SUNDAY - RACE DAY

we had hit the hay early, to be awoken between midnight and 1am by the sounds of people partying. we learned in the morning that there had been a wedding or something and the party got out of hand, but between 1am and 2am it was loud. woman screaming, guy yelling "f*ck this, f*ck that, f*ckin' f*ck f*ck...", horns honking. managed to get some sleep between 2am and 3:45 a.m. alarm.

i feel oddly awake. i take a quick shower, taking care to not get angie's french braids wet. we realized we left our razor at angie's and rick wanted to shave, so he went down to the front desk to get a kit. on his way down, he found a bundle. posters. for me. from all of you. i proceeded to look through them and bawl my eyes out.

(many of these are inside-ish comments. rick is often referred to as "quadzilla" among my friends. i am wife of quadzilla - WOQ. and, uh, if you couldn't tell i'm a vegetarian ;) )




















and my pre-race journal entry, written in vannie's hand.


i later found out that there had been one more, on the course, but i missed it:


i collected myself and my things and it was 4:25, time to go. the coffee shop downstairs had opened early for the marathoners and we got a cup and headed to the bus.

the bus was not full - rick and i sat and talked and tried to see out the window, but it was dark. we chatted with people while others slept. it took a long time to get to the start - about an hour. to go 26 miles.

it was crowded when we got there, the early bus people were milling about. we found porto-potties. ate some food. drank water and tried to stay warm. i tell myself i am ready, it is my mantra. i am as ready as anyone else there.

at about 6:30 they start the line up, starting with the slower people like me in the back. i wait as long as possible, because i didn't bring disposable sweats and before lining up i have to bag what i'm wearing and throw it in a truck so it will be waiting for me at the finish. i can't wait any longer, so i say goodbye to rick and head to the line-up.

it is in the mid-forties and i'm wearing shorts and a sleeveless top. i try to stay warm, talk to some of the others who are lined up. i'm getting a tad tired of hearing "you chose big sur for your first?!" with that are-you-insane kind of inflection. yes, well, i did and i'm here and i intend to do this.

6:55, the national anthem. announcements - recognizing the people who have raced in all 20 big sur marathons to date. doves are released, the swoop and circle overhead. and it's time to go.

it's crowded at the start and it takes a bit to get to the line. miles 1-4 are a bit slower than i'd hoped - but i'm in a crowd and i'm feeling quite comfortable. 10:22; 10:37 - they are out of water at the 2.6 mile water stop, but i grab some gatorade - 10:40, 10:58 (pee break in the woods).

after mile 4 i am finally warm, my hands are no longer numb. i try to ignore my slow pace and feel confident that i am staying comfortable. mile 5 is 11:02. i was looking forward to grabbing some gu - needed calories - at the mile 5.7 aid station but they are out. i take both water and gatorade and continue on.

miles 6-8 are hillier than i'd anticipated. 11:10; 10:57; 11:23. grab water and gatorade at the 8.3 mile station.

the views are incredible. it is a bit grey, and it rains just a bit, but i am just awed. the ocean rolls at my left. i listen to the sound of feet, of voices. exchange a few words here and there.

miles 9 and 10 continue the roll. 10:52, 11:58. the 10.8 mile aid station was supposed to have gu. at this point i could really use it. they are out. i take in both water and gatorade and wish i'd taken a few gels with me.

miles 11 and 12 are hurricane point - straight uphill. the taiko drummers keep a steady pounding beat that helps get me moving. i duck into a port-o-potty at the base of mile 11, and do a lot of walking. 14:33, 13:12.

the mile 12.9 aid station has fruit in addition to the water and gatorade, so i snag some orange. and head down miles 13 and 14. 10:00, 11:27. i cross bixby bridge, half-way done. there's a grand piano at the bixby bridge, i listen as it echoes over the water.

the 14.9 aid station was again supposed to have gu ... and is again out. miles 15 and 16 are just plain hard. 11:56; 14:48 (may have had a potty break there. or just walking.)

at about mile 16 i start just wanting to get to mile 18. mile 18 becomes the goal. after mile 18 there are only 8 miles left and that seems somehow do-able. i just need to get to mile 18.

i also start wondering about rick, who had not really planned on doing the marathon and had made a last-minute decision to run. he hadn't put in the miles that were really necessary and the hills, well, THE HILLS. and it wasn't just the hills, it was the angled roadway, the tilted berm that makes you feel all out of whack.

aid station at 16.8. water, gatorade, orange.

mile 17 takes me 12:00 and i'm relatively satisfied with that time. i've given up all hope of going under 5 hours.

at mile 17, the volunteer calling out time and pace says "single-digit miles to go!" i alternately feel like crying and hugging him.

the course is so hard but so beautiful. i watch the people around me. i envy their foresight in bringing gels. many are carrying disposable cameras and they take pictures along the way.

i make it to mile 18, my goal, in 13:02. i'm slowing down but i should have enough of a cushion to make the cut-off. the 18.9 mile aid station - again no gu. water, gatorade, orange. i ignore the fact that i'm not getting in any real calories as the rolling hills start.

miles 19 and 20, 13:59; 13:17. hills up up up up, down down, up up, down down. i tell myself i can walk as long as i run at least 3 minutes out of every mile. i try hard to run 3, walk 3, run 3, walk 3, but i just can't run up the hills.

mile 21 is blissfully downhill. 10:52. my quads aren't incredibly happy with me, but i take advantage of gravity and the need for less energy and go.

mile 21.2 rest stop. water, gatorade, fruit. 5 miles to go. 5 miles. i can run 5 miles. 5 miles is nothing.

there are more people now, we're heading into the outskirts of carmel.

after the blissfully downhill mile 21, mile 22 is all up. i can only walk. 15:25.

mile 23 rest stop - water, gatorade, fruit. mile 23 itself is just hard. i've stopped looking around me, all i see is road. i have three more miles of road. i wonder again about rick. i feel like sitting and resting on the side of the road. i see someone having blisters tended to by a medic. i see a bunch of posters flash in my mind's eye. three miles of road. i can run three miles of road. mile 23 is mental. mile 23 is 14:01.

mile 24 gives me some more downhill. gravity wins the battle with my quads and it takes me 12:45. i start my calculations. i could walk 15 minute miles or slower and make the cut-off. i will finish. the guy next to me reads my mind. "we'll finish within the cut-off" he says. to be an official finisher is all i want. and i will get it.

mile 25, last rest stop. water, gatorade, orange. oh how i want food. mile 25 is mostly uphill. i stare at the road. i stare at my watch. i play games with my brain. mile 25 is 14:13.

one point two miles. that's so do-able. one point two. mile 26 takes me 13:25.

and from there i can hear the crowd at the finish line. i can see balloons. this portion is downhill and i can run to the finish. and down i run, 2:17, to the finish line. as i cross the initial timing pad my name registers for the announcer and i hear my name. i pass under the finish line.

i don't see angie, but she's there, taking pictures.





and she did catch rick finishing ...





i am sniffling as i cross the finish line. i am handed a finisher's medal. someone clips off my chip and all of the sudden i see rick behind me, grinning, proud, wearing his finisher's medal. i hug him, and i sniffle, and i ask him about his race, and we hobble off in search of calories. things are catching up with me - i ran 5 hours 22 minutes on water, gatorade, and orange slices. over by the fence we spot (or, i spot, while rick looks confused as to what i'm waving at) angie:



angie brought a few things for us - including pretzels. wonderful, glorious, salty pretzels. angie is beaming (and i think i caught a sniffle or two on her part) and she walks us over to where we can pick up our morning bags. i put on my finisher's shirt - now earned. i put on my medal. the area is crowded, a mob scene. i stop to call my parents and tell them their daughter is a marathoner.



and we walk (slowly) to angie's car.

i am hurting but rick is really in pain. he wasn't really prepared to run the whole thing, but he said he was doing well until mile 21 and at that point he figured he could walk and still finish. which is what he did - a lot of walking - his quads would not let him run down any more hills.

angie drops us off at our hotel where we just barely manage to climb four flights of stairs to our room. rick takes the shower from hell - hot/cold/hot/cold and almost wants to just check out. but that would mean packing and stairs. so he gets in bed to nap while i run a bath which stays hot and then just quickly shower the muck off me.

we get in bed and sleep hard for two hours or so. bed is good, moving hurts. we dress and get presentable. call angie for a pick-up.

going down four flights of stairs is torture. rick goes backwards. angie picks us up and takes us back to her place where she has snacks waiting. she shows us the pictures she took and we hang until marathon coverage is on. then it's out for italian at Vito's and a run into trader joe's for some snacks for the room. we are exhausted. angie and V drop us at the hotel, where going up four flights of stairs is better than going down. bed is good - we fall asleep early and sleep in.

Edited by debs 2005-04-30 11:31 AM