Two Cities Marathon

(journal entry from Nov. 6, 2011)

I stood there in Corral A, just feet from the starting line. One of the benefits of running a smaller race : being near the front. Thousands of half marathoners cheered on our start, waiting for their race to begin just thirty minutes after ours.

Miles 1 - 5 :

When the gun went off, I didn't have to (for the first time ever!) dodge walkers. I am now officially a huge fan of corrals. The first five miles were effortless. I kept looking at my watch to make sure I was still going fast enough, because it really didn't feel like it. The mantra I had adopted for the first half of this race was simple : Don't be greedy! Banking time doesn't really exist. So many people mention in race reports that they were running ahead of pace until mile whatever and then crashed. It doesn't matter what the starting pace, your ending pace is most important. I didn't want to be one of those people that goes out too fast and blows the race because of race day greed. I've done that enough times to know it never pays off in the end.

When we reached downtown Clovis at around mile 5, I was looking forward to seeing huge mansions. After all, the race website had promised "Upscale neighborhoods". It looked like the average midwestern town to me. I can't imagine what the slums look like if this is considered upscale.

Miles 6 - 13.1 :

The 8:30/mi started to feel less easy as the miles ticked by. It was still really comfortable, so I was happy. I reached the halfway point at 1:51 (faster than my sucky previous half marathon). I'm so happy that I didn't feel like I did on that day.

Miles 13.1 - 16 :

Out of nowhere, a girl dressed in blue and purple running clothes came zooming by. Her entire outfit matched, from her headband to her skirt to her shoes. Did she start late? Or was she already kicking it in? She seemed to know lots of people on the course and was constantly cheering for slower people on the out-and-back.

Crowds were sparse on the first half of the marathon, but there was one spectator that made me giggle. One man set up a karaoke machine in his front yard and was singing and dancing while we went by. Hilarious.

By mile 16, I had set a new pace PR for that distance : 2:15. (8:26/mi, my previous was an 8:38/mi in January)

Miles 17 - 21 :

The course was basically two long out-and-back sections. At this point, I was expecting to be all alone, but then realized I was coming up on all the half marathon walkers that were still out there. The support was phenomenal! For this section, it was slightly downhill. I let myself go a little faster and ran on feel rather than what the watch said. I saw Matt at mile 19 (was his mile 22). During this stretch, I passed nearly thirty people, including blue and purple girl. I had to check my pace to make sure I wasn't going too fast. I was holding steady, it was the others that slowed.

Mile 22

This mile had a moderate hill in it. It didn't reduce me to a walk, but I definitely slowed on this mile. I also caught sight of blue and purple girl. She cheered me on and waved. I loved her attitude. :)

Miles 23 - 26 :

The cheering was awesome! I can't get over how wonderful it was. A small race with this kind of support! Even though I was getting pretty tired at this stage in the race, I knew this race would go down as one of my favorites. I enjoyed having volunteers cheer for me by name. When I saw my name on the race bib at pick-up, I thought it would be weird for strangers to know my name, but I found that it was more fun to hear my own name than GO RUNNER.

On this slightly uphill grade, I fell off pace by a little bit. My quads started to feel heavy. I focused on my form and running upright, not with the slouch I usually see in all my finish photos. I started cheering myself on in my head : "Ignore your pace, just keep running. Walking will hurt it more than a slow mile will. You've come too far to give up now."

With 5K left to go, I passed between two marathoners walking alone. They didn't appear to be injured, so I shouted out as I passed, "You can do it! Only 5K left!" They both kept going with me for half a mile. Sometimes some encouragement goes a long way.

Mile 26 - 26.2 :
When I returned to the spot the race had started, I thought the finish was there. WTF? WHERE IS IT? The course veered into a park and I crossed one small bridge, still no finish line. Finally, it appeared. I was running alongside a really strong looking runner. He was cheering me on. "We're almost there, just a little bit more." As we crossed the finish line together in 3:45.16, I realized that all the extra cheering for us was because he was finishing the 50K (finished 2nd overall). I'll just pretend they were all cheering for me!

Finish :
The finish line festivities for this race were overwhelming. Instead of receiving a space blanket, each finisher got a hooded sweatshirt with their medal. Then there was the food. A hot breakfast, brownie sundae, and beer garden. I could only stomach the sundae. Matt was thankful for the breakfast though, since he had to wait awhile for me to finish. Anyone that wants a great value for the swag, this is your race!!



Results :
1st half : 1:51
2nd half : 1:54
Total : 3:45.16 (8:35/mi)
A new PR by over 10 minutes!
Overall : 128/600
Female 25-29: 7/41

Matt's :
He didn't think he was properly trained for a new PR, so he just went out and ran for fun. I'm sure that if he had wanted another BQ time, he would've made it, no problem. He beat one of the runners that registered as an "Elite" and had several guys along the course comment on how even his pace was. I'm so proud of my awesome Hubby!

3:10.03 (7:15/mi)
Overall : 29/600
Male 30-34 : 5/58
(November 6, 2011)

Post Race Thoughts and Hunger :

The second half of the race was alongside the half marathon course, each race on their own side of the yellow stripe on the road. Basically I was out there with the 3 hr. half marathoners. They looked like they were having so much fun that I just wanted to stop and walk with them. So many jokes and fits of laughter.

Focusing on my form really helped with the muscle tension I get in my arms and shoulders.

We had a mid-afternoon dinner at a restaurant in Oakhurst, halfway to Yosemite from the race. My BBQ bacon cheeseburger could've been made from dog food and I would still proclaimed it the most delicious thing ever!

The Packers won, too!! Woohoo!!

We walked around Oakhurst after the game. Only two hours after the cheeseburger, I was hungry again. We stopped at the dollar store to get a drink and popcorn. Then I remembered a KFC commercial that I saw during the game. Mashed potatoes and gravy sounded sooooo good. I walked hobbled to the grocery store's deli counter and lo and behold, mashed potatoes and gravy next to some really dry and nasty fried chicken. Heaven.

Instead of an ice bath to help recover the legs, try this :
It feels sooooooooooo good. Also, that is the sweatshirt from the race.

We went back to the hotel, popped the popcorn and then I ate a candy bar. Two more hours later, and I was still hungry. Chocolate milk we snagged from the finish line. I just know I'll be up in the middle of the night with an empty stomach. Rest up body, I've got big plans for you this week. :)