Getting My Stride Back: Baltimore Running Festival Recap

Saturday I woke up in Charm City.  The sun was shining and the air was crisp.  It was perfect running weather.

After months of illness and injuries, it was time for one of my favorite races.  After months of forcing myself to rest, run, and cross-train despite how I was feeling, it was time to get my stride back.

I had only one goal for the Baltimore Half Marathon: to finish uninjured.  With two races coming up in the next two weeks, I had no choice.  There would be no shame in taking it slow and walking if I needed to.  I left my Garmin at home and decided to pace myself based on how my legs felt.

One thing I love (and there are many) about the Baltimore Half is that it starts at 9:45AM.  I usually stay in Baltimore, so I'm able to sleep in and walk to the start line.  Last night I stayed in Fells Point, so I had a decent walk along the harbor to the start line.

I missed the start of the race because I was in the bathroom line.  Typical.  I got through the line and bounded out to the start in time to join the second wave and get going.

I spent the first 7 miles high-fiving spectators and reminding myself to slow down so I wouldn't burn out too quickly.  The course is extremely hilly with a large net uphill for the first 9.5 miles.  I knew if I could make it to and around Lake Montebello (mile 8) still feeling good I would be able to handle the next 1.5 miles uphill and finish strong.  It was a huge relief to reach Lake Montebello without any IT band or shin pain.  I was rewarded with this view for my efforts:

The mile around Lake Montebello was perfect - the sun was shining and there was a cool breeze coming off of the water - but it was soon time to move on.  I knocked out the remaining net uphill and prepared to cruise downhill for the next few miles to finish strong.

Things started getting a little weird around mile 11.  Between the spectators playing "Eye of the Tiger" on a loop while dancing on their car in tiger suits (which they've done all 4 years I've run this race) and the runner who stripped down to his Maryland-flag-printed spandex, I was entertained.  I checked the time at mile 12 and realized that, even though I was slowing myself down and trying to take it easy, I was still making decent time.  When I hit the Hippodrome, I decided to step things up a bit.

I cruised through the last downhill and slowed down to take a few photos as I approached and ran through Camden Yards.

Once I cleared the ball park, it was time to sprint.  I flew across the finish line with a gun time around 2:10:00.  Because I started late, I had no clue what my chip time was.  When I checked in with the results table, I was in for a shock.  I PRed.  Without intending to, I had shaved almost 4 minutes off of my Frederick Half time.

My friend Steph, who had a similar approach to the race, also PRed.  We agreed that there's a lesson to be learned here: listen to your body and don't push yourself too hard too early.  I'm going to try to keep that in mind in the future.

As I said earlier, the Baltimore Half is one of my favorite races.  Here's why:

• The late start at 9:45 allows you to sleep in.
• People in Baltimore come out in droves to support runners.  The spectators are absolutely amazing.
• The loop around Lake Montebello.  Look at that photo again if you're not convinced it's beautiful.
• You get to run through Camden Yards - even if you're not an O's fan, it's a treat to run through this iconic ball park.
• The race shirts are Under Armor tech shirts - I wear mine to on a regular basis.
• The hills provide varied terrain, good views, and speed on the downhill stretches.  I've PRed three times on this course.