Nike Women's Marathon 2012

Finally, a post on my long-neglected blog.  The past year or so has been difficult, so much so that I didn't even write up a report on the awesome San Francisco Marathon in July (my time:  5:26:00). But rather than focus on problems like our on-going housing saga, here's a recap of last week's Nike Women's Marathon! ;-)

Got up at 3:30, got myself caffeinated and dressed, and drove over to Mary’s house near the finish line.  Mary, Luann, and I then made our way to the bus stop for the 5:14 a.m. "night-owl" service downtown.  We reached the bus stop at 5:10 and heard the sound of an engine.  Sure enough, we looked up to see that the bus had already pulled away and was on its way up the hill. Thank goodness it wasn't a chilly morning because we had to wait for the next bus, which came about 20 minutes later.

This bus was small, and the only reason we got a seat is because we were near the start of the line.  As we made our way downtown over the next 50 minutes, the bus got so packed that it just started passing up stops at which runners were desperately waiting. It was a total flashback to the 15 years of my life I spent taking that same route to work every day, and a reminder of why I am so glad I no longer have to deal with it.

 Luann, Mary & Me on the Bus before Dawn!

We arrived downtown at 6:20. Mary and Luann were doing the half-marathon with TNT, so they went off to their meeting spot. I ran over to the hotel to meet up with a few friends who run the half each year, and after using the facilities and talking about the insanity of being up that early on a Sunday (never mind running 13.1 or 26.2 miles!), we made our way to the starting corrals together. 

Megan, Me, Ilona & Margit at the Start

I've gotta say, Nike seems to have listened to the negative feedback they've gotten about the disorganization at the start, because things went much more smoothly this year.  We listened to the national anthem, heard the gun go off, and we were off.

26,000 women would eventually cross this starting line!

Long story short:  This was not my best marathon.  I had had tummy issues since the day before, and I think all the trips to the bathroom had left me weaker than I would have been otherwise. Immodium helped to ward off trouble during the race, but it couldn't undo the damage from the previous 24 hours.

Cruisin' Along, Listening to a Podcast of The Mike Malloy Show

 So, I just did my best.  I felt pretty good, even at the point where the half marathoners turned toward the finish line (which was in sight), while I turned the opposite way with the rest of the full marathoners for another ten mile stretch out the Great Highway, around Lake Merced, and back to that same finish line. 

It wasn't until about mile 20 that I really started to feel the pain. I don't remember "hitting the wall" but I definitely heard a little voice inside my head telling me to keep holding back.  So, that's what I did.  Instead of taking one-minute walk breaks each mile, I walked for about 3-4 minutes after hitting each mile marker (probably about .4 miles) and carefully ran the rest of the way to the next one. I started taking GU at every mile instead of every other.   

And, I started blasting Eddie Money through my headphones, hoping that the music would make me feel like I was in my 20s again!

 The signs along John Muir Drive also helped quite a bit.  These photos, taken before and after seeing those signs, say it all:

Struggling

Second Wind (or Third?)

Once I hit mile 25, I kept right on running and finally got to the finish. Time:  5:28:44. (According to the Lyin' Paul Ryan Clock, however, I ran a sub-3 - LOL!)

While Nike has gotten its act together regarding the start area, that was not the case at the finish.  Two of my running buddies, Tessa and Rebecca, can attest to the problems that have plagued finishers of the full marathon in this event.  I did get my Tiffany necklace from a very handsome, tuxedo-clad firefighter.  I also got the correct finisher shirt, but it was frustrating from that point on.  The only food that was left were plain bagels, bananas and water (I grabbed several of each).  Come on, Nike!  I had been on my feet for half the friggin’ day, and there were still a lot of finishers to arrive after me. 

Regardless, I had finished, and I was thrilled.  I wrapped myself in a thermal blanket (thank goodness they hadn’t run out of those this time, either) and walked about fifteen minutes back to Mary’s house.  Got into my car, got going, and started shoving bagels in my face at the speed of light.  I’m never able to eat right after a race, but once those hunger pangs hit, look out!

The best part of this race was what happened afterward:  I wasn’t really sore!  I definitely felt some stiffness in my muscles, but unlike after past marathons, I was able to walk down the stairs facing forward and I didn’t need grab bars to get up from the toilet!  All of that training on the hills and trails around my mother’s house really paid off. (Guess that's one plus to having been a nomad the past six months, huh?)

At school the next day, a student who had volunteered at the race told me how upset she was that the early finishers seemed to be hoarding food and drinks.  She said she saw people taking two and three of everything, and she didn’t understand why the officials weren’t enforcing the rules (or at least, proper race etiquette).  I explained to her that etiquette has always been a problem with this race – chaos at the start, walkers not keeping to the right, people just stopping wherever they are to take photos and causing pileups, etc.

Anyway, I’m pretty sure my student’s story explains why we “mere mortal” full marathoners ended up getting shafted at the finish – at least in part.  The other part is that Nike obviously does not yet understand that party givers are always supposed to plan for more guests than actually show up! My mother could give them some great advice on that subject. ;-)

So, my fourth marathon is now in the books, and I am starting to think about the next one. I’d love to do the Napa Valley Marathon in March, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be taking a group of kids to Washington DC that week.  I will definitely be doing the San Francisco Marathon again next June (my favorite), and I hope to run a marathon not too far from home this Spring. 

For the rest of the Fall and during the holidays, though, I’m going to give myself a break from rigid marathon training schedules and just run for the pure joy of it.  After all, if I didn’t love it, I wouldn’t run even one mile, never mind 26.2!

Crossing the Finish Line – Pure Joy!