The Race: Manchester City Marathon, Manchester, NH, November 4, 2012
My Training Plan: I knew that I was going to be running with Mimi on this race, but I also knew that she runs a pretty fast half marathon. I remembered that the end of the race I had run with Stephanie didn't go so well, so I decided I better continue to do speed work. The Quad Cities had been just a month and a half before this race, so I just tried to run all of my shorter runs pretty fast leading up to this race.
Weather: It was cold and windy. The start temperature was 41 degrees, with wind gusts making it feel like it was in the 30s. The finish wasn't much warmer, at only 47 degrees. It was sunny, so when the wind wasn't blowing, it was actually quite nice. But the wind could get pretty brutal.
Running Attire: Before this race, Mimi and I had purchased short-sleeved technical shirts from MyRaceRagz.com with our name on the front and a Bible verse on the back. We did this primarily because of the fans at the NYC marathon, which I have heard are packing the entire course. Since it was cold, I wore a long-sleeved technical shirt under my LIZ shirt and my black running tights. I also had my signature pink Nike visor, some purple throw-away gloves, and my iFitness running belt to carry my phone and gels.
Who I ran with: This was Mimi's first marathon, so I ran with her to help her pace and make it to the finish line. Mimi had a very good base leading up to the race, as she frequently runs half marathons, and also trained for the Myrtle Beach marathon back in 2010 that had been cancelled due to snow. She's also pretty fast at the half marathon distance, so I knew that she would have a good time for her first marathon.
Along the way, we met a few different people and ran with them for several miles, most notably David from Boston and Michael from Connecticut. Around mile 15, we met David. We ran with him, off and on, until mile 19 when he took off. At mile 21, we met Michael and ran with him through mile 24.
The Course: I felt that the course was very scenic. It had rolling hills, but they were not unbearable. There were three different parts on the route where we ran on trails, so there was a nice mix of terrain. Two of the trails were packed gravel. The second trail had a lot of pine cones that I had to avoid so I wouldn't roll my ankles, but the first trail was clear and nicely marked. The third trail, toward the end, was a paved bike trail. The course ran past a lake (maybe two...or maybe the same lake twice) and crossed the river several times. Some of the fall colors were still out, making the hills around the course very beautiful. It also went through some nice residential areas.
Toward the end of the race, the course became a little confusing. Of course, by this time the runners were so spread out that we didn't have people to follow. There were volunteers at various spots to make sure we went the right way, and parts of the course were marked on the roads/parking lots that we ran through, but it was a little confusing. At one point, we rounded a corner and I had no idea what side of the street we were supposed to be on. Perhaps more volunteers directing runners toward the end would have been helpful.
The course was also not closed to traffic. There was one time that a car pulled onto the street, almost hitting a runner, drove on the wrong side of the street (albeit slowly) and had to avoid traffic heading toward them in the same lane. There were also a few times where we had to cross busy streets. The police did a nice job of directing traffic when we crossed.
Organization: I was extremely pleased with the organization for this race! I emailed the race director middle of the week before the race to ask if they had any numbers left. She returned my email promptly with the status of the race. They also kept the online registration open longer to accommodate the NYC runners. I heard that this was the first year that the 2,000 runner limit was met and exceeded, yet they were able to accommodate the field. They were even adding additional runners at the expo.
The expo was an average size for a smaller race. There were about 20 vendors, most of which had free goodies to give to the runners. The packet pickup was smooth and easy. The location of the expo was convenient (at the host hotel) with plenty of parking, although the parking did cost $5.25. There were also plenty of places to grab lunch around the expo, since it was right downtown.
The water stops were adequate. They served both water and lemon-lime Gatorade at every stop. The volunteers were wonderful. I even had one volunteer run to catch up with me when I passed the water by mistake. There were only 2 GU stops, and they ran out of the fruit flavored gels at the second stop. The one suggestion I would make is to try to add more water stops between mile 20 and 26. The water stops were every other mile, and they really need to be every mile at that point in the race.
There was only one porta potty at each porta potty stop (which was about every other mile opposite of the water stops). Often there were lines for the porta potties, so perhaps having two per stop would be better.
I believe they did run out of medals and Mylar blankets for the slower runners, mainly because they hadn't counted on the influx of runners from the NYC marathon cancellation, but they did send out messages that the medals would be sent to participants who did not receive them.
Swag: The long-sleeved technical shirts were very simple, but they had both men's and women's sizes. The medals were simple, but adequate. One of the best freebies were the free digital race pictures. Every picture that was taken of the race was free to download by the participants.
I don't know if I should include this as swag or not, because it had the sponsor's logo instead of the race logo, but they gave cowbells so the participant's support group would have something to cheer with. They also gave mini footballs with the sponsor logo, which was nice to take home to my son (even though he has probably a dozen like it).
Starting Line: The starting line was very close to the race hotel, so runners were able to lounge around the lobby area before the race to stay warm. Even though we didn't stay at the hotel, we were able to sit in the lobby to wait. Runners could also use the nicer bathrooms at the hotel and expo center instead of having to use porta potties before the race.
Fans: There were several spots along the course where the fans were great. Because there was a relay component to the race in addition to the half and full marathons, there were exchanges along the course where there were a lot of people cheering for the runners (whether their own relay team or just the runners in general). The race went through downtown three times (start, around mile 19, and at the finish), so the fans could hang around downtown and see their runners three times. Outside of downtown or the relay exchange areas, the fans were typical small-race fans: few and far between.
Both Mimi and I had our shirts with our names on the front, so there were a lot of fans that cheered for us by name. So many, in fact, that we got several comments from other runners. One girl turned around after hearing our name for the second or third time, and said "You DO have your names on your shirts!" When we first met David along the run (before he saw our shirts), he asked us how everyone knew us and said that he had thought we were some famous people from around town or something. It was actually quite motivating, and I would recommend to everyone to do the same, especially if you are running your first marathon or are trying to set a new PR.
Our personal fan this trip was my brother, Matt. He met us at around mile 19, and again at the finish. He handed Mimi some gummies that she had bought the day before at the expo (which were delicious!). He videoed us running toward him and also took pictures at the end. He waited around in the cold for us as we cooled down and got massages, and he was there to drive us back to the hotel after the finish. What a trooper!
Finish Line: At the finish line, they had our Mylar blankets and medals. They also had water, soup (chili and chicken rice), apples, rolls, hot chocolate, and coffee. There were no bananas or bagels, which I thought was fine. One of the complaints I would have is that it seemed like there were spectators that were taking the food, which left less for the runners. Perhaps putting the food in an area where only the runners could get to it would be better.
They had a band playing and a bunch of porta potties. They also had a tent set up for massages. There were two massage schools that offered their services to the runners. You had to sign up, and there was a little bit of a wait.
Results: Our official finish time was 4:08:38. This is amazing for Mimi's first marathon! [Great job, girl!!]
How I felt: I actually felt really good throughout the entire race with the exception of my dreaded mile 25. Once we got to that point, the course was getting a little confusing, and it was difficult to focus. In addition, the wind picked up along the river, making it cold. At about mile 25.5 there was a monster hill to get back up from the river to downtown, which was pretty tough. How do races always find a huge hill right at the end?? But toward the end, I was able to increase my speed and encourage Mimi to give it all we had to the finish line. And, while I was probably limping a little afterwards, I really did feel good.
Travel/Tourism: Manchester is a quiet little town south of New Hampshire's capital. We flew direct from Atlanta into Manchester's airport, rented a car, and drove the 2 miles or so to the Holiday Inn Express Manchester Airport.
The hotel was wonderful. It smelled and looked new (or at least recently renovated). There was a nice fireplace and sitting area where we lounged to watch the football game on Saturday. The parking was free, and we never had a problem finding a space, even though the hotel was full on Saturday night. They offer free breakfast, including some hot items like bacon, sausage, biscuits, cinnamon rolls, and (make-your-own) pancakes. They also accommodated the runners for an early breakfast on race day. They had free wifi, comfortable beds (with no nasty comforter that doesn't get washed), and big towels. The shampoo and conditioner were separate, and not that "conditioning shampoo" you find at some hotels. The staff was very friendly, although some of them didn't seem to get out much and didn't have a lot of suggestions of things to do. It was overall a great place to stay!
While in Manchester, we ate dinner at Cactus Jacks (CJ's) and lunch at Portland Pie Company in downtown. Both meals were delicious, especially the New England clam chowder at the Portland Pie Company. We also stopped by the cupcake shop downtown and managed to get two of the few last cupcakes of the day before they closed. We also got to stop at my favorite northern chain restaurant, Friendly's, for some ice cream before leaving on Monday. All so worth it!
After all the walking along the Freedom Trail Sunday evening and the massage Monday morning, I could barely tell I had even run a marathon. Dallas, here I come!
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