2014 Rochester Marathon - Race Recap

The first event in my Race-A-Rama was the 2014 Rochester Marathon. I ran the Half Marathon in 2013. Back then it was organized by the Arthritis Foundation and there were several snafus including running out of shirts and medals. Over the winter, Fleet Feet Rochester and Yellow Jacket Racing announced they were buying the event. I was excited to hear that because their races are always top-notch, from their shirts and medals to marketing to pre-race communications to race day logistics and volunteer support.

After a two-week taper my legs were feeling fresh and I was eager to run. A day or two before a long race, I like to map out my strategy in Excel. I create a little cheat sheet which I print and laminate and carry in my pocket. It helps me remember what pace I should be running as well as the location of water, food and bathroom stops.

Everybody does this, right?

I've been training with :30/:30 run/walk intervals but I wanted to increase those to :60/:30 for the race. My "A" Goal was to finish under five hours, and with keeping to the paces you see above, I would have about 10-15 minutes to spare.

Seven Days Until the Start of Race-A-Rama

I'm a week out from the Rochester Marathon. It's the first race in my 113 day Race-A-Rama (hat tip to my friend Stephanie's WAY more ambitious MarathonPalooza), during which I'll run three marathons, two half marathons, a 10 miler, a 10k and two 5ks. It's been a busy summer, and I've ramped up my mileage enough to support this marathon and next month's Marine Corps Marathon.

Although I'm good to go for the 26.2 miles of the marathons, the biggest challenge I'll face will come in November and December as I work in the back-to-back-to-back-to-back training runs for the 2015 Dopey Challenge. Just like last year, over a four-day period I'll be running a 5k, 10k, half marathon and marathon -- 48.6 miles in all -- through the Walt Disney World theme parks.

I won't be taking any classes for my Part Time MBA program this fall so that will free up time, but the difference between an easy training cycle and a challenging training cycle is what kind of weather is in store. If it's like last year's Polar Vortex, getting the miles in will be a struggle. But if we have more mild conditions through November and December, it will be a much more pleasant experience.