Running With Jack

The weather forecast for the 25th Annual Baden Marathon in Karlsruhe, Germany yesterday were almost idea…25C/77F, sunny and windless. As I lined up with the almost 10,000 runners and walkers who had signed up for the marathon or half-marathon, it was still a fresh 14C/57F. But the excitement and energy of the runners had a warming effect as we waited for the countdown that would set the mass into motion.

As is typical for this event, the starting words were sounded and the veterans continued to visit with one another, we towards the back knew it would take up to 10 minutes before we were under way – we all wore chips so it didn’t matter.

I took off with a couple from my running club, but after 8-10 minutes let them go on ahead, their goals were much faster than mine. I fell into a comfortable pace and tried to enjoy the ride. I only had one goal for the race, to run a comfortable pace and save my strength for my 50-miler on Oct. 6th. Actually this was a dress rehearsal for the 50-miler, which is also a road race – I haven’t trained on asphalt at all in the last 3-4 months.

I passed the 10K point in 57:23, an average pace of 5:44/K (9:14/M), which is about what I planned on. The first 10K wound through the city of Karlsruhe to Durlach, then passed over the Autobahn into the Oberwald towards the town of Rueppurr. This bike path section is kind of cool as some of the local musicians set up along the way and support us with music. I particularly appreciated the dude playing the bagpipes, he had a good upbeat tune flowing from his pipes - he understood our needs!

We passed through a couple towns then wound our way back into Karlsruhe around the 20K point. I completed the second 10K section in 58:57. The path ran by the stadium near where we started and the marathon and half-marathon split. I resisted the temptation to cut my run short and headed on to finish my marathon. I passed the half-marathon band in 2:02:47, a bit faster than I had planned on.

As the course headed through a long park section that winds its way through Karlsruhe I could feel my quads rebelling against the flat, asphalt, course. I do much better on diverse terrain with some hills and a mix of trails – it keeps my quads happy. I ignored the increasing soreness in my legs and continued on, passing the third 10K part of the race (30K/18.6M) in 01:04:56, a noticeable decrease in speed. This section of the race took us through a long park as I mentioned, then ran near the Rhine River port and refinery located in the northern section of Karlsruhe. From here we headed back towards the center of town where the Palace and market area are located.

From kilometer 30 to about 38 we wound our way around the palace gardens, fountains and crowds of cheering people who had parked themselves there – then through the main shopping mile in the market square before the palace. The crowds were welcome as runners fought to keep going as the temperature began to rise. I had been walking through the aid and water stations and by now my walks grew longer, but I still barely lingered more than a minute or two before running on. My pace had slowed, but I was still steady. I passed the 4th 10K section in 1:08:16.

With just a couple kilometers to go my only thoughts were to get the race over with. My legs felt banged up from the hard road surface and my stomach was not happy with the new sports drink that the organizers switched to this year. But I was still running which is more than I could say for many dozens of runners that I passed. As I rounded the last curve before the stadium a couple people from my running club spotted me and cheered me up the small hill into the stadium and the finish. My official chip time 4:23:53, which is my second fastest marathon time – not bad for a “training run”.

This morning my legs are a bit sore, but I am walking fine and don’t look at stairs like they are an obstacle to cross. I probably go for a short recovery run this even to loosen the legs up, then a longer one on Wednesdy. My goal is to be able to complete a 2-3 hour hilly long run on Saturday, which will be my last long run until my ultra on Oct. 6.

Have a nice week!