California International Marathon: On Angel's Wings

It has become tradition for us to pick out one marathon a year to train for and race.  We tend to pick races that are out of state because I figure if I'm going to run 26.2 miles I want to see something new along the way.  Also, Texas weather is infamously unpredictable and I just couldn't bear the thought of training for so many weeks only to get caught in an unseasonable heatwave.  My first marathon and only marathon in Texas was here in Dallas, but I have travelled ever since. The last two years have found us marathoning in the Midwest both in Chicago and Milwaukee.  This year we decided to head west to the California International Marathon on December 7 in Sacramento.  I had heard so many great things about this race and it was a point-to-point with a net downhill (my favorite - see Milwaukee and the 3M Half in Austin) and was well organized and supported by the local communities.  Being in early December, it often falls on the same weekend as the Dallas Marathon, but this year it did not and I jumped at the opportunity to run.

Both Chicago and Milwaukee were in early October and that had us training through the heat of the summer with our biggest miles coming in August.  This year's early December race date provided a most wonderful shift from that training cycle.  The training was not "easy," but it was "different" as our last 20 miler was with temperatures in the 40s and a strong wind.  I think that we might have set a record for temperature extremes during a training cycle with temperatures in the 80s during the early runs and then 24 degrees for one of the last track workouts.  As with any training, there are good days and bad days - remember, I was diagnosed with shingles the day that training officially began!  I felt physically strong at times, but I don't know my mental game was as strong as in years past.  By the time you get to your 4th marathon, you remember how hard they are and how much they can hurt by the end.

We were heading into "race week" when I received the sudden and shocking news that we had lost my grandmother (Granny Faye) the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  She was my role model of strength, smarts, and humor and I was just devastated to know that she was gone.  Granny Faye was a true matriarch, the center of our family, and I was not sure what we were going to do without her.  It was a roller coaster week with my family - so much laughter and so many tears.  Running was the one thing that felt "normal" in a week when everything else was just "off."  Soon enough it was time for Mr K and me to head to California.  We landed on Friday afternoon and enjoyed an evening wandering around Old Sacramento.  Such a cute town!  On Saturday we walked down to the race expo and spent some time on the Capitol grounds before spending the afternoon hanging out at the hotel.  The race ends at the Capitol so it was super exciting to get a peek as the race staff was setting up all the finish line and all the other "stuff" that goes with it.

I love me some symmetry 

Race day came early and at 5:00 am we loaded the big yellow buses that would take us to the start line in Folsom.  Mr K and I had kept ourselves mostly on Texas time, going to bed super early and waking up super early on Saturday.  Our plan worked brilliantly as the early alarm did not feel all that early. As promised, the start line area was well organized and there really was a line of porta potties a quarter mile long!  We were treated to a stirring rendition of The Star Spangled Banner with the best bluegrass twinge, I love it when that happens!  I found myself to be a little teary at the start, I think that I was just filled to the top with all kinds of emotions from the week.  There was not a pace group that really fit my needs, so both Mr K and I lined up behind the 4:00 group.  This race is such a known Boston Qualifier that the pacers were identifying who was attempting to qualify and giving them special instructions for getting in just ahead of their cut off time.  Pretty cool!

Obligatory Pre-Race Hotel Room Picture

Miles 1-6.2
I decided to run mostly by feel, since there was no pace group and the 4:00 group took off a little too fast for my comfort.  In these early miles I watched the mile markers and tried to get to the next one with a consistent time.  There were rolling hills in the first half of the race, so some of the miles were faster than others.  The scenery was beautiful in these early miles - mostly rural with the occasional resident coming to the end of their drive to cheer.  One of the best parts of the race was how much of the road we had to ourselves - the whole road during the early miles and then the entire right lane for the duration of the race.  This might have been the first marathon I've ever run where this is the case and I really appreciated it.  Mr K slipped away from me in the very early miles and I thought of him occasionally, hoping that he was having a good race.  I started to look forward to the 10K (6.2 mile) mark because I assumed that there would be a timing mat there.  I knew that my friends and family were tracking my progress at home and I always get a boost from them.  Sure enough, there was a mat and I crossed 10K in 57:08 with 9:12 average pace - feeling good!

Miles 6.2-13.1
I didn't stop at any aide stations until after mile 7 when my handheld needed a refill.  I was focused on getting to the halfway mark.  I wasn't looking at my watch too often in this section, just keeping an eye on time so that I would know when to eat a gel.  I tried to keep the pace relaxed and consistent while taking in the scenery and the spectators.  The terrain became a little less rural and started to look more suburban and there were some good hills too, but each uphill was rewarded with a nice downhill.  Some of my favorite spectators were during these miles, including a guy on a bike with a James Earl Jones type voice telling us all how good we looked and to be proud of how far we had come.  I saw a few llamas too, right up on the sidelines with the spectators. How cool is that?  I crossed the mat at 13.1 in 2:01:41 with 9:18 average pace.  I was right where I wanted to be at this point in the race - and I had high hopes for the second half.

Miles 13.1-20
I stopped at the aide station after the 13.1 mark to top off my handheld again.  Then I saw Mr K ahead of me soon after the halfway mark and I ran behind him for a while before catching him around mile 15.  We leap frogged for a mile or so and he asked how I was feeling - the fatigue was starting to catch me a bit by this point and I said "I'm tired!"  My plan was to not stop again until around mile 20, but I found that I needed a few more breaks in this section.  Everyone talks about how hard mile 20 of a marathon is, but I find that I consistently struggle in the miles between 16-20.  I think that I am like a horse to the barn after 20 with the end in sight, but 16 is far enough to be tired but still too far from the end.  I rarely run with music, but I turned it on after mile 13 and really tried to use that as a distractor as the miles began to pass more slowly in during this section.  I felt pretty gross as I came into the aide station around mile 18 - shaky, winded, and thirsty.  I took my time there and made sure to get some electrolytes. According to my watch that mile was 10:50 and was by far the slowest of the race.  Thankfully I rallied for a few good miles after that.  I crossed the mile 20 mat in 3:09:06 with 9:28 average pace - slowing down a bit, but still moving forward!

Miles 20-26.2
We are on the home stretch now!! I heard someone cheering for the 4:10 pace group and a backwards glance told me that they were not too far behind me - and gaining ground quickly!  I felt tired by now, but was able to hold a steady pace in the mid to upper 9s.  We crossed the American River around mile 22 and when I paused at an aide station around mile 23.5 the 4:10 group passed me.  My mind for details gets foggy by this point in a run, but I do remember doing the YMCA somewhere in here - and it brought sweet relief to move my arms differently! We nearing downtown Sacramento and we passed some neat looking neighborhoods during the closing miles.  I thought about Granny frequently during this race, but I really felt like she carried me during those last few miles.  I could feel myself getting emotional towards the end, but I had to choke it back a bit as it made breathing harder.  One foot in front of the other, getting closer now!  The crowds in the last couple of miles were much bigger and loud and that made me smile so much.  It was a huge relief to round the corner from 8th Street onto the Capitol Mall - the finish line was within my sights now!  I don't remember much about the finish itself except I crossed the line and immediately burst into tears, so much emotion packed into a single week.  I accepted my beautiful finisher's medal from a sweet-faced kiddo and staggered over to the curb.  I checked my phone and saw my official time - 4:11:12.

I found Mr K and we recovered a little bit, talked to some fellow finishers, took some pictures, and enjoyed the energy that a marathon finish line brings.  It is always a fun to share battle stories with other complete strangers who ran the race - like we have a common brotherhood at least for that day. We passed by that intersection of 8th Street on our way out and decided to stop a bit a cheer for other runners as they rounded that bend.  Seeing their expressions as they caught sight of the finish line for the first time was something that I will never forget.  The best part of a marathon is not the elite finishers, but the final few.  Their smiles filled my heart to the very top - I love running because of moments like this.  We stayed until the last person finished and then we headed for our hotel a few blocks away.

My second "race medal in front of a state capitol" picture

I've thought about my race a great deal in these days following it - the good, the not so good, and the reality of it all.  Three years ago I ran my first marathon on a miserably cold and rainy day. I did it in 4:42:49 and I assumed that I would be faster in my second one, but also that I would be a solid 4:30 marathoner.  I was really happy with that thought too...then I ran Chicago in 4:10.  I was beyond thrilled, but also worried that it might be a fluke. Then I ran Milwaukee Lakefront in 4:06:28...and I knew that it was not a fluke.  I was hoping for a new PR, as I do with each marathon attempt, but it was not meant to be.  I will never take running a marathon for granted and I'm very happy to see another solid time that I can be proud of.  I discovered this quote when I was contemplating my first marathon:  You should run your first marathon for the right reasons, because you'll never be the same person again....Bill Wenmark.  I still believe this to be true, except remove the word first - every marathon will change you.   If you listen carefully, the marathon will teach you a great deal about yourself. I'm thankful that I can keep learning and keep growing with each attempt. Where will next year take me? That is yet to be discovered!