Marathon day. I woke up at 3:30 a.m. thinking I would rather stuff myself full of yummy Eggs Benedict and peanut butter and banana French toast than run a marathon. While I still feel strongly that this is the case, I snapped out of it, ate my bagel and banana, and put on my running clothes. I even put a temporary tattoo with the marathon logo on my arm to try to get myself in the marathon spirit.
My first marathon was an out-and-back course, where the runners start and finish in the same spot. San Diego, on the other hand, was a point-to-point course, where the start and finish are in different areas of the city. We got on the city trolley around 4:15 a.m. and rode to a station near the airport parking lot, which was the designated parking area for the race. We walked to the lot and boarded a shuttle bus, about a fifteen minute ride, to the start line. We arrived at the start line around 5:15 a.m. and sat around waiting for the start.
We lined up in our designated corral, number 13, and waited for the start. Apparently, several corrals were added at the expo, because there were at least 7 corrals behind us. Everyone lined up around us had a predicted finish time of 4:30:00, so we were in the right place. There was lots of entertainment at the start, and the weather was cool, cloudy, and absolutely perfect. I heard some people complaining that it was “muggy,” but they haven’t been in Fort Worth when it is 95 degrees with 90% humidity! Fort Worth has humidity; on Sunday, San Diego was damp at worst and refreshing at best. The gun went off at 6:30 a.m., and David and I ran together for about half a mile. I couldn’t believe that he was running with me, and I finally convinced him that he should take off if he wanted to beat Oprah.
Take off he did! Equipped with a “pace tat” on is left arm for 4:30:00 pace, he was off. He was also wearing my pink and black Nike sports watch because he was too cheap to purchase his own; I made fun of his “girly” watch, but he didn’t care. I swear to you that was the first time I have ever seen him run with a watch before. He must have had a great race (or he was delusional), because he said he was high-fiving cheering fans along the course. Apparently, he hit the wall pretty hard at mile 25, because he walked some of that mile, despite the fact that he was so close to the finish! Despite the mile 25 walking incident, David clearly showed that he was prepared for this race, and his final time was 4:18:51. He destroyed Oprah and nearly beat P-Diddy. His excuse for not beating P-Diddy was that he has “nearly 30 pounds on that guy.” I am not sure about that excuse, so I think he needs to run another and try to destroy P-Diddy’s time as well.
I told you I would be happy if I beat my previous time by even a second. That’s because I did not train nearly as much for this race, and I have been really down on running. I stood at the start trying to remind myself of all of the positive things about the day – beautiful weather, being there with David, the chance to say “I am a marathoner” rather than “I have run a marathon”—but the start loomed over me. I had to remind myself repeatedly that I have completed the distance before, and I can do it again. I really felt unprepared, but I was there, and I might as well run because I didn’t have much else to do and I had paid the $110 entry fee. I was also thinking marathon #2 would be my last. When the gun went off, I enjoyed talking to David for a few minutes before he left me in the dust. Then I was on my own. I carried my iPod but didn’t turn it on because I wanted to hear all the bands. The first band was really cool and really rocked out. After I passed the first band, I decided there was going to be too much silence for me to bear, and I switched on the iPod. The sound of my feet hitting the pavement over and over and over again really gets to me after a while. I think we could introduce that as a new form of military torture. It would work on me.
The course was awesome, especially the first half. We started in beautiful Balboa Park and ran through downtown San Diego. The course went very close to our hotel, and I had more than one thought about finishing up around mile 5 and heading to the hotel for a nice, long nap. I kept on moving, mainly uphill for the next 5 miles. Around mile 10, the Japanese drummers were the designated “band,” and they were awesome! They sounded so good that I decided to take my port-a-potty break near them so that I could listen to them longer. At this point in the race, I was on pace for a 4:45:00 and I was feeling pretty good. I lost some time on the potty break, and the uphill portion, but even after the half-way point, I thought I might be able to make up some time. The course was really cool because they actually closed down an entire side of an 8-lane highway for the runners. Not very convenient for drivers, but great for the runners because it really allowed everyone some personal space. Highway 163 was the most beautiful part of the race – highways lined with beautiful trees and bushes, and some of the most beautiful bridges I have ever seen.
However, what goes up must come down. And down and down and down we ran (check out the link for the course in the right-hand margin). This made up some time for me initially, but I think it really put a pounding on my knees and calf muscles. I wasn’t really the same after the downhill portion of the race, and once we exited Highway 163, the scenery was not really as nice, either. By mile 20, I was operating on sheer will, telling myself that I might was well run because walking would just take longer. I was sure that my calf was going to seize up at any time. Around mile 23, all the runners ran up a street, made a u-turn and ran back down the same street. This is disconcerting running up the street because you see all the people ahead of you, but it is (a little) inspiring after the u-turn because you realize you are probably not going to finish last. My last water stop and GU walk break followed the u-turn. I was so close – less than a 5K to go – and I could not make myself run. I kept telling myself to run because walking would just take longer, but I walked for several minutes before I could motivate myself to pick up the pace. I finally started running again and decided I would do my best to finish strong. The last mile was so deceptive, because we just kept making turns. I just knew the finish was around every turn, but it wasn’t coming fast enough. I finally took off when one of the spectators yelled that I only had ½ a mile to go. I kept repeating “half a mile” to myself and picked up the pace. The finish line was packed with spectators in grandstands, which was really fun. It was also really fun to set a new PR of 4:50:19! However, I enjoyed my White Rock finish more because I saw many friends and family as I was finishing. No one was there to see me finish, which did not make it quite as much fun. I hate it for David that no one got to see him finish his first marathon. I have not done it yet, but it will be funny to compare my finish line pictures from my first and second marathons. Marathon one finish was pure joy; marathon two finish was pure pain.
After the finish, the runners enter into a “secured finish area” accessible only to the runners. They were handing out ice-cold wet towels, which was awesome! We were funneled through and got our medals, water, sports drink and food, and I finally got one of those cool foil blankets to keep me warm (in all the races I’ve run, I have never gotten one). Upon leaving the secured area, runners could turn left to pick up their check bags or right to go the “family reunion” area where David and I had planned to meet. I turned left to pick up my bag, which was supposed to be in the back of the UPS truck I checked it in at the start. It wasn’t. They kept looking and looking, but it wasn’t there. I watched the lady tell person after person that they could not pick up someone else’s bag, so I assumed that David could not have picked up the bag for me. After standing at the truck, basically delusional from exhaustion, for nearly twenty minutes, I asked the lady if she could have given my bag to my husband. Oh, yes, she said, that was the only person she let take someone else’s bag! A little frustrated, I turned to walk the quarter of a mile to the family reunion area to find David, standing with my bag. So sweet of him to think of me! He had given the lady my name and told her to tell me he had my bag, but she apparently forgot. Oh well.
After taking some photos, we drank a free MGD 64 (not too bad!) and had some free lettuce wraps provided by PF Chang's. We finally left the finish area and walked to the shuttle bus area. The line was so long that we decided to do the ¾ mile walk from the finish area to the trolley station. Three-quarters of a mile felt like ten miles, but we finally made it! We returned to the hotel, where I took an ice bath and we showered and then napped. After a nice nap, we headed to a cool bar called The Yard House, where we devoured a giant plate of chicken nachos, before heading to another bar to watch people do Karaoke until midnight. That probably wasn’t the best idea in terms of recovery, but it sure was a lot of fun! We got to spend time with friends from Amarillo and San Diego, so it was worth it.
We returned to our hotel, stopped at the restaurant, and ate some fish tacos and delicious hummus with veggies and chips. It was a great way to end the evening, celebrating a successful marathon for both of us. The final result of the marathon is that David is a rock star and I am now a “marathoner.” And so you know – I have already been asking myself how much I could improve my time if I trained harder. I don’t know about David, but I think there will be another marathon in my future!
My first marathon was an out-and-back course, where the runners start and finish in the same spot. San Diego, on the other hand, was a point-to-point course, where the start and finish are in different areas of the city. We got on the city trolley around 4:15 a.m. and rode to a station near the airport parking lot, which was the designated parking area for the race. We walked to the lot and boarded a shuttle bus, about a fifteen minute ride, to the start line. We arrived at the start line around 5:15 a.m. and sat around waiting for the start.
We lined up in our designated corral, number 13, and waited for the start. Apparently, several corrals were added at the expo, because there were at least 7 corrals behind us. Everyone lined up around us had a predicted finish time of 4:30:00, so we were in the right place. There was lots of entertainment at the start, and the weather was cool, cloudy, and absolutely perfect. I heard some people complaining that it was “muggy,” but they haven’t been in Fort Worth when it is 95 degrees with 90% humidity! Fort Worth has humidity; on Sunday, San Diego was damp at worst and refreshing at best. The gun went off at 6:30 a.m., and David and I ran together for about half a mile. I couldn’t believe that he was running with me, and I finally convinced him that he should take off if he wanted to beat Oprah.
Take off he did! Equipped with a “pace tat” on is left arm for 4:30:00 pace, he was off. He was also wearing my pink and black Nike sports watch because he was too cheap to purchase his own; I made fun of his “girly” watch, but he didn’t care. I swear to you that was the first time I have ever seen him run with a watch before. He must have had a great race (or he was delusional), because he said he was high-fiving cheering fans along the course. Apparently, he hit the wall pretty hard at mile 25, because he walked some of that mile, despite the fact that he was so close to the finish! Despite the mile 25 walking incident, David clearly showed that he was prepared for this race, and his final time was 4:18:51. He destroyed Oprah and nearly beat P-Diddy. His excuse for not beating P-Diddy was that he has “nearly 30 pounds on that guy.” I am not sure about that excuse, so I think he needs to run another and try to destroy P-Diddy’s time as well.
I told you I would be happy if I beat my previous time by even a second. That’s because I did not train nearly as much for this race, and I have been really down on running. I stood at the start trying to remind myself of all of the positive things about the day – beautiful weather, being there with David, the chance to say “I am a marathoner” rather than “I have run a marathon”—but the start loomed over me. I had to remind myself repeatedly that I have completed the distance before, and I can do it again. I really felt unprepared, but I was there, and I might as well run because I didn’t have much else to do and I had paid the $110 entry fee. I was also thinking marathon #2 would be my last. When the gun went off, I enjoyed talking to David for a few minutes before he left me in the dust. Then I was on my own. I carried my iPod but didn’t turn it on because I wanted to hear all the bands. The first band was really cool and really rocked out. After I passed the first band, I decided there was going to be too much silence for me to bear, and I switched on the iPod. The sound of my feet hitting the pavement over and over and over again really gets to me after a while. I think we could introduce that as a new form of military torture. It would work on me.
The course was awesome, especially the first half. We started in beautiful Balboa Park and ran through downtown San Diego. The course went very close to our hotel, and I had more than one thought about finishing up around mile 5 and heading to the hotel for a nice, long nap. I kept on moving, mainly uphill for the next 5 miles. Around mile 10, the Japanese drummers were the designated “band,” and they were awesome! They sounded so good that I decided to take my port-a-potty break near them so that I could listen to them longer. At this point in the race, I was on pace for a 4:45:00 and I was feeling pretty good. I lost some time on the potty break, and the uphill portion, but even after the half-way point, I thought I might be able to make up some time. The course was really cool because they actually closed down an entire side of an 8-lane highway for the runners. Not very convenient for drivers, but great for the runners because it really allowed everyone some personal space. Highway 163 was the most beautiful part of the race – highways lined with beautiful trees and bushes, and some of the most beautiful bridges I have ever seen.
However, what goes up must come down. And down and down and down we ran (check out the link for the course in the right-hand margin). This made up some time for me initially, but I think it really put a pounding on my knees and calf muscles. I wasn’t really the same after the downhill portion of the race, and once we exited Highway 163, the scenery was not really as nice, either. By mile 20, I was operating on sheer will, telling myself that I might was well run because walking would just take longer. I was sure that my calf was going to seize up at any time. Around mile 23, all the runners ran up a street, made a u-turn and ran back down the same street. This is disconcerting running up the street because you see all the people ahead of you, but it is (a little) inspiring after the u-turn because you realize you are probably not going to finish last. My last water stop and GU walk break followed the u-turn. I was so close – less than a 5K to go – and I could not make myself run. I kept telling myself to run because walking would just take longer, but I walked for several minutes before I could motivate myself to pick up the pace. I finally started running again and decided I would do my best to finish strong. The last mile was so deceptive, because we just kept making turns. I just knew the finish was around every turn, but it wasn’t coming fast enough. I finally took off when one of the spectators yelled that I only had ½ a mile to go. I kept repeating “half a mile” to myself and picked up the pace. The finish line was packed with spectators in grandstands, which was really fun. It was also really fun to set a new PR of 4:50:19! However, I enjoyed my White Rock finish more because I saw many friends and family as I was finishing. No one was there to see me finish, which did not make it quite as much fun. I hate it for David that no one got to see him finish his first marathon. I have not done it yet, but it will be funny to compare my finish line pictures from my first and second marathons. Marathon one finish was pure joy; marathon two finish was pure pain.
After the finish, the runners enter into a “secured finish area” accessible only to the runners. They were handing out ice-cold wet towels, which was awesome! We were funneled through and got our medals, water, sports drink and food, and I finally got one of those cool foil blankets to keep me warm (in all the races I’ve run, I have never gotten one). Upon leaving the secured area, runners could turn left to pick up their check bags or right to go the “family reunion” area where David and I had planned to meet. I turned left to pick up my bag, which was supposed to be in the back of the UPS truck I checked it in at the start. It wasn’t. They kept looking and looking, but it wasn’t there. I watched the lady tell person after person that they could not pick up someone else’s bag, so I assumed that David could not have picked up the bag for me. After standing at the truck, basically delusional from exhaustion, for nearly twenty minutes, I asked the lady if she could have given my bag to my husband. Oh, yes, she said, that was the only person she let take someone else’s bag! A little frustrated, I turned to walk the quarter of a mile to the family reunion area to find David, standing with my bag. So sweet of him to think of me! He had given the lady my name and told her to tell me he had my bag, but she apparently forgot. Oh well.
After taking some photos, we drank a free MGD 64 (not too bad!) and had some free lettuce wraps provided by PF Chang's. We finally left the finish area and walked to the shuttle bus area. The line was so long that we decided to do the ¾ mile walk from the finish area to the trolley station. Three-quarters of a mile felt like ten miles, but we finally made it! We returned to the hotel, where I took an ice bath and we showered and then napped. After a nice nap, we headed to a cool bar called The Yard House, where we devoured a giant plate of chicken nachos, before heading to another bar to watch people do Karaoke until midnight. That probably wasn’t the best idea in terms of recovery, but it sure was a lot of fun! We got to spend time with friends from Amarillo and San Diego, so it was worth it.
We returned to our hotel, stopped at the restaurant, and ate some fish tacos and delicious hummus with veggies and chips. It was a great way to end the evening, celebrating a successful marathon for both of us. The final result of the marathon is that David is a rock star and I am now a “marathoner.” And so you know – I have already been asking myself how much I could improve my time if I trained harder. I don’t know about David, but I think there will be another marathon in my future!
Y'all are awesome! I was curious if this would be your last. I'm glad you're thinking it might not be. We are dying to hear what David thought of the whole thing "in his own words"! Knowing he walked on 25 (and wore a watch!!) makes him a little more human now (sorry, David, but you are a freakish athlete super hero to me usually). Can't wait to see your photo book from the trip!
ReplyDeleteAWESOME!!! I'm so proud of both of you! Take that OPRAH!!
ReplyDelete