San Diego
What a perfect weekend for racing! The mornings began at a perfect 63 degrees, just cool enough to not over heat during any of the races, but warm enough to not need to bother with any extra layers of clothing prior to racing.
The weekend began with a slow drive down to San Diego. There is nothing like a beautiful drive down the coast to get you ready for a great weekend! First stop, the San Diego Convention Center to pick up our race bibs for the Rock N Roll 5k.
One of the things I love most about the larger races are the exhibition halls. The energy of the runners, the new equipment, and of course, the free samples :) I almost wasn't hungry for our pre-race meal, but one look at The Old Spaghetti Factory's menu and I found my appetite again. I kept it simple, with classic pasta in a red meat sauce. Sadly, the main things to avoid when carb loading for a race are the delicious cream based pasta sauces. My fiancé ordered Chicken Marsala. One of the great things about this restaurant is that all their entrees come with soup/salad and ice cream. Their Strawberry, Chocolate and Pistachio combo is a must try!
Saturday was race day, and part one of the Remix Challenge. As strange as it sounds, 5k races make me very nervous. When you compare the 3.1 miles of a 5k race to the 26.2 miles of a marathon, you would think the 3.1 miles would be easy; but it is far from it. I see it as one long sprint, and without fail I always seem to sprint out too fast and die out at the end. The race began at Balboa Park, which was conveniently just across the street from where I was staying for the weekend. It could not have been planned better. At the start of the race, Meb, the winner of the Boston Marathon (2014) and New York City Marathon (2009), was there shaking hands with the runners. In the running world, this is like meeting a rock star! He was so nice, and wished everyone luck as he stood, shook hands and smiled for pictures. What an amazing person to come out so early to show his support.
There were 3387 runners who woke up to race at 7am, and 20 minutes and 19 seconds later, I finished 46th overall, and was first in my division (25-29 year olds). My goal for this race was to go sub 20, a feat I have never been able to achieve, at least not yet, but I was happy taking first in my age group.
My fiancé also joined me for this race, finishing in an impressive 30:20! While one of us may have been a little more winded than the other, I am so fortunate to have someone who will always support me and my racing, both literally and figuratively.
After the race, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the Hob Nob Hill Restaurants, who had some delicious Chicken and Waffles.
Breakfast led to the inevitable food coma, which was much needed after the morning's sprint. Later that day, we met up with the rest of my family to pick up our marathon packets from the convention center. Hey, the family that runs together, stays together! That is until you all go to your different corrals on race day.
Sunday, it was time to race. Again, the weather was a perfect 63 degrees with overcast clouds blocking any treacherous sun rays that would have made this race quite unpleasant. Thankfully the marathon also began at Balboa Park, so the 6:15AM start wasn't so bad, considering all we had to do was walk across the street to get the corrals. Just like any other race though, I was up at 3:30AM, having two Quaker Rice Cakes with mashed bananas on top, my usual pre-race meal. The next hour consistent of drinking plenty of fluids right up until 4:15AM. The best advise I have ever read regarding marathon training said to stop drinking fluids 2 hours before a race. This way, you have time to use the restroom and remove any excess fluid so you don't have to make any time wasting pit stops during the race. It really does work every time.
Come 6:15AM, it was race time. I began in Corral 1. There were over 30,000 runners that where in attendance. Despite the energy in the corrals, I was feeling more full and lethargic than usual, and was very nervous to start this race. My pre-race training and diet hadn't been as strict as usual, with a week of celebrating and feasting in New York City the week before, and I was nervous about how it would effect my racing. The race started flat at Balboa Parks, and then turned through North Park and into Normal Height. It looped back around through North Park after mile 7, which was fun because I was able to look for my family running their first mile as I finished the 7th. Unfortunately my family doesn't understand the tactics behind bright running clothes, so I was unable to find their black and grey shirts in the swarm of people. However, they told me after they were able to spot my hot pink Run It Off t-shirt, one point for the Run It Off gear! These miles where mostly flat, with a few small up and down hills. I tried to keep my pace between 7:15 and 7:45 min/mile. My Garmin watch was practically screaming at me to slow down in the beginning, and I kept my pace around 7:14 min/mile. I was a little nervous because I didn't want to spend all my energy at the beginning of the race, but I was feeling pretty good, so I kept it up.
At mile 10, the half marathoners and marathoners split off. I was still maintaining a 7:15 min/mile pace, and still felt very relaxed and under control. Mile 13 took us through old town, and I was still feeling pretty relaxed at this point. I always mental ask myself at the half way point, could I turn around and run all that again, surprising the answer was yes! Miles 14- 18 looped around Mission Bay, which was not only beautiful, but the ocean breeze really helped out. Again, this sections was full of loops, and I searched for my family members among the other runners. Searching for other runners really gets your mind off the miles. Before I knew it, I was on mile 20, with a 7:20 min/mile pace. At this point, I realized if I didn't slow down too much, I would break my record from the Boston Marathon.
That realization gave the a little extra strength to keep striding onward, that is until miles 22-23.5; AKA the continuous and gradual uphill along highway 163. Thankfully during my training in Laguna Hills, there were quite a few hills so I felt well prepare to tackle this one, but not for over a mile and a half! My pace sadly went down to nearly a 9:00 min/mile, but the only good thing about hills, after you get over them, its all downhill baby!
Miles 23.5 to the finish was nearly all down hill, which allowed most runners to make up their pace from the long uphill. At mile 25.5, the marathoners were reunited with the half marathoners, which gives you another spurt of energy to finish strong. As I began down the final stretch, I saw the clock at the finish like read just over 3:15:00. That sight gave me all the strength I needed to finish on a practical sprint to my new personal record of 3:15:31! I was definitely not expecting to get a personal best, but was so proud that I was able to.
Strangely enough, there was no "26-mile" marker, just the finish line. Personally I preferred that so there was no misconception as to where to real finish was, however once I crossed the finished, I was nervous that there was another 0.2 miles I was missing.
After finishing the race, I was definitely tired, and made my way to get my Remix Challenge Medal (from running both the 5k and the marathon) down at the Waterfront Park. After a little time waiting, my brother ran in and finished his first marathon! Not too long later by father crossed the finish line, earning himself a personal best as well. Not so shortly after, my mother also crossed the finish line, finishing her first marathon ever, placing in the top half of her division! Let me just say, not only is my family amazing, but they are one bad ass group of runners as well!
As of right now, I have no marathons scheduled, but then again, this race was signed up for just 7 weeks ago, so you never know :) All I do know is I will continue to share my delicious cheat meal on Instagram (@Run.It.Off) and will continue to run it all off, that is once I can run again.
Have a great June, and don't forget to Run It Off!
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