Getting it DONE..Big Sur..race report…

The plan was to run the Malibu Marathon…BUT a silly thing called LIFE got in the way…dealing with personal stuff and knowing that I needed to stay close to home in RWC…SO…. I backed out of Malibu…it was a sad BUT right decision.

Big Sur just happened…I got a last minute entry and I took it happily. I had heard a lot about the courses beauty…. so I was pretty excited to race.

Headed to Monterey Saturday afternoon to pick up my race stuff…met up with my PAL for some chicken nachos and a few beers! http://www.peppersmexicalicafe.com/

Checked into a crappy hotel…and then got the news that my application wasn’t accepted for Boston…PISSED off I fell asleep around 11PM…. woke up at 5:45AM equally pissed.

Sunday RACE morning was cold…the sky was clear BUT it was cold…I layered up in a base layer, long sleeve dry fit, tights, a vest and gloves…. headed to the race start…and hung out just watching and listening to the people. So many people running their first race…that is always fun to see the excitement in their eyes!

Lined up in the corral…decided to hang with the B crowd…still layered…still cold…A corral took of at 7:05 and 1 minute later the B corral was OUT!

I made the mistake of NOT even looking at the course…or even coming up with a race strategy…I also made the mistake of not bringing my own GU…

The first part of the course winds through downtown Monterey….then out thru Cannery Row and into Pacific Grove…pretty rolling first 6 miles..My calves weren’t working properly for some reason…and I was pacing a little under 8 min miles…NOT fast and NOT feeling the race.. I knew I could go faster and FINALLY at mile 8’ish decided to get my race on. Hit the turn around and it was downhill for about a mile…I kicked it into gear and started pacing around 7:10 min miles from there out…The entire second half of the Big Sur course is along the ocean….the air felt crisp and good on my face…BUT my body was so hot from all the layers that I was mad at myself for not checking my stuff…I was also still pissed about the Boston screw up and mentally I was disconnected from my race.

Finally hit the 11-mile mark and started pushing a little harder. MENTALLY I got myself IN CHECK…NEEDED to be done the entire race….the final push was on a bike trail…it was pretty flat and fast…I looked at my watch and realized that if I pushed a little harder I could PR…with a 1:40 and change…picked up a little speed and saw the finish line ahead of me…the clock said 1:41:48…wooo hooo! PR’d by 1 minute! Remember the staggered corral starts?

Post race beers and deep fried pickles at the Mucky Duck with @g_monee...GOOD times! http://www.muckyduckmonterey.com/index.html

WHAT I do know is that I can run a half faster then I did in Big Sur…what I learned is that every race needs a strategy…even the little ones. I also learned that your body heats up pretty fast and that’s why they have sweat checks!

Overall BIG SUR Half is a gorgeous course…and the race is very organized. Stuck around for the race awards…never do that…and was motivated by all the top finishers and the speed that was out on that course. This race was NOT a top 10 for me in my age group…I was 13^th and ???? overall female finisher. I KNOW that I have to up my game so I can run with the fast chicks. I also KNOW now that YOU can’t let the stuff in your head affect your race…

Next up…VEGAS Rock and Roll Marathon…see ya there!

I’m in corral 2 and I’m #2369!

Getting MARATHON #16 & #17 done... in 7 days!

Yeah, I've done 3 in 13 days...so I thought 2 marathons in 7 days piece of cake...When I did Boston to Big Sur in 6 days...NO BIG..I ran a great race in Boston, NO PR, BUT I battled...In Big Sur I went with the motto HAVE some FUN...did just that! NO PR in Big Sur...wasn't my intention. SO When I did PR on the 3rd marathon in 13 days in Eugene...

MY expectations of myself got a little HIGHER!

Santa Rosa! PR!

The BIG PR in Santa Rosa sets my BAR a little high...HAPPY as heck to be a sub 3:30 marathoner...I KNOW I can get better and faster...I know I made mistakes...STILL need to learn few lessons. 3:28 in SR was a cool accomplishment for me! FOR most maybe....

MAUI...KILLED my MOJO...Psychological crap to deal with...NEXT race COWTOWN...NOT too BAD no PR a top 5 finish and a top 10 overall finish...MISSED a PR by 1 MIN...SO that I can call a wash..DID I mention that was 1 week before Long Beach????? 10/4....Swag!

Here's where it gets tricky...GET to Long Beach...check the course...FLAT and fast with a downhill finish..hmmmm....thinking I can PR...NO problem...ALSO not remembering what I have been advised...DO NOT RACE Long Beach...it's a LONG training run...DO my pre-race thing...Ya know chicken nachos and beer w/@runner03....

Roberto and I!

Meet up with the the twitter clan for some more pre-race "get your mojo on" kind of fun...HEAD back to my room and get my gear ready....You know...the norm. GO to sleep thinking 1 thing...PR this COURSE!

Alarm goes off at 5:15AM on 10/11....I get up (WAS the hardest time I've ever had getting up for a race)...hit the coffee..get my stuff together...race gear on & packed my belt... @runner03 called from the lobby and 6AM we hit the road to the start! GET there with 15 mins to spare...stand in the bathroom line...YEH, that wasn't moving...DECIDED to head to the start....

COULDN'T get in with wave 1....WHERE I was supposed to be...

SO we ended up in wave 2...RIGHT behind the 3:40 group...

THIS is where the mind games begin for me....

I check my watch...Start time for me is like 3+ minutes after the clock time...SO of course I am NOW pissed I'm not with wave and I break out...WAY ahead of the 3:40 group now...pacing a 3:25 most of the first half...til 16 miles maybe...

CUZ I know I am better then a 3:40 pace.

DUMB attitude...

Lets just say...I started to REALLY listen to my body at mile 18...ITB's a little rough...and I couldn't seem to get enough nutrients into my body. YEH...I was drinking a ton of fluid...

BUT the GU was hard to choke down...BY mile 16 I had only taken a GU and a half and 2 salt tabs...JUST wasn't feeling it! Decided I would NOT aid station til 20, (MISTAKE #28) and would then do a little GallowayING. If I could just finish under 3:45 I would be happy....AND truly ALL I was shooting for on this SUPPOSED to be LONG Run was a 3:45 max! MILE 21 came and went and GUESS what? SO did the 3:40 pace dude..Stuck with them til 23....HERE's where the nutrition ISSUE kicked in...calves started to hurt a little...dehydration perhaps...took 2 more salt tabs...GOT sprayed with some cool down spray on my legs...

ITBands were killing me..NOT just one BUT 2...NO Ibuprofen pre-race either...MISTAKE #29...SO I sucked it up GallowayING to mile 24...YES..I walked between 23-24..LOSER!

MY RACE JUST started...MANY people were fading at the 22-24 mark...I got a second wind around 24 and picked it up. ALL the powerade kicked in perhaps...MAYBE the line up of fans...WHO Knows...LOOKED at my watch and realized based on my start time I would still sub 3:45 and of course BQ ANYWAY! Mile 25 to the finish was a complete downhill...FAST last mile..MY pace was around a 7 min mile...WAS picking off lots of chicks and dudes...that felt pretty good...

ME! AT Mile 24!

Moral of the story...GO into the race with a strategy (amateur mistake)...NO flip flopping...AND I did that all the way from the expo to mile 16'ish...THE other mistakes...fueling my body is necessary in endurance racing even if my MIND is saying something else....CHOKE IT DOWN!

THE other lesson I learned...

A Blackberry cannot absorb 26.2 miles of sweat

and keep working...

My "PW" in Maui....

I've had a week to ponder this...and have recovered quite nicely thanks...BUT going from your PR to your PW in 2 weeks is a tad bit hard to stomach!

Arrived in Maui pretty certain I would race the Maui Marathon at a respectful pace...YOU know a 3:45 or so..not fast...not too slow. Got the rental car....drove the course up through kaanapali to where were staying in Kahana...easy course..a little Big Sur like...BUT not nearly as tough! Still confident that I could sub 3:45 the course.

Woke up Saturday still on mainland time..good thing...with a 5:30AM start time I was hoping I didn't adjust to the time until Monday post race. Did a 3mile run...and the realization of the humidity sunk in..hmmmm...a sub 3:45 now became a question. The mind games started in...I hit the expo...met @patricemalloy (PR expert) and poof I was ready to roll! Number 513..lucky number...sure if I was superstitious...headed to the beach to do what you do on Maui...hang....

The night before the race was hot..humid...had to be on the road at 2:45AM to catch the bus by 3AM...Didn't sleep much which isn't uncommon. SO when the alarm went off I might have had 2 hours of crappy sleep...

Bussed out the start...feeling pretty good...normal race stuff..peanut butter and jelly, coffee...packed bags with tons of GU and saltsticks....It was almost 80 when we finally arrived at the start...1300 people waiting for almost 2 hours to get 26.2 miles done....

Race started at 5:30...it was dark and we ran under lights on the course. Was feeling pretty good...even though I forgot to charge my ipod...I was listening to Pandora on my phone. The road from Kahului to hwy 30 was great...pacing dead on...hit hwy 30 into the rolling hills to Kaanapali and was pacing a perfect 3:45 finish until mile 16...yep....the sun was up...the heat was too and the humidity was CRAZY!

SO my race started at mile 16...phone died..no music..if ever I wanted to quit it was at mile 17...THANK God I met Tiffany, an Ironman who was having my kind of race too....and some dude from LA running his first marathon...WE rallied and hung...

The next 9 miles were by far the toughest miles I have ever run in my life..I am not being overly dramatic either...Tiffany and I hung and pretty much complained about the humidity and took some pics! We hit every aid station...consumed sooooo much water and heed I'm surprised I never had to stop and pee...not once...ate every piece of fruit I could and I took in some serious salt...AND we walked a lot...I mean A LOT! Tiffany bailed on me at 25 and I walked because my stomach hurt so bad I felt like I was going to puke when I ran...was soooo ok with walking...people passing me, didn't care...all I could do was laugh...started running around mile 26 again...rounded the turn and finished nice and slow...steady...4:10...that's right... I am human after all! (I kid)

SO you see...Maui did a number on mind...made me question a few things about me...my cockiness...my limitations...my inability to put mind over and that I have more to learn about being better, a true athlete....made me wonder why I do this endurance crap to myself...

My answer...BECAUSE I CAN! I was 8th in my AG...and when I looked at the results I realized..The Maui Marathon did to me what it did to everyone else racing it! The best place in the world for a personal worst marathon is on Maui...PARADISE!

http://www.mauimarathon.com/

Next race is Sunday October 4th...Going for a PR! See ya there!

http://www.sacramentocowtownmarathon.com/