I finished the Baltimore Marathon yesterday and knocked about an hour off my previous time (went from 4hrs 57 mins to 4hrs and 3 mins). The race was a lot of fun and even though my goal was 3 hrs and 30 minutes, I had fun, I see where I need improvement, I had major leg cramps at the end but the adrenaline, the crowd, the power gel, it kept me going. Overall it was an awesome experience.
I almost missed the beginning of the race, I thought I had given myself enough time to get from Pikesville to Camden Yards; however, towards the end of the drive I took the wrong exit..well, it was the correct exit (The Baltimore Marathon Organizers advised people to take this exit)… instead of taking MLK Drive off of 695 they told us to take Russell Street. Cars were backed up for almost two miles, and after being on the exit and moving like 1/2 a mile in 30 minutes, we decided that I had to get out and run to make the starting time. Anyway, I made it, it didn’t affect my run, but it did make me more nervous at the beginning then I would have liked.
As I was marching to the starting line I thought to myself, direction not intention determines destination. I wanted to be there in time I just took the wrong path, I took the path everyone else was taking because it felt safe. Next year I’ll have to plan better.