I took an early morning US Airways flight from LAX to Detroit Wayne County Airport with a quick stop in Phoenix. Now that US Airways is part of American Airlines, I was able to check into a first class seat on the first leg into Phoenix. I always feel like they're trying to stuff you with snacks in first class, but I do love the complimentary booze. My booze of choice while in an airplane... that would be coffee with Baileys. That's pretty much the only time that I'll drink coffee. For the second leg from Phoenix to Detroit, I was in an exit row seat.
Coffee with Baileys
Once in Detroit, I took the shuttle to the Thrifty car rental office. There was a long line there and only 2 people working the counter. Most people rent an economy car because they're the cheapest. The pickings were quite slim. I ended up with a little black Ford Focus. I first checked into my hotel room to use the bathroom before heading over to the race expo over at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center. On the way back to my hotel, I stopped by a Kroger supermarket to buy some drinks, cookies, and bananas for the weekend.
Expo
I was pretty tired so I decided to eat at the nearby Bob Evans restaurant. It was close enough that I could've walked there, but I drove over in the car. I was promptly seated and I ordered a Smokehouse Burger with green beans and a baked potato. Service was nice and courteous, but was a bit slow. I didn't mind since I wasn't in a hurry anywhere. My waiter did refill my ice tea several times. He even offered another refill in a to-go cup when I was asking for the check. The burger was pretty good and so was everything else. The green beans tasted good with the added ham.
Smokehouse Burger with green beans and baked potato
I got back to my room, went through the expo stuff, and got my race gear ready for tomorrow's race. The bib was somewhat unique and was an odd UFO shape. It was still early in the evening, but I was pretty pooped... so I lounged around watched TV until I fell asleep.
Saturday 4/18
The start and finish of the marathon was at the Ford Field Park. An email was sent to those running the marathon that we were allowed to park in the lot just next to the start. That was pretty convenient. The marathon started at 7:15 am. After gathering with a few Marathon Maniacs, I went to use the portaopotties one last time before getting in the starting area.
Marathon Maniacs
Who is running this show?!
Starting line
The first 9 miles had us running through mostly residential streets. They had decorated a lot of the route with inflatable aliens tied up to trees and poles, some of which looked like they were being lynched! :) Pretty much the rest of the course would be a long out and back on Edward N Hines Dr before heading back to Ford Field. Since this was the first marathon of a double, I decided to hold back a little. I had also been pretty sick with diarrhea while I was at a week long work conference leading up to this weekend. I ran at a fairly good effort during the first 10k, then I slowly backed off. After making the last turnaround, the weather did get a bit warm with no shade. There were a few rollers here and there, but it was mostly flat.
1: 7:57
2: 8:05
3: 8:07
4: 8:28
5: 8:21
6: 8:15
7: 8:41
8: 8:53
9: 8:19
10: 8:50
11: 10:11
12: 9:52
13: 10:30
14: 9:58
15: 10:02
16: 9:47
17: 11:19
18: 10:21
19: 12:26
20: 12:51
21: 11:16
22: 11:21
23: 12:12
24: 12:26
25: 12:41
26: 12:03
26.2: 1:56
Finish: 4:25:06
After getting my medal, I shuffled back to my car to change out of my wet clothes. I then went back out to the final stretch to cheer on those that were finishing their race as well as look for my friends. The kids race finished parallel to the marathon. It was pretty cool to see young kids run their race. Some ran really well, while others seemed bored or distracted.
Finish
Finish line
After shooting the breeze for a little bit and taking pictures with my friends, I saw that I needed to get going. It would be almost a 5 hr drive down to Athens, Ohio. Along the way, I stopped to eat at a McDonald's in Marion, Ohio. I ordered a Big Mac and 20 pieces of Chicken McNuggets. I needed to fill the tank for tomorrow's marathon. I also gassed up the car before getting back out on the road.
Late lunch at McDonald's
At about 6:30 pm, I arrived in Athens and checked into my hotel, the Baymont Inn and Suites. It was a long drive, but it was a pretty scenic drive. My room was on the first floor and it had a bit of a musky smell. It was pretty clean and I was tired, so I didn't really care.
After resting for about an hour, I walked next door to eat dinner at the Bob Evans restaurant. I was promptly seated at a table and ordered their Country Fried Steak with banana bread and corn. I also had an iced tea with my meal. Everything was good. It wasn't anything spectacular, just good old comfort food.
Country Fried Steak with banana bread and corn
There was rain in the forecast, but it was predicted to roll in around the afternoon. I was hoping that my legs would hold up and that I would be able to finish the race before the storm rolled on through. I went through the old ritual of laying out my race gear for tomorrow and went to bed after watching a bunch of TV.
Sunday 4/19
At about 6 am, I drove over to the nearby Holiday Inn Express to pick up my race shirt and bib. There was a room full of volunteers passing out shirts and assigning bibs. This was the first time that I've seen at a race where they scanned a bib into their computer to assign it to a runner. I guess that's a good way of not wasting bibs for no-shows. Since the race didn't start until 8 am, I went back to my room to use the toilet again hoping that my GI would calm down a bit.
Race shirt and bib
It was a short drive down to the starting line at the Ohio University. I parked my car in the recommended parking lot at The Convocation Center. After gathering my stuff, I walked up to the starting line at Howard Park which was at the corner of Union St and College St. After using the portapotty again, I found a place to sit down. I ended up talking to an older guy from Pennsylvania because he was wearing a bright neon shirt that read, "you have just been geezered" on the back. He was also wearing a Marathon Maniac cap. So we ended up chatting about our races to pass time.
Ron from PA... Geezered!
Starting line
I was just hoping to finish anywhere under 5 hours. The first three miles felt okay. Then it got pretty difficult in a hurry. My legs felt extremely heavy as if I had just strapped on ankle weights. The majority of the course was a long out and back on the beautiful scenic Hockhocking-Adena Bikeway. The one picture that I took does no justice to how pretty it was. I got to the halfway point at about 2:13.
I always like running out and back courses because I get to see those ahead of me and those behind me. I kept plugging along until mile 17 where I started struggling with cramps. But this time I felt more discomfort in my left foot than I normally would. I decided it would be best to walk a little bit more during my walk breaks. From mile 24 to the finish, you could tell that the storm was closing in. The winds picked up and a little bit of rain started coming down. I was super glad to see the turnoff for Pruitt Field, where I got to run about a quarter loop on the track to the finish line. The stadium was pretty empty but still it was a nice spot for a finish line.
1: 8:08
2: 8:13
3: 8:43
4: 9:51
5: 9:04
6: 9:52
7: 10:01
8: 10:25
9: 11:02
10: 11:40
11: 10:46
12: 10:46
13: 11:17
14: 11:27
15: 11:45
16: 11:42
17: 11:35
18: 13:20
19: 13:28
20: 13:29
21: 13:18
22: 12:58
23: 13:35
24: 14:08
25: 12:40
26: 13:35
26.2: 2:59
Finish: 4:59:47
Well I managed to finish under 5 hrs. That was my goal, but it was tougher than I was hoping it would be. It got pretty grueling near the end, but I crossed off two new States. In hindsight, I don't think it was a very good idea since I had just run a PR in a half marathon followed by a PR in a 5k. I was pretty exhausted and my body was begging for some rest!
After grabbing a banana and a bottle of water, I headed back to my car so I could make my way back to my hotel before the storm really rolled in. The rain had let up for the time-being, but it was cloudy and you could tell that it was just a matter of time before it really starts pouring.
Finish
Marathon Double
When I logged my race into the Marathon Maniacs website, I noticed that I got a new star. Looks like I've hit enough different states and countries to move up in rank with 8 stars. After getting cleaned up and resting for several hours, I finally dragged myself back across the parking lot to eat dinner at Bob Evans again. That was about as far as I wanted to go to find something to eat. The place was pretty packed and the service was slow as molasses on a winter's day, but again I wasn't in a hurry anywhere so it was fine. You could definitely notice the tables that weren't as patient because they were really grumbling. The young waitress I had was really friendly and loved saying the phrase, "not a problem!" For my meal, I ordered one of their 3 course dinners. I got a Farmhouse Garden Salad with blue cheese dressing as my starter, the Black Angus Chopped Steak with Roasted Portabella Mushrooms for my entrée with mashed potatoes as my choice of side, and finally their biscuits for my bread. The chopped steak was just a fancy name for a hamburger patty, but it was not bad. The meal also came with a dessert, but I told her that I would pass on it because I'm not too into sweets and I want to go back to my room to lay down and watch the NBA playoff game between the Spurs and the Clippers.
Promoted to 8 stars
Biscuits
Farmhouse Garden Salad with blue cheese dressing
Black Angus Chopped Steak with Roasted Portabella Mushrooms
Clippers vs. Spurs
Monday 4/20
I checked out of my room and made the drive up to Columbus. The drive took about an hour and 15 minutes. I got there at about 10:45 am. I gassed up the rental car at a nearby gas station before heading to the airport. After dropping off the car, I walked over to the terminal. There was a lot of construction going on the inside. I was pretty early for my flight, so I spent the time drinking the remaining water that I had with me before going through the TSA checkpoint.
When I booked this return trip, I used my reward miles. The first leg of my trip was supposed to be a 1:45 pm flight out to Charlotte, North Carolina before heading back to LAX. As the time approached to board the plane, the gate attendant announced that the flight was overbooked and that they were looking for passengers with flexible travel plans. He also announced that they had a direct flight to LAX. So I got up and volunteered for that direct flight. I told him that I was an AA gold member and he was able to get me a first class seat. However the flight didn't leaving until 4:30 pm, so I had a few hours to kill. After checking out my food options, I decided to eat lunch at the Wolfgang Puck. I had their Chinois Chicken Salad. It was a pretty dang good salad. Also it goes to show that I don't always eat burgers. :)
Chinois Chicken Salad
My flight back home was pretty nice in first class. They really try to stuff you to the gills with food and alcohol! I had my usual coffee and Baileys with some nuts. The flight attendant kept asking if I wanted another. Then for dinner, I had their beef and mashed potatoes. It was pretty dang good for airplane food! There was also some ice cream for dessert. I could really get used to travelling in first class! :)
Coffee and Baileys
First class meal
Ice cream!
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