August 14, 2009, Newsletter Issue #105: Early Fall Marathons: The Bonuses of Baltimore

Tip of the Week

In keeping with my theme of helping you choose an early fall marathon, I'm putting in a plug for one that's local to me--the Baltimore Marathon. I ran this the first year it was held, and qualified for Boston (barely, but I made it) despite the hills and race day conditions hotter than I like.


I haven't run Baltimore since then (2001), because it hasn't fit with my schedule, but the race has for the most part gotten better each year, based on what I've heard from friends who have done it.


Among the bonuses of Baltimore:


-It's still open. I'm not sure what the cutoff number is, but you can still sign up.


-You have options. If you sign up for the marathon but get injured, or you feel that your training just isn't going well, you have the option of switching to the half marathon, held on the same day. There's also a 5K and a kids' fun run.


-Nice shirt. Of course, the first year of the Baltimore marathon yielded a basic cotton long-sleeved shirt, and I couldn't complain about it. But now the race is sponsored in part by Under Armour (which is based in the area) so you get a nice UA race shirt as a memento of the occasion.


-You'll have company. Although not as big as Chicago, Baltimore is still a big race, so if you like having lots of people around you, and crowds to pull you along, you'll find that here. The race provides pace group leaders, too, which some people find helpful in meeting a specific time goal.


If any of this sounds interesting to you, check out www.thebaltimoremarathon.com. and start planning your training around Oct. 10.


A downside--you'll be doing some of those long training runs in August--not much fun, but it can be done!


Happy Running!

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