One More For The Road

We got to Sacramento on Friday afternoon so I got to go to the Expo earlier than most. It was awesome. The race bag wasn’t quite as big as I thought it would be (mostly advertisements) but the free stuff being handed out at the expo made up for it. I got t-shirts and water bottles, and bought my coveted red hat. I also got a cool plaque with hooks on it to hang my medals.

Leading up to this marathon I was once again plagued by injuries. I’d like to blame overtraining but the reality is they are simply reoccurring injuries that are part of mythe finish line when the clock read 3:42:15. Not knowing how long it had taken me to get to the start line made it impossible to know whether or not I had qualified physiology. So I deal with them and move on. But I spent enough time healing and then rebuilding that I was a little concerned about being able to run the race. More importantly, I was worried about whether or not I would be able to qualify for Boston.

Pre Race

Saturday night was spent relaxing after a day with the kids at the zoo and an amusement park. Chelsea got there around 4pm and we chatted for a few hours before everyone piled into the car and went to a Japanese restaurant down the street. It was fantastic, and just what I was wanting the night before the rice. Light and simple. Even the boys were pretty well behaved.

We got back to the hotel at around 830ish and Chelsea begged off of coming back to our room after mysteriously claiming to ‘have things to do’. I was in bed at 930 with my alarm checked and rechecked to be sure it was set for 4am.

Sunday morning came quickly after a restful night’s sleep. I still wasn’t really nervous about the race. I got up and began my pre-race rituals. I had written down what time I wanted to eat and drink everything, and followed it exactly. It was a pretty easy morning.

Eric got up around 4:15 and joined me in the living room of out suite. The kids were in the king bed in the bedroom, but Trevor was up and awake at 4:30. I mostly just relaxed until 5:30am when I started getting dressed. And then the nerves set in.

We left the hotel at about 6:10, and followed the directions to the start line. It was so incredibly congested. Finally they were rerouting the cars, and I hopped out after saying quick ‘I love yous’ to everyone. And they were gone.

CIM offered shuttles from the drop off area to the start, but after asking the driver how far it was I figured I could jog the three-quarters of a mile to loosen up a little. I had to pee and headed straight for the port a potties only to find that the lines were (of course) crazy long. So I need what any other smart, resourceful runner would do. I squatted in the bushes. =D

Start

I optimistically lined up with the 3:40 pace group, figuring I had nothing to lose. It was fun. It was a huge group of people (being as it’s the Boston qualifying time for women ages 18-34) and it was fun to talk and get to know everyone.Running that pace was easy. The start was incredibly congested with no room to even move your arms. It cleared up after about 2 miles but was still pretty packed. The first 6 miles went really fast as we all worked on our pace and settled in for the run. I had been worried about being cold, but took my long sleeve off before mile 5 and never did put on gloves or ear warmers.
Mile 6

This was the first spot where I got to see my family. Eric and Chelsea had brought the boys down, and Chelsea had made signs the night before that said, “Go Mommy!” and “We love you!” It was awesome. They were neon and Jacob was holding them at the first stop. So cool. They handed off some GU (since I had no place to carry them) and sent me on my way.

Again, keeping this pace was remarkably easy. My heart rate was low even on the hills. I had read it before, but being billed as the fastest course in the west does not equate flat. There were some pretty good hills, and even bigger down hills as we worked out way to Sacramento.

Mile 10

Mile 10 once again came really fast. The 3:40 group was really friendly, and Mike the pace setter was awesome. He knew the course so well that he would tell us when to run on the right and left sides of the road because he knew which side was flatter. He also kept us running on the tangents to ensure we were taking shortest route possible. He reminded us to shake out our arms and drop our shoulders and stand up straight going up the hills. It was like running with my very own coach.

I had had to pee ever since mile 7 but was afraid to stop. I was running so easily that I considered running faster so I could go pee and not lose time (the pace group could just pick me up as they went by) but was afraid of burning out. I had no strategy for this, and should have asked Mike his opinion. But I didn’t.

Once again my family was there at mile 10, with signs, cheers, and GU. Oh, and a video camera on a tripod and a digital camera snapping pictures. They’re amazing.
 

Mile 15

Just before mile 15 I decided to stop and pee. Okay, at mile 13 I actually decided to stop, but had to run off the course to get to the port a potties and then found the line too long. So I waited until the next batch of bathrooms and took the time to pee. This was the beginning of the end for me.

I had been carrying Gatorade in a water bottle, and the sweetness was starting to get to me. The taste was beginning to upset my stomach, and I kept watching for my cheering squad so I could trade my Gatorade for water. They caught me at just about the 15 mile marker, but it was a close call; they saw my back! I turned around and got my GU and handed off my water so they could put water in it and give it to at Mile 20.

Miles 15-19

This was where it got really hard. The pace group was about 2 minutes ahead of me, and I spent the next 4 miles trying to find the balance between catching up and not burning out. I never did figure it out. My heart rate was too high, my lungs were working too hard, and my IT band started hurting (which I have never had problems with). I was taking the hills to fast, the down hills even faster, and just trying to get within site distance of that 3:40 sign.I finally caught up at mile 19 and managed to stay with them for a mile before all of that intensity came back to bite me in the ass.
Mile 20

The family was once again there with my water, and it was great to see them. I was so tired and so nauseous and honestly seeing them almost made me cry. My IT pain had gravitated to ‘entire upper leg’ pain and my calves were stiffening up. I was still keeping pace with the 3:40’s, but slowly they started pulling away. I just couldn’t keep up.

Mile 20-25

These were the hardest miles ever. Even my first marathon couldn’t compete with this. I was dragging and I knew it, and was beginning to think of all the reasons why it was okay to quit; okay to walk; okay to give up and try again another time. I kept slogging through, though, trying to mentally build myself up. Mile 23 hit me like a ton of bricks, and continuing on was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

At Mile 25.something I met up with a girl who was struggling to finish as well. Her boyfriend was cheering her on and I kind of attached myself to them because I found it so motivating. I talked to her briefly, and she mentioned that we were right on for a 3:40 finish. I realized what she was saying at about 6 miles, and started running as hard as I could. The idea that I hadn’t lost Boston was invigorating. Even though the site of the licorice they offered at mile 25.5 made me want to throw up, I just pushed as much as I could to get through.

Mile 26.2

What I failed to realize is that the woman I was running with crossed the start line a few minutes after me. Which means that my chip time was much different than hers. I ran all out for the last quarter of a mile, and crossed .Turns out, my official chip time was 3:41:11. I missed Boston my 12 seconds. Yeah. What can I say to that?

Actually, I have to say that I am pretty okay with it. There is nothing about the race I would do different. Looking back, it’s easy to say Just 12 seconds faster. But remembering how I felt at each mile marker reinforces that there was not any part of that run where I could have run faster. At mile 23 I was so burned out and nauseous I was thinking about quitting. So going from that to a 3:41:11 finish is pretty damn good.

I just don’t have ……….. [whatever it is] inside of me to be disappointed or upset about a race where I a.) ran 26.2 miles and b.) cut 18 minutes and 7 seconds off my time. In 11 months. I can handle that, even without the other.

Final Thoughts

This was an amazing experience. My first marathon was this past January, where I finished in 3:59:18. 3 years ago I was 90 pounds overweight and handed never run farther than to the refrigerator when I needed an ice cream fix. Now I have two marathons under my belt and know beyond a doubt that I am capable of qualifying for Boston. That’s pretty heady stuff.My quads and calves are pretty sore today, but nothing like after the first marathon. I know that within a few days they will be fine. And even though I did the predictable at Mile 23 and swore to myself that I would never run another marathon, it took only a few hours before I started planning the next one.

So, who wants to join me at LA in March?