Race Recap Finally (Long)

[adcobe]

I decided it was time to try for a full marathon. I have run 5 half marathons and done well in them. It only seemed right to take that next step. I decided on the OC Marathon on May 5, 2013 for the beautiful scenery and weather (and it was supposedly flat). It also gave me just enough time to train and also if I needed a break I could take one.

We arrived to California Saturday afternoon and headed straight to the expo. This was on the fairgrounds where the finish line was. There was no line to get my bib and that moved very quickly. But the vendors they had in the other room was another story. It was sooo crowded we didn’t even want to stop and look at anything so we wouldn’t get trampled. Unfortunately they didn’t have the one thing I wanted to buy. I really wanted a 26.2 magnet for my car. Oh well.

The next morning my alarm went off at 3:45 and I was up and ready to go. I was down in the hotel lobby at 4:15 and the shuttle picked the runners up about 4:30. The hotel was nice enough that they put together little goodie bags for the runners, a granola bar, raisins, an orange, and a water bottle. The shuttle was super fancy too and had a bathroom on it, which meant I got to skip the porta potty lines! I hurried my way to my corral since the race started at 5:30, we listened to some people talk, the national anthem and then off we went!!

The first two miles were boring and tough but I told myself it was just a warm up. I made sure I maintained about an 11 minute pace. Mile 3 we turned a corner and it was beautiful! We were running along the ocean and the homes were amazing. OMG the homes! I couldn’t keep my eyes off them. I didn’t even look at the water because I just kept thinking to myself “what the hell do these people do for a living? I must know so I can start to do it”. About miles 5-7 we turned off onto a trail that was gorgeous as well it took us onto a bluff with the most incredible views. I can’t express how wonderful the first half of this race was. My pace was good, I felt good, and felt like I could run forever. I started to get passed by some people who were flying! I realized they were the speedsters doing the half marathon. These people were booking it. I realized that I was unconsciously picking up my pace whenever they went by so I had to keep it in check. I saw on my splits that I went from an 10:59 mile pace I had jumped to about 10:16 and I knew that small amount would kill me.

Mentally it was hard to run by mile 12 and watch the half marathoners turn left as I continued straight, but I kept going and told myself that I could do it and kept going. I hit the halfway mark about 2:24 and figured I would be able to meet my goals. From this point I had run the entire thing except for the water stations. That was until about mile 16 the hill from hell appeared. This hill was freaking crazy! And you could see it coming from the distance and I could not believe we were going to run this. Remember this course was supposed to be flat! Well I made it about halfway up and pretty much said screw it. I wanted to preserve whatever energy I had left and walked to the top.

I don’t know which blog or race recap I had read from the board but someone had said that once they hit mile 17 they only had single digit miles left to go. I remembered that and it gave me a bit of a confidence boost. We ran through a mall parking lot at this point and from there the course got ugly and boring. Mile 17-20 just came and went slowly. I was still maintaining a pace to let me finish at about 4:50. I was very happy about that.
Then the wall happened. People tell you and try to prepare you for this elusive wall that happens at mile 20 but you don’t quite grasp this concept until you literally run into a wall at mile 20.01. My legs just died. I was running a respectable time and finished my 20 miles at about 3:40 which was fantastic compared to the 4 plus hours it took me to do it in training. I knew if I just maintained my pace I could meet my goal! Haha that did not happen.

My legs wouldn’t move. It was so much pain that it actually hurt more to walk but I had no energy to run. It was a vicious cycle. When a mile went by in about 15 minutes I knew I couldn’t do it. I actually started to cry on the course. I couldn’t believe it. Mile 24 I was choking back tears as we ran by absolutely no scenery to help motivate me. I was sick of my music and I just kept getting passed. Mile 25 the 5:10 pacer ran past me and I just gave up. Mentally I quit, which is bad because running is mainly a mental game. Then my garmin died at about mile 25.5. This made it that much harder to finish.

I finally hit the mile 26 mark and I finished strong and what seemed fast (but probably not). My official finish time was 5:14. So I hit my C goal of finishing. I feel like I failed though. This is an issue of mine of course and in no way is meant to downplay any other persons finish time. Everyone has told me how wonderful of an achievement even running a full is. I know this, but when you go into something feeling like you can do it, and you don’t, it just sucks.

Overall my take away is my legs are too weak. Here in AZ it is too hot to be doing long distance anyways, so the plan is speed and strength all summer long. This should help me improve my stamina and time. I will tackle a marathon again. I will come back and shave time off and finish with a time that I am proud of.

[shorty20]

Congrats on finishing, that is an amazing accomplishment, please be proud of it! I know how you feel not getting a certain time though, we've all felt that way at some point. Now that you have one under your belt, you'll know better what you're getting yourself into for next time. The great thing about marathons is that it's possible to knock huge amounts off of your time. I'm trying to do the same thing for my next one, so I totally know how you feel

[juliahenry]

Congratulations! You did a fantastic job, and wrote a great recap!

[clseale]

My first marathon was so similar to your's, complete with a wall, tears, & I sucks. Lol. You don't suck. I didn't suck, but in that moment.....yeah, it sucks. It gets better. You get stronger. You should be very proud of yourself, & with one under your belt now, you'll only get faster. Enjoy this accomplishment. You'll get whatever time you're chasing.

I laughed at your description of running along the water & thinking that about the houses. I did the same thing at Surf City when we were running up the PCH. They're amazing! Beautiful courses out there.

[coconutbug]

Congrats on a great accomplishment! Loved the recap.

[kams]

Congratulations on finishing a marathon! I hope you can still be proud of your hard work and the accomplishment, and with this experience you will only be stronger next time.

I remember the moment when I realized it hurt more to walk then it did to run. The last 6.2 feels like 90% of the marathon!

Congrats again. Keep IMS AZ in mind next time...it was a truly flat course (except for the highway overpass at mile 25 - ouch).

[gt7301b]

Great race report! I think it is okay to be disappointed with your time, but to also realize it is still a great accomplishment. YOU ARE A MARATHONER!!!

[sadlebred]

Great job!

[cinco]

I think sometimes it takes time to sink in. You finished and that is something to be proud of! My first marathon was slower (and more painful, hah!) than I anticipated. My next one was 90 minutes faster, but still involved walking and some tears. Marathons are HARD. They've become fun for me too, although I don't think I'd describe the first couple as fun.
Congrats again!

[gncorman]

Congrats on finishing your first marathon!!!

[libbygrl109]

Still an amazing job! Congrats MARATHONER!

[shauni27]

Your recap made me tear up. I am SO proud of you. You are a marathoner! You finished despite horrible horrible pain and thoughts. You fucking DID IT!!!! I know it is hard to see your goals fall to the side, but you know what? When you finally find the 26.2 magnet and stick it to your car, NOBODY will know that you didn't meet your goals, and nobody will CARE, all they will think about is "that chick is so bad ass! She ran 26.2 miles!" Most people (including this girl right here) could not even WALK 26.2 miles.

Congrats, adcobe, I really am so proud of you!

[enfuego23]

Congrats - you are a marathoner! Don't get down on yourself. Marathons are hard and you pushed through tears and pain and finished:)

[adcobe]

Thank you guys. I really do appreciate all the support I get around here!

[thom]

Congrats on your 26.2!! I'm sorry the last stretch was so hard, but you really did win the mental game by continuing to keep moving and finishing. It's impossible to know how your body will handle a marathon, but now that you've got one done I'm sure you can improve in the future. I ran my first a few years ago and I'm just now working toward my second. I'm hoping it's a little smoother because I know what to expect; I shall see.

[pixy0stix]

You finished, and you hit one of your goals. That is freaking amazing! Good job!

[MrsE]

You ran a freaking marathon! Congrats! That is *definitely* something to be proud of and a very big deal!

[nabum]

Congrats on your finish! I'm sorry that it wasn't the race you had hoped for, but it's still a huge accomplishment and I'm sure you learned a lot. I ran the half and am from the area and I wouldn't consider the full FWIW. The full course is really boring after the half split.

[taratru]

You finished, which means you kicked ass in the toughest part of the whole mental game. I know it's hard, but be proud of yourself.

I hit that damn wall, too in my first one. FWIW, I never did in #2, through better training, fueling, and experience. You will get there!

[skwcm80]

Congratulations on a huge accomplishment!! You finished and that's what matters, you will do so much better next time.

[pixiestx]

Great job finishing your first marathon! I can so relate to the mental hit of being passed by the pace group of your goal time. That happened to me at mile 10 of my half on sunday and once I saw my goal fly by me at a pace I couldn't possibly speed up to, it was disheartening and it was my first walk break.

[runblondie26]

Congrats on your first marathon! That's awesome you're already thinking about the next one.