Whiskey Row Marathon

 I ended up getting only 5 hours of sleep the night before, but that was enough.  It was a smooth departure at 4:15am and I left the house with a soundly sleeping family.  I  had two pieces of toast with peanut butter, a banana and one cup of coffee.  I also sipped on some Accelerade up until the start.  I got rock star parking and walked across the square in the dark.  It was so beautiful and still, yet there was the unusual hustle and bustle of the volunteers setting up tables and signs for the big event.  The courthouse clock(think Back to the Future) was lit up and surreal.

A few minutes later I was at the starting line where I met up with some Mountain Milers.  We chatted and stretched and laughed easily.  About 40 people showed up for the early start.  It was a bit chilly, but I was able to keep my extra layer on until 1 minute before the start.  The starting line is at 5240 ft. in elevation.  Soon we were off and headed out of town on familiar roads.  Almost instantly I realized I had to pee.  Great.  I waited about a mile to make sure it was serious and it was.  I told my running mates to continue on and I would catch up.  I found a "workable" squatting location and then sprinted to catch up.

We were holding a 10:20 pace and I felt I could go faster, but didn't want to be stupid.  It was a comfortable pace and I knew what was ahead of me.  The first 9 miles are uphill, some of which is very steep uphill.  I used my Camelbak for the first 4-5 miles while the water stations were coming alive.  I felt really good and we were talking and running all the while.  At around mile 5 there is an extremely steep incline over at least a quarter mile and this is also where it turns to dirt.  This was our first walking pace I believe.  There was a lot of walking involved in this marathon.  A lot.  It comes to a point where walking is almost as fast as my running pace.  It's just so demoralizing when your expending so much effort to continue running and you really aren't making much ground.  When I'm walking up these steeps I can control my breathing and make longer strides.  Mile 5-9 had a pretty even combination of running and walking fast.  I thought about the overall effect this would have on my time, but assumed the downhill would make up for it.

I was feeling strong and just after mile 9 we hit the Sierra Prieta Overlook at 7000 ft.  This is the high point of the marathon in elevation and a sight to behold.  I have been there before, but it always takes my breath away.  The view out to the left is vast and the drop off sheer.  It seems as though you can see all the way to California from that spot.  There was also an aid station stocked with bananas and orange slices.  Heavenly.  I ditched my Camelbak here.  After sucking down a couple oranges we picked up our speed to maybe a 9:30 pace as the next 4 miles would be downhill.  At mile 11 a runner in a bright green technical tank came flying by us.  He was the first of the regular start at 6am.  His pace was merciless.  He went on to crush the course record by 20 minutes!  We were still in good spirits, but I was having some cramping issues under my ribcage.  It was painful, but not debilitating.

Eventually we hit the turn around at 6100 ft., had some more fruit and started our way back up the mountain.  I was warned about this part of the race so I was ready for it.  Soon after the turn around I realized my running mates were not feeling as strong so when they slowed to a walk I decided to carry on.  I did my best to run all the reasonable uphill portions.  I felt surprisingly fresh and motivated.  Passing other runners was a welcomed change as you pretty much feel like you're running alone in the forest during this race, a stark difference from my PF Chang's Rock 'N Roll Marathon experience.  This whole time I had my Ipod stuffed in my sports bra just in case I needed it.  During this uphill push I thought about it, but was so enjoying my surroundings I left it unused for the entirety of the race.  Before I knew it I was cresting the Sierra Prieta Overlook where I had another orange and a gel.  Here I was at mile 17.5 feeling good and knowing that the rest of the course was downhill, mostly.  I did some calculations in my head and figured I could make it to the finish line in 4:30 if I could average a 9:00 mile.  Sure, that seemed possible to me.

I was making good progress, but was having a really hard time not cramping up on the downhill which was effecting my speed.  I guess I will have to research this because I consistently got cramps going downhill throughout the race.  I tried my best to control my breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth.  I also tried out through the nose.  The only thing that seemed to work was when I slowed my pace to 9:30.  Then I bargained with myself and thought I could at least finish in the 4:30's.  I was still feeling great otherwise.

At the half marathon turnaround, with 6.55 miles to go, there was a whole mess of people.  One person shouted, "Here comes a marathoner!"  Cow bells were ringing and people were cheering.  I felt so cool!  They delivered me a banana and water and sent me on my way.  My quads started screaming a little and I still had some serious downhill to negotiate.  My pace slowed some more and now I thought 4:40.

With 3 miles left to go and one big hill in front of me, I saw Luke driving towards me on the road.  I walked a couple steps to the car, gave him a kiss and said hi to the girls.  What an amazing, unexpected boost that was!  I needed it because the last couple miles were tough.  I felt slightly nauseous all of the sudden so I ate a couple emergency pretzel sticks I brought.  It did the trick once again!  During this last part when it's feeling hard I considered how much better I felt than I did the last couple miles of PF Chang's.  I thought about my growth and improvement while I ran and it was a nice distraction.  Soon I would see the square looking down Gurley St.  I kept thinking I'm running home.  The last .4 mile was wonderful with crowds all around. Luke called my name from the left and he had Emmy in the backpack and Johanna running along side.  I made the final left turn onto Cortez St. and finished strong.  They announced my name as I crossed the line in 4:43:07.

Luke and the girls greeted me and we spent the next couple of hours sitting on the grass, soaking it all in.  I ate pizza, meatballs, fruit and got a free massage.

Johanna was acting so silly for the camera - it was hilarious!  I wish I had more variety of photos to post, but just check out my almost 3-year old.

I am very happy with my time and I know I can do better next time. I did manage a negative split, but that might be normal for the Whiskey Row. My splits were:

6.55 miles 1:12:36
13.1 miles 2:24:25
19.65 miles 3:38:43
Average Pace 10:48

I have a summer-full of races coming up so I wasn't terribly let down when it was over. BUT, I do have a next marathon on the list(see side bar). This one will have a brand new goal and focus to it. Details coming soon!

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