All-in-all, my first stand-alone marathon was stellar. Garuna and I stuck to our race plan, toughed out some challenging terrain, and finished just under our goal time.
This race gets under way early! We were in Wave 10 of 10, and our start was 6:30AM....yikes! We made the 40-min drive into the city, and averted disaster when my uncaffienated brain had us heading the wrong way down a 1-way street. Eventually we got into the parking garage, and got in (very long) line for the bathrooms with 30 minutes to spare. After dropping off our sweat bags we hit the start corral and prepared for the gun.
Our strategy was simple, start slow, eat and drink alot, get slower. We held back quite a bit on Miles 1-4 which wind their way around the Embarcadero, through Fort Mason, Crissy Field, towards the Golden Gate Bridge. In our case slow = 12+ min/miles. This took some serious restraint. One of the most interesting sights from this race was passing a pair of young ladies running in bare feet. Yes, you read correctly, running 26.2 in bare feet (they finished about 45 mins after us).
Feelin' OK early.
We took a quick pee break at Mile 4, then proceeded to jam up a set of nice hills onto the GG bridge. The bridge itself is about 1.5 miles long, so a couple of miles tick by without even noticing it. We worked our way through and around the crowded lanes, dodging the 1/2 marathoners who went out too quick, and eventually worked our way up to the 5:00 hour pacer. She wasn't running very consistantly so we decided to keep cruising on past her. The morning was very foggy so we didn't get much of a view over the bridge. However, this was not an issue since we were here to race!
Over the bridge.
Coming off the bridge is a nice downhill grade, followed by a less nice 1/2 mile climb. You would think we were in a walk-a-thon by the number of people walking this hill. Luckily we did most of our training in the hills around the house, so we put it in low gear and chugged up to the top. Miles 10-13 were pretty rolly, but not that tough. We concentrated on staying hydrated, and popping a GU every 40-45 minutes. The team rolled into Golden Gate Park, grabbed some Cytomax, and leaped over the 13.1 checkpoint at just a fraction under 2 hours and 30 minutes. So far so good.
~Mile 15.
Right around here "the hurt" started to work its way from the pavement up into my joints, connective tissue, and bones. The pounding was taking a bit of a toll, specifically on my feet, and right IT band. No major pain, but definitley bothersome. Garuna looked strong, but was having some of the same feelings. By not admitting it we managed to turn off the pain switch and drive on.
Miles 13-18 wind their way around Golden Gate Park which was nice and scenic. There were lots of bands, lots of runners, and lots of people who went out to fast which we gladly passed. This stage definetely felt like work, so we punched the clock, and go to it. Just prior to exiting the park we both started to fade a bit. We looked back and saw the 5:00 hour pacer and got reinvigorated. We busted out of the park and onto Haight St. and kept the tempo nice and even.
The next 6 miles were a bit of a blur. The course winds through Haight-Ashbury, the Mission, and Potrero Hill. All city streets, and all painful. At one point I really needed to pee, so I put in a big effort to speed up, get in, get out, and stay ahead of the 5:00 pacer. Mission accomplished, but at a serious cost...
Rounding the turn for home.
We meandered along the course as it made a turn for home. We could see AT&T Park, which is close to the finish line, but it felt like an eternity to get to it. Luckily the fans were great, and there were lots of bands, and the thought of finally being able to stop running, which helped us forge ahead. At one point we briefly stopped to walk, but honestly, it hurt just as much...so we decided to just keep running. We passed Mile 26, and I still couldn't see the finish line...what a letdown...but before I knew it, it pulling into view. We picked up the tempo, skirted around some walkers, and lumbered across the finish line. I don't think I had enough energy to lift my hands about my head...Race Time: 4:57, 11:23 min/mile.
Done!
It was a spectacular race, great course, and fantastic weather. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in pounding the pavement for 3 to 5 hours straight. Next up is a bunch of rest, massages, and mountain biking.
2 comments:
dude, way to be! as much as it hurt, at least you didn't have to swim 2.4 and ride 112 beforehand - either of which were in the rain!
there definitely a few funny lines in this RR!
way to be brotha!
AWESOME! What a great race report, and I'll have to do this marathon as soon as possible. I've honestly been hanging around local races... I think I'm missing out.
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