After a 4AM wake-up call, warm shower and a couple cups of coffee to wash down my two bananas and bagel, the marathon day routine had begun without a glitch. Glenn Miller and I planned to catch a 5:40 bus to the start from the Sheraton Grand for an approximate 6:15 arrival time. Unfortunately most of the other 5,000 runners had the same idea and by the time we went to line up for the bus, the line nearly circled an entire city block. Frantically we hailed a cab and $75 later were dropped off near the start- so we thought. After a mile or so jogging with our bags, we were finally able to see the lights of the starting line. I actually never saw Glenn again, but did see he finished in 3:26, a solid effort. After rushing around at the start I was able to weave my way up to the front, lower my pulse, and 30 seconds later start the race.
The first 8 miles went down easy at a 5:50 pace. I then hit my typical lull at mile 9, but was confident it would only last a mile or two. After 11 miles, my legs continued to feel heavier than normal and I slowly began to realize today was going to be a difficult day. By 13, I slowly dropped from the pack of four runners I was with and around mile 15, two runners caught me, one being the eventual second place woman. I feared being the runner that everyone sucks energy from and decided to give it what I had to stay with the two runners. After 1-2 miles it was just me and the woman, who gradually dropped me. By mile 18 I was toast and could no longer hold on to a sub 6:00 pace. I knew my goal of 2:35 was gone but I kept giving it all I had with the hope of a resurrection somewhere before the finish. It never came, but by mile 23, many runners had slowed, including the woman who passed me, which gave me a bit more energy. I was able to finish with a 6:03 and 6:02, crossing the line at 2:36:25, a PR for me, which on this day, seemed quite and accomplishment. I congratulated the other runners, specifically Chas Davis from Corvallis who helped motivate me the final 4 miles, grabbed a couple of finisher tin foil blankets, then saw Sean Meissner cruise across the finish line at 2:39:55. He ran a negative split and looked strong. Ultra runner? Try freaking fast marathoner!
And then there is Stiles, aka Runs with... monkeys, reins, goats...who also has a French alias of Stilet (stu-lay). Now I think he has earned the name Runs with Kenyans. In a matter of 8 weeks he has dropped his PR 13 minutes, finishing CIM at 2:49 and change. After the race, he bounced around the finish line in his Stingers like Muhammed Ali after a knock-out. I'll bet he found a local 10k race today in Sacramento to run. I figure in another 8 weeks he will surpass my new PR and we will all be attempting to run with Stiles.
Overall it was a great weekend. Enjoyed the trip and hanging out with Sean, Darin (3:13:57 and BQ!) and Glenn. Also props to Ryan Altman for his new PR 3:03:54! That's it for me this year. I'm done racing. Look forward to Eugene 2009 and the return of Ryan "fat boy" Rein to the racing circuit.
2009 Goals: Jeff- Sub 2:33, Katie Sub 2:55, Ryan and Stiles sub 2:45
The first 8 miles went down easy at a 5:50 pace. I then hit my typical lull at mile 9, but was confident it would only last a mile or two. After 11 miles, my legs continued to feel heavier than normal and I slowly began to realize today was going to be a difficult day. By 13, I slowly dropped from the pack of four runners I was with and around mile 15, two runners caught me, one being the eventual second place woman. I feared being the runner that everyone sucks energy from and decided to give it what I had to stay with the two runners. After 1-2 miles it was just me and the woman, who gradually dropped me. By mile 18 I was toast and could no longer hold on to a sub 6:00 pace. I knew my goal of 2:35 was gone but I kept giving it all I had with the hope of a resurrection somewhere before the finish. It never came, but by mile 23, many runners had slowed, including the woman who passed me, which gave me a bit more energy. I was able to finish with a 6:03 and 6:02, crossing the line at 2:36:25, a PR for me, which on this day, seemed quite and accomplishment. I congratulated the other runners, specifically Chas Davis from Corvallis who helped motivate me the final 4 miles, grabbed a couple of finisher tin foil blankets, then saw Sean Meissner cruise across the finish line at 2:39:55. He ran a negative split and looked strong. Ultra runner? Try freaking fast marathoner!
And then there is Stiles, aka Runs with... monkeys, reins, goats...who also has a French alias of Stilet (stu-lay). Now I think he has earned the name Runs with Kenyans. In a matter of 8 weeks he has dropped his PR 13 minutes, finishing CIM at 2:49 and change. After the race, he bounced around the finish line in his Stingers like Muhammed Ali after a knock-out. I'll bet he found a local 10k race today in Sacramento to run. I figure in another 8 weeks he will surpass my new PR and we will all be attempting to run with Stiles.
Overall it was a great weekend. Enjoyed the trip and hanging out with Sean, Darin (3:13:57 and BQ!) and Glenn. Also props to Ryan Altman for his new PR 3:03:54! That's it for me this year. I'm done racing. Look forward to Eugene 2009 and the return of Ryan "fat boy" Rein to the racing circuit.
2009 Goals: Jeff- Sub 2:33, Katie Sub 2:55, Ryan and Stiles sub 2:45
4 comments:
I guess I better replace this dark chocolate with some miles.
If you think you're going to run sub 2:33 then you definitely will need a coach. I hear there is a great one in your area...he recently placed 2nd in the COCC Turkey Trot despite hopping on one leg most of the way due to "post-op" trauma. Best of luck!
I hit the bus lines 15 or 20 minutes before you and they were already pretty ridiculous. Seemed worse than last year. Negotiating marathon starts is becoming so tricky that I've hired a personal assistant from FatBoy Associates to guide me through the murk for all races above 1000 entrants. He has a fluorescent jacket and excellent references.
Why is everyone so hot for Eugene?
Not to usurp your future coach, but I know his secret training regimen: "Run Farther, Run Faster". (Worked for me.)
You did an awesome job of staying focused with the bus fiasco.
Great trip and great race. Thanks for having me along.
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