There's something about it for me, I love the Baltimore marathon. It's the most challenging course I've run, yet I always PR. I had a very good run for me. I started out at a pace I knew I could hold for quite a while. The hills (both up and down) make it more challenging, and elevated my HR a little higher than I would have wanted, but not too bad (it was also warmer than the previous two years, which definitely matters). As you can see from the splits, I really held my pace until the uphills really started, at which point I slowed down some. I walked very briefly at mile 19, and after the "hill of death" at mile 22. I walked a third time at mile 22.5 because my neck was hurting badly. I slept on it weird a few nights ago, and it's been sore since (perfect timing, eh?). While I was walking the 3rd time, I heard someone yell "I'm the 3:30 pacer, and I'm right on pace!" uncomfortably close to me. As 3:30 was my goal, I immediately started running again, and figured I'd buy a new neck later. The downhills gave me fresh legs, and I was able to finish strong. I absolutely love finishing through Camden Yards, it really is a great atmosphere. I finished in 3:28:35, beating my previous PR of 3:36:42.

Not much. I feel like I ran the race I wanted to run. I should have taken my 3rd gel around mile 18 to 20, but just forgot. I had one at miles 6 and the half mark, and they seemed to help. I also had several endurolytes.

Grabbed some water, salty foods, and most importantly, beer tickets. Just kinda sat in the parking lot chilling out for a while, then killed two beers, all while stretching. I let B drive home, which was nice. Once i got home I started re-hydrating with Sam Adams. :-) My legs feel pretty good today, and I'll probably go for a recovery run tomorrow.


HILLS. But I knew they were coming. Other than that, not much. This is my 10th marathon in 3 years, and the 3rd time I've done B'more. From year 1 to 2, I shaved off 11 min, and from 2 to 3 I shaved off another 8.


Overall, this was a great race for me. At this point in my running "career" I feel like my legs are strong and can get me through the race without a lot of problems. The rate limiting factor for me is simply cardiovasuclar fitness, but hopefully with continued training that will improve. I'm running San Antonio in a month, and if my legs have recovered enough I should do well, since it is much flatter.

As for Baltimore, I love the race. The shirt they hand out is UA, so it's one of the best. The medal is cool too, and you can't go wrong with free beer. I also like that the half-ers don't start with the full, but finish with them. I read a race report that said the merge was bad, but at my pace it was seamless. Two years ago it was bad for me, so whatever they changed (both the time and the merge point) worked for me. There were a lot of volunteers, though some of the kids could have used an additional lesson on handing off their cups. No real complaints, though.