Race Report: San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon DONE!

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  2 Timothy 4:7

I can say it...I'm no longer a marathoner wannabe, I'm a MARATHONER!

We started out our journey to San Diego with two nights in Las Vegas. I was probably the most disciplined person over the age of 21 that city has ever seen. Early to bed, eating salads and low fat/high complex carbs, drank one beer (because it was free!), wearing my flip flops instead of high heels; I wasn't exactly the life of the party. But it was fun and relaxing, especially the pool.

Friday we arrived at our condo in the beautiful hilly country side about 30 miles northeast of San Diego. A beautiful 2 bedroom condo with easy access to the pool and hot tub, quiet and relaxing with lots of trees and flowers. A hot tub that would become a good friend of mine! We really enjoyed the lovely sunny weather which stayed in the high 70s to mid 80s, just perfect.

Saturday we drove into San Diego for the marathon expo and to pick up my packet at the San Diego Convention Center. It was cloudy and a bit cold in San Diego, which gave me hope for similar marathon weather. The crowd was huge, with over 30,000 runners plus spectators.

A highlight for me was seeing John "The Penguin" Bingham at the expo, a runner and author I like to follow, almost as much as my guru Hal Higdon.

I spend most of Saturday feeling sick to my stomach (having irritable bowel syndrome is NOT great when you are a distance runner, but it seems many of us do), to the point I broke down and bought Imodium. Horrifying race photos of people who have had an unfortunate accident during their marathon haunted my thoughts, which just made my stomach churn that much more. I pretty much stuck to bagels and bananas most of Saturday, except a small pasta lunch. Complex, low fiber carbs in hopes of not having one of those horrifying pictures of my own! Plus, I just did not want to waste time in the port-a-potty lines along the course.

I did manage to sleep a little Saturday night, which surprised me. I got up at 3:30 AM for our 4:15 AM departure to get the starting line by 5:00 (race start: 6:15). I was surprisingly calm, and mostly just felt bad for my poor husband and kids who had such a long morning ahead of them. I managed to choke down half a bagel and a hard boiled egg, and was relieved my stomach seemed to be on board with the rest of me.

My family (all four kids and hubby) dropped me off at the starting area, which did not allow any parking (think airport passenger drop off). At that point they headed to get some early breakfast then to the shuttle area which would bring them to the finish area (this course actually starts at the San Diego Zoo and ends at Sea World, which are about 9 miles apart). So I was on my own. I had plenty of time for a pit stop at the port-a-potties, which was about a 20 minute wait. I met some really nice runners in line, including a woman who is a three year lymphoma survivor, running her second race since her remission. What a remarkable woman, and she gives all credit and glory to God.

I made my way to my corral (the 4:40 finish time group), chatted with the pace group leader and met several women also running their first full marathon. It was 6:45 by the time I crossed the starting line (the race started in waves, with about 90 seconds between each corral).

I started out with the pace leader, but soon realized he was running significantly faster than our anticipated pace. Turns out his strategy was to run fast at first so that he could slow down toward the end when the group was tired. This is NOT a strategy I use or even agree with, I personally feel that when I start too fast it hurts my finishing time. So, I and a few other members of the group fell back a bit, at about a 10:20 to 10:30 pace (with a goal of staying just under 10:42 to finish in 4 hours 40 minutes). Gotta love my Garmin!

The first few miles were absolutely thrilling, as I enjoyed the oxygen at sea level (I really did notice a huge difference, compared to my usual 6000 feet running at home). However, the best advice I read was to NOT get too excited about the advantage training at altitude would afford me, as this only really helps the lungs. Regardless of altitude, the LEGS fatigue at the same rate. I do think the increased oxygen carrying capacity I have thanks to my altitude living did help my legs, though, as they had more to work with.

The course is billed as being 'flat,' which I personally would agree with coming from Colorado. However, it was what I call 'Colorado-flat,' meaning a lot of rolling hills and minor inclines. Miles 9 through 11 were mostly uphill on the 163 freeway, though I felt fine the whole way. Overall the course was much flatter than anything I run when I am home (Colorado is the best training place, and yes I am biased!). I do know that people from truly flat parts of the country were a bit dismayed that this course was not indeed 'flat' as in 'flat as a pancake,' and I can see where they may have been caught off guard.

I didn't carry water, as part of my strategy was to use the water stations. This worked perfectly, I mastered chugging water from a cup without stopping and felt well hydrated. I had my trusty Shot Blocks in my Spibelt. I popped one in my mouth every 30 minutes, plus I did use on salt tablet at mile 14.

By mile 13 I saw my family on the side cheering for me! Oh my gosh the joy I felt was overwhelming, I ran by and gave them high fives and felt tears in my eyes. I was halfway done, felt great, and had my family to support me. It just cannot get better. I continued feeling really good through about mile 18. The only issue I had was my sock was bunching up in my left shoe, which was annoying but was NOT going to make me stop. I just ignored it. My calf was feeling fine, as was my knee (which had NEVER bothered me, until taper began).

By mile 20 fatigue hit hard, and I pretty much felt numb from the waste down. I could tell my left foot was forming nasty blisters at this point, but ignored it (endorphins rock). The last 6 miles were mostly flat and along the shoreline, with a mile or so loop on a small island right by Sea World. The last 4 miles were brutal, but I was so determined that nothing would stop me. I dug deep into myself to places I never knew existed. I pictured my family at the finish line, and remembered the St. Sebastian medal in my pocket. I kept asking him to pray for me, and I knew that Jesus was right there the whole way.

Funny thing, by this point I caught up to my 4:40 pace group! I ran past my husband Dave, 18 year old son and 10 year old son at mile 26, who joined me for the last 0.2 miles. Holding hands, we crossed the finish line together, and my daughters were there smiling and cheering. I love this picture they snapped  just after we crossed the finish line (at 4 hours 39 minutes! Just under my 4:40 goal!):

I got my medal, and cried tears of relief and joy.

After finding the rest of my family, and putting my flip flops on, we boarded the shuttle back to our car. My legs were exhausted, it was funny watching the other runners limp up the shuttle steps like I did.

Back at the condo, I went straight to the pool and fell asleep on a lounge chair. I did do a couple of ice baths later that day, my legs were absolutely dead meat, especially my quads. Stairs were just about impossible. But by Tuesday (48 hours after the marathon), they were so much better I was able to enjoy a day at Universal Studios with my family. Next up this week: Sea World and the beach, before we make our way home this weekend.

All in all, I couldn't be happier. I have a ton of pics to post once I am home.