marathon race report: is this for real?!?!

the day before the race i was surprisingly calm. almost too calm, i thought. we went to the expotique to pick up my race packet. there were a lot of other things going on like manicures, mini massages, and a bunch of things you could do with your nike plus. all i had the patience to do was wait in line to get my ipod laser engraved! i wasn't about to spend too much time on my feet the day before a big race. after that we headed to the marina to the local fleet feet for an extra pouch for my fuel belt. we stopped to have lunch (a burger joint serving organic beef and the best curly fries ever) and then we went home (my grandma's house).

i was calm the rest of the day. i laid out my gear, checked my ipod, and texted EVERYONE i know. i watched back-to-back episodes of kathy griffin standup, and finally had my dinner of fried rice. when i laid down to go to bed, i said a little prayer and closed my eyes.

i didn't really sleep. but i wasn't restless either. it wasn't that i'm a kid the day before i go to disneyworld kind of feeling, but i also knew tomorrow wasn't just any other ordinary day either. i had no problems waking at 4:30 am.

i got up, made my cereal, got my hot water, and ate breakfast in bed while watching the weather: sunny. a little windy. temps ranging from 55 to the low 70s. who could ask for a better day?! i got dressed, lubed, and peed about 3 times before leaving the house with the fam.

it was still dark when we got to union square. the only people on the streets were homeless people and mobs of runners. the energy was just insane. it felt like 80% of the crowd was dressed in TNT purple. there were people with crazy hats, crazy signs. families, couples. mothers. daughters. every once in a while i'd get hit with the feeling, "this is it!" and i'd well up. this is the day i trained for. this is the day i have dreamed about for years! i just felt so proud. so thankful. so happy.

here's me and mom while we wait for the race to start:


at 7:00 am, we counted down and the front of the line was off! my pace group just stood still. finally we started shuffling forward and right before the start line the street opened up and we were free to run! i heard my chip beep and knew this was for real baby!

the spectators in the beginning were ridiculous! just throngs of people with cowbells and whistles. someone was passing out leis, so i grabbed one. i soaked it all in, but i was distracted. i had to pee again! i had seriously just started and a bathroom break was already on my mind. i figured i'd deal with it when i could and took it as a sign i was properly hydrated.

from the financial district we ran to the ferry building and along the embarcadero. with the sunrise and the beautiful bay, i wondered why everyeone didn't do their first marathon here. the first bathroom station was chock full of people so i didn't stop. the urge wasn't too bad. i took water at this first station and took a walk break. my plan was to do 13 min miles. take a walk break at every mile. walk to gu. take water at every aid station (about every 2 miles). and walk whenever i felt like i needed a break. the embarcadero took us through fisherman's wharf and into the marina. during this stretch, i was calm, every so often reminding myself to go slow and easy. and i kept to my 13:00 pace.

up until the marina the streets were wide enough for me to run unobstructed. it was a little annoying that so many people were walking 3 or 4 or 5 abreast, but i tried my best to not be a catty bitch this early in the race. i just smiled, remembering jen's advice: smile. be that girl who makes other people want to be runners.

from the marina, we ran through crissy field, along the beach, with great views of the golden gate bridge. i've seen this bridge a million times but i never tire of the sight. the sea air felt like heaven and it still hasn't really hit me that i'm running a marathon! this felt way too good!

from here i knew we would be entering the presidio, mile 7, and that steep ass hill. we go up a small hill, wind around, and bam! there it is.



everyone stops to walk. i was determined to run this hill. i had a score to settle with this hill. this very hill that had me begging for mercy during my 14 mile training run. so very calmly i climbed, taking in deep breaths laced with eucalyptus. and as i passed more and more people, from all over the us and the world, all i thought was, "this is how we do it in san francisco, bitches!" i made it to the top, feeling very triumphant. i took a much needed walking break and gawked at those who stopped at the oxygen bar.

from here we ran into the sea cliff district. million dollar homes with gorgeous views of the ocean. miles 8 - 10 offered yet another incline, but this time i run/walk it. on the way down the hill, i keep repeating, "light feet, light feet" doing my best not to beat up my legs with too much pounding. as we're going downhill, i see the ocean and all i could think was " the lemmings are coming! the lemmings are coming!"

mile 11 takes us into golden gate park and another surge of rambunctious crowds. i high-five total strangers i'll never see again and people are yelling my name left and right. it was frickin' sweet!

it still doesn't feel like i'm running a marathon. it just feels too damned good! i was a little late in taking my first gu because i got so wrapped up in the crowds and i just didn't feel tired or hungry. but the excitement is a little shortlived. nothing but trees surround us and i'm starting to get a little bored. i STILL have to pee and we're going up another incline. somewhere around mile 11, the half- marathoners split off and i'm happy for it. i'm finally with my brethren: the full marathoners. we don't get to stop in 2 miles. for us the race is really just beginning.

sometime after mile 12, i see runners on the other side of the road. i pass the sign for their mile 14 and this is the first time i feel a little disheartened. this is the first time i see the pack who's ahead of me.

but soon enough, i'm part of that pack starting on the second half of the race. i'm still feeling strong and i feel better knowing the worst of the hills are behind me. finally, finally, finally, shortly after mile 15 i spot a port-o-potty with only 2 people waiting and i stop. i now truly appreciate the saying "i have to piss like a race horse".

feeling refreshed, i run on. this is when the race really begins for me. this is when i start to feel the challenge. as we veer out of the park, i see my family! they're screaming their heads off and i high five 'em. what a freakin' boost! i'm still reeling from the fact that i actually saw them when i'm hit with the sweet scent of sea air! ah, the ocean! the waves! my heaven.

ocean highway is thankfully very flat. i'm on target to finish in the neighborhood of 5:30 and as i'm calclating how much of the highway i have to run before hitting the zoo and lake merced, a crazy, blonde runs in front of me. it's jen!!! a real, life blogger! holy shit! she starts trotting next to me and we chat while we run. she offers me gu, water, and the best words of encouragement ever. she says i looks strong. i feel strong. she's raced this course before, so her words mean even more to me. we fill my bottles and she sends me on my merry way.

by now i'm between mile 17 and 18. runners on the other side of the highway are already at their mile 24. part of me wishes i could just hop the little divider and be almost done too. i suddenly, don't feel so strong. the road ahead of me is new territory. i'd never been to the zoo or lake merced, so the next 5 miles were totally unfamiliar. i see the lake, the big ass lake, and take a deep breath.

it's already close to noon, and for the first time i'm starting to feel the sun beat down on me. for the first time i start to feel dehydrated. i'm sucking down water like it's beer. at one point around mile 20, i get a little dizzy. there is very little running 'round this god-foresaken lake. i curse the traffic of cars beside us. i curse the asphalt. and all the people who said the rest of the course was flat. it's NOT!! i try not to spit fire at the crowds because right now their presence is really annoying me. i just want to get in a zone, but i can't. with the last of my water, i take an extra gu early. i find shade when i can and stay positive knowing there's a water station in another mile or so.

i'm getting passed more than i'd like. my 5:30 pace slips further away. lightheartedly, i say outloud "are we almost done?". a woman next to me by the name of elizabeth answers. i don't even remember what her reply is, but she's taken my bait and we're chatting. normally, i'm not the type to talk while i run. but i wasn't running. i was walking. and i really needed a diversion. i needed someone to say they were feeling just like me. we talk about where we hurt and what shoddy trainers we were. i find out she's a mom from atlanta, i tell her i'm a recent california re-transplant waiting tables and doing freelance design. i find out she's a life coach/career coach and silently i thank god for sending me this angel.

eventually, we come up to a water stop. i fill up my bottles, take 2 cups, gu, and down another cup. i lost elizabeth in the crowd, but i find her again. i don't want to stalk her, but she says, "girl we're finishing this together." before mile 23, we pass the ghiradelli chocolate station but chocolate is the LAST thing on my mind. we see the left turn back onto ocean highway, and i say to elizabeth, "let's run to the highway before we have to climb the last hill."

mile 23 is a hill. everyone who said the second half of the course is flat is a liar. but once we reach the top, i forget about that. miles of ocean stretch before me. the waves are rolling in and once again the air is salty and fresh. i say to elizabeth, "we have to run this!" and so we do.

we pass mile 24 and my heart surges! again the crowd thickens and people are yelling our names. our strategy for the last 2.2 miles is to run every other stop light. during our walk breaks we chat with coaches and spectators. we talk a lot. about how she met her husband, our spiritual lives, about how much we want a beer, and how good it would feel to just jump into the ocean. before we know it we're at mile 25!!!!! we call our families to get ready for us. at this point, i'm just beaming. i'm grinning ear to ear. i thank elizabeth for the millionth time. she says i saved her in the nick of time, my voice being exactly what she needed to hear. i overhead someone saying the finish line is just 3 stop lights away!!!!

we run one. we walk the next.

and there i see it. the finish line!!!! mobs and mobs of crowds. sons and daughters have rushed in to run with their moms. i see my family screaming like maniacs. i wave! i smile! i soak it all in. this is it. this! is! it! i feel like i'm on top of the world. and i'm welling up with tears just remembering it!

elizabeth and i cross the finish line together and i let out a huge scream!!!!!! i grab the precious blue tiffany box from a man in a tuxedo, get wrapped up like a baked potato person in a mylar blanket, and head straight for the bagels.

i grab water, a banana, granola, anything and everything people are offering me. i take deep breaths and look around. i just finished my first ever marathon. i just finished my first ever marathon!

my family spots me first and they come barrelling towards me. i give hugs all around and they all pose for pictures with me. here's me and one of my cousins:



once i've scooped up my goodies, we walk towards the car. i dump my stuff on my mom and i open up the precious blue box. SWEET!! (i'll post pics of the medal/necklace tomorrow)

on the way home (my grandma's house), we're chatty and excited. the best part was that my cousin and my aunt say they want to do the half marahon next year!!!!!! we stopped at bev mo for 40 pounds of ice. once home, i prepare my bath and shower, and my aunt prepares my post marathon feast:





a seafood smorgasbord. all the white fluffy rice i could possibly eat. brocolli beef. and seaweed salad. i've had this same meal many times before, but man was it ever so sweet then. then my cousins and i settled in with a tub of ube (purple yam) ice cream and a movie. the perfect ending to a perfect day!!!!

i have splits and my time, but i'll post about all that tomorrow. after my 90 minute massage.

all that matters is i finsihed! smiling even! and i can't wait to do another!!!!