I chose Steamtown because I've lived in Central PA all my life (about 1-1 1/2 hours from Scranton) and I've heard nothing but good things about it, and a mostly downhill marathon sounded like a great idea to me. Boy, did it live up to my expectations (except the downhill expectations--more on that later).
First, rewind to Thursday: Doug and I were down at the Conewago Rail-Trail for an easy 6 miles (with maybe 2 at MP) when, just over a mile and a half in, Doug went down hard. He rolled his ankle on a walnut. This might sound weird, but if you've never seen a walnut fresh out of a tree, here's what it looks like:
Source: PracticalPrimitive.com
Doug's ankle was pretty swollen and it never went down. By Saturday morning, we figured out that I'd be running this race by myself. Doug was (rightfully) upset because of all the work he had put in, and I was upset because I didn't want to do this big race without my running partner. This is OUR thing, not just mine. Nonetheless, it would have been a waste for me to back out because he was hurt... that thought never really even crossed my mind.
Saturday
Doug, my parents, and I got to Scranton a little before 2 on Saturday, went to the expo and got our shirts/numbers (Doug was definitely still getting his shirt--what a nice $85 shirt it was!), and I sat in on the end of a panel of people discussing the course. The expo was small, but for once, I didn't spend money on stuff I didn't need! After the expo, we checked in at our hotel, the Sleep Inn in Dunmore. What a great, race-friendly place. When I booked, only smoking rooms were available, but I made a note requesting a non-smoking room, and they accommodated that. They also had a sign up sheet for a free shuttle to the bus pickup on race morning and started the continental breakfast early (4:30 a.m.). The room was pretty cheap (about $100 with taxes) but was clean and still available when I booked it about a month and a half ago, and about 30 minutes after checking in, the front desk called to make sure we were happy with the room. Those little things make me so happy. We went to a little Italian place called Sibio's (recommended by my friend Alex, who's from Scranton), which was delicious. After getting back to the hotel, Doug and I sat in the hot tub for a little while to relax and I was laying in bed by 8:30. I took St. John's Wort to help keep my mind from racing, and it worked pretty well. I was up every few hours but slept better than I have for any big race in the last year.
Sunday - Before the Race
I woke up at 4:30 so I could take my time getting ready, ate my normal breakfast (plain ol' Quaker oats with honey and a banana), got ready and was down at the shuttle van by 6:00. The shuttle took us close to the finish line where two blocks worth of school buses--seriously, no less than 30 buses--were waiting to transport us to Forest City. I think I was still a deer in headlights at this point, not having Doug with me. The drive took around 30-40 minutes, and when we got to Forest City High School, we were greeted by the cheerleading squad and dozens of other teenagers who led us to the gym and cafeteria, where we could wait in the warmth until it was time to start. I give these kids SO much credit, being up so early on a Sunday morning to help us all out--I don't think you could have paid me to be up that early as a teenager! There were loads of porta-potties, too, which is a blessing for anyone who has ever waited in a 10 minute line when they've really had to pee (raises hand). They certainly make you feel like a rockstar in Forest City! Around 7:50, we headed out to the starting line. There were no official corrals, but people holding signs that said 8:00 min/mile, 9:00 min/mile, etc. Since I was shooting for somewhere between 3:50 and 4:00, I headed to the front of the 9:00 min/mile pack. They had a Civil War reenactment group take care of the start, so the race started not with a gun, but with a CANNON. AWESOME... and we were off!
The Race!
Anyone who has run Steamtown knows that the biggest piece of advice someone will give you about this race is to start SLOW. It's almost entirely downhill for the first 13-plus miles and going out too fast can kill your quads. So I decided I was going to start off slow and pick it up later. You'll see how well that went:
Mile 1: 8:47 This isn't bad, but slow down just a little, Ashley.
Mile 2: 8:24 No, really, slow down!
Mile 3: 8:16 WTF
Mile 4: 8:23 Still going too fast...
Mile 5: 8:20 You're going to regret this, Ashley.
Miles 6-8: 25:45 Got all caught up in seeing some people I know over these miles, as well as the people of the awesome city of Carbondale, and forgot about my watch. Oops. But those people were so much fun! Lots of high fives and the entire main street was packed with people.
Mile 9: 8:34 OK, that's a little better. Maybe plan on slowing down from Miles 10-20, then picking back up for the last 10K if you're up for it.
Mile 10: 8:39 Just a little slower.
Mile 11: 8:45 Good. This isn't so bad considering the downhill.
Mile 12-13: 17:51 Still doing pretty well.
Mile 14: 8:53 ...
Mile 15: 8:53 Here starts the time on the rail trail. It was pretty good to start, and a welcome change for my legs and feet. Beautiful scenery, too.
Mile 16: 9:06 The trail gets a little uneven and I slow down out of fear of running into a tree root (I'm constantly tripping over those) or, God forbid, a walnut.
Mile 17: 8:52 Still on the trail (I think--at least for the most part). At this point, I realize that I could push harder, but I'm definitely not getting a BQ and, unless I get hurt, I'm going to break 4 hours. I decided to keep a comfortable pace from here on out for the sake of being able to walk after the race. So from here on out, I played it pretty safe.
Mile 18: 9:06 We came out of the trail to see a crowd of people at the viewpoint... what an enthusiastic crowd!
Mile 19: 9:19 Through a park and then some more trail... this was the point where (1) my legs were starting to feel tired and chilly, and (2) I realized just how much that trail slowed me down, especially this part of the trail, because it was mulch. While the mulch was packed, it was almost like running through mud.
Mile 20: 9:14 My parents and Doug were waiting in Olyphant for me... just the boost I needed!
Mile 21: 9:11 Heading into Dickson City and things are starting to look familiar. I realized how chilly I was feeling when I couldn't open my Gu since my hands were freezing, so I put my gloves back on... amazing how much better a pair of gloves can make your whole body feel!
Mile 22-23: 18:01 Forgot to hit the split button again. Mile 23 was definitely faster than 22. Running through Throop and things are looking familiar. I know I'm in the home stretch, because 4 miles or so is nothing! Mile 22 was where I hit the wall HARD in my last marathon, so I felt much better after I passed the Mile 22 marker without cramping up.
Mile 24-25: 19:00 Early in Mile 24, we hit the dreaded Electric Street hill! It's tough and longer than I remembered from our drive the day before. However, all the residents are out cheering us along. Going around a turn, the St. Joseph's Center folks are out supporting us. I get emotional and I'm in tears. Around that turn, we started heading down a hill for a bit.
Mile 26: 8:56 I thought they said there were two blocks of uphill?!? These are a LONG two blocks! Not to mention, most of that whole mile was uphill--it was gradual, but that late in the game, any uphill was tough. We crested the hill by Coopers and, at that point, I just let my legs carry me as fast as they wanted. The street is packed with people cheering us on.
.2: 1:33: Not sprinting (I'm hesitant to do that at the end of a marathon), but I'm cooking along. I crossed the finish line and nearly cried, because....
3:51:56!!!
That was a 37 minute PR! While I was thrilled with that, as I sit here and write, I wonder if I should have pushed harder. I know I definitely could have broken 3:50--should I have gone for that? Regardless, I'm happy with my time. I went through the chute, got wrapped in a space blanket, got a water, received my medal, and went into the food tent (volunteers were handing out bags to stash your food and such, which was a great idea, so our hands weren't too full). I went into the courthouse where U of Scranton PT students were doing massages on our sore legs, which was wonderful. I was still standing and not in too much pain. Even today, my knees are a little sore/tired, but nothing more.
Doug and I after the race
I'm so grateful to the residents of the NEPA towns we ran through. There were so many people out handing out bottles of water, bananas, orange slices, etc., in front of their houses and cheering us on. I don't know if they realize just how much that means to us runners, but it was amazing. They were absolutely wonderful.
So marathon #2 is in the books and I really have the itch again already! I honestly want to switch to the full marathon for Shamrock in March, but I think I'll still stick with the Dolphin Challenge and plan for a fall marathon. All in all, I'm really happy with this marathon experience and I felt like I came out of this one much better than the first!
