This would have been a great race if it weren't for the free pasta buffet at the expo. There was something in the buffet that made more than a dozen runners (that I talked to) end up with food poisoning. I was up most of the night Saturday night, every hour (from about midnight on), in the bathroom. My roommate and I were basically alternating. I was in there, then she was in there. I don't think either one of us got much sleep.
When we got to the start line area (after stopping at a gas station for some Imodium), we discussed with some other runners and found out that a lot of the other runners had the same problem. Everyone who we talked to who had the stomach issues had eaten at the pasta buffet at the expo.
The Race: Servis1st First Light Marathon, Mobile, AL, January 12, 2014.
My Training Plan: Since this was the second of two races on consecutive days, I had no time to train in between races. So my training plan was the same as the one for the Mississippi race, which was explained in my last blog.
Weather: The weather started out cold - low 40s - but ended up quite nice - mid-50s. It was sunny with a very light wind.
Running Attire: It always frustrates me when the weather changes from long pants/long-sleeved shirt weather to shorts/t-shirt weather over the course of a marathon. I never know what to wear. I ended up wearing running tights and a long sleeved shirt with a t-shirt underneath. I got warm by around mile 3, but stuck it out until my first porta potty stop at around mile 5 (I can't believe I made it to mile 5 before having to stop- more on that later). While I was stopping anyway, I took off the long-sleeved shirt and tied it around my waist. I also completely discarded my gloves that I was wearing, which I regretted a little later when we got into a cool, shady spot a little further down the course.
Who I Ran With: This time around, I was mostly by myself, although I ran with a few people for short parts of the race. Toward the beginning, I ran with a fellow Marathon Maniac who was carrying a tambourine on his back. I also ran with a guy from Nashville off and on for a few miles toward the end.
The Course: Don't come to Mobile expecting a flat race. The course wasn't nearly as hilly as Jackson the previous day, but it wasn't flat either. The first 10 miles or so were rather flat, with very minor hills here and there. But miles 10 through 20 had some decent rolling hills. There are two hills throughout that span that are pretty significant. I believe the first was around mile 11 where it goes straight up into a neighborhood. There was another hill in mile 14 that was memorable. Mile 18 is around the botanical gardens and has a huge hill which also includes a heavily banked curve. Running straight up, around a curve, on a slanted road was probably my least favorite part.
The roads in Mobile are much better than Jackson, although there were some parts where the asphalt looked like they took gravel and glued it all together. There was almost always a spot on the road that was flat enough to run on without fear of IT band issues in your future. Sometimes, however, this was in the inner lane of a four lane road where the coned off lane they wanted you to run in was slightly more slanted, but the traffic was light enough that you could run right around the cones on the flatter part of the road and still feel safe (if that makes sense).
As far as scenery goes, there really isn't anything memorable. There were some nice neighborhoods, a college campus, and the botanical gardens, but nothing that really stood out.
The roads in Mobile are much better than Jackson, although there were some parts where the asphalt looked like they took gravel and glued it all together. There was almost always a spot on the road that was flat enough to run on without fear of IT band issues in your future. Sometimes, however, this was in the inner lane of a four lane road where the coned off lane they wanted you to run in was slightly more slanted, but the traffic was light enough that you could run right around the cones on the flatter part of the road and still feel safe (if that makes sense).As far as scenery goes, there really isn't anything memorable. There were some nice neighborhoods, a college campus, and the botanical gardens, but nothing that really stood out.
Organization: The organization for this race was good. I say good, because for the most part, the race was great, but there were some water stops that didn't seem to have enough volunteers, and because my mind is tainted by the contaminated pasta bar. The thing that really got me was after the race, the race director was asking us how it went, and we told him about the stomach issues with the pasta bar. He completely denied responsibility and basically told us that is wasn't the expo food that made us sick. In fact, the initial email that I got back from him after the race when I reported it said that they weren't even going to look into it further because they determined that it was a virus and not connected to the food.
******* Soap Box *******
A virus?? Really?!? That is a ridiculous assessment! There is no way that that many people from so many different areas of the country could have contracted a virus in that short of a time frame if it wasn't connected to the food. We had only gotten into town an hour before going to the expo. Viruses take time before the symptoms show. Every person that I talked to that got sick, ate at the expo.
(Note that after I reported it to the Alabama health department, they seemed to take it a little more seriously and sent out a survey to all runners to find out how many were affected.)
******** Stepping off Soap Box. Back to your regular race review *********
The expo was very small, but that's to be expected from a race that only has about 1,200 runners. The volunteers were great, and it was easy to navigate through the expo with the signage and volunteer instructions.
I mentioned earlier that the back-to-back was an official event. They even had a sign at the expo that listed the names of all the runners that were doing both marathons. I think there were about 150-200 that were doing it. I was very impressed by the little extra touches they put into welcoming the back-to-back runners.
The water stops were spaced out well. I think they had Powerade instead of Gatorade, which made me very happy. I don't like lemon-lime (which seems to be the signature flavor at every race), but the Powerade lemon-lime is a lot better tasting than the Gatorade version. There were even some stations that had different flavors. I got red at one of them.
They also had two porta potties at every water station, which probably would have been more than enough if there wasn't the food poisoning issue going on. My roommate said that she had to stand in several long lines to wait for porta potties along the course. I didn't have as bad of a time. I had to wait for the first one, but the second one I stopped at was open.
I mentioned that there were some aid stations that didn't seem to be fully staffed. There was one that I had to grab the cup off the table myself. The first one that had food (bananas and some other things), I didn't even know there was food until I was already passed it - there wasn't anyone actually handing the food out. They were just sitting on a table. At the second one that had bananas, I had to ask for a banana, and one of the volunteers went to the table to get it for me. The third one with food (mile 18, I think) was very well staffed and had just about anything you could want (gummy bears, M&Ms, pretzels, bananas, oranges), although I don't remember if they had gels.
Another opportunity for improvement is the pre-race communications. The emails that went out before the race were a little confusing, as it had registration information at the top of it. It made me wonder if I had forgotten to register. The website, however, did offer a little more information than the Mississippi website.
******* Soap Box *******
A virus?? Really?!? That is a ridiculous assessment! There is no way that that many people from so many different areas of the country could have contracted a virus in that short of a time frame if it wasn't connected to the food. We had only gotten into town an hour before going to the expo. Viruses take time before the symptoms show. Every person that I talked to that got sick, ate at the expo.
(Note that after I reported it to the Alabama health department, they seemed to take it a little more seriously and sent out a survey to all runners to find out how many were affected.)
******** Stepping off Soap Box. Back to your regular race review *********
I mentioned earlier that the back-to-back was an official event. They even had a sign at the expo that listed the names of all the runners that were doing both marathons. I think there were about 150-200 that were doing it. I was very impressed by the little extra touches they put into welcoming the back-to-back runners.
The water stops were spaced out well. I think they had Powerade instead of Gatorade, which made me very happy. I don't like lemon-lime (which seems to be the signature flavor at every race), but the Powerade lemon-lime is a lot better tasting than the Gatorade version. There were even some stations that had different flavors. I got red at one of them.
They also had two porta potties at every water station, which probably would have been more than enough if there wasn't the food poisoning issue going on. My roommate said that she had to stand in several long lines to wait for porta potties along the course. I didn't have as bad of a time. I had to wait for the first one, but the second one I stopped at was open.
I mentioned that there were some aid stations that didn't seem to be fully staffed. There was one that I had to grab the cup off the table myself. The first one that had food (bananas and some other things), I didn't even know there was food until I was already passed it - there wasn't anyone actually handing the food out. They were just sitting on a table. At the second one that had bananas, I had to ask for a banana, and one of the volunteers went to the table to get it for me. The third one with food (mile 18, I think) was very well staffed and had just about anything you could want (gummy bears, M&Ms, pretzels, bananas, oranges), although I don't remember if they had gels.
Another opportunity for improvement is the pre-race communications. The emails that went out before the race were a little confusing, as it had registration information at the top of it. It made me wonder if I had forgotten to register. The website, however, did offer a little more information than the Mississippi website.
One thing I can't forget to mention is that this race is not chip timed. This is the first marathon I've done that isn't chip timed. The race is very small, so it doesn't take much time to get from the very back of the start line to the actual start, but if you're looking for every second, you may want to start toward the front.
The race course was well marked out. There wasn't a single time that I didn't know where to go. At the cross streets the police were good about ensuring the runners had priority over the cars. Although it is not a closed course, I never felt unsafe or unsure of where I was going.
Swag: One of my favorite things about smaller races is the swag. For whatever reason, the smaller races always have better swag than the big, expensive races. This race had your typical (long-sleeved unisex) technical shirt. The medal was handmade by the organization who benefits from the proceeds of the race. It's not fancy, but has such a nice personal touch. 
The back-to-back runners got some additional swag. We got another long-sleeved unisex technical shirt with the back-to-back logo and the two states. We also got a plaque that was handmade by someone from the same organization that benefits from the race. On the back, it has more information and a picture of the person that made the plaque.Starting Line: The starting line was right in front of the Holiday Inn. I highly recommend the Holiday Inn as your hotel if you decide to do this race. It is so convenient to both the expo and the race start. It is also easy to find your way back to the hotel from the finish line, since the building is easy to spot from a distance. The runners were able to hang around in the lobby to stay warm before the start.
Fans: Fans are lacking at this race. While there were fans here and there along the course, there really weren't a lot of them. But if you come to a race of a thousand runners expecting to see huge crowds of people, you have the wrong idea anyway. The fans that were out did seem to cheer for all the runners instead of just looking for their runner.
Finish Line: For a low-key, small race, I was impressed by the finish line. They had an announcer cheering for the runners as they came in and calling out the times. The photographers were at the finish to get that shot of the runner crossing the finish line. They did the old-school tracking of runners by tearing off the bottom of the bib as you went through the finish shoot.
As far as hydration and food goes, they had cups of water and Powerade at the end. They also had a buffet line with barbecue sandwiches, red beans and rice, and coleslaw (although I was very hesitant to eat any of it after the food poisoning issue from the food the prior day). They also had oranges, bagels, and toast.
There was a little concert going on when I was going through the food line, but I couldn't tell if it was an official concert or if it was just some guy who set up shop and was playing his guitar and singing.
The thing I was most happy about was that the medical truck had Pepto-Bismol. Isn't that sad? The thing I remember being the happiest about (other than my time) was the anti-diarrhea medicine!
As far as hydration and food goes, they had cups of water and Powerade at the end. They also had a buffet line with barbecue sandwiches, red beans and rice, and coleslaw (although I was very hesitant to eat any of it after the food poisoning issue from the food the prior day). They also had oranges, bagels, and toast.
There was a little concert going on when I was going through the food line, but I couldn't tell if it was an official concert or if it was just some guy who set up shop and was playing his guitar and singing.
The thing I was most happy about was that the medical truck had Pepto-Bismol. Isn't that sad? The thing I remember being the happiest about (other than my time) was the anti-diarrhea medicine!
Results: 3:55:05 - Yeah, that's right: I did a sub-4 hour marathon with food poisoning the day after running a marathon. I never thought that would be possible! Maybe I should do 26-mile easy training runs the day before every marathon.
How I felt: Well, you've already heard about the food poisoning stomach issues. I won't go into the gory details, but I did have to visit the porta potty at around mile 5 and again at mile 18. I was actually surprised that I didn't have to go more often after the night I had, but I guess the Imodium worked well for me.
Other than stomach cramping along the course, I felt pretty good. I did have my tendinitis issue start to bother me around mile 8, but it didn't flare up as bad as it had the day before. At that point, I decided that I was going to run every even mile all-out and use ever odd mile as a recovery mile. The strategy paid off, as I was really able to focus on one mile at a time instead of thinking about how much further I had to still run. By the end of the race, my "all-out" was probably much slower than at first, but I felt good enough to do the last two miles at a pretty good pace.
Other than stomach cramping along the course, I felt pretty good. I did have my tendinitis issue start to bother me around mile 8, but it didn't flare up as bad as it had the day before. At that point, I decided that I was going to run every even mile all-out and use ever odd mile as a recovery mile. The strategy paid off, as I was really able to focus on one mile at a time instead of thinking about how much further I had to still run. By the end of the race, my "all-out" was probably much slower than at first, but I felt good enough to do the last two miles at a pretty good pace.
Travel/Tourism: I wasn't in Mobile long enough to really tell you much about the tourism of the city. This was my second visit to Mobile and my third visit to the area. I visited Mobile back in 1999 when ECU played TCU in a bowl game there. From what I remember, Mobile is supposedly the city to hold the first Mardi Gras, and there was a lot of Mardi Gras stuff around this time (Christmas tree decorated in Mardi Gras colors, a Mardi Gras mask on a sign at one of the water stops, etc.).
Like I mentioned before, if you are coming for the race, I would recommend the Holiday Inn from a location standpoint, as it seemed to be the best location for both the start and expo. I can't say for sure how nice the rooms are, since we didn't stay there. But the lobby area was nice.
We stayed at the Wingate by Wyndham, which was nice and pretty accommodating. They are about 15 minutes (5 miles or so) from the expo/start area and are right off the interstate. They allowed us to have a 2pm checkout, and didn't push us too hard to get out by 2 when we were still finishing getting ready. They have an airport shuttle, so my roommate was able to take that back to the airport.
Mobile is an easy drive from Atlanta. The normal drive time (if you aren't stopping due to food poisoning or to stretch your legs after running two marathons) is about 5 and a half hours, and it's all interstate. I was driving on a Sunday afternoon/evening, so I can't say what traffic would be like during normal time, but I didn't have any traffic problems.
I didn't use the airport, but my roommate did, so I know there is one that at least has some sort of flight toward San Diego. I have no idea how big the airport is or how easy it is to get in and out though.
Overall, I really enjoyed my back-to-back experience, although I wish I had more time to explore the cities and states where I was running. At least exploring a city for 26 miles on foot is a pretty good way to see the immediate area. And between the two - Jackson or Mobile - I would choose Mobile in a heartbeat.
*******************Update since posting**************************
Since this post was first published, a few things have happened.
The race director sent out a mass email to all participants with a survey from the health department to find out how many runners were affected by the pasta dinner issue.
The race director called me personally to reassure me that they were taking the complaints from the runners seriously. He mentioned that my email to him was one of the first he had gotten about the incident, and he wasn't prepared to answer questions at that time, as they didn't have any definitive information and were just starting to investigate. Apparently, there was a virus going around Mobile the same time as the race that had similar symptoms, and some people from the Mobile area who had not eaten at the pasta bar were getting those symptoms as well. They were trying to figure out if they were two different incidents or the same incident.
The health department is actively investigating to find out of it was the fault of the expo vendor or perhaps a manufacturer that they used to purchase ingredients for the pasta dinner.
With the race director's attention to this and his reassurance that they were taking it seriously, I feel a lot better about the organization of the race, and believe this will likely not happen in the future.
We stayed at the Wingate by Wyndham, which was nice and pretty accommodating. They are about 15 minutes (5 miles or so) from the expo/start area and are right off the interstate. They allowed us to have a 2pm checkout, and didn't push us too hard to get out by 2 when we were still finishing getting ready. They have an airport shuttle, so my roommate was able to take that back to the airport.
Mobile is an easy drive from Atlanta. The normal drive time (if you aren't stopping due to food poisoning or to stretch your legs after running two marathons) is about 5 and a half hours, and it's all interstate. I was driving on a Sunday afternoon/evening, so I can't say what traffic would be like during normal time, but I didn't have any traffic problems.
I didn't use the airport, but my roommate did, so I know there is one that at least has some sort of flight toward San Diego. I have no idea how big the airport is or how easy it is to get in and out though.
Overall, I really enjoyed my back-to-back experience, although I wish I had more time to explore the cities and states where I was running. At least exploring a city for 26 miles on foot is a pretty good way to see the immediate area. And between the two - Jackson or Mobile - I would choose Mobile in a heartbeat.
*******************Update since posting**************************
Since this post was first published, a few things have happened.
The race director sent out a mass email to all participants with a survey from the health department to find out how many runners were affected by the pasta dinner issue.
The race director called me personally to reassure me that they were taking the complaints from the runners seriously. He mentioned that my email to him was one of the first he had gotten about the incident, and he wasn't prepared to answer questions at that time, as they didn't have any definitive information and were just starting to investigate. Apparently, there was a virus going around Mobile the same time as the race that had similar symptoms, and some people from the Mobile area who had not eaten at the pasta bar were getting those symptoms as well. They were trying to figure out if they were two different incidents or the same incident.
The health department is actively investigating to find out of it was the fault of the expo vendor or perhaps a manufacturer that they used to purchase ingredients for the pasta dinner.
With the race director's attention to this and his reassurance that they were taking it seriously, I feel a lot better about the organization of the race, and believe this will likely not happen in the future.
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