I woke up around 5 am Saturday and immediately checked the weather. It was very warm, around 58 degrees and there was no rain nor was there rain forecasted for anytime in the morning. I takes about an hour for me to get to York so I set out for the race a little before 7 am.
The trip route I had printed from Google maps appeared as though the route was a very easy one. The race venue was only a couple of miles off of Route 83. Well the route was easy if you turned right (towards York city) coming off of exit 83. As I read my trip instructions, I was to take a left turn off of Route 83.
Fortunately the instructions stated I should be at the Sovereign Bank stadium within two miles of exiting Route 83. After entering a town called Emigsville and driving through the entire town I decided to ask for directions. Ironically North George Street spans from York right into Emigsville, i.e. the house numbers do not start over in Emigsville.
I was told I was about three miles away from where I needed to be and it was about 8:05 am. On race day I am typically a litttle nervous about running, having difficulties getting to the race exacerbated my already elevated anxiety level.
I arrived at about 8:15 at a jewel of a baseball park. The Soveriegn Bank stadium appeared to be a brand new ball park and there did not appear to be a bad seat in the house. I look forward to taking my eldest son to a ball game here next year.
The race start was a block or two away from the stadium. I migrated there after doing a minimal amount of stretching. The temperatures were now in the low 60's, but there was a wind to contend with. In retrospect, I had dressed much too warmly for this race. I could have worn shorts and a t-shirt, but I had on running pants and a long sleeve shirt.
The mayor of York, John Brenner, appeared for a few comments at the start of the race. He seemed like a very down to earth guy, not your typical snake oil salesman politician type.
Aside of a grueling hill between mile one and two, I do not remember much of this course. I had overdressed for this race and I was burning up for a majority of the race. I witnessed one smart runner shed a shirt while running to alleviate their thermal distress. I had not dressed in layers so that was not an option for myself.
I had set up my watch to give 1/4 mile splits and I wanted to post sub two minute splits throughout the race to post a five mile time under forty minutes. I was able to post my goal splits for a large part of the race but could not get it done for the last four splits of the race. The finishing stretch of the race was along the side of the ballpark on a walk towards the entrance. I finished with a time of approximately 40 minutes and 35 seconds. While I did not break forty minutes, I was generally pleased I did not break down during the last mile and run a nine plus minute mile. I set a PR for five miles. I finished 117th out of 293 runners and 14th out of 23 male runners aged 45-49.
After the race I was talking 'shop' with a man named Jim who had run several marathons, including the Boston marathon. His advice to a first time marathon runner? Start slow and finish slower. Many newbie runners, myself included, get caught up in the adrenaline surge at the beginning of the race and begin races at a pace which is not sustainable for their fitness level. Adrenaline, at least in my case, is not a long term energy source.
My new Dr. Scholl insoles worked like a charm. My Mizuno Ronin 2 running shoes have minimal cushioning. Adding the new insoles served to make my feet much more comfortable throughout the race. I noticed two other runners sporting the distinctively orange colored Ronin 2's.
My next race? Would you believe a marathon? I signed up for the Harrisburg Marathon on Sunday November 8th. I have run over 450 miles this summer. Time to try and add 26.2 more miles to the running log.
The ING New York City marathon is today. I hope to see some of it on TV today. It will be interesting to see where the American favorites Kara Goucher and Ryan Hall finish.
Mile paces:
1 - 7:23 pace
2 - 8:01 pace
3 - 8:03 pace
4 - 8:23 pace
5 - 8:26 pace
Overall - 8:07 pace
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