CIM 2008: One Long A$$ Race Report

I keep having flashbacks of the moment where I crossed the finish line on Sunday and I get choked up. You know, the whole teary eyes with stingy nose thing. And I revel every moment of it! And it's still so fresh on my mind. It all culminated into that one point... As soon as I saw that my sub-4 hour finish was within grasp, I sprinted toward the finish line. Well, I *think* I sprinted. Not quite sure. Everything felt slow. Very slow.

So here are the official stats:

Gun Time: 03:59:18
Chip Time: 03:58:17
Half Marathon Split Time: 01:56:40
Pace: 9:08
Age Group (30-34): 151
Athena Category: 6

Yes, I actually qualified for the Athena weight division, which I have very mixed feelings about. I knew I had gained weight but seriously, that much? Of course, I did weigh in fully clothed with shoes but still! Actually, how 2 people know how much I weigh. SLB (for the Swap Beat) and that guy who weighed me at the Expo. :-/

But, even with the weight gain, I was still able to beat my best time by over 11 minutes!

D and I headed drove up to Sacramento after the Lollipop 5k (more on that later) and just barely made it to the Expo by 3pm. It was crisp and sunny down in the Bay Area but as soon as we crossed the the Sacramento city line, it was all gloomy and foggy. The weather forecast did call for overcast skies but it felt much more ominous. But then, I was glad. What runner doesn't love cold race weather? The expo was just ok, I still think the Rock n Roll Marathon series have the best race expos! But the best part of the day was that I got to meet Leslie, KK and Stacey.

Leslie & me

Leslie, KK & me

Stacey & me

I was excited to meet Leslie because she's my pseudo blog mom. She always dispenses great advice and watches out for me. How awesome is that? And she's so beautiful in person! Even Duane commented on how pretty she was. KK was just as lovely and it's so nice to finally put a face to a name! Oh and Stacey, she is a hoot. Full of life, energy and great sense of humor. Tina, please have your phone handy next time! ;-)

Oh and I didn't realize I signed up for the long-sleeve tech t-shirt but I was sure happy I got one. I was worried that medium wouldn't fit but good thing those shirts ran big.

We later met our running group at Lucca for our big pasta dinner and had a great time. There were 8 full marathon runners (including me) and one relay team. Half of us PR'd and the other half BQ'd during the race!

After a delicious parpadelle pasta dinner and decadent chocolate cake dessert, I got back to the hotel and set out my outfit and gear. 2 bottles of water/Gatorade combo, 4 packs of Gu and some mini energy bars for well... energy, of course. I don't like regular Gatorade so I usually dilute about half with water. I also decided to go with Gu instead of the Luna Moons. I need to preserve every iota of energy, which also includes chewing! I watched a little bit of CSI Miami and then promptly passed out at 10:30pm.

Sunday morning, I woke up with trepidation and excitement. It was still overcast which was a great sign. I looked out our hotel window and saw dozens of school buses ready to transport the runners to the starting line. It felt like the entire city center was jammed with runners in line for the buses and the buses themselves! I was lucky that Duane was driving me to the starting line. The strategy was for Duane to drop me off at the starting line and he was going to meet me every 5 miles or so to cheer for me and to do some gear swapping, if needed. I got the starting line and saw the swarm of runners near the starting line and I got excited. Really really excited. There's nothing like 5000+ runners huddling about getting ready for a run in the cold and darkness! If i remember correctly, the temperature Sunday morning was 37 degrees. Brrrr! I did my usual Porta-Potty thing and felt READY. I don't think I ever felt that ready for a race! (Seriously, thank goodness for training plans!)

5 min before the start! Decided to run with my long sleeve tech shirt last minute...
And then the gun went off! And it was downhill. I told myself to start slooooow and not fall into the downhill start trap thing. The first mile came really fast! I heard a guy by the mile 1 marker yell out the pace time and I was a bit thrown off. I have never run a race where someone tell you your pace at the mile marker and the time, too. I think I clocked in at a 10:00 min pace at mile 1. The first 5 miles were a blur, really. All I remember thinking was, this isn't too bad! I first saw Duane around mile 5, i think. I remember handing him my gloves because my fingers were getting sweaty. Which I regretted the entire race! It was really cold. It was also around then that I saw Tara and Maritza! Ok, more like Tara saw me and screamed my name! It felt SO great to see them cheer for me and gave me a boost of confidence and energy. I felt like I wasn't doing it alone. My friends were there. And I saw them a few more times on the course, which was a total treat! *sniff* Ok, I'm getting teary eyed again!

Ugh, this is my fat photo...

Between mile 6 and 18 were uneventful... They were marked by rolling hills (more than I thought) and my beautiful husband who popped up faithfully at mile 9, 14, 17 and 21, I think? Thank goodness he did undergrad at Sac State. He says he knows Sacramento like the back of his hand! I really did love the crowd support. For a small race, the cheering squads were frequent and ardent. It was great. Early on with my slow start, I was skeptical about a sub 4 finish. But as more miles were behind me and more consistent my pace was very consistent, I knew I was going to be close. I was consistently hitting 9:00 min pace! After the half way point, I decided to kick up the notch a little bit and I think i was running about 8:50 pace. I was even thinking I might even finish sub 3:50!

Me on the far left of the photo...

Oh and this is my first marathon in a running skirt and I LOVED it!! I didn't feel tired until about mile 20. But once the wall hit, I was really tired. I remember seeing Duane around mile 21 telling him I was really really tired. And that I had to go to the bathroom! (Actually, I had the urge to go #2 starting around mile 8!) I knew I had to run and not stop. No matter what. i knew I was so close to my goal. I knew I had all the time to rest and relax AFTER the race. Mile 22 to 26 were sheer torture. I think I even slowed down to a 10:30 pace for a mile or two. I don't even know how I got there but finally I was down to the numbered streets. Counting the street numbers from 51st to 8th was again, sheer torture. At each mile marker they shouted out my pace and race time, I knew if i kept up my pace of 9:10 ish, I knew I could finish sub 4. I don't know how I put one foot in front of the other but somehow, I got to the end. I saw Duane about quarter of a mile before the finish and I knew I had the race in the bag. And when I approach the finish line and saw that I was STILL under 4 hours, I was elated. It took every ounce of energy to pick up the little pace I had left in me. I crossed the finish line with so much emotion. I can't even tell you how proud I was of myself. I saw my coach and training group. They were all clapping for me. Wow. So that's what it feels like...

26th Annual California International Marathon Finisher Medal

I still can't believe I ran a sub 4 hour marathon. With a 10 lb weight gain, I still ran 11 minutes faster than the SFM. So I know I can't use my weight as an excuse to run slow anymore. Now, for 2009. I just signed up for the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon on Feb 1 since the Surf City Marathon is officially sold out. And then, maybe Napa Valley Marathon on March 1st. I'm thinking, if I lose that extra 10 lbs, I can shave off another 9 minutes. *wink*

I have now finished 6 marathons and one under 4 hours.

I know I can do anything I put my mind to. It's official!!