San Diego Rock N' Roll Marathon

I have been stewing on this for a while because I wanted to truly reflect on what happened out there. It was by far my worst time ever. I finished in 6:50:34. My worst time ever. My first marathon was 6:02:59 in 2007 (six months after Brodie was born). My second marathon time was 5:50:56 (much better training thanks to Sam). My times aren't the fastest, but my overall goal is to say that I want to finish. I also am usually looking to do better.

San Diego was tough for me. When I decided I wanted to run it, I thought my training would be much better because I wasn't focused on volleyball. I did not take into account writing my thesis and finishing up my education and teaching. Both of which took its toll on me.

I learned a lot of things while I was running. One, I really need to train. I am too old, and untalented to run on whim alone. If I was in my early 20s, I think I would say things differently. My best time came from half-hearted training. The biggest issue I have with training is doing it alone. I know, whine whine. Thanks to having RJ, I am able to go out with a partner. I feel guilty when I don't go for a run with him because he needs it just as much as I do. He keeps me accountable to my minimum mileage. He needs to run a minimum of four miles. Case closed. By the time, I started running consistently with him it was too late. I knew if the run was a half marathon, I would have been able to complete it without any problem. RJ helped with that. I also knew that I did everything to make sure both of us got out for a run. RJ had his surgery about a week before the marathon, and I felt my willingness to go out without him dwindle. I felt guilty because I was ditching him. I also felt exhausted because of the end of the year. No worries. I have a solid base, and the vet told us that I need to build up with RJ. I need to do four miles with him for a couple of weeks. Then I need to add a half mile after that. Eventually, RJ will probably will be running my long runs with me.

Fueling/Hydration:
I struggle with fueling prior to running. For the most part, I don't like to eat before I run. I don't know why. I think it has to do with the fact that I am normally running at 4:30 in the morning. In order to get decent food in, I would need to get up at 4 to eat. That would give me plenty of time to eat, get ready, and get out the door with RJ. I am not sure how much my run would improve, but I have a feeling it would improve by a lot. During the CIM, I realized that I love Gatorade. I bought a hydration pack for my birthday, and I stashed Gatorade in my pack. I got water at the aid stations, but Gatorade from my own belt. No problem there. My stomach didn't kill me. I also got to a certain point where GU was my friend. I realized how much energy I had after I had GU. I need to buy more Gu, and train with it. I am sure it will help with training and doing well. This is a work in progress, but I am tired of bonking when I get to a certain point because I have no fuel.

Post-Race:
Jeremy and I opted to walk the 3/4 of a mile to our car. It was the slowest I think I have ever walked, but I am sure it helped a bit. It was something that I needed. I did eat crap when I was done. The chips in my car tasted oh so good! Who would have thought? When we got back to Jay's house, I took a cold shower. I was not in my own home, so I did not quite feel comfortable taking an ice bath. After my nap, I put ice in bags and iced my legs. I think that saved my legs. I truly think that helped my turn around time.

The Actual Race:
I decided to do five minute run, two minute walk sessions. I thought this will help me because I knew I was not ready to run this race. I knew it. What I didn't plan for was the hills in San Diego. I was feeling pretty good until about mile 8. When we started to climb for a mile and a half, I about lost it. It was tough. Real tough. My mental break down was beginning. It was so wierd how the switch was flipped because the first 8 miles flew by too easily. My students sent me good luck wishes while I was running, and that was totally helpful. I needed that! It made me tear up because I might have done something right. Around mile 14, I was mentally done. I called Sam at this point because I needed someone to babble. I didn't care what was said, I needed to get past that moment. Sam did the trick. I really don't remember what we talked about, but I know it worked. It got me to the next mile. Little did I know that I was going to struggle for the next three miles. As I was walking, I decided that I needed to finish because that is where the car is located. I really didn't want to keep going, but I needed too. Jeremy was up ahead, and I didn't want to let all the people down who believed in me. We finally got to the aid station, and I picked up GU. GU! My new love. If you are thinking of me and want to buy me something, I will take GU. I like the one with caffeine it, but I can't complain especially if it means you were thinking about me. (Wow, I took a side trip there!)

The GU was what I needed. I was able to get back into my run/walk routine. Amazing! I did that for the next hour. I also picked up some Jolly Ranchers from the aid station (again, if you are thinking of me I love those things when I am running). After an hour, I bonked again. I finally read the back of the GU pack, and I guess I was suppose to be consuming those every 45 minutes. Um, I really should have known! Yikes! Mental note, Conner and I will be picking some up tomorrow. I think training with it will make all the difference.

No matter what, I kept going. I finished the race. Many people would have dropped out. I know it. I didn't have it in me to quit. I may talk about it, but I can't bring myself to quit. I don't want to let myself down or anyone else for that matter. They say the marathon is like life. I would have to agree. I tend to keep pushing beyond my limits. I have self-doubts every once in a while, but for the most part I push on.

Around mile 21, I met Kerri from North Carolina. Kerri was a Team In Training member. She had just got her knee wrapped, and we started walking next to each other at that point. We struck up a conversation. For those who were near us probably thought we knew each other for years, but we had just met. Kerri's knee started hurting her at mile 14. She thought about quitting, but decided to push through. She had her knee wrapped, and pushed on. She was in quite a bit of pain by the time we started talking. The last five miles went by so quickly. We were talking like old friends. When we entered the Marine Base, Kerri said she could run. She told me that I could ditch her, but we were in this now till the end. I know what some of you are thinking, but bonds are made out on the course. We started running, and she was hurting. I kept encouraging her to finish up. I knew she could do it, and I knew she would be proud if she ran across the finish line. When we crossed the finish line, we hugged. She had tears in her eyes and thanked me multiple times for helping her get across the finish line. She was going to drop out at about 22 miles, but because we met she finished. Woo hoo! We did it!!

I also realized that I love my music. I didn't run with my music. I will not do that again!!

Where Do I Go From Here?
Well, I am pretty sure I will probably do another one. I want to know what it would be like to train truly. You know for real. As of right now, I am going to build a base with RJ. Then I will see what happens from there. I have plenty of time before I need to register for a marathon. I could do CIM again. Or I can see if I can do Arizona. I am thinking about doing the San Jose half marathon in October. We shall see.