Run the Pig with Squadron Strategy
The Flying Pig Squadron is made up of runners who have run the Pig ten or more times. I’m hoping this year to finish my 20th Flying Pig full marathon. I’ve written course tours and strategy blogs about the race in the past and thought now would be a good time to update them for the runners either new to our race or runners who would like to see how others with lots of experience would approach it.
First of all, it is important to note that most of the Squadron members see the Flying Pig both as a running race and as a running party. Some years when conditions are particularly good and we are particularly well trained we will emphasize the race and sacrifice a bit of the party. I did this in 2005 when I ran my all-time PR from over 130 marathons at the Flying Pig. Other years we will run in party mode for 26.2 miles and celebrate the good fortune of sharing a wonderful experience with lots of follow runners. This report is aimed at those who come to race, but would like to experience some of the things the Pig has to offer that make it special.
The starting area of the Pig near Paycor Stadium is very well organized into corrals by expected starting pace. Because we will be starting with the half marathon and relay runners, it is a bit crowed close to race time. Give yourself plenty of extra time to find your corral without adding any extra stress to your race morning. I would highly recommend finding the “Spot On” Pace team leader that plans to start out at your expected pace. The Flying Pig takes great pride in the local, experienced pace team leaders that sign on year after year to pace our race.
Say hello to your pace team leader and plan to cross the starting line behind them but within clear view of their pace sign. My recommendation for the next 4+ miles would be to focus on keeping that pace sign in front of you as you calm your breathing and relax into your race pace without having to think about it. In the crowded first mile or two you will most likely pass a few walkers and slow runners who have obviously placed themselves in the wrong corral. Just go by and keep following the pace sign as they lead you for your early morning tour of Northern Kentucky.
Early in the 5th mile as you are entering back into downtown Cincinnati on 7th Street you will notice the twin spires of the historic Plum Street Temple on your left. I’ve paced this section with the pace team many times and my strategy has changed over the past few years. My current recommendation for the short downtown section would be to completely ignore the pace team. Most years the density of fans in this section is one of the highest on the course. It is flat or slightly downhill. This is a good place to just enjoy the run. No need to think. Most likely the crowd will buoy you to run a bit faster than pace, but absorb the energy, relax, and go with the flow. Keep up the rhythm out of town and down the hill to Hard Rock Casino on your left.
As you go by Hard Rock you come to the base of what we call Eden Park Hill in Cincinnati. If you have come to race, how you handle this hill will be very important in determining your final place. Squadron Strategy for handling Eden Park Hill follows the conventional racing wisdom for handling race hills. That is, concentrate on effort rather than pace. In general, your effort for the next few miles going up the hill should match the effort of your race pace on flat ground. If you run too slow, you lose too much time over a few miles. If you run too fast, you use too much of your energy supply needed for the final miles of the run. The pace team leaders will slow some on the hill, but effort is very individualized and I would recommend putting in the concentration to monitor your own effort for this section.
One pro tip on Eden Park Hill is to walk the short steep section immediately after you make the right hand turn into the park on Eden Park Drive. I don’t mean a head down, defeated walk of someone who could not run this hill. I mean the determined, brisk walk of a runner who realizes there is no shame in walking when it is planned for a very short, very steep hill that would waste a tremendous amount of energy getting airborne to save a few seconds. The steep hill is followed by a flatter section where you can get back into your normal effort before resuming the rest of the hill.
Near the top of the hill, you will make a right turn onto Lake Drive to the Eden Park Overlook. Most years this is one of the most beautiful views on the course. It is worth shifting your concentration to the view of the Ohio River and the course entertainment as you make your way around the overlook section. As you leave the overlook the uphill is fairly gentle to the very top near St Ursula Academy High School. A few more turns and you come to De Sales corner where the half marathoners will turn left and the full marathoners turn right.
After the right turn at De Sales corner onto Madison is a good time to check where you stand with your pace group. If they are slightly ahead of you it would be a good idea to slowly catch up over the next few miles, not few minutes. If they are behind you and you continue to run your pace, they should slowly catch you on some of the downhills ahead. If the pace group is not within sight, then look for a runner with a Streaker bib or Squadron bib on their back. The Streakers have run all 26 of the Flying Pig marathons and would be a wealth of information for pacing the next 18 miles.
The next few miles through the suburbs of O’Bryonville and Hyde Park feature rolling hills through pleasant supportive communities. As you run down into O’Bryonville you will run past a small, empty storefront immediately past a black canopy with 1991 on it. This empty store is the former home of Bob Roncker’s Running Spot. Bob Roncker is George Washington on the Flying Pig Marathon version of Mount Rushmore. Bob guided the Cincinnati running community through two running booms and you are now running in the area of town where most of the top running talent of our city has spent a significant amount of their training time. Try to absorb the strong running vibe as you make your way by.
About half a mile past Hyde Park Square on Erie Avenue is a downhill “S” curve that winds past a police station on the right. Just past the police station is probably the most unique home in Cincinnati. It sits in front of a large yellow house and we call it the “mushroom house”. My understanding is that it was built by a professor at our world-renowned U of Cincinnati Architecture School. It is worth slowing for a moment to check it out as you go by.
Mile 13 is almost a full mile of nice, shady downhill coming out of the east side of Hyde Park. Most pace groups will use this mile to gain back the time they gave up coming up Eden Park Hill. It is a good idea to do the same even if you are no longer running with the group. Another pro tip in this area is to ignore what looks like a pretty steep hill in front of you as you glide down this mile. It is a bit of an optical illusion while running downhill and when you get to the bottom you will see the uphill that follows is not very steep at all.
Just after the 14-mile marker is a 90 degree turn onto Settle St. This short street has a very small culvert that has the steepest section of downhill and uphill on the course. This is the second of three spots I recommend a power walk. The only reason to save the few seconds of running this uphill would be to psych out your competition. Otherwise save some energy for Riverside Drive.
The Mariemont section of the course is a flat, beautiful, shaded, well supported few miles to enjoy. There are lots of turns, so keep your head up and concentrate on the tangents so you can run the shortest distance possible. The Mariemont section ends with the only bike trail section of the course. After turning off the bike trail you will wind to the left to the base of Waterson Hill. Here’s your final free pass to walk this short hill. There is still almost ten miles to go, no need to waste valuable energy pushing up this one.
The Frisch’s Mainliner Restaurant on Wooster Pike is the beginning of the only featureless mile on the entire course. It is a shadeless run down the shoulder of a highway. It is mostly downhill, so a good spot to think about form, hydration and relaxation. I would guess a poll of our Squadron members would show this is the least favorite part of our course, but it is only about one mile long and is the only reasonable way to connect these beautiful eastern suburbs back to our downtown.
Enjoy the few seconds of shade of the off ramp as you exit onto Eastern Avenue. Soon you will be going by the final relay exchange zone of the race. The exchange zones are always great for a pick-me-up of energy and enthusiasm. Absorb as much of the positive stuff as you can and ignore completely the fast anchor runners who come out of the relay zone running much faster than any of the marathoners around them.
Just a little further down Eastern is Bella Luna Hill. This is the hill you were saving energy for by walking on those short steep hills early in the race. It is only about one third of the famous Heartbreak Hill in Boston, but comes in exactly the same place in the race and for many runners will have the same effect. It is most likely getting hard to judge effort by this time, but really try to match the effort going up the hill with the effort of pace on flat ground. The hill bends and continues to go gently up so prepare to keep going up until you can actually see the downhill. Don’t walk.
From the top of Bella Luna Hill is a nice downhill leading to the charming, old neighborhood of Columbia/Tusculum. Several of the oldest houses in Cincinnati line the streets here and can be a nice distraction for those who would like a break from concentration at this point. Five more miles to go and you are now at the elevation of the finish line. Unfortunately, very little of the five miles is flat. It is mostly a gentle down and up that is nowhere near the severity of the rollers you conquered in O’Bryonville and Hyde Park. So don’t be intimidated.
As you look down the Ohio River while you run on Riverside Drive you will see the yellow beams of what we call the Big Mac Bridge. That bridge is not the finish line, but is within one mile of the finish line and is a good marker for your progress toward it. If you have been fortunate to be able to link back up with a pace team at this point in the race, it would be great to hang with them as the leaders push on the gas a little on the downs and cajole the team by slowing slightly on the ups. Otherwise keep that effort consistent for the final few miles.
The final 90 degree turn of the race is onto Barry Larkin Way (formerly Mehring Way). As the road bends to the right, you will soon be able to see the characteristic stone pillars of the Roebling Suspension Bridge. The finish line is just beyond where that bridge goes over the course. Time to decide if cutting every second is important enough to make it hurt a bit. Either way, the wonderful Finish Swine of our race is just ahead.
The wide open, runners only, finish area makes for an easy place to collect your medal, grab some water and snacks, then head for the family reunion area on the open grassy area of Smale Riverfront Park. Enjoy your recovery time in the park and be sure to take a few photos with our classic suspension bridge pillars in the background. Thanks for coming to Cincinnati to take on our race. This one counts toward the ten you would need to join the Squadron and we would love to have you in our ranks one day!
