Flying Pig Marathon and How I Lost My Shoes

After running my first marathon in San Francisco in July 2009, I almost thought I was done with the longer distances. My foot was bothering me and I felt a little beat up. It was just after the marathon when our friend Derrick came to visit. He is very active and fitness oriented just as Paul and I are. He asked about the marathon and how it went, but the question that threw me was "When is your first ultra?" Ultra? Nahhhhhhh. I thought he was joking! In my beat up state, that was the furthest thing from my mind. I wasn't even sure I was physically capable of running further than 26.2 miles. The problem was that he planted the seed in my mind. Apparently it started to grow and around about January, I started "looking" at ultra distance races. I was interested in what distance races were out there and what training plans existed for such distances. I got excited about the idea and soon after, decided I wanted to run my first ultra-marathon sometime this year.
I found a training plan online and started increasing my mileage. I realized that I could use marathon races as training runs and decided to find my second marathon. I decided on Flying Pig in Cincinnati. I registered and before I knew it, we were on the road to Ohio.
We left Friday night, April 30 and drove to Erie, PA where we stayed at a KOA Kampground (slept in the car). We got settled in but as usual I couldn't fall asleep. It was sometime later that a truck and camper pulled in right next to us. At 1 or 2 in the morning they decided to set up their pop-up trailer and let their kids run all around making all kinds of noise. I know people arrive to places late sometimes, but not being considerate of people trying to sleep really irritates me. After a while of listening to them, I just couldn't take it anymore, so we started the car and drove to the back of the campground where we found more quiet, secluded spots. Finally we were able to get some sleep!
Up early the next morning and we hit the road. We stopped in Akron, OH to visit The Grape and Granary. It's a super nice home brewing supply store that I found on the internet. We spent quite a bit of time there just browsing their selection of equipment and ingredients. The people there were incredibly helpful and we wound up purchasing equipment for wine and an ingredient kit for a cherry wheat beer. It was a worthwhile stop for sure!
We made it to Cincinnati where we headed downtown to the expo so I could pick up my packet. They gave us a really nice duffel bag, a poster, synthetic shirt, and lots of goodies. We didn't spend too much time there because it was crowded, but it was nice to walk around and be out of the car.
From there we went to Fleet Feet Sports where I got a new pair of shoes (no, not for the marathon) : ) and then to a grocery store where I found some recovery shake drinks that I'd wanted to try.
We went and checked into our hotel and lounged around a while before we went to have dinner. I decided I felt like pancakes for my pre-race meal, so we went to Big Boy! I used to love Bob's Big Boy in San Jose when I was a kid. This one was called Frisch's Big Boy. Anyway, the pancakes were some of the best I've had in a restaurant! They were fantastic. Full, we headed back to the hotel and knew we needed to get in bed early because the race start was at 6:30, but parking areas started to close at 5 something. Early, early!
I'd been watching the weather forecast all week because it was really looking lousy. It didn't disappoint, that's for sure. On our way there, it was windy and raining. Lightning lit up the deep black/blue sky and I was thinking to myself how I was going to run a marathon in these conditions! I just sort of laughed.
We got a great parking spot across from Paul Brown stadium and waited in the car for a while because it was raining so heavily. We eventually walked to the stadium where we could get out of the rain, but it was so crowded, I felt almost claustrophobic. The line for the women's restroom was ridiculous, but I waited anyway! I don't know how long it took to get through, but once I did, I only had a few minutes before the start of the race. At least it was a chip timed event though, so your own time doesn't start until you cross the start line. For those not familiar with chip timing--the race officials give you a chip that you secure to your shoe. When you cross the start line, finish line, and various other check points during the race, the chip is recognized and a computer indicates you've crossed that mark and records your time. (They use some sort of special mats for each check point and you hear a beep when you run across).
It was still dark and with all the people, the rain, umbrellas, etc, it was confusing as to where the actual start was. I knew the general area to be in, but that was it. I stepped off the curb right into a puddle. I guess I wasn't going to stay dry anyway! Paul was kind enough to keep me dry with the umbrella as long as he could and then it was time to go. It was a long time between the actual start of the race and when I crossed the start line to go. At least it seemed it to me. I couldn't believe the number of people!
Finally the start line came and went and off we ran. The streets were lined with so many screaming people I couldn't believe it! They all came out to support us in the rain? Wow! My first mile was pretty slow. I could never get out on my own. But really, this was just a training run, right? Sure! ; ) The miles went by and it kept raining. We crossed a bridge and ran into Kentucky, then came back. It seemed like the race was going by fairly quickly. I got to see Paul just a couple of times and it was hard to find him with all the people around. He said my shirt helped him see me. Before the race I made a Miss Piggy shirt to wear. Since this marathon is called Flying Pig, I thought wearing a fun shirt would be good motivation to me and maybe others. See photos in the slide show of the final product. : )
It was really a soggy race. It rained nearly the entire way. It wasn't very warm either, but because I was moving I didn't get too cold. I'd get a chill now and then when the wind picked up, but that was it. And, after 26.2 miles, I crossed the finish line for my second marathon. I finished in 4:12:12 which improved on my San Francisco time by quite a bit. Of course, this race wasn't nearly as hilly as SF either! ; ) Still, I was proud of my improvement.
I received my finisher medal, took my photo, grabbed a heat blanket and looked for Paul. We decided to meet at the letter "G" family gathering station. Unknown to me, he wasn't able to GET inside to make it to the letter "G". I was cold and hungry and couldn't find him anywhere. I nearly asked someone to use their phone to call him when I decided I'd leave the finish area completely and there he was! I was so glad to see him! He gave me my recovery shake and we took a slow, SLOW walk to the car. He took a couple photos on the way and soon I was in the car getting dry clothes on.
From there we hit the road, stopping for lunch at Panera (it's become a ritual) and then got back on the highway for a very long 9+ hour drive home.
It wasn't until a few days later that I asked Paul where my running shoes were. I didn't remember unpacking them, but I didn't unload everything from the car either. Maybe he did? No, he didn't remember seeing them. Uh oh! The last thing I remembered was taking my shoes off and standing on them before opening the car door to get in to change my clothes. BUT, I never remembered to open the door to grab my shoes. So, my poor Asics Gel Cumulus shoes were abandoned in a parking lot in Cincinnati across from Paul Brown Stadium. I felt horrible for my shoes, just left like that! I do wonder what happened to them. It does make for a funny story though. Well, sort of. I guess it was lucky I bought new shoes while I was there!
And again, I really must say that I was impressed with the people of Cincinnati--the volunteers and the spectators--who came out and cheered/supported us runners in absolutely miserable conditions. Thank you!!!


Flying Pig Marathon-May 2010