was shining, and spectators were sparse. Around mile 18 is where I started to lose a few runners. This was right before we started to head around Lake Merced. We picked up a few newcomers and I was elated to have such a large group still. The miles around Lake Merced seemed to drag a bit despite having shade. I encouraged my runners to enjoy the shade while we had it! The lake was beautiful and I picked up a few local runners who said we were having some of the best weather they had had in quite awhile. Apparently the rains earlier in the week had cleared up the air for us.
Around mile 20 we picked up an Ironman who had done Coeur dAlene and a TNT marathoner who was struggling a little bit. We were doing really well on overall pace and I encouraged them to stick with us. When we hit mile splits I would announce how close we were to pace and I would let runners know that my watch was about 1 minute behind the clocks and if they had started behind me they were actually ahead of 3:50 pace. Runners started asking about the next water stop here and I told them I was pretty sure the next one was around 21. It was getting hot and we were all thirsty including myself. We made it to the aid station at 21 and I let everyone know we were walking the station and to get sufficient nutrition and fluids.
I talked a lot in here about relaxing and shaking out your arms and shoulders. Runners were struggling a bit but I was glad to see some of them reviving. Mile 24 marked the last hill and our re-entrance to the Great Highway. This was great as it meant we only had 2 more miles to go! I lost the majority of my group on the climb to 24 despite easing the pace a bit. I was down to two women who were right with me. We encouraged all those we passed and cheered for those on the other side of the highway. I saw a hula girl whose outfit matched one of my group who had fallen behind. I yelled to her that if she saw her friend she needed to encourage her a lot and let her know how great she was doing. I think my direct quote was "If you see Erin you holler really loud for her!" She assured me she would.
We picked up a male runner in the last few miles who stuck with us to the finish. One of the ladies was having spasms in her thigh. I told her that it is common and that if it was me I'd just run with it. Keep the pace even and hopefully it wouldn't seize. I told her the pain would be worth it when she finished under 3:50. The wind really kicked up here and I was having trouble with my sign. One of the ladies actually "drafted" off of me because of the wind. Not sure how much wind I can block but I held my sign to try and make myself wider :) I kept knocking my legs with the pole as it was hard to hold the sign up in the wind.
About a half mile from the finish the lady with spasms asked how much further and I was elated to respond to her knowingly that we had less than 5 minutes! I really did like the fact that as a pacer I totally knew exactly how long it would be before we finished. Gives you a sort of piece of mind. I watched for the 26 mile marker to gauge pace but alas there was no sign! As we neared the finish line I encouraged the lady with spasms to finish strong and I came into the finish alone. I held my sign up and smiled for photographers. The announcers were kind "Here comes 3:50 right on target," but I felt foolish as no one was right with me! One lady had pulled ahead and the guy and gal that were with me came in just a little behind. I was glad to see the TNT girl who had struggled blow by me at the finish line. 3:49:49. Had I realized there was a "closest to the pin" award I might have eased off a bit at the finish and tried to urge a few more people in that were close to me but I was under the impression that I needed to be within 30 seconds under the goal and looking at my watch as I neared the finish line I knew that was where I was at.
As I crossed I walked and thanked the nice gentleman in a tux offering me a blue box wrapped in white ribbon. I found the lady who had spasmed and gave her the 3:50 sign as a souvenir. We chatted a bit and I wandered around talking to any of my group that I saw. I pulled one lady to a BQ and that made me really happy. She had been to Boston before but hadn't raced a marathon in 6 years and needed to make it so she could go with a friend who already qualified this year.
My feet and legs were incredibly sore. I took a banana and two smoothies to try and ease the threatening cramps. My energy levels were great but 26 miles of pavement is 26 miles of pavement regardless of pace. Several of my runners who didn't make the goal found me and I expressed that they did such an awesome job out there. It really was a tough course. One that I would do for fun but probably not as a PR attempt or even a BQ attempt. I was really pleased with my performance on the hills but I could easily see how racing those would do quite a number on you. Most of the runners I saw assured me they would email Pacer Jim to let him know they loved having a pacer, even those who didn't make it in with me, which made me feel really good. I'd love to go back if they'd have me. Despite not getting more people in it was worth it to help just one person get a PR or a BQ and to help others push hard for as long as they could.
After wandering around and trying to find my roomie I headed to the buses to get my gear. It took them awhile but I finally got my goods. I treated myself to a short dip in the ocean pools just off shore. It was cold!!! But it felt great on my incredibly sore feet and lower back and thighs. We got in line for the buses which we thought would take forever but actually zipped along pretty quickly. I looked pretty silly wandering around barefoot but I couldn't find a shower for my sandy feet. I rode back with two other pacers and both said it was a rough day out there. The course was just really hard to pace on. After a quick but extremely satisfying shower I headed down to mingle with the other pacers before hitting the town. Every pacer I talked too said it was rough out there which made me feel good. I was happy with my overall performance but nervous pacer Jim would be upset that all my miles weren't right on. Turns out I was one of the closest to my goals (without going over) so for my first time not too shabby!
After getting ready we headed out to Macy's and Nike town for our free smoothie and some shopping. I decided to finally take the plunge and bought a running skirt since we had a $10 off coupon to Macy's. I went for the black and white one as the maroon ones with pockets were extremely short! Too short for this runners large thighs! Picked up a poster at Nike town then is was off to the sushi bar. We pigged out on sushi and wine which was delicious. I was so happy others wanted sushi as I was craving it and it hit the spot!
After sushi it was time to see the sights. I didn't have to be to the airport until 10 PM and I was going to make the most of my day! We walked through China Town, up to Coit Tower, and down along Fisherman's Wharf. I didn't get to see the sea lions but we did hear them! It was quite a hike with plenty of stairs and hills. Not too shabby on marathon legs! We got back in time to watch the Indians lose to the Sox on our way to the airport. (grr) Hopped on the red eye home and arrived in Cleveland bright eyed and bushy tailed for work at 6:30 AM!
What an amazing experience. If I get the chance again I'd definitely take a few days off next time :) Pictures and some reflections on the race to come.
I had studied the course adjusted pace band and was planning to wear both that and an even pace band to keep track. But at the expo a runner came by wanting a pace band and she was 3:50 so I gave her my pre printed course adjusted band. I remembered most of it and it was somewhat irrelevant as the whole second half of the race would be off as we had to hit the half right on even pace. From memory I knew the first mile was supposed to be fast. Tell that to the crowds! We started and it was apparent immediately that we would have to do some wading to get back up to pace. I put on my best authoritative voice and ran pretty much up the middle. "Pace group on your left. Coming up right behind you. 3:50 pace group coming through." I noted that I should use this trick in my own races :) People mostly moved for us but I am guessing I lost a lot of half marathoners in this first mile shuffle.
Once we got to the wharf things spread out a little bit and we could move. The view opened up and we pretty much watched the sun rise over the Golden Gate Bridge. Seriously breathtaking. The next two miles were a little quick but our 5k pace was right on target. (After reviewing mile splits and the course and a few other pacers splits I think the 5k paces are a better reflection of performance, the individual miles with the ups and downs made it hard to hit every mile right on). The section through here had trolley tracks so I made sure everyone was careful of their footing. We reached the first water stop and I slowed to grab water. It was still crowded so I didn't walk. I announced there were bathrooms on the right and let my runners know that if they needed to use one they should catch up slowly over the next mile. Made sure to promote hydration as it would get hot later! *edited to add:* I completely forgot that right after this one of our runners shoes came completely off. I had to yell for her not to sprint to catch up, just like if she had made a bathroom stop. I was shocked. This has happened to me in a muddy cross race, but never on the roads! I felt so bad for her. I wonder how she did after this, it was still so crowded so I really don't know if she ever caught back up to us. *end of addition*
We made our way up our first steep but short incline and into a little park with a winding path. I started going over the marathons I had done (per request). It was hard to remember them all on the fly and I actually forgot about Cleveland (maybe I subconsciously meant to leave that one out) and laughed about it in a later mile. The next three miles were quick. The scenery was great, lots of lovely trees. This 5k was fast for all the pacers I looked at. Must have been mostly downhill. But it was good as we were about to make a significant climb.
Mile 6 started a long winding climb. I told my group to watch their breathing. If it is labored you are pushing too hard. We want to feel like we are running flat. Taught them my little trick about looking about two feet in front of your feet so that it looks like you are running flat. The hill actually wasn't bad. Similar to my regular Sunday hill but a bit steeper. On the way up we passed a free oxygen bar. No time to stop though! We made it up the hill a little faster than I expected but not too fast. On the way up my friend TS from TNT spotted me and cheered. It was nice to see a familiar face out there!
Once we got to the top it was time to come down. This mile was fun! The trees here were amazing and you looked out to your right over the ocean and beautiful hills beyond. Best view ever! I took it easy down the hill. Saving my marathoners quads for later. It was funny as we would go up I would lose one of the half marathoners and on each downhill she would go blazing past us. The next few miles had some steep climbs. I knew they were going to be there but I underestimated them, I thought they would be rollers, but they were short steep climbs through some residential areas. I thought the architecture was neat here and was pleasantly surprised by an orange stop here. I had thought there would only be luna products and bananas out on the course.
We picked up a male runner around mile 9 who is training for his first 50 in two weeks. So that gave me the chance to talk ultras. We discussed 100 miles, Burning River, the spartathlon, pretty much all running extremes :) This talk got us through to the half marathon split before 12. I hollered for my half girls and was disappointed to find I only had one! But she looked great and we were right on target for her. I am confident she finished in style and on time.
At this point the full marathoners headed on an out and back. This allowed viewing of the leaders. We cheered for the other pace groups as we headed to our own turn around before mile 14. We hit the half right on target 1:55:15. Miles 11-15 were all uphill but my group was doing great. Our hard work was rewarded with a beautiful tall waterfall on the right before mile 15. About the hundredth time I wished for a camera that morning. Around 15.5 we re-merged with the half marathoners before heading into the Nike+ tunnel which was kind of neat. You ran through and they displayed sample run graphs and they were playing Just Lose It by Eminem as we ran through and heard Lance Armstrong congratulate us on our workout. I joked that now that our workout was done it was time to get to work. It was work to get through this section. We went from having a lot more room and just seeing the occasional group of marathon walkers on the right to merging with what felt like thousands of half marathoners about to finish their race.
Once we were clear of the half marathoners we headed out onto the great highway. We had an amazing view of the ocean and a very cool old windmill. I love the landscape here. It looked like miniature versions of the badlands set right on the ocean with enormous hills in the background. The waves looked huge and it was fun to watch them come in to shore.
This was when I knew the race would start to get tough for my group. We were out in the open now, the sun was shining, and spectators were sparse. Around mile 18 is where I started to lose a few runners. This was right before we started to head around Lake Merced. We picked up a few newcomers and I was elated to have such a large group still. The miles around Lake Merced seemed to drag a bit despite having shade. I encouraged my runners to enjoy the shade while we had it! The lake was beautiful and I picked up a few local runners who said we were having some of the best weather they had had in quite awhile. Apparently the rains earlier in the week had cleared up the air for us.
Around mile 20 we picked up an Ironman who had done Coeur dAlene and a TNT marathoner who was struggling a little bit. We were doing really well on overall pace and I encouraged them to stick with us. When we hit mile splits I would announce how close we were to pace and I would let runners know that my watch was about 1 minute behind the clocks and if they had started behind me they were actually ahead of 3:50 pace. Runners started asking about the next water stop here and I told them I was pretty sure the next one was around 21. It was getting hot and we were all thirsty including myself. We made it to the aid station at 21 and I let everyone know we were walking the station and to get sufficient nutrition and fluids.
I talked a lot in here about relaxing and shaking out your arms and shoulders. Runners were struggling a bit but I was glad to see some of them reviving. Mile 24 marked the last hill and our re-entrance to the Great Highway. This was great as it meant we only had 2 more miles to go! I lost the majority of my group on the climb to 24 despite easing the pace a bit. I was down to two women who were right with me. We encouraged all those we passed and cheered for those on the other side of the highway. I saw a hula girl whose outfit matched one of my group who had fallen behind. I yelled to her that if she saw her friend she needed to encourage her a lot and let her know how great she was doing. I think my direct quote was "If you see Erin you holler really loud for her!" She assured me she would.
We picked up a male runner in the last few miles who stuck with us to the finish. One of the ladies was having spasms in her thigh. I told her that it is common and that if it was me I'd just run with it. Keep the pace even and hopefully it wouldn't seize. I told her the pain would be worth it when she finished under 3:50. The wind really kicked up here and I was having trouble with my sign. One of the ladies actually "drafted" off of me because of the wind. Not sure how much wind I can block but I held my sign to try and make myself wider :) I kept knocking my legs with the pole as it was hard to hold the sign up in the wind.
About a half mile from the finish the lady with spasms asked how much further and I was elated to respond to her knowingly that we had less than 5 minutes! I really did like the fact that as a pacer I totally knew exactly how long it would be before we finished. Gives you a sort of piece of mind. I watched for the 26 mile marker to gauge pace but alas there was no sign! As we neared the finish line I encouraged the lady with spasms to finish strong and I came into the finish alone. I held my sign up and smiled for photographers. The announcers were kind "Here comes 3:50 right on target," but I felt foolish as no one was right with me! One lady had pulled ahead and the guy and gal that were with me came in just a little behind. I was glad to see the TNT girl who had struggled blow by me at the finish line. 3:49:49. Had I realized there was a "closest to the pin" award I might have eased off a bit at the finish and tried to urge a few more people in that were close to me but I was under the impression that I needed to be within 30 seconds under the goal and looking at my watch as I neared the finish line I knew that was where I was at.
As I crossed I walked and thanked the nice gentleman in a tux offering me a blue box wrapped in white ribbon. I found the lady who had spasmed and gave her the 3:50 sign as a souvenir. We chatted a bit and I wandered around talking to any of my group that I saw. I pulled one lady to a BQ and that made me really happy. She had been to Boston before but hadn't raced a marathon in 6 years and needed to make it so she could go with a friend who already qualified this year.
My feet and legs were incredibly sore. I took a banana and two smoothies to try and ease the threatening cramps. My energy levels were great but 26 miles of pavement is 26 miles of pavement regardless of pace. Several of my runners who didn't make the goal found me and I expressed that they did such an awesome job out there. It really was a tough course. One that I would do for fun but probably not as a PR attempt or even a BQ attempt. I was really pleased with my performance on the hills but I could easily see how racing those would do quite a number on you. Most of the runners I saw assured me they would email Pacer Jim to let him know they loved having a pacer, even those who didn't make it in with me, which made me feel really good. I'd love to go back if they'd have me. Despite not getting more people in it was worth it to help just one person get a PR or a BQ and to help others push hard for as long as they could.
After wandering around and trying to find my roomie I headed to the buses to get my gear. It took them awhile but I finally got my goods. I treated myself to a short dip in the ocean pools just off shore. It was cold!!! But it felt great on my incredibly sore feet and lower back and thighs. We got in line for the buses which we thought would take forever but actually zipped along pretty quickly. I looked pretty silly wandering around barefoot but I couldn't find a shower for my sandy feet. I rode back with two other pacers and both said it was a rough day out there. The course was just really hard to pace on. After a quick but extremely satisfying shower I headed down to mingle with the other pacers before hitting the town. Every pacer I talked too said it was rough out there which made me feel good. I was happy with my overall performance but nervous pacer Jim would be upset that all my miles weren't right on. Turns out I was one of the closest to my goals (without going over) so for my first time not too shabby!
After getting ready we headed out to Macy's and Nike town for our free smoothie and some shopping. I decided to finally take the plunge and bought a running skirt since we had a $10 off coupon to Macy's. I went for the black and white one as the maroon ones with pockets were extremely short! Too short for this runners large thighs! Picked up a poster at Nike town then is was off to the sushi bar. We pigged out on sushi and wine which was delicious. I was so happy others wanted sushi as I was craving it and it hit the spot!
After sushi it was time to see the sights. I didn't have to be to the airport until 10 PM and I was going to make the most of my day! We walked through China Town, up to Coit Tower, and down along Fisherman's Wharf. I didn't get to see the sea lions but we did hear them! It was quite a hike with plenty of stairs and hills. Not too shabby on marathon legs! We got back in time to watch the Indians lose to the Sox on our way to the airport. (grr) Hopped on the red eye home and arrived in Cleveland bright eyed and bushy tailed for work at 6:30 AM!
What an amazing experience. If I get the chance again I'd definitely take a few days off next time :) Pictures and some reflections on the race to come.
Nike Womens San Francisco Marathon Expo and Pacer Duties
This weekend was quite an adventure! I managed to make it to the airport on time Friday night despite taking a nasty spill up my stairs at home. (side note: I just now figured out where the bruise on my shin came from writing that sentence, blogging is a great way for me to remember such minute details!) Thank goodness I am used to my clumsy ways and just came away with a bruise. Breaking your shin two days before pacing would be considered bad.
I arrived to the airport got through security and to my gate to see that our plane was delayed two hours. Bummer! I found a phone booth with a plug for my cell and called Su to chat. We seem to always talk when one or the other is traveling. I wanted to wish her luck with her Kona Challenge. She did great there so go tell her great job!
Finally was able to board the plane. I managed to sleep a few hours and didn't freak out when I arrived in San Fran at 1 AM (4 AM Ohio time) instead of 11 and had to get myself to my airport sans BART. I shared a door to door van for a reasonable rate and got to the hotel a little before 2 AM and got to bed after chatting with my roommate who thankfully had not been asleep when I arrived.
Woke up bright and early to have breakfast with the pacer crowd before heading to the expo to work my first shift. Got to the expo and received our Nike bag of goodies. Everything I got fit except for the gloves and socks which thankfully I didn't need this weekend. This was to be an all Nike outfitted weekend for us pacers. I was missing the pink booth Tee but was able to get one in my size for my second shift. I proceeded to chat with every woman who came by our table for the next 3 hours. It was a lot of talking even for this chatter bug.
My standard was "Are you running the half or full tomorrow? What's your goal time?" Then I filled out a bib for them and gave them directions to the appropriate pacer and starting corral in the morning. Most women were happy to sign up for a pace group, but a few gave me the eye roll and hurried along. There was a lot of confusion about the pace bands. They didn't have pace bands with mile splits available at the expo, but there was a course adjusted pace band creator on the website. We had colored bands that corresponded to the morning corrals. We quickly ran out of all the faster paced bands and I told people to just go to their appropriate corral in the morning and explain they were out of their band color and to be patient with any volunteers as there might be confusion.
I got a few requesting a 3:30 pacer which we didn't have but I recommended they fill out a pace bib with 3:30 on it and try to find other 3:30ers in the morning to create an unofficial pace group. I've done that before when I wanted to run a time that did not have an official pacer. Worst case scenario you miss your goal, best case you find a buddy to bring it home with you.
By the end of 3 hours I was pretty beat. I went and got my chip and bib number then decided to wait in line for the free manicure. My nerves were pretty strung as my hands were shaky during the manicure. It was pretty overwhelming seeing all these women runners and knowing that the next morning I would be pacing many of them.
After the manicure I went back to the hotel to drop my stuff off and grabbed what I thought would be a quick lunch with my new pacer friends. Lunch took a little longer than expected and I was running late for my blogger meet up. But I finally arrived to chat with Michelle, Dori, and Irene. It's funny how you can feel so at ease with a group of people you have never officially met. Unfortunately I had to rush back to the expo for my second shift. I hope to meet up with these girls again in the future. I would definitely have loved to do some sightseeing or shopping and chat away all day with them but duty called.
The expo was packed pretty much to the end of the day. Our booth finally slowed down around 5:30. I knew pacer Jim wanted us to sit down as much as possible but with all my adrenaline I worked outside the table walking about to people and giving them my pacer spiel. I could tell my throat was getting sore and I tried to make sure to drink as much water as possible.
After the expo it was straight off to dinner and carbo loading. We had a fantastic pace group dinner at Puccini and Pinetti. I probably ate too much but for once I was actually craving pasta the night before a marathon! And it was delicious!
After dinner it was back to the hotel and time for final instructions. We received our speakers to use with our Nike+ Ipods and some Luna treats. (If anyone local likes Luna gummy things let me know! I'll probably bring them to "Scissors" this Sunday to hand out!) My roomie and I tried on our outfits and got everything set for the next morning then we hit the hay.
Restless sleep followed despite being dog tired. I awoke the next morning feeling not quite right and managed to spill water all over the floor twice in my attempts to make tea, but I was ready to go with all my gear and my sign as we met up in the lobby, took a group pic, and headed to the start.
More to come when I get a moment! Pics will be added soon too!
I arrived to the airport got through security and to my gate to see that our plane was delayed two hours. Bummer! I found a phone booth with a plug for my cell and called Su to chat. We seem to always talk when one or the other is traveling. I wanted to wish her luck with her Kona Challenge. She did great there so go tell her great job!
Finally was able to board the plane. I managed to sleep a few hours and didn't freak out when I arrived in San Fran at 1 AM (4 AM Ohio time) instead of 11 and had to get myself to my airport sans BART. I shared a door to door van for a reasonable rate and got to the hotel a little before 2 AM and got to bed after chatting with my roommate who thankfully had not been asleep when I arrived.
Woke up bright and early to have breakfast with the pacer crowd before heading to the expo to work my first shift. Got to the expo and received our Nike bag of goodies. Everything I got fit except for the gloves and socks which thankfully I didn't need this weekend. This was to be an all Nike outfitted weekend for us pacers. I was missing the pink booth Tee but was able to get one in my size for my second shift. I proceeded to chat with every woman who came by our table for the next 3 hours. It was a lot of talking even for this chatter bug.
My standard was "Are you running the half or full tomorrow? What's your goal time?" Then I filled out a bib for them and gave them directions to the appropriate pacer and starting corral in the morning. Most women were happy to sign up for a pace group, but a few gave me the eye roll and hurried along. There was a lot of confusion about the pace bands. They didn't have pace bands with mile splits available at the expo, but there was a course adjusted pace band creator on the website. We had colored bands that corresponded to the morning corrals. We quickly ran out of all the faster paced bands and I told people to just go to their appropriate corral in the morning and explain they were out of their band color and to be patient with any volunteers as there might be confusion.
I got a few requesting a 3:30 pacer which we didn't have but I recommended they fill out a pace bib with 3:30 on it and try to find other 3:30ers in the morning to create an unofficial pace group. I've done that before when I wanted to run a time that did not have an official pacer. Worst case scenario you miss your goal, best case you find a buddy to bring it home with you.
By the end of 3 hours I was pretty beat. I went and got my chip and bib number then decided to wait in line for the free manicure. My nerves were pretty strung as my hands were shaky during the manicure. It was pretty overwhelming seeing all these women runners and knowing that the next morning I would be pacing many of them.
After the manicure I went back to the hotel to drop my stuff off and grabbed what I thought would be a quick lunch with my new pacer friends. Lunch took a little longer than expected and I was running late for my blogger meet up. But I finally arrived to chat with Michelle, Dori, and Irene. It's funny how you can feel so at ease with a group of people you have never officially met. Unfortunately I had to rush back to the expo for my second shift. I hope to meet up with these girls again in the future. I would definitely have loved to do some sightseeing or shopping and chat away all day with them but duty called.
The expo was packed pretty much to the end of the day. Our booth finally slowed down around 5:30. I knew pacer Jim wanted us to sit down as much as possible but with all my adrenaline I worked outside the table walking about to people and giving them my pacer spiel. I could tell my throat was getting sore and I tried to make sure to drink as much water as possible.
After the expo it was straight off to dinner and carbo loading. We had a fantastic pace group dinner at Puccini and Pinetti. I probably ate too much but for once I was actually craving pasta the night before a marathon! And it was delicious!
After dinner it was back to the hotel and time for final instructions. We received our speakers to use with our Nike+ Ipods and some Luna treats. (If anyone local likes Luna gummy things let me know! I'll probably bring them to "Scissors" this Sunday to hand out!) My roomie and I tried on our outfits and got everything set for the next morning then we hit the hay.
Restless sleep followed despite being dog tired. I awoke the next morning feeling not quite right and managed to spill water all over the floor twice in my attempts to make tea, but I was ready to go with all my gear and my sign as we met up in the lobby, took a group pic, and headed to the start.
More to come when I get a moment! Pics will be added soon too!
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