Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Race recap

The weekend leading up to the race was very relaxed. Aside from a few hours at work, I mainly stayed off my feet. I had Pad Thai for dinner Friday and Veggie sushi Saturday night. I slept well both nights. So I felt rested and well fueled without feeling bloated. I hydrated well, and my pre-race meal consisted of two Lara bars and 12oz of Gatorade. AJ and I rolled down to the race at about 6am. I was able to clear my soul in the loo. I checked my stuff, turned on my garmin and lined up.
I was hoping to make one last stop in the confessional, but the lines were very long. The race attracted record numbers this year, so I decided to wait for the first good tree or statue of a for civic leader to loose excess water weight. The air was cold. I wore gloves for warmth. I settled into the crowd near the 4:45 pace group. Not that I was looking for a finish of that time, It was just as close as I could get. I checked my Garmin for the time only to discover that it was still looking for satellites. Apparently buildings cause problems. Since the course was measured, I didn't worry to much about it. I mostly wanted heart rate info. Pace is easy math.
The race started and 5 minutes later we were thru the starting line. My first few yards were with my neighbor and AJ's roomy Brendon. I spotted a place for privacy and pealed off. When I returned to the course, I jumped in and just hung with what was comfortable. My body was still a little tired following the trail marathon, so my strategy was easy going....
Thru the first mile the crowd was tight and slow. I started to hit my stride and moved up into a pack that matched my natural pace. 9;30 with walking at aid stations. I was a little to well hydrated, so I had a few additional stops along the way. At times I reminded my self of Zeus(my folks lab) with the incessant tree soaking.
The run was going smoothly thru 12. Some where on the main street bridge my knee did something that really freaked me out. I took immediate caution and pulled to the side of the road to massage it and do a quick self examination. I began running again, but with caution. If something seemed seriously wrong I could pull out at the half way point and head to the finish to cheer on friends. The pain continued but did not worsen. This was a marathon, so I excepted some pain and pushed on past the turn off.
Out along the marginal, I was manging my knee pain. 25 yards from the coming aid station I found a GU in my pack and walked into oasis looking for water. Matt Collister(CTC multi IM and now ultra runner) was working this water table. I leaned into him and said muttered, " Doing marathons so close together f**king hurts my knees".
He replied, "Keep moving forward".
So forward I moved.
Around this time I struck up a conversation with a runner attempting her first marathon. She was beginning to doubt her ability to finish. She was concerned about falling apart after 17 miles.
I shared some of the things I had learned over the years. I let her know that things turn good as quickly as they turn bad. The human spirit is an amazing thing. during the darkest parts of this race she would find inner strengths she never knew existed in her self. Marathons turn mental after 20 miles.
Around 21 miles, she was still with me. neither of us had wavered from our strategy. She walked at mile markers and I at aid stations. I kept assuring her that she was doing great. she told me that the things I had said were giving her strength.
At 55th and St Clair I saw Mary cheering. I was still using Matt's advice. The knee was stable. Every thing hurt. I was tight and unable to stretch the stride, but I was running. The 4:45 pace group caught me. I think they were ahead of pace. I stuck close with that group the rest of the way.
The final 5k was just an exercise in determination. I hurt all over. At lakeside with under 1/2 a mile to go I ran as hard as I could. This was not hard at all. I crossed the finish in 4:44. I finished with the group I started with. I waited for my new friend that traveled the tough miles with me. she was 2 minutes back. I congratulated her. She gave me a hug and thanked me for my words. I thanked her. Staying positive is so much easier when you can share with others.
Micky Ryzmick came over to me to congratulate me. I was wearing the same GCT hat he had on. I found Mary and we laid on the Mall C lawn for awhile before finding coffee and lunch....

Thoughts from the day. The weather was perfect. Aside from a little wind, this was as a good a weather day as can ever be hoped for. The new course was very scenic. I think the race directors found a course that celebrates the city. Detroit ave and St Claire suck, but there is really no other way to get in or out of downtown without facing the economic reality that exists between the downtown area and the burbs. I personally think it is a very important area to visit in the cities of America. The lake front, Rockefeller Park all of the downtown sites, Lakewood and the new finish at city hall made for a great course. The race course had many more people cheering on both sides of town. This race has made some great changes for the better. I once again recommend it after being down on it the past few years.

Alot of friends had great races. Most notably, when I looked at the results i noticed that AJ Baucco whom I drove to the race with took 5th in the half. In the women's race I noticed E-speeds name as the 2nd place finisher.....Amazing.

Congats all.