Missed part one? Check it out here!
The Cleveland Marathon festivities started bright and early on Saturday morning with the 5K/8K races (I ran the 8K as part of the 8K/26.2 Challenge Series event)! I grabbed a banana smeared with a little PB on my way out the door so I’d have a little fuel in the tank for the race (and not get #hangry).
Downtown was bustling, but I still found parking easily within minutes of the start/finish line. It was a little windier downtown than it had been at home, so I was thankful I was able to find a tshirt in my car to throw over my tank to stay warm!
My goal for the race was to hold wayyyyy back, knowing I needed to save my energy for the marathon on Sunday. As the gun went off, I started my watch and told myself I needed to finish somewhere between 40-50 min. and no faster. I settled into a pace and enjoyed watching the sights of downtown Cleveland as we ran past the Browns stadium, the Rock Hall, and more. There was one bigger hill early on, but it was a flat and fast course otherwise. I finished feeling strong with a time of 40:15:25 / 8:07 min/mi pace and fifth in my age group. Not bad!
After snagging a quick pic with Mr. Race Director himself (Ralph Staph!)…
and finish photo thanks to CLE Marathon Ambassador Brian…
I made my way home to shower and eat before needing to be back downtown for more Expo fun.
I spent the afternoon in the information booth at the Expo, answering questions with CLE Marathon Ambassador Leah.
It was so fun getting to meet you and chat, girl!
The rest of the day was spent lounging around, resting up for the big event ahead – the 2018 Cleveland Marathon! Stay tuned for one more recap…
Happy running, my friends!
