2015 Circular Logic Marathon Race Report

Six-word recap: No PR during this legacy race.

I did Circular Logic last year and hope to keep doing this race every year. There are so many reasons to run Circular Logic: it's cheap, it's close, it's well-supported, it's flat. The only drawback is it's 26 one-mile loops. Some would say this is boring. However, it's easy to find the silver lining. You're never more than 1 mile from your car or a bathroom. You can set up your own aid station. Your support team doesn't have to move an inch to see you start, finish and pass by 26 times.

See why I'll keep doing this forever?

Not to mention, the swag is great. You get a gender-specific tech T-shirt with your name on it and a stellar medal, complete with additional charms if you do it more than one year. So I had to not only do this race, but finish it.

We assembled the same crew as last year and recruited a few more friends to make the uneventful two-hour drive to West Lafayette, where we stayed at a very nice suite procured by Mo. It was nicer than any of my college apartments, and made it easy for us to reheat our Costco pizza for dinner, turn in early and sleep well before cashing in on the free breakfast. We had a short 15-minute drive to Cumberland Park and found a spot right next to the course without incident. There were four port-o-potties this year, along with two normal bathrooms, and th
e same aid station as last year. Volunteers refill your bottles for you and return them to the table, making this a zero-waste race.

I started with the 9 a.m. crowd, although there's a 7 and an 8 a.m. start option. This year's timing was upgraded to triathlon-style anklets, which worked quite well and there were no issues with missed laps. I didn't have high hopes for this year. My training, while it included two 20-mile runs, was not exactly text book. I really just wanted to finish this race and smile. So I settled into an 8:30 to 8:40 pace, which I kept up for probably the first 10 miles. My tummy started rumbling around six, but I kept it together until 17. At that point, I stopped for a much-too-long bathroom break. Oh well.

Basically, you can split this marathon into three parts - the first 10 miles, I maintained a respectable 8:30-pace. The second 10 miles, I was closer to a nine-minute pace. The last 10k, I ran/walked what I could. I finished in 4:11, which was faster than last year, so I can't really complain.

Here's to running around in circles for years and years to come.

Time: 4:11:41.66

Cost: $43

Pros: It's cheap, it's well-supported, it benefits the local running community, it's easy to get to, great shirt and medal, lots of incredibly dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers.

Cons: It's a circle. Over and over again. You pass people on a sidewalk and on the street. The weather is unpredictable this time of year in Indiana.

Would I do this race again?: Every. Damn. Year.