Typically after a marathon, I blog about my race experience. Still being irritated with Mother Nature for hot temperatures at the Chicago Marathon, I have yet to blog about Chicago. Maybe in the weeks to come, I will share my Chicago race experiences.
Yesterday, I completed the Gobbler Grind Marathon. This was my eighth marathon in my seventh state. After running Chicago in October with 45,000 of my closest friends, the Gobbler was quite a different experience. It's a small race (241 runners), primarily run on the Indian Creek Trail. My pros and cons about my race experience follow:
Pros
*With a small marathon, there is a lot of camaraderie among the runners. There were two out and backs where the runners were able to cheer for each other.
*There were lots of 50 Staters and Marathon Maniacs at the race. Both groups are incredibly supportive and chatty. Many thanks to Maniac Patrick who left me draft to get out of the wind and paced me from Mile 7.5 to Mile 15-something when I had to take a pit stop. Now I have some crazy "Maniac" ideas for 2011....
*It was a hometown race. Nothing beats sleeping in your own bed.
*Thanksgiving costumes. I saw a turkey hat and an Indian headdress.
*This was my first race where I was cheered on by a dog. Thanks, King Kobe!
*The best volunteer crosswalk guards. Thanks, Todd & Pritha!
*Since the trail was open to the public, Galen was able to run with me for a while.
*With only 241 runners, when you run the last 0.2 miles, the few specatators ringing cow bells and cheering are cheering for YOU.
*There's a turkey on the medal!
Cons
*I think I'm jinxed. Weather conditions were not in my favor. The weather at the start was 60 degrees, humid, cloudy and windy. The weather at the end was 70+ degrees, sunny, and humid. Apparently there isn't much shade on the Indian Creek Trail once the trees have lost their leaves...
*The marathon, half-marathon, and 5K all start together. There were 241 marathoners, 1110 half-marathoners, and 476 5K participatnts. This means that all the little kids that are running the 5K are running the first three miles of your marathon with you.
*It was a hometown race. Running on the trails that you train on can get old. (Note: I'd never noticed how uneven the trail actually is until my feet got tired and I noticed myself tripping up a bit.)
*Small race = less aid stations. I was glad I carried my own Fuel Belt.
*Since the trail was open, I had to dodge some little kids on bicycles. I found it harder to dodge after Mile 20.
*Snakes. When the stick I was about to step on between Mile 21 and 22 wiggled, I used a good mile worth of energy shreeking instead of moving forward. (Flashback to the snake on the trail during the Country Music Marathon)
Overall, the Gobbler was a favorable experience. It is a great marathon for a training run for another marathon or a great way to cross Kansas off your list.
'Til the next blog entry,
Gobble Gobble
