Nike Women's Marathon

October 20, 2013

Megan and Me at the Start - 6:00 a.m.!

This was my second year of running the full Nike Women's Marathon, and I did not go into it feeling very confident.  My weeks of training did not go as well as I would have liked, and the stress of work left me feeling more emotionally drained than I can ever remember being.  The night before the race, I was fairly certain that I was only going to do the half, because I was so damned tired.

My alarm clock went off at the ungodly hour of 4:00 a.m.  Yikes.  What in the hell had I been thinking when I signed up for this again, anyway?  After some coffee and my usual pre-race breakfast of peanut butter on raisin bread, Jim and I went to pick up Mary, who was doing the half.  Thanks to Jim, we were spared another Muni nightmare like the one we dealt with last year when the bus schedule was completely off and we were really late to the start.

Of course, I ended up having stomach ssues as soon as I got out of the car.  Thank goodness the Sutter-Stockton Garage was open and that their bathrooms were decent.  It turned out that I did all of my pre-race "stuff" in this location rather than at the Hyatt like we usually do.

Megan and I met up in front of the garage, and we walked down to the starting area.  It was a zoo, as always, but the excitement was contagious.  Once the gun went off, it took us about 20 minutes to get through the start, and then, we were off.

As always, I had to stop and use the port-o-let at mile 1.  Normally, that's it until much later in the race.  This time, I had to stop again, and again, and again, and again.  I must have been retaining water in the days leading up to the race or something, because my bladder was out of control!  I have never made so many port-o-let stops in ANY race, ever!

Thank goodness I also knew the locations of the public bathrooms along the Great Highway, because those had no lines at all.  It took a couple of extra minutes to get to them, but it was worth it.  Much nicer than the portables, that's for sure!

And now, to make a long story short:  I had a really great race.  I ran very carefully up through the half marathon split at mile 12, mostly because I was still unsure as to whether I was going to cut it short or do the full.  It must have been a good strategy, because I was feeling great by then and I decided to keep going.

I kept that same conservative pace up through mile 16, because I was still unsure of myself and my energy level.  By the time I hit mile 20, though, I felt confident enough to start speeding up.  So that's what I did.  The splits tell the story:

And yes, according to my Garmin, I finished quite a bit faster than my official time of 5.33.xx, but that's because I usually stop the GPS when I take a bathroom break. 

I will let the photos tell the rest of the story.  If I had to sum this race up in one word it would be, "surprise."  Surprised that I got to the start.  Surprised that I decided to keep going after the half marathon split.  Surprised that I felt strong.  And STUNNED at those last six splits.

Now, it's time to take a break from marathon training.  I will keep running and racing, but the next marathon on tap is the San Francisco Marathon on July 29, 2014.  With the way things are going this school year, I think I need to give myself a bit of a break.  But I can't wait to start training for the SFM -- my favorite marathon -- next spring!

Marina Blvd, Mile 4

Point Lobos - Mile 7

Heading out on the Great Highway toward Lake Merced

 Why didn't I turn toward the finish line back there?  You mean I have another eight miles to go?

 Great Highway - Mile 24

The Finish!

Don't know whether to laugh or cry!

Glad it's DONE!

Marathon #7 is in the books!

San Francisco Marathon 2013

Well, it has been quite a while since I've updated this blog.  It was very challenging for my husband and me to live as nomads for over a year while our house was being renovated (long story).  As a consequence, I missed several races.

Bronchitis caused me to miss the Kaiser Half in February, and I ended up shelving the The See Jane Run Half in June because attending a memorial service for one of my oldest and best friends took priority (obviously).

So... after a very difficult year at home (four moves in less than a year) and an extremely challenging school year, I was less-than-convinced that I would manage to finish another marathon. The SFM had been moved up by six weeks due to the America's Cup being held in The City in July, so I was running it the week after school officially got out.

Despite my doubts, I dutifully got my gear together the night before the race.  Now, that's what you call optimism!

I swore I was going to wear something different for this year's SFM, but since my Running Skirts "Skirt on the Run" capri is so comfortable, practical and perfectly fits the location of this race, I went with the tried and true.

The one thing that I did do differently this year was to order a personalized bib.  Over the three weekends preceding the race, my dear Tante Ruth suffered a massive stroke; the next weekend, one of my oldest and dearest friends, Marsha, passed away from complications due to MS; and on the following Sunday, my Tante Ruth died.  So, I decided to have my race bib printed in memory of them.  I will always carry them with me.

June 16 was race day.  I drove down to the start and parked at the Embarcadero Center, which has a great deal for runners of the SFM:  $10.00 for the day!  If you know San Francisco, you KNOW what a deal that is.  It's so easy to walk from the garage to the start, and back again after the race.  Plus, this way, no one has to smell my stinky, sweaty, post-race self on public transit afterward!

Once I had parked, I walked down to Perry's, where I was able to enjoy some coffee, breakfast goodies, and REAL bathrooms before the race.  I had paid extra for this "VIP" ticket, and it was SO worth it.  It was fun chatting with people who, like me, were in the later waves (o.k., the last wave), and watching all of the pre-dawn activity at the start!

At about 6:15, I made my way across the street for the 6:32 a.m. wave start.  Let's hear it for the back of the pack!  (This is not a photo of my wave, but you wouldn't have been able to identify me, anyway!)

And, then, we were off:  Along the Embarcadero, through Aquatic Park, onto Marina Blvd., through Crissy Field and up into the Presidio.  Then, it was time to literally "cross that bridge"!  Here is a short video of what it looked like as we ran on the roadway of the Golden Gate Bridge.

As you can see, it was a gorgeous day - one advantage to the race being earlier this year.  (July is usually the foggiest month around here, and last year, it was dripping wet.)

As I finished my trek back across the bridge, my Garmin died.  Just great, since I rely on it for my pacing.  We were only at mile 9, and I had no other choice but to use the GPS on my iPhone.  I started the app, hoping desperately that the battery wouldn't die before the end of the race. 

From the bridge, we went back through the Presidio, down Point Lobos, through the Richmond, and into Golden Gate Park.  This is where the half marathoners split off.  They headed east toward their finish line, and we turned west toward the beach to start the long loop through my backyard -- I mean, Golden Gate Park!  I am happy to report that for the second year in a row, I did not get lost near Stow Lake!

I was feeling pretty good as we headed through the gate by Sharon Meadow onto Haight Street at mile 18.

This year, I decided to stop and take a photo of the (in)famous "Persian Aub Zam Zam".  Many years ago, Jim and I were given the "Bruno Treatment" there, and we never forgot it.  When I ordered two gin martinis, Bruno grumbled in response, "That's the only kind there is!"  Come to think of it, I could have used one of his martinis at this point...

After turning off of Haight Street, I knew the final slog was upon me.  So, up the 16th Street/Portrero Street hills we climbed, then back down, then back up more hills, then back down, winding our way back to the Embarcadero.  Let me tell you, it's not the climbing that kills you, it's running those downhills.  My quads were on fire!  This photo was snapped about four miles from the finish line, in the Dogpatch area of the city.  I was feeling tired, but great!

After running through South of Market and along the waterfront, I knew that the most difficult part of the race was upon me, but this time, I was prepared.

As you can see, I am looking down, and this was part of my strategy.  Once the marathon route rounds AT&T Park, runners are back on the Embarcadero.  We also know that the finish line is less than a mile away. The problem is, we can't SEE the finish line.  In years past, this has put me into a foul mood, because I knew the end was tantalizingly near, but didn't know WHERE it was.  So, this time around, I stayed focused on the ground in front of me, until I became aware of some blue balloons up ahead.  That's when I knew I was almost there, and I "kicked it in"!

There is nothing that compares to the feeling of crossing the finish after 26.2 miles.  Nothing!  You can tell that is the case by my facial expression as I got my medal:

In this photo, you can also see the Bay Bridge in the background.  The SFM takes you all the way from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Bay Bridge via a very circuitous route. ;-)

And that was that!  Another 26.2 in the books.  My time was 5:30.xx, so about five minutes slower than I ran last year, but given the crazy year I had, I was just happy to finish.

Early registration opened the day after the race, and I immediately signed up.  The SFM is my favorite race by far, and I look forward to running it again next July, when it is back on schedule.  Yes, it is difficult, but as the marathon's motto goes, it is SO "Worth the Hurt"!

Next up:  The Nike Women's Marathon in October - and yes, I am running the full 26.2!