I did it! After five months packed full of running, cross-training, blogging, and mental trepidation, marathon day has come and gone with great success.
My friend and running partner Rosie and I drove down to San Diego late Friday night from Los Angeles to get an early start on the weekend. We got some food and toured around a little bit, but we wanted to save our energy for the upcoming days so we turned in early. After breakfast Saturday morning, we met up with Sarah, the other member of our merry band of runners, and hit the expo. We got our bibs, t-shirts, and loaded up on lots of free goodies. It was an excellently organized and efficient event, which proved to be the case for the race as a whole. From start to finish, everything was perfectly planned, organized, and executed.
After a couple hours of wandering around the expo, testing out the latest and greatest drinks, goos, supplements, bars, and snacks, we hit the road. As part of the race packet, every participant in the Rock N’ Roll San Diego Marathon got a free ticket to Sea World, where we toured around for the afternoon. After a few shows, a couple rides, and some intense whale watching, we hightailed it outta there for Little Italy where we did some last meal carbo loading. The whole week prior to the marathon I’d been trying to get in as many calories as I could, particularly in the form of carbs, which I really think helped a lot. In some of my practice runs prior to the race I felt a little lethargic and low on energy, but I had none of that yesterday.
We got up at 4am yesterday morning to get ready for our 6:45 start time. Those few hours before a race always feature a strange mix of excitement and nervousness that go unmatched by any other experience. I have a strange pre-race tradition of drinking a cup of coffee and a Gatorade followed by a banana. I do it before any race I’m in and I really think it helps. I mixed in a protein bar for good measure this time, an addition that proved to be a successful one. I laced up my sneakers, pinned on my bib, and put on my 365 dri-fit; I was ready to go.
By 6:30 I was at the starting line in Balboa Park. I heard reports that there were 27,000 participants in the event, and I believe it. The place was packed with runners of all ages from all over the world. One runner in my corral who got a special shout out was an Army Captain in full camo with boots, pack and all. I passed him initially but after a bathroom break at mile 10 I saw him again, chugging along down the course. He definitely was working hard, but he seemed to be doing pretty well for himself all told.
Because we were a few corrals in, we didn’t start the race until closer to 7am, but when the horn blew and we all took off, I felt like a million bucks. For the first couple of miles Rosie, Sarah, and I ran together, taking in the scenery and enjoying the camaraderie, but once the crowd dispersed and everyone began to settle into their own pace we got separated. I wasn’t too upset about this. Running is a very individual, almost mental thing, especially in a race of this caliber. I was happy to get into my own headspace and start going.
The course itself was amazing. Every half mile or so they had a different band, playing various types of music that just really kept me going. My friend asked me today what it was about the bands that I dug so much and I couldn’t really pinpoint it. Not having an iPod, it first and foremost gave me something to listen to. More importantly however, it gave me something to get excited about every half mile. I almost felt like I was in a video game, reaching checkpoints as I completed little missions. Run through Balboa Park, hit the Reggae band checkpoint. Go through the Mission District, get the Rock N’ Roll checkpoint. Make it through Petco field, get the Jazz band. It was just a really cool thing that I’d never seen before and that I think really helped me a lot.
I ran the first 5k in 18 minutes, a PR by a long shot for me, though I definitely slowed down from there on out. To be perfectly honest I’m not sure my exact times for any of the other mileage markers but I do know I finished the race in about 4 hours and 46 minutes. This was pretty much the time I expected, putting me in at about a 10-minute mile. The first 13.1 felt easy. I remember crossing the halfway mark thinking I was gonna win the whole race. I really did. I had grand plans of sitting under a tree, calling my mother and telling her I was quitting my job to be a full time marathoner. Unfortunately, I lost this ill-conceived level of confidence in the second 13.1. By about mile sixteen I had some slight aches in my knees and by mile 20 my legs felt really sore. I alternated between walking and running for the next five miles, kicking myself for not better having paced the front half. Runners whom I passed miles earlier raced past me with ache free legs and grins on their faces. I felt a little disappointed about my performance and my need to walk, but I’m definitely glad I didn’t push myself into injury. And, I ran the last mile. That I am proud of. Before the race I promised myself I’d do that at least. My legs were pounding and I was completely drained, but I ran across the finish line.
So, all and all, it was a good race. After a little ice and some relaxation, I’m free of any aches and pains and I feel a tremendous level of accomplishment. I’d run plenty of races before and I’d done a couple of marathons in years past, but this one seemed really special. I was totally out of shape when I started, but through some hard work and this amazing blog, I really got my act together. So thank you all for reading me every week. I guess I have to find a new challenge now!
And, best of all, I finally have some pictures! I’ll slowly roll ’em out over the next couple of weeks.
-Derek
We Are One 365 Challenge 