California Love!!

(THIS IS KINDA LONG, SO THE RACE REPORT WILL BE IN THE MIDDLE)

No I dont have love for California, as long as they cry over 1/2 inch of snow... LOL.  Well, I did get to the California International Marathon. I have kinda been in a running slump recently, as I know Boston'10 is out of the question. So my last month has been minimal if that, running. Well, I guess that means that I should be well rested for this event. Well, based on my 10k Turkey Trot, I am the farthest thing from in shape! But that was a WEIRD race and the start was horrendous!! It was waaaay to big for a "fast" race... something like 13,000+ runners/walkers bunched up downtown on a divided road... but this blog ain't about that!! I'm NEVER running Detroit Turkey Trot again!!!

My flight takes off without incident... To and fro, I never had anyone sitting immediately next to me. But I got a layover in Sault Lake City and sat on the runway for an hour, and somebody breath was smelling like straight up bologna!!! I had my swine flu mask from work... no help, it penetrated my mask!! I turned on the air blast thing up above, it seemed to just blow the funk back at me!! I was sooo close from pulling down the oxygen mask or breaking a hole in the window and sticking my head out for fresh air! I know it was the old fart sittin in front of me!! So I suffered until I reached Sac-town... and I was like Toni Braxton... I could "breath again", LOL. A couple of people from my Runners World running group (Reyana and Tessa) was nice enough to pick me up from the airport and give me a ride to downtown Sac-town. Not to talk bad about it, but I was NOT impressed with downtown. No stores, no places to eat but Subway on every other corner, and it was old!! This was Tessa's first marathon, but she had her game face on the entire time!!

I had done everything I said I was going to do up to the marathon. I made sure that I ate correctly leading up to it. I was actually kinda bloated the day of... but expected. So I get to the expo... it was HUGE. Of course every vendor trying to sell u stuff. Got my bib and shirt. My bib number was 6667 (good luck / bad luck). So I'm like "ok, this aint a good start". Got my Gu's and took some pictures. Reyana and Tessa took some pictures by the official marathon banner, and some random FAT lady comes up to them and tells them that they are posing wrong. She showed them how to pose and where to put their hands on their hips to make them look slimmer and more "hippy". I thought to myself... "She the one to talk, she should be standing like that all day everyday or hit the treadmill or something!" So I leave the Expo and go to eat at the only restaraunt feasible, called Pyramid, and have a plate of speghetti with the biggest meatballs u ever seen!! I leave and bump literally into another Runners World running group member named Glorybelle. It was awkward, because I never seen her in real life, and we both did double takes like "dont i know u".  She was getting her pre-race drink on with her husband, LOL. I know I looked kinda homely, because I was draggin around my luggage, because Reyana and Tessa found the only free parking spot across from their hotel and didnt want to lose it to drive me to mine... CHEAPSKAPES!! (just kiddin if u reading this, lol). I end the night with my sinful bowl of ice cream and the long cold trek back to my hotel.

(OK THIS IS THE "RACE REPORT" PART, SO THIS MAY BORE SOME OF YOU)

So I get up in plenty of time... not like I slept good anyways. Got up at 3:30am (6:30 michigan time), and did the do. By 4:15, I'm in the lobby for breakfast. I was not hungry at all... kinda like my last marathon. But I stuck to the plan and at like a king anyway! Eggs, cinnamon roll, sausage, disgusting coffee and juice.  Oh, forgot to mention I woke up like 1am and had a Power Bar and some Gatorade. So I'm good to go this morning... a lil bloated, but I'm good! Get outside and its COLD!! Like 35 degrees... I could've stayed home for this!! We all load up on a yellow bus and head out to Folsom for the start. I do a very minimal warmup 45 min from start, hit the porta potty, drank a lil water and waited for the start. I kept my warmup on until 10 minutes to start. They had a truck to load your belongings on and they would transport it to the finish... I swear, people were throwing their bags on that truck left and right like it was raining bags, trying to keep their warmups on as long as they could i guess. Being used to the weather, it didnt effect me too much, albiet I had on shorts. I downed a small 4oz power drink called "Head Shot", which supposed to have a lot of caffeine and Taurine, bla bla bla... Ran into Reyana and she had on a Santa outfit, so I'm like "She has NO intention on racing this thing, lol". Just prior to the start I see Tessa... game face and all... So we say our good lucks and we're off... This time I started closer to the front, I looked back and saw the thousands of people behind me and was like "Glad I aint back there".

This course was dubbed flat and fast!!  The first mile was starting downhill... then we turn a corner (while going downhill) and lo and behold a hill!! No sweat, just dont overdo it. For the next like 5 miles, its up down up down up down... I'm thinking "Wuzzup with this flat and fast stuff they talked about!!" My clock time at the 10k was 44:22 and I felt like I was jogging. So I'm sure my chip was sub-44 (a 10k PR). The headwind was HORRENDOUS!! I'm drafting as many as I could, then out of nowhere I feel somebody on my right hip and think "No u aint about to draft me!!" I look and its Glorybelle! LOL. We chat for a few, but she tapers off, because she was doing the relay and just finished her leg of the race. I have my ipod going and the first 10 miles went by sooo fast!! I was at mile 10 in 1hr 14min. Not breathing hard or laboring at all. My overall goal was 3:25-3:30 time, so at this point, I said I'ma run this thing and see what I have. I remember mile 10 had a long incline starting at New York street... it took alot out of me! But I recovered around mile 12. Every thing is going perfect. Body checks done, aid stations like I supposed to, Gu's as planned.

Hit the halfway point in 1:37'ish. I was not tired at all... this was 1 minute off my PR for a half too. The crowds were a great support at that point in the race. I dont know why this happens, but anytime I run 14+ miles, I get the cramps at this point and it lasts for about 5-8 minutes. I want to vomit and keel over and defacate all at once, LOL. I drank 2 cups of water at the next aid station and it subsided. Then mother nature got mad!! Around mile 15, there was a loooong uphill and the wind was I kid u not, like 15-20mph in my face! I had 2 choices, work the hill and wind and deal with the fade later, or save my energy and make it up later. I chose the first, because I knew I was going to fade later regardless. Mile 18'ish, the winds slow down a bit, but now I'm working!! It is not fun and games anymore. Hit mile 20 in 2hr and 34min... ok, I can see now that i'm slowing down FAST!! I still was not tired, so I say to myself... lets see how fast I can run this last 10k. They had people yelling out your overall pace at each mile mark. It went from "7 min 28 sec mile pace!" to "7:35 pace" to "7:38 pace" etc...

I get to mile 22 and the debacle begins!! I wanted to walk soooo bad!! I said, "NOT THIS TIME... just keep running regardless to how hard it is".  Then, to my surprise, they placed a bridge on the course!! That was just wrong at that point in the race!! I say prolly 20% of the people on the bridge were walking it at that time, lol. I ran it, didnt walk it, but from that point on, it was a wrap. All I could do was keep the legs moving and that's it.  Then I hear a herd coming from behind me... its the 3:20 pace group. They pass and look strong. I try to keep up, but its futile!! Now I'm panicking. I am not tired, my heartrate is not elevated, but my legs would not go anywhere!! Everything I planned went out the window... no body checks, no Gu, no water, no keeping head up... I'm just thinking "move legs, MOVE!!" In the frenzy I miss 2 aid stations in a 3 mile stretch. I was pretty much to a crawl now. My Garmin was saying 8:30/mile pace... I was DONE!! The bridge killed me. Mile 24 is where I was like "THIS is why I hate marathons... I'm sticking to the half marathons... I wish this was a 24 mile race... where is the finish... why does the 25 mile marker seem soooo far away... feet dont fail me now!!"

Around mile 25 my Garmin acts up... I guess the GPS signal was too weak due to all the tall buildings. It said I was running at like a 1:30/mile pace!!!!!!! Dont I wish!! So I finally get to mile 26 and make a sharp left turn. There were two finishes... a sign said women left, men straight. Why did it take me a few seconds to decipher where I was supposed to go... and no i'm very secure in my manhood thank u very much!! I let at least 5 people pass me in the last 1/4 mile. I didnt care, it was a marathon, not a sprint. I usually sprint it in, not today!! I cross the finish mat and the earth started spinning... I was SOOOOOO glad it was over!! I didnt even get to see what my finish time was, I was so disoriented!! My Garmin said 3:23:47 so I knew approx my time. Yes that was a MAJOR fade after mile 20!! So I now know, my endurance late needs work. But I did good considering I ran prolly 60 miles total for the last month!!

No BQ... but u know, I didnt care, that was not my goal today. I was ecstatic, I defeated the 3:30:00 marathon monster... as my last marathon was 3:30:01, lol. So we get to the post-race snacks and they have my favorite breakfast food... PANCAKES!! I was like a kid in the candy store... killed two flapjacks before I even left the serving table, LOL. Didnt over do it because I know my stomach was going to remind me i just ran 26.2 miles. So I'm a happy camper... job well done and a PR!!!!!!!!!!!!

My splits (per Garmin, which was kinda off):
7:46 / 7:41 / 7:16 / 7:16 / 7:20
7:22 / 7:20 / 7:27 / 7:33 / 7:21
7:15 / 7:24 / 7:21 / 7:22 / 7:48
7:45 / 7:28 / 7:44 / 7:46 / 7:48
7:57 / 8:17 / 8:22 / 8:33 / 8:21
7:24 / 7:25 (last .64)

Gu miles:
5-6, 12, 15-16, 18, 20, 23
Total distance per Garmin was 26.64 miles!! 
Official time:  3:23:43


I would say that this was a B race... I was nervous since I hardly ran the past month. Without the wind, I could have gone sub 3:20. But the course was great, and it was well worth the trip! The main thing I would change is the sports drink they had!! It was called Ultima... had no calories (very smart for a marathon) and they had RASPBERRY. That's disgusting, plus when ur running for hours, you at least want something palatable!! Wuzzup with Lemon/Lime? Orange? Fruit Punch? Grape? But all in all, I think this is a race I'd like to do again!!

(RACE REPORT OVER... NOW BACK TO MY BLOG)

Now, my hotel was a mere 5 blocks from the finish... but my lesson learned is to get a hotel RIGHT at the finish.  That was the looooongest 5 blocks ever, after running 26.2 miles!! I get back to the room and take a long WARM not COLD shower!! It felt soooooo good!! So a group of the Runners World people were to meet at the Pyramid after the race. One thing I will say, is the California group is sooooo tight knit and friendly. Running is a lifestyle there as opposed to eating and braggin about it is a lifestyle here! LOL. I got to finally meet face to face a lot of the people I converse with online and get running tips from.  I also had the "privilege" to eat with some of the olympic wannabee sub-elites, LOL (Carlos, u slacker... 2:28:xx marathon??). Sorry, I really cant remember the real names, but I do remember the screen names of some of the people from online.  A-Muse (boy, u got a lot of hair, lol, sorry about the B race), RunRonRun (how dare you sit at the PR table and you were slacking out there and not PR, lol), Grapevine (sorry about the hotel debacle, hope they compensate u somehow), Floppage, RunningRadi (sub 3??????????), BarbBQ (even though I didnt get to officially introduce myself), Big Grill (Thanks for the ride lady, LOL), Lillie :p (your son is adorable... hoarding the food and all, lol), Jay2far... and all those that I forgot, it was still good to sit back and chill with!

That night after all the activities was BORING!! I am sore, but not that bad, just the normal post-marathon sore. My achilles is a little more sore than normal, but I'm taking a week off from running anything significant to rest/heal.  So now i'm getting a new bug... thinking of doing 48 marathons in 48 states over the next 10 years!! Not for PR'ing, but for the mere mental and physical test. Just a thought... lol. But come the New Year, I'm working on speedwork. No more 7 minute miles!! I'm doing a 5k/10k plan for about 3 months, but still keeping my weekend long runs. I "may" do a New Years 8k race... maybe, depends on how I feel, but until then, I run on...