If you are looking for a fast marathon in winter, I highly recommend considering Phoenix Marathon. Phoenix Marathon, which takes place in early February, is a net downhill course with a smooth course profile – all of the ups and downs are in the first half, and the second half is essentially flat.
Coming off my St. George Marathon (see the blog on that experience), I wanted a marathon on the calendar where I could focus on having fun. I’m a naturally competitive person with myself, but I was in need of a race that brought me joy. I accepted that my St. George and abortion recoveries could not be rushed, and so my training for Phoenix was definitely not ideal. In fact, I released myself from my usual structure, and chose everyday to be kind to myself. I’d say I finally began feeling like “me” again in early December. I was then sick in January for a good 3 weeks. So while I was mentally really ready for Phoenix, I knew physically I wasn’t going in as my best – and that was okay.
Phoenix Marathon is a Saturday race, so I flew from JFK late Wednesday night. I didn’t want to mess with possible flight delays with Winter weather, and wanted to have a few days to decompress and adapt to the timezone change. I picked up a rental car at the airport, which worked out well, and booked a hotel in Tempe.
Thursday I attempted to catch up on sleep, and simply relax. I went for a little shakeout run, which always feels good after a flight. Plus I needed an excuse to get some warm sunshine! I did some coaching work from the hotel, watched tv, drank beer, and order Arizona pizza – which is definitely NOT New York pizza!
On Friday, upon Marni’s arrival, we went for a shakeout run together. With originally being from Phoenix, Marni was a fantastic running guide – plus she knew where to find good snacks – like ice cream. We went to the expo, which was held outside in a large parking lot of a shopping center. It was easy to find, a breeze to park, and just as simple to navigate. There were some nice samples handed out, and the expo never felt overwhelmingly crowded. I dropped off my elite bottles, and we were done with expo/running duties.
Marni stayed overnight at my hotel (you’re never too old for sleepovers with your girlfriends!) and my alarm was set for 3am. Unlike Boston 2018 (Marni and I had a sleepover then, too) weather on race day in Phoenix was straight-up perfect. Temperatures were around 45 degrees, dry, with the slightest breeze.
With Phoenix Marathon being a point-to-point race, runners need to hop a bus to the starting line. The race organization stressed the importance of arriving early to avoid traffic, which is exactly what we did. Honestly, it was an incredibly smooth morning in terms of getting to the starting line. The start area is in a park, and so it was quiet and open, with fire pits to keep runners warm. The only really big problem: way too few porta potties. In fact, the lines were perhaps the most insane I’ve encountered in years. It seemed odd to me that when space wasn’t an issue, the porta potties were so limited. Suffice to say, this messed up my pre-race routine. My elite bib didn’t give me any special treatment pre-race, I was in with the civilians. I met up with my friend Rebecca, and we ran the first half of the race together.
The course was fantastic. The hills were lovely – and the only real climbs were between miles 4-6, so early in the race. The weather was essentially perfect, though the challenge with incredibly dry conditions and sweating is that you don’t feel your sweat – it evaporates quickly. I knew at some point, Rebecca would drop me as she pressed on for her goals that day. I was prepared to be dropped, as I wasn’t in shape to clock 6:50-7:00 minute mile pace the full 26.2 miles.
I had two major issues with race day: 1. The lack of porta potties at the start forced me to take 2 bathroom breaks along the course – around miles 15 and 22. If I’d gone into this race with a race goal, I would have been really pissed. 2. My elite bottles were impossible to get to! This was my second experience as an elite athlete, and usually elite athletes are given the opportunity to have their personal water bottles at hydration stations. Typically they are on a table, in clear view, 100-200 feet before the standard hydration stop. At St. George Marathon, they even went so far as to radio in when an elite bib was close, and I had a volunteer literally hand me my bottle. It’s an incredible perk. But at Phoenix, the bottles were literally on the table with the cups of Gatorade and water, making it hard to run through, grab my bottle and go as every other runner was aiming for the same table. Not only was that an issue, but volunteers were literally standing in front of my bottles, forcing me to stop, ask them to move, and then grab my bottle. After the first two stations, I gave up on my bottles and simply used the cups. It was a major bummer to change my hydration strategy on the fly, and with a little more thought and organization, a totally avoidable problem.
Marni was on the course in numerous places cheering for Rebecca and I, and when I saw her around mile 19, I said I was tired – which was true. I knew going out hard would at some point backfire, and it was just a matter of when. I could also feel dehydration, and so it was a game of reducing how much I was losing in the dry air. Oddly, I felt a little ankle pain in the last few miles, in a place I’d experienced tendonitis way back in 2012 – but not since then. So I did my best to maintain form and allow my pace to slow.
I crossed the finish line in 3:14 – nowhere near my best, but that didn’t matter. Phoenix Marathon was never about the clock for me. That 26.2 mile journey was a triumph in spirit. I had so much fun on the course. I felt proud of a body that bounced back from October, and was capable of clocking 26.2 in a very respectable time.
The finish line spread was hands down awesome. Phoenix Marathon truly crushed the after party. Tons of samples, waiters walking around and handing out french toast and caramel dipping sauce, free visors for everyone who ran a BQ, it was an insanely spectacular finish party. The walk back to the car was easy, and Marni and I went straight to In ‘n Out Burger – like you do.
Aside from the porta potty and elite bottle issues, I’d highly recommend Phoenix Marathon to anyone looking for a fast and well-organized Winter marathon.
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