This year, the California International Marathon (CIM), fell just 4 weeks after I crossed the Rio 100 finish line. I wasn’t sure if I was even going to be able to run it, until marathon week arrived.
After a few short runs, I decided to go for it. So on race morning, I woke up at 3:30 am to get ready for the day and miles ahead.
Legs up the wall pre race
Much like last year, I had my oatmeal and coffee and waited for Vans to wake up so we could hit the road at 5:30 am to get to the starting line.
My usual routine once I get to the starting area is like the 10,000 other runners, line up for the porta potties. This year though was a little different.
The distance between the next person in line and the actual porta potty is a few week. As I exited the porta potty and held the door open for the next person in line, a rogue runner tried to cut the line and jump into my porta potty!! I had to hold him back a little and told him, “Hell no buddy, you have to wait in line like everyone else. ” He turned and went to the back of the line and the whole line cheered me on. 🙂 One girl said “Thank you,” to me.
Heading to the starting corral
The race start is divided into a few different corrals. This year, I started on right when I really meant to start on the left but it was fine, I had made a deal with myself pre race.
Before the race, I told myself that I needed to run slow and easy because I really want to get back out on the trails and pavement, really just hits my body hard and requires a much longer recovery period.
Let’s get this going!
For the first time in my 14 CIM starts, the race was delayed by 10 minutes. They never told us why, but I did find that to be very odd.
Once the race started, I tried not to get caught up in the early mile sprinting that always occurs.
My first few miles were sub 9 even though I didn’t feel like they were. I kept telling myself to slow down.
Around mile 10 or so, my stomach started to turn and not feel the best. I must have stopped at two different times on course. I hate stopping during the race but I told myself that I might as well, I had no one waiting at the finish line and it would give me a nice break.
Mile 12 or so, my ankle started to ache. The same ankle that I had issues with at Rio. It wasn’t unbearable but it did slow me down a little.
Eventually by mile 16, I started to feel good. My plan became, walk at the aid-stations (even though I don’t use the race aid-stations) and then run to the next one.
I met a nice man who was running his 20th CIM. He liked my pace so we chatted for a bit and then we lost each other at one of the aid-stations.
My mind did wander this year. I was bored at times. Not that the race is boring or the spectators, they are what truly make the race fun (I’ve run the race in the early years where some of those middle miles were quiet and boring because there were no spectators).
I just missed running with someone. This is the third year in a row that I have run it solo. I was going to bring headphones which is so unlike me, I never run with headphones but I really wish I had for a few of those miles.
Soon enough, I was at mile 20. I was getting texts from Vans who was at Squeaker’s soccer game. He was following me virtually online. That was a nice boost.
I texted my aunt who lives in East Sac to see if she was out there and I totally thought she was and waived very enthusiastically at someone I thought was her, only to find out post race, that she never made it out there.
The final miles for once ticked by much quicker than in years past. I kept my head down and just kept willing my legs to run.
I crossed the finish line which was entirely different this year. There are normally male and female shoots but they just had everyone finish under one arch this year which made the name announcing kind of funny.
The finish set up was different too. This was the 40th anniversary of CIM. The race shirt and the race poster I thought were super lame this year but all made sense when I crossed the finish line. We were handed really nice wind breakers and back packs!
Super sweet post race swag.
I wandered around the finish area looking for the Information tent because someone mid race told me there are now buses that can take you back to Folsom. Last year I took an Uber that cost me a small fortune.
Since I wasn’t racing off to a soccer game like I was last year, I decided to take the bus. It took me a while to find it and we had to sit on there for a while until the bus was full but it was great!
I had a great conversation on the bus with a woman from San Jose. I decided to take the first bus drop off location because Vans had called and said he wasn’t far from that spot so I only had to wait about 5 minutes.
Overall, I am thrilled with my CIM for 2023. I wanted to run 10 minute miles and I hit that number right on the nose.
This wasn’t my fast CIM by a long stretch but it wasn’t my slowest. I will say I am quite proud having been able to run it 4 weeks post 100 mile. I even wore my Rio shirt for the race which was awesome because some of the spectators knew what Rio was and would yell out “Awesome Rio! Well done!” 🙂 That felt good.
It wouldn’t be December with out CIM. Not sure how many I have left in me. I really love and appreciate trails so much more but running a marathon gives you a different kind of mental toughness. I will never be a speedy marathoner, but that’s okay. Sometimes it is more fun to enjoy the ride. 🙂
Post Race Smiles AND sunshine!
Congrats to everyone that ran the 40th annual CIM! It was my 14th CIM and my 20th marathon total.
Normally I get my race reports up pretty quickly after a race when all the memories are fresh in my brain but this year, the California International Marathon just kind of came and went without too much hoopla.
For the first time in about 3 or 4 years, I ran CIM solo and I went to the race expo solo. Having just run Pine to Palm 100 a little over two months ago, I really had no “plans” for CIM other than to just enjoy the day, finish it and complete CIM #11.
This year, due to some construction downtown, the CIM race expo was held at the old Arco Arena. Not super convenient to get to but definitely much easier to park the car. I made quick use of the expo. I got my bib, a small massage on my calves and then visited Michael at the Sufferfest booth. Vans and I have run into Michael 4 or 5 times over the course of the year at various races or events. He was making hats for runners this year at the expo and assured me that Sufferfest would be at the finish line!
The Saturday before the marathon was a bit of a crazy day. I woke up early, attended the Western States Lottery (didn’t get called) and missed my daughter and team’s soccer game because it was at the same time as the lottery. The minute the last lottery card was pulled I jetted from Auburn to my other daughter’s three game basketball tournament in Rocklin. I spent the remainder of the day/evening there.
When race morning arrived, I felt rested but didn’t have that excitement that I normally have probably because I wasn’t sure what the day would bring since I was running alone.
My pre race breakfast was a half a cup of coffee and Picky Bars Can’t Beet Chocolate Oatmeal. This stuff is awesome and packed with calories for long distance running. Sounds crazy … beets and chocolate but it is SO good.
Like always, Tigger T came to pick me up and brought me to the race start. I love the laughs we have and the memories of past races we share when we do this. I’ve ran with Tigger T a few years ago during the coldest CIM in (my) history. We still laugh at the crazy fun we had that race. I also met her friend Tiffany who was doing her FIRST full CIM. I love meeting people who are running their first marathon. Their excitement is contagious and that is just what I needed.
Race Start
The whole weekend had been dumping rain and most of the runners for CIM were anticipating a full 26.2 miles in the rain. Instead, the marathon gods shone down and we only had a few sprinkles at the start and then beautiful weather the rest of the race!
After saying goodbye and good luck to Tigger T and Tiffany, I made my way to the race corral. Here I had to pick a predicted finish time so I could place myself on the appropriate side of the corral.
As I was standing there listening to the conversations around me, I recognized a voice. I turned to my right and realized I was standing next to Tim Twietmeyer, the 3:40 pace group leader. Something flickered in my head … “Could I? … Could I hold a 3:40 pace with zero training…on pavement? … 3:40 would be a BQ I think … Could I?” I quickly shut those thoughts down, “Be smart. That wasn’t the goal. You don’t want to end up injured. Just run for fun.” The internal struggle was real. 🙂
Finally the race started and all the runners shuffled their way to the timing mats. Once I crossed the mat, I just tried to get a comfortable pace and avoid being stepped on by everyone jostling for position.
The first mile I clocked just below an 8:30 pace. I thought to myself, “That didn’t seem too fast. I feel okay. Comfortable. I’ll just sit at this pace for a while.” The miles seem to click by one by one and I just kept running. Every so often I would glance at my splits and somehow, I kept them consistently just under an 8:30 pace, “Wow. I wonder if I could hold 8:30 the entire race? If I could, that would get a me a decent PR!” This is what happens when I run alone. It is like I have an angel on one shoulder saying one thing and the devil on the other saying the complete opposite. Right about now, the angel must have been tying her shoe laces because I kept that 8:30 pace for the first 15 miles!
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Then, at mile 15 my shoe came untied, then I ran out of water and had to fill up and I took some fuel. That wast my first 9+ minute mile of the race … “That’s okay. See if you can bring it back to 8:30 … but man, I am starting to feel tired …. is that my hamstring that’s aching … glutes, think about your glutes. Sandi would say focus on your glutes!“
I got pretty close to bringing it back down to a sub 9 minute mile but I never got close to 8:30 again. The wheels as they say, were starting to come unhinged.
Mile 20 is usually where I see Vans and my kids but not this year. This year I was missing yet another soccer game because of CIM and they wouldn’t make it in time to see me cross mile 20. Mentally, that was a little tough because I love seeing them there. Actually, I only saw one or two familiar faces out there this year but I do think the crowds of cheering spectators, especially through those Carmichael miles was way bigger than in years past. Way to go spectators!
The climb up the J street bridge is tough but this year, the music was pumping and the cheering was SO loud it almost brought tears to my eyes. It gave me a little boost that quickly faded as my right ankle started to ache.
An old injury that I had surgery on in 2013, started to make itself known so in an effort to keep myself in check, I slowed my pace down considerably. There went my PR but I’d rather finish without an injury. Still, my ankle was screaming as I made my way down J Street.
When I made the turn onto Alhambra and knew that I had less than 2 miles to go. I tried to pick up the pace once again. I knew I was close to the 4 hour mark and the competitive (aka the devil) side of me would have loved another sub 4 finish but the realistic side (aka my angel) was reminding me that I had just run a 100 miler two months ago AND I had not even trained for this so don’t be greedy and stupid. The angel won but only because I couldn’t get my legs to move any faster.
I crossed the finish line and just smiled. I was happy to be done and the first thought in my head was, “Dang! That was tougher than my 100 miler!” 🙂 Road races are no joke and they can be extremely hard both physically and mentally. The pavement is not forgiving but CIM is tradition and I was so happy that I completed my 11th CIM (17th marathon total). While I much prefer running CIM with someone (ideally someone running their first marathon), I was pleased at what I was able to sustain out there even if it wasn’t my intended plan. It led me to … “What if? What if I actually trained for this? What if focused on a BQ?” I love the trails too much though I think to leave them. Who knows, maybe some day.
Once I got my medal and my CIM finisher’s water bottle (woot woot Sacramento Running Association for the NO single use plastics at the finish – I love it!), I made my way to the beer tent. Every runner is allowed a free finisher’s beer (Sierra Nevada) but this year, for the first time in 11 CIM’s .. I was able to partake in that finisher’s beer because they also had Sufferfest!
It was a good thing too because Vans and the kids took a while to get to the finish to pick me up so I just hung out in the beer garden chatting with other runners and trying to stretch out my incredibly tight and very tired legs.
My two girls showed up to bring me home! My biggest CIM fan (psst, nice hat).
I love the California International Marathon. It’s just a great race with the best volunteers and spectators but it isn’t as easy as many might think. Happy to have #11 under my belt and I am already looking forward to next year. Anyone want to run their first CIM with me? 🙂
“They are going to kill me! But this is way too funny not to post!”
(warning – this is a super long post but a fun one)
The Thursday before I left for Oregon, my coworker and I were discussing the fact that I was going on a road-trip with two friends (also moms) and how we were headed to do a trail marathon put on by race director and all around ultra-running legend, Hal Koerner. One thing led to another and within minutes the above photo was created and shared on Facebook.
Hal was tagged and my friends laughed. He seems like he has a good easy going personality, so I hoped he didn’t mind. 🙂
First, let’s step back just a bit shall we? How did this all come about? Well, quite a few months ago I decided that in my final year of being 39, I wanted to do races that I have never done and go places and have fun! So I registered for the Lithia Loop Trail Marathon which takes place in Ashland, Oregon and I booked a hotel.
Vans and I have been to Ashland before and we loved it. He told me that he’d go with the kids but that I should really take my friends. So, I did.
The wolfpack was set free!
Vans tagged us as “the wolfpack” on Facebook and the name has stuck. My girls and I hit the road ready to explore, live and just laugh our bums off!
Mt Shasta
The drive up was easy. We stopped along the way for photos and rest-stops but we made really good time and were in Ashland with lots of time to explore.
We stayed at the Ashland Springs Hotel which was the race host hotel and is conveniently located across the street from Rogue Valley Runners – where packet pick up was located.
We grabbed our shirts and bibs. We saw that Hal was there but he didn’t seem to “recognize” us from our photoshopped post on Facebook. Whew! Saved (or so I thought).
Standing Stone Brewing Company
We walked down the street and had drinks and snacks at Standing Stone Brewing Company. We toasted our weekend freedom and talked about the race.
Lithia Park
Then we walked a block or two over to Lithia Park to find the race start and finish area. This park is mind blowing and GORGEOUS!
Feeling so lucky
We wandered the park, taking photos and then came across a little park with THE coolest climbing structure ever.
When in Rome right? (photo by Burning Girl)
Stonegate and I couldn’t resist. We had to climb to the top. My kids would love this!
Since we were racing, we made it an early night and grabbed whatever food we all needed and headed back to the hotel to settle in and get ready for the race.
We felt kind of lame going back to our hotel when it was so early but we wanted to be rested for the race.
The race started at 8:00 am which for us, is extremely late. We were sort of thrown by the late start time but realized the next morning that it doesn’t get light out until about 7:45 am. Aaah, now I get it. 🙂
Burning Girl, Me and Stonegate at the start. (photo by Stongate)
The best part is that we could leave our hotel and walk to the starting area. I love being able to do that.
As usual, we arrived a bit too early and watched as the race directors and volunteers helped put up the starting arch.
The start. Photo from Facebook.
We knew this was not a huge race but we also knew that it was filled with mostly Oregon locals. Locals who looked like they could crush this course.
Promptly at 8 am, Hal counted us down and the race started. The first 10 miles are on a partly paved and partly dirt fire road. TEN MILES … UP HILL.
Course profile
We all started out together and then quickly realized, that NO ONE walks. No one. Everyone was running. Mile 1, mile 2, mile 3 … no one stopped despite the fact that we were climbing some serious hill.
Burning Girl said, “I’ll catch ya later! Good luck!” as she stopped to walk. I must add, that Burning Girl’s farthest run to date had been 12 miles, once. This girl’s life has been hectic to say the least and yet she traveled to Ashland and made a game day decision. She started the race and would see how the day would unfold. Stonegate and I had our fingers crossed for her but to be honest, the odds were against her.
Stonegate and I ran a little further and then she stopped. I kept going but eventually stopped too. Stonegate caught me and we did a run walk combo up that hill. Everyone was looking at us as they ran past but we knew we wanted to be a bit conservative as we still had a lot of climbing to do!
Good morning Ashland!
The weather was perfect. All week they had predicted that it would be down pouring rain – first it was for the entire day, then it moved to the second half of the race and then, it wasn’t supposed to rain until late that evening! It was beautiful out. Not too cold. Not too hot.
Trail selfie
The fire road was getting a little tedious. It wasn’t ugly but it had this gravel that was just very hard for me to get footing on. I would slide back an inch every so often. The tread on my shoes are also pretty worn so that didn’t help.
Finally we made a sharp right turn onto a single track. I don’t think Stonegate and I could be any happier. The funny thing is, all the people who had ran the fire road, walked the single track. That just made me laugh. I was ready to run at this point!
The trail was well marked and it smelled like pine! It was awesome.
I am not quite sure when it was, I think it was mile 8 or 9, Stonegate told me to go ahead that she needed to walk. So I ran thinking she would catch me eventually. I never saw her again.
This sign just makes me laugh.
I just kept running. I was starting to feel good. My legs were no longer tired from the climb and my lungs felt okay. We had reached the top of the hill and I knew that the rest was just a super flat-ish section until about mile 19 or 20.
There were six aid-stations throughout the course and I just took them one by one. I didn’t really need much as my pack was pretty stocked but the volunteers manning the aid-stations were SUPER nice!
One aid-station was crewed by a mountain biking group.
The only downfall with this race is that there is no where, and I mean no where, to pull off to the side of the trail when nature calls. You have a cliff on one side and a wall or mountain of dirt more or less on the other.
This kind of stunk as I had to go twice during the race. Both instances I had to literally climb over a cliff and down an embankment one time and then climb over some downed trees another. That took a lot of time.
Finally I came to the last aid-station at about mile 19.5. I just said hello and was ready to keep running. I almost went the wrong way until they pointed me towards some single track trails. Yes!
It was a short single track that then dumped you onto a short fire road that then led you to Caterpillar Trail. As I understand it from the locals, this trail was newly built and this was the first year the course was running on it.
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Photo by Stonegate
I just ran and ran and ran! I felt no pain. I was in heaven. I was smiling ear to ear cheering on runners as I passed them. I think I passed about 10 people on this section of the trail. I had passed about 8 on the fire road the last few miles as well. My energy was strong.
Photo by Stonegate
Up, down, up, down the trail was full of little rollers that weaved in and out of trees. There were downward switch backs and tight corners. To your left was a cliff. The trail itself was only a foot or two wide and to your right was a dirt wall. I prayed no mountain bikers were out there (as it turns out, mountain bikers have their own section of caterpillar to ride on that is just for them, how cool!?).
Runners cheered me on as I passed them. Finally at mile 24 I came to this …
Why not add stairs at mile 24 of a marathon right?
I had to laugh and take a photo. Always throwing in stairs for good fun.
Finally the trail dumps you out onto a paved road. After a turn, you realize that you’re on the same road you started the race on and that we only had a mile to go.
I ran hard. I knew the race had a 6 hour cutoff and I had no concept of time. I never once looked at my watch for time. I’d occasionally look at it for mileage when it beeped to see if the mile markers were accurate (they were) but never once did I glance at the time or the pace I was running.
I passed about 4 more runners on this road (they looked like they were hurting). Locals were sitting on their curbs cheering us on! It was so cute.
Then I see the finish arch ahead. I was so happy but then something to my left caught my eye. There was a  HUGE buck just standing at the curb, not five feet from me. Four feet from it, was a woman just sitting and cheering.
I looked from the buck to the woman and from the woman to the buck thinking, “Does she not SEE that? Am I imagining this? He is RIGHT there!” I wanted to stop and pull out my camera but I was literally just 30 yards from the finish.
As it turns out, when I did finish, there had been a family of deer to my right as well! Crazy!
I finished in 5 hours even. I apparently snuck past everyone as they had to chase me down to give me my medal and race swag.
I then waited for Stonegate and Burning Girl to finish. I hadn’t heard from either of them throughout the race. The cell coverage was spotty most of the day so that was understandable.
Stonegate coming down the hill! Deer to her right!
Stonegate finished and was smiling ear to ear. Her time was about 5 hours and 30 minutes and she was feeling good.
We quickly walked down the street to Pioneer Hall where the post-race food was located. Here they gave us growlers!
How cool is that?!
My very own growler! I was so excited. Stonegate grabbed a burrito. I took a photo of all the local beer being served to send to Vans back home.
Then we went back to the finish area to wait for Burning Girl. Neither one of us had heard from her. I talked to the guy manning the finish area and he said no one had dropped at any of the aid-stations that he was aware of.
Then, we saw Hal, the race director. I wanted a photo so I grabbed Stonegate and we wandered over. We asked if we could have a photo with him.
At first he laughed, then said, “Yea, I think I saw a photo or something Facebook already … that took a lot of work.” 🙂
I assured him that it really didn’t take much! hahaha It was so funny. He truly was a super nice guy and a good sport about it. He shared with us some places where we could go and hang out tonight post race.
All of a sudden, Stonegate gets a text from Burning Girl that she had HIT THE PAVEMENT! She was on her way into the finish! There were 5 runners out there and she was one of them.
Down the hill she came! She looked amazing! She did it! She freaking ran that hard-a$$ marathon with little to no training. Mind over matter she did it! I am so damn proud of that woman. She is one helluva strong runner! Sadly, we did NOT get a post race photo of all of us! Grrr!
But we did stop on our walk back to the hotel at Standing Stone Brewing Company again to fill up our new growlers!
Photo by Stonegate
Then it was back to the hotel for a mini celebration and showers. Despite being a little sore and tired, we were anxious to get out and really experience downtown Ashland.
We had drinks, followed by a nice dinner in a great place with locals cheering on the Oregon football team. We told stories of what we all experienced during the run and how we felt at certain points. It was pure bliss.
Alas, we are moms and we were tired so we called it quits pretty early and headed back to the hotel (in the pouring rain). We had our growlers and were eager to get foam rolling! haha
The next morning was day light savings. The time change didn’t really help us, our internal mom clocks had us up the normal time. We grabbed coffee and breakfast from the hotel and went back to pack up and hit the road.
Stopping at scenic over looks again.
The drive back was good. Again we made it a point to stop at scenic over looks for photos.
The wolfpack. Stonegate, Burning Girl and myself (photo by Stonegate)
We stopped in Redding to visit Burning Girl’s mother-inlaw. She is the sweetest woman. We also stopped in Weed, California to have a little fun – gotta have fun in Weed!
Burning Girl trying to get the perfect shot of Stonegate
I ran into Sheldon too. 🙂
Beautiful Mount Shasta behind me.
All in all, it was one of the best weekends that I have had in a really long time. I feel truly blessed to have a supportive spouse who encouraged me to go have a weekend with friends and I feel truly lucky to know these two ladies who love to travel, love to run and love to adventure just as much as I do! So thank you Vans and thank you Stonegate and Burning Girl for being the two best adventure pals ever. I love that you are always willing to go on my crazy adventures and destination races.
So the Lithia Loop Trail Marathon was my last trail race in my current age bracket. I have one more race of the season left in December and then I cross the proverbial line into a new age bracket, a new era. So far I have to say that I am not afraid. I am not sad about it. My thirties have been fabulous. I have been so very blessed and so very lucky thus far to have the family, friends and adventures that I have had. This year in particular has been one helluva year for me running wise.
I have met and talked with some outstanding runners and athletes this year and it is all because I love to explore. If my mom’s death taught me one thing (it actually taught me a lot) but most importantly I have learned to live life! There is no telling what tomorrow may bring. So grab life by the horns, and cherish it. Then, let it go and find the next big thing. Make memories (heck make waves if you can). Just do it. And don’t forget to smile.
The last year in my thirties hasn’t been too shabby. 🙂
Last year when I ran this race (you can read that race report here), I decided that upon crossing the finish line that I wanted another shot at actually “running” this race and not just finishing (even though I ran the past few CIMs with TiggerT and had SO much fun while doing it). I had decided, that even though I am on the fence about ever running in Boston, I’d like to at least have the ability to say, “Why yes, I qualified!”
So when my trail season ended, I began running roads and started “lightly” following an old training plan that I had from years ago. I ran long on weekends all solo. I did speed work on Tuesday nights a few times a month with my old crew, the Buffalo Chips (man I missed that group and their workouts). I still ran with my morning crew but mostly on Thursdays.
In the beginning, I was hitting my pace marks and felt strong and then, things started to fizzle. Either I lost motivation to run or was dealing with a few issues that my aging body did not thoroughly embrace.
Either way, for the last two months, my running has slacked. I ran Clarksburg but even then I knew, that the outlook wasn’t as positive as it had been earlier in my training. For various reasons that I won’t list here, I found myself waking up between 3 and 4 times a night.
Bottom line, I wasn’t recovering and I wasn’t hitting my marks. Still, I had faith and was determined to give it my best shot.
Come race morning, Stonegate and Burning Girl arrived at my house at 5:30 ready to whisk me away to the start. Their jokes and laughter made me smile, I was ready.
I had some pre-race laughs at the starting line with the McBride crew who always make me laugh, no matter what. They are, to put it simply, real good people.
Soon it was time to find my pace group. Â I needed to run the marathon in 3 hours and 40 minutes to qualify for Boston. My CIM personal best was 3 hours and 56 minutes ran in 2008 when the Peanut was 8 months old and I was about 15 pounds lighter and still full of prego hormones. That would have been a major hail mary of a PR to pull off. Yet, I am a way different runner now than I was in 2008.
I decided to run with the 3:40 pace group. When the race started it was a crowded madhouse. I haven’t run in such a tight knit elbow to elbow race in a very long time. It was a little unnerving and I got slightly pushed away from the pace group.
I didn’t panic as I knew it would eventually clear out. My pace group started off pretty darn quick though. Our first few miles were jockeying between our needed pace and a little bit faster –  8:16, 8;24, 8:10, 8:23, 8:11 went the first few miles. Our pace should have been 8:23 but I understand how it works and was hanging in there just fine.
Every so often it would dump massive buckets of rain on us and then stop. I completely over dressed for this race. I should have gone with my instinct but I didn’t.
Mile 7.5 we were passing an aid-station area with lots of spectators and they started blaring Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer and I just started smiling and rocking out. It was a sign for this Jersey girl and I let the music carry me.
Fast forward to mile 13, when my quads started cramping and I decided to let the pace group go. I always, ALWAYS carry a salt tab with me and I didn’t have a single one.
I hung in there running just behind the 3:40 group, closer to the 3:45 group until about mile 17 when I decided my quads were going to either seize or fall off. From that moment on, I let myself walk through the aid-stations. Just that small adjustment alone brought some life back into my legs.
I was still smiling mind you. I had decided not to beat myself up about it and to just keep running. What will be will be. I knew if I could get to mile 20, that I’d see Vans and my girls which would help a lot and if I could get to about mile 22 (I think) I would see my Oiselle Volee team and get another boost.
Hi girls!!!
I pretty much walked here and gave them high-fives. It was Vans who said, “Ok, keep moving, get moving.” Thanks honey. 🙂
I saw and heard my Oiselle team cheering for me as I ran by in my singlet. That helped, a lot. It has given a new dimension to our perception about sex & sexuality This product has created a new awareness about male sexual health This product benefits men with heart failure It is safe and easy to swallow. cialis in uk online Surgery is merely typically recommended one viagra cheapest time these treatments are no longer successful or tolerated. Arimidex is a drug online cialis sale which is approved for therapy against erectile dysfunction by the FDA. All these versatile benefits are feasible with its greatest formula. viagra without prescription
Running through downtown I tried my hardest not to look at the numbered street signs. I know how defeating that can be to not see them get smaller faster.
There were a few really SLOW moments in there between 23 and 26 where I just wanted to lay down and sleep. My quads were SCREAMING at me to stop. I just kept telling myself, “You can’t walk here. You can’t stop here! You have less than 2 miles to go!”
At one point, I said, forget this and starting pushing myself, hard … or at least it felt hard .. and then a wave of nausea hit me. I looked around and both sides of the street were lined 4 deep with people cheering us on. I thought, “Oh god, if I hurl here that would be really really bad!” 🙂
So, I slowed ever so slightly, enough to push the nausea away.
I crossed the finish line in 3 hours and 54 minutes. 2 minutes faster than my last “real” marathon and a sub 9 minute marathon. I know I have it in me to  run faster, I know it … I just need the motivation or the determination or perhaps maybe a coach to actually keep me more honest and more on track.
Stats
Overall, I am pleased with those stats. My quads had nothing left. I was a sweaty mess at the end because I dressed too warm and I haven’t quite figured out how to fuel in a road race yet compared to ultras where you have the time and the convenience of fully stocked aid-stations.
Depending on our plans in 2016, the chances of me running CIM 2016 are pretty darn high. I love this race. It is right in my back yard and I know it inside and out and yet the outcome is never quite the same. Road racing keeps you honest. It pushes you beyond limits you didn’t think were possible.
As much as I love and adore trails, the competitive part of me loves to challenge myself and try and exceed past attempts at things.
My whole family was there at the finish. My heart was full. My girls and Vans were in good spirits and the weather was great.
Post Race Family photo for once
I was happy. No matter what my time was, I was happy. And that is all that matters.
I forget how beautiful the Clarksburg area really is. It hit me driving in as the sun was rising on the river, that this truly is a hidden gem not too far from home.
So pretty
My training plan going into this race was supposed to be “Predicted Marathon Pace PLUS 30 seconds” but secretly, I wanted to see if I could hold my marathon pace the entire 20 miles. Of course right? 🙂
I arrived super early. In all the years I have run this race, I never recall being the first to arrive. I think the participant number may have gone down slightly because I was the second person to arrive. Second. That scored me a killer parking spot mind you and I really didn’t have to wait all that long. But my parking space was kind of crazy. I should have taken a photo it was so good.
The temps were chilly and there was a good chance it was going to rain about half way into the race.
Finally it was time to head to the starting line. I saw McFunny as I was getting out of my car. She was also doing the 20 miler and is doing CIM. She always makes me laugh and it proved to be the perfect thing to calm my nerves before the run. McFunny agreed that Clarksburg, while a pretty race, usually leaves sour thoughts in your head when you are done because it is well, 20 miles of flat paved roads. Ouch.
They started the race and off I ran. I bobbed and weaved my way to a clear spot in the pack. I had my headphones and old iShuffle in my pocket. That was a last minute decision. I haven’t touched my shuffle since I loaded it for AR50 earlier this year.
As it turns out, I grew really tired of the conversation around me at about mile 4 and put in my ear buds. Normally I thrive off of the surrounding conversations but not this time.
I did fall in behind one woman. Did you ever just run behind someone and they seemed to float effortlessly as they run? This woman had nothing on her, no water, no music, no fuel yet she had ideal form and just was plugging away never showing any sign of fatigue.
I stuck with this woman for a long long time. At one point I pulled ahead, I think she may stopped at an aid-station but eventually she’d catch up to me again.
At about mile 10 the rain started coming. At first it was just a light sprinkle and then it grew stronger. Then, we changed course and were running right into a headwind with sideways rain.
I slowed to try and grab some fuel from my pocket hoping that would give me a boost and it did but it also put some distance between me and that girl.
I also started to just slow ever so slightly here. Prior to this point I was on point to run my marathon pace. After the fueling stop, I was leaning more towards what my training pace had called for.
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A few more turns on the course, more wind and more drenching rain and I was starting to lose my faith and mojo ever so slightly. I kept that girl in my sights even though she was down the road. She never faltered in her form. So many times I wished I was her or I thought, “Wow she is trained and you my friend, are not.” But I never gave up.
The final 2 miles were not fun but I could feel the finish. The last mile I even tried to picked up the pace a bit. When all was said and done, I ended up with the pace my training plan had called for … exactly.
I look like I might cry I am so happy to be done
I was frozen to the core when I finished. I had been battling an upset tummy since about mile 10 and when I finished I stood for a moment trying to figure out what it was my body wanted.
As I was standing there, the girl I had been following came up to me. She introduced herself and asked how I did. She was so sweet. She is training for CIM and it will be her first marathon. I told her she had amazing form and looked effortless when she ran. She said she had been so nervous for this 20 mile run. She was pleased with her finish and I told her she’ll have a great CIM if she runs like she ran today.
It just goes to show that everyone has some inner turmoil and demons. Not everyone shows it or wears it on their sleeves but we all have something. The only person you can rely on in a lot of these situations is yourself and your training. I know my training hasn’t been 100% on par and that I have been relying on my strength and stamina to try and make certain goals happen.
Come CIM, I am still hoping my strength and stamina will get me through whatever should come my way that day and I know deep inside this is the most I have actually trained for CIM since 2009.
The road is a hard mental beast sometimes. My body has been craving trails lately missing the fun and the ease that one can sometimes have on a dusty single track.
Yet the road can be also super rewarding when you hit your marks. It just takes hard work and training to make that happen.
I have one more race before CIM, our annual Thanksgiving Day race that Vans and I do together. That race is the week before CIM so usually I either feel awesome or I feel every ache and pain along the way. Whatever comes though, I am ready for it.
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