Saturday before race day, I drove up to Santa Clarita with two friends, Omar and Lindsay. They served as my coaches, PR team, motivational support, and groupies! We went to the expo, saw a movie, had dinner at an Argentinean restaurant, and then headed to the hotel. Amazingly we had an extra hour to sleep because of Daylight Savings. I was feeling more confident than ever!
My alarm blasted at 5:00am (Jump by Van Halen) and I immediately drank a dopio espresso, stretched, and dressed. I was fired up and ready to go the distance! I ate my traditional pre-race meal: a chocolate Powerbar, banana, and Gatorade. With perfect weather, 52 degrees and no humidity, the day was already very promising. Then it got better… MOTOWN! The Tempations, Supremes, and many more were blasting over the speakers – I’m a closet oldies fan, but I guess the cat is out of the bag now. Haha!
6:55am… took a Gel & 2 SALT tabs during the National Anthem, then before I knew it BANG! I was off, feeling nice and light! 7:26 at mile 1, way too fast but I’d planned to get into my groove after the first 4 miles, nothing to worry about. At the mile 3 water stop two-dozen cheering kids slapped my hand, I was a celebrity! Through mile 5 I was averaging a 7:20-mile pace and realized that I was being irresponsible, reckless, and naive. So, I backed off and settled into a brisk 7:50-mile pace, taking my gels and salt tabs as I had planned, and chatting with other runners. It felt like a routine that I had rehearsed endlessly.
At mile 12.5 the course split, sending the half marathoners toward the finish. Great! I was almost half-way to finishing my first marathon… so I thought. With fewer distractions, I was able to notice the awesome creek side path on which I was running. Still feeling like a champ, at mile 13 I started sucking on the Organic Gummy Pandas that I’d been carrying. They served no nutritional benefit BUT they tasted good, so I had figured they might as well become a part of my nutrition plan.
At mile 16 the dreaded aches, pain, and cramps slowly started to set in so I popped two Advil Liqui-Gels and instantly felt fresh again. The rejuvenation was probably due to a placebo effect, but it worked so I was happy. My pace slowed slightly and began to teeter between 7:55 and 8:00min/mi. I was still on track! Then, mile 20 hit me like a BRICK WALL! “Uh-oh…?!” This was a fatigue unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I had started to pass participants who had succumbed to the pain, but I was dead-set on running every step of the race! Finishing sub 3:30:00 seemed of less importance as I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Then I checked the Garmin and began to panic as my pace had slowed and became inconsistent. 8:24, 8:18, 8:11, 8:41… my quads were on fire! After mile 24 I tried to make myself cry, because I thought it would take some of the pain away. No luck, no tears. DARN! Oh well, 2 more miles. Almost there! At this point I passed a couple of competitors, who had been ions ahead of me but were now walking.
FINALLY I passed the mile 25 mark. 1.2 miles to go; I was in more pain than I had experienced in my entire life. I tried to muster some confidence, but nothing could have possibly prepared me for what was about to happen… suddenly my hamstrings cramped to a point that I almost didn’t have control of my legs. Still, I kept running. At that moment I was all alone, literally and figuratively. So, in a Tony Soprano fashion, I muttered a string of obscenities.
“I should stop- but I can’t. No it isn’t that I can’t, I have a choice…”
It was a choice that I made quickly… “Ehh, what the Hell?” I was back in it for a sub 3:30 finish! It wasn’t too late! I clearly started saying aloud “YOU WILL DO THIS! YOU WILL DO THIS!” I repeated it two more times, struggling to hold onto my momentum. I had a sea of voices flowing through my mind, those who had given me advice, those who had encouraged me, those who had challenged me:
“3:30?! Psh, You’ll be able to do that, no problem!”
“Of all people, I’m not worried about you!”
“That’s what I ran at the end of my IronMan.”
“ You’re going to hit the wall!”
… then all the voiced stopped! I was focused, determined, and on a mission!
The course went up and down a few overpasses, which might as well have been Mt. Everest! Then I was back on the road; my legs had long since gone numb. Spectators cheered me on, and soon I was at the end of the stretch, then one last left turn, and I was on the last straight away… FINALLY! I heard the announcer bellow my name over the PA and then I saw the Finish Line clock, 3:28-something! HELL YEAH! I crossed the finish sub 3:30, with time to spare! I punched my fist with excitement!
After a can of coke, “The CureAll,” I finally started to feel semi-normal again. I checked the results and saw that my chip time was a 3:28:00! FIRST IN MY AGE GROUP?! Even better! I stuck around for the awards ceremony and then went to celebrate with Omar and Lindsay at BJs. Pizza and beer takes all the pain away!
I had successfully completed my first marathon, under my goal-time, without stopping, and took first in my age group. It was a great race! I gained a crucial amount of experience as an athlete and now have a much greater respect for the marathon distance. It’s a good thing, because the next time I run that far will be during Iron Man Coeur d’Alene.
THANK YOU to everyone who gave me the much needed advice and encouragement which lead to my success. A special thank you goes out to Omar, Lindsay, Hunter, Aaron and Erin; I couldn’t have done it without you!
