25th Annual California International Marathon - RunMarathon

Started off at a steady pace – easy on the uphills and letting the legs run on the downhills. I was surprised at how hilly the course was. I had totally underestimated the course. We had driven the last half a few times but not the start – oops. Still I chugged along aiming for an average pace around 6:05 (9:50/mile). My mantra was “what goes up must come down” – with respect to the hills, but also my HR.

Stopped just before the half mark to readjust my sock in my shoe – it was just a wee bit uncomfortable. Got the half marathon point in 2:15:02. Not bad. About then, I was starting to have some tummy trouble. A potty stop was imminent. At mile 14, I had my 10-minute potty stop (combined wait and business time). While waiting, the 4:30 pace group went by. Doh!

After stopping, I couldn’t get my legs going again. They just wouldn’t turnover, it was like I was wearing 500 pound ankle weights. My quads wouldn’t fire. My HR was fine. I had the fuel, just not the motor. I’ve never bonked like this before. Still, I kept on running, hitting a pace of 7:00 (11:20/mile) at best.

Just after mile 20, I came upon my good friend was who was taking photos and getting all crazy. She had been there since the first runners went by and was loving the whole atmosphere. It was nice to see her and that was a nice little boost.

At around mile 21, the 5:00 pace group went by…frustratingly, I couldn’t keep up. When I realized that the day was going to be about just finishing, I relaxed and waddled on taking in the crowd, the other runners, and the scenery.

Kept on going. It would have been so easy to quit. To make excuses and scrub the whole experience. It hurt. It was humbling. Still, I finished.

SIGHTINGS: My friend is a dog sitter and I helped walk dogs with her on Saturday. On the course, I saw Winston (a yorkie) that I had walked. I also saw a couple with two Beardies (like Frankie), a Bouvier des Flanders, a whippet, and assorted other fun dog breeds. The strangest animal sighting was a wild turkey wandering around loose. Or, maybe it was the guy at mile 23 dressed up like a bear.
There were assorted groups of cheerleaders, bands (school pep and the rock n roll variety), groups of neighbours stringing together sound systems that played everything from Bach to Eye of the Tiger and then the guy playing "Born to Run" on a recorder.

Start Weather: 6°C, SE 3km/h, Hum 55%, Clear
Weather @ Half: 11°C, SSE 23km/h(gust 32), Hum 43%, Mainly Sunny
Finish Weather: 14°C, SE 24km/h(gust 37), Hum 36%, Mainly Sunny

Km Splits/Avg HR:
13.1) 2:15:02 @ 10:18/mile, 6:24/km, Avg HR 168, Max HR 177
26.2) 3:13:50 @ 14:48/mile, 9:11/km, Avg HR 142, Max HR 171

Nutrition: 6xGu every 3-4 miles

MotionBased Data

Drive the course. When traveling to a new race, at least know what a course looks like. I might have paced myself differently if I had known the rolling hills were as rolling as they were.

Train like a runner. My weekday mileage wasn’t high enough, I would have added in another running day for 4 weekday runs plus the LSD. Add more hills in the routine runs and LSD.

Have a good, consistent base. I had the 6-week layoff because of my broken toe. I tried to keep my cardio up during that time by biking and elliptical training when I was able. The broken toe messed up my racing season, but I had to come back somehow. I can’t blame anything on my toe this race day – it wasn’t a factor at all.

Be 30lbs lighter. Easy to say, hard to remedy. At the end of October, I had some autoimmune issues that came to head. My thyroid and liver functions were all wonky. No wonder my attempts at weight loss over the previous months were in vain. In hindsight, I should have been more attentive to my health and not let myself get rundown.

Stretched a bit. Wandered around downtown trying to find the Pyramid Brewery Alehouse to meet the BTers, but then finally ended up at the hotel.


I was aiming for the 4:30 range and ended up coming in a full hour slower! Ugh. When things don't go according to plan in a race, I get more motivated to attack it again. We all learn new things about ourselves during these long distance races. No regrets for me, just lots of new information about my body and my mind to work with next time. And, there will be a next time.


Excellent organization! The volunteers rocked.

I certainly want to take another shot at this race!