Running in the Wind and Rain: The Flying Pig Marathon

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Running in the Wind and Rain: The Flying Pig Marathon
Words: 423 | Date: Sat, 8 May 2010

The annual Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon and Half-Marathon was held on Sunday May 2, 2010 at 6:30 in the morning. Many runners gathered in the streets early Sunday morning in the dark heading towards the stadium despite the inclement weather of rain, thunder and lightning. Yes, it was thunder storming at six in the morning as runners began their walk to the starting line. It was no light rain either. Runners were covered head to toe with umbrellas, trash bags, raincoats, and plastic ponchos. Some even braved it out without any protection than only their running clothes.

As we walked among all of the runners, the sky lit up with lightning followed by was a rumbling and grumbling of thunder. Yes, we were all scared but we all made it this far. We walked in the rain to the start line. We avoided puddles and tried to keep warm. The host of the race announced that the thunder storms we were experiencing were sporadic, as reported from the national weather service, and they confirmed that we had it much better than people south from us. So the race began and we started running.

It was difficult at first to begin running, as we were held down by our wet clothes, but runners were already flinging off their protective ponchos and trash bags as these plastic devices only slowed them down. All around you there were plastic bags and clothes people no longer wanted. The first mile of the course included crossing a bridge from Ohio to Kentucky and moved through parts of Northern Kentucky. Then you took a different bridge back to Ohio. And, man!... there were HILLS throughout the race! At mile 6 was the major uphill battle as you were fighting rain, humidity, and soaking clothes, you also had to push your quads up these hills and fight for as long as possible. You would then see a flat part followed by another incline.

There were many of these hills throughout the race, but we all thought positively. After all, if there is an uphill, there also has to be a downhill and sure enough the last 3 miles of the race were practically all downhill. Finally crossing the "Finish Swine" as they called it, we were done. We got our mylar blankets, water bottles, bagels, fruit and yogurt to get our bodies moving again. Once we were done we had to manage our way back to the hotel. Then, finally, we could shower and relax in bed to recover.
Dr. Andrew Schneider is a podiatrist in private practice in Houston, TX. He is dedicated to maintaining the health and safety of the feet of athletes and return them to their sport as soon as possible after injury. For more information about foot health in sports, informative videos, and to order Dr. Schneider's FREE book, visit his website and his blog "The Houston Running Chronicles"

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