I found out that Columbia, SC hadn't had a marathon in probably a decade, but that they were going to bring it back in 2012. It happened to be in March, which wasn't too far away from my nephew's birthday. I asked Alison if she might want some visitors for the weekend, and she seemed very excited about it. So South Carolina became my eighth state.
The Race: Columbia Marathon, Columbia, SC, March 2012
My Training Plan: I decided to try something a little different. I knew I needed speed work to increase my speed and break 4 hours again, but the Yasso plan I had used for the Richmond marathon had failed me twice. It had gotten me close to the 4-hour mark, but I hadn't been able to break it since before Alan was born. While Yasso 800s are probably my favorite speed workout, they didn't seem to be working to increase my overall time for longer runs.
So I downloaded the Runner's World Smart Coach app onto my smartphone. With this app, you plug in your goal time, the date of the race, etc., and it will populate a training plan for you. In this training plan, there are a lot of tempo runs and mile repeats.
Another thing I did during my training for the Columbia marathon was add a significant amount of strength training. During this time, they had a competition at work called Minute to Win It. The competition was to get the highest number of minutes of exercise during a 90-day period. I did some form of exercise (running, strength training, and other cross training) six days a week.
Lastly, I knew that Columbia was going to be hilly. Up until this point, I had pretty much trained for my marathons on a flat course near the Cochran Shoals river trail. Knowing that the race was going to be hilly, I started training around our house in Norcross and Duluth where it is anything but flat.
Weather: The weather started out cold. I believe it was in the lower 30s to start and may have gotten up to the 50s by the end of the race. But it was sunny and not too windy, so it made for good running weather.
Running Attire: Because I like being warm when I run, I wore a purple long-sleeved technical shirt, black running tights, my iFitness belt, pink Nike visor, and light gloves.
Who I ran with: I started out with the 4:00 pace group. I stayed with them for awhile, and then lost them during a water stop. At about mile 19, I met a guy who was from the area and ran with him until about mile 25. When we got to the last hill and I started to fade, he broke through and sprinted to the end.
The Course: Nice scenery on the course. It was mostly residential with flowering trees and a lake/river to pass. It was a loop course, so you know what to expect the second time around, including the pretty big hills toward the end. I would categorize the course as having "rolling hills" which is actually the best type of course to run, in my opinion. The race began and ended downtown near the Convention Center. Both the marathon and half marathon started at the same time. When the first loop was over, the half marathoners pealed off to the right while the marathoners continued to the left to go around for a second lap. The course went through the college campus and through some very nice neighborhoods.
Organization: Even though it was the first year of the race, the organization was excellent! The volunteers were amazing. They had great local support. It seemed like everyone knew everyone else, and the locals were very friendly. The expo seemed a bit small, but that is to be expected for a first year. The pacers were from the local running club and were great. My favorite thing about this race were the great options at the water stations (various flavors of Gatorade provided, bananas, GU, and porta potties at almost all stops). The water stations were so frequent, at least every mile, if not more frequent. The water cups were plastic, though, so it was hard to pinch and drink while running.
Swag: Nothing special in this category. Technical shirt and medal was the extent of the swag, as with most races. I can't remember anything else extra that was given.
Starting Line: Another thing I loved about this race was that the expo hall was open the day of the race, so racers could keep warm inside and have nice bathrooms both before and after the race. The starting line was right outside the convention center, so you didn't have to walk far after leaving the warmth of the building.
Fans: The fans were great toward the beginning, halfway point, and end. There were definitely some areas with few fans, but the loop course made it easy for fans to see their runners and go from place to place.
Personally, I had some great fans for this race. Rob, Alan, and Rob's family (his parents, his sister, brother-in-law, nephew, and niece) came to cheer me on. They met me around mile 20 with a high five and again at the finish line to cheer and take pictures of me running in. Also, my sorority sister, Courtney Congleton, came to cheer me on at the finish line. It always gives me extra energy to have people I know care enough to come see me run. Their energy carried me all the way to mile 25 before I started feeling the effects of the run.
Finish Line: The finish line was close to the convention center, so I was able to go back inside to use the bathroom instead of having to use a porta potty. It was very easy to find the family with the size of the race and the way the finish line was set up. There were also plenty of places to stretch. The food was pretty typical race food - bananas, bagels, etc.
How I felt: For the first time ever, I felt really good all the way until mile 25. There was a clock set up at mile 24, and it said I was at 3:30 at that point. I remember thinking that I could run 15 minute miles and still break 4 hours. When I got to that last huge hill around mile 25, I started feeling it. I sprinted (as much as you can sprint after running 26 miles) through the last quarter mile to the finish line, and when I crossed the finish line, I wasn't hurting nearly as bad as I had been in previous races.
Travel/Tourism: This was less a destination race than a family visit, so I didn't spend a lot of time in the city or touring the state. We drove from Atlanta to Sumter, a four to five hour drive, and stayed with family. The race is run in the state capital, so going to the start line, we passed the capital building. Interestingly, there is a confederate flag flying proudly right outside the capital building.
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