Hey everyone, mid 20s male here. I ran my first marathon, the Flying Pig in Cincinnati, today and finished in sub 4:30.
I was active with sports in high school, but have not been that active since. In the last 2 years, I've started running when a friend got me to do a local 5k. Since then, I've been slowly training, though not that consistent. Within the last year I've started running consistently and have a few 5 and 10k's under my belt. Around January, I started looking into marathons to try to run the half this year and the full next year, so I started training with Hal Higdon's Novice 1 plan (for the full marathon, though only planning to run the half). Around halfway through, I though I could push myself to run the full marathon so I signed up for the Flying Pig Marathon.
Going into training, I had completed five or six 5k's, one 10k, and completed one 15k during the marathon training. I would have done the half, but I got the 15k for free. Training went well, completing every run minus a bonk on my 20 mile run at mile 15 after a day of heavy activity and skipping the cross training. No injuries during this training. Training was done on a hilly route for smaller runs and the longer midweek and long run were done on mostly flat routes minus one major and some rolling hills if my route was 12+ miles. My body was feeling sore during my taper but felt good after the two rest days before the marathon. I trained with gels every 30 minutes on runs longer than 1 hour.
Race day was here and projected to be chilly at the start, but beautiful running weather high thirties at start and 57F at 12pm. I ran with a long sleeve shirt that I was use to running with in these temperatures, a hat, and gels in short pockets. I did not feel like I overheated during the race.
I was dropped of downtown and made my way to the bathrooms and the corrals. I managed to find a section of bathrooms with no line down by the finish line. Navigating the crowd was a bit difficult at times, I got stuck still in a bottleneck by the start line for 5-10 minutes.
The race itself was a great experience! There was quite a crowd in Kentucky, downtown Cincy, Eden Park, Hyde Park square, and Mariemont to name a few. A great crowd for almost the whole race besides a few mile stretch after leaving Mariemont. I saw a live pig downtown, a ton of dogs, and some hilarious signs. The weather was perfect, so I got a few good pictures along the way. The water stations were well spread out and nearly every mile, besides a stretch going back to Cincinnati (8-4ish miles to go) on that road near the river that that felt like there was basically no water.
For my run, my watch, that I charged the night before, died as I started the race, therefor I could not check my pace/heartrate besides through the very inaccurate app for the Flying Pig. I felt very good with the Eden Park hill (mile 5-9?) and probably went up it too fast, though I basically felt nothing in my legs. With that, my start in it's entirety was probably too fast. I felt like I was keeping a good pace for most of the race and did not walk besides through one or two water stations. I started to struggle with thigh tightness around mile 17-18, in that section where there was no crowd, which hurt my pace by about 15-30 seconds per mile. It later progressed to my hamstring, but powered through it and only walked through one water station in that time. My right arm also started to bother me, with it feeling like shocks going down my shoulder and the inside of my elbow cramping somehow. I sped up the last two-ish miles due to me not knowing if I would make 4:30 without an accurate time/pace. I was giving it my all through the last mile and felt like the finish line would never come.
My goals going into the marathon were layered. Any were acceptable with the main one to finish.
- Finish
- Finish without injury
- 5:30 (if serious bonk)
- 5:00
- 4:30 (what I projected to be my very best/perfect marathon. Note I have never been able to hold this pace on my long runs, though I do significantly better during races)
Results: I successfully achieved what I project to be my best marathon time, sub 4:30!
Post race there were a ton of activities and food, none of which I could make my way to on my legs XD. I must have left zone 2 due to my watch dying and my shins have exploded. In reality, since the race my legs feel awful. I have blisters on feet and may be loosing a toenail (shoutout All Toenails Go to Heaven sign). What was bothering me during the race (thigh/hamstrings) are no longer bothering me now and what was not bothering me is killing me now. My knees, shins, ankles, and hips feel awful with any movement causing cramps leaving me barely able to walk currently.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable marathon and I'm looking forward to beating my time next year. Time for my long awaited rest week.