How to Run a Marathon

So, the day was more eventful and more interesting than I had expected. Let’s start at Saturday night. I was staying with my friend’s Kirsten and Antje in Pacific Beach (a part of San Diego) and we decided to go out to dinner at George’s a nice restaurant in La Jolla with a stunning view of the ocean. With dinner we enjoyed a bottle of Miner Family Rosato, mostly because I couldn’t believe they had it. It was stunning, and frankly the best part of the meal. After dinner we walked to the Hard Rock Café and enjoyed a beer before heading back to the apartment for what was expected to be a nice night’s sleep. WRONG! The neighbors were having a party. When they all left at 3 a.m. I finally fell asleep for more than 10 minutes in a row.
Up at 5:15 I made breakfast and got on the road. I made record time to Carlsbad and thought I was in the clear. One half hour later I entered the mall parking lot with 30 minutes to stretch, go to the bathroom and get to the starting line. I made it with a couple minutes to spare.
I had signed up the night before to be a member of the 4:15 pace group. The first 8 miles were a relative breeze. Our pacer was great and she kept us all on track, even through the hills. At mile 11 the trouble began. We had been away from the ocean for the past 6 miles and there was no breeze and no shade. It was excruciating. I will from here on out do the best I cannot to complain about San Francisco Fog. I noticed I was having troubles regulating temperature and that I had stopped sweating. Mind you I was drinking two or three cups of whatever I could get my hands on at each station. Just before the 12 mile marker I decided to take a walking break, and that was the last time I was still in hopes of catching my pace group. While trying to recuperate, I was passed by another gal that had fallen out of the pace group and she encouraged me to try to catch the PG with her. I gave it a shot, but had to stop and walk again a short time later. I simply had no energy left. No pain, just no energy. She went ahead and I called it a day. She rooted me on when we came face to face at the ½ way point turn around. I was sure I had seen the last of her. By the way, her name was Lauren.
At mile 15 or 16 I caught up to her and she was in a lot of pain. I ran with her for a bit and eventually decided that we were going to get through this together. I was drinking more and feeling a little better, but was still needing a lot of walking. Remember: NO FUCKING SHADE!!! I learned a lot about Lauren today. She went to the Air Force Academy in Colorado, did her undergrad at USC and is now stationed in Little Rock, AR with the AF and is awaiting being shipped to Irag in April. Why had she decided to run a marathon today? Because she wants to make sure she runs one before she dies, and felt it was a wise idea to do it before being shipped out. I was stunned, and frankly, this was when it became my mission to get her across that finish line. For the next 7 miles our only goal was to pass the 24 mile marker before noon. We converted at this point to a Jeff Galloway marathon. We’d run for a bit then we would walk ¼ to ½ of mile, then run a bit, rinse and repeat.
Because the police had to open the streets, anyone that didn’t make the 24 mile marker by noon would be turned away and not allowed to finish the race. It was thus imperative for her and to me, to reach the 24 by noon. Along the way we caught up to another 4:15 PG guy and helped encourage him to keep going. It was also his first marathon. We were able to keeping him going for another couple miles, but at 22.5 miles he fell behind and encouraged us to go ahead. We pushed on and hoped for the best for Pete.
After crossing the 24 we only had one more obstacle. I have a rule (those who know me well, know there are a lot of rules – no reading the fortune before finishing the fortune cookie, etc.) and that rule is that there is no walking after mile 25. None. Not until you’ve crossed the finish line. So we did it. We running along swimmingly until we hit the 26 mile marker. It was here that my left hamstring decided to cramp up. I thought I was going to have to walk. I stopped for a second and tried to stretch it. That didn’t work. I tried to run, but I was on the verge of cramping so bad I would fall down. I realized I couldn’t bend my left leg. So for about 50 yards I looked like I was playing with one of the those jump rope things you attach to your ankle and swing around it, while simultaneously jumping the rope with your other foot. I’m sure the spectators were impressed that I had run the whole race that way. Just give it a try. Go outside and run a few yards while not bending the left knee. It was quite amusing. I tried running again and it worked. We turned the corner into the mall parking lot and kicked it in. I had said several times that you were still doing good as long as you are passing someone. When we turned into the parking lot there was a guy walking that we could take. Yeah, I know it’s cruel, but we had to do it. The last 1/10th of a mile was an all out sprint. We crossed at 4:48 give or take. It was awesome!! Pete crossed the finish line about a minute behind us, so he managed to finish too. It was great!!
Interestingly my day had begun with a goal of shattering my personal record and turned into a day of supporting others. Honestly, I think the latter was the better option. I’ve got my whole life to beat that PR, Lauren may never have another chance to run marathon.
I’m feeling good now. Had a beer in the bar at the airport and will be boarding the plane soon. My knees are sore, but that’s nothing new. I don’t feel the hint of injury that I had in July. I’m guardedly excited that this might have been an injury free race.

Today’s Stats:
Distance: 26.2 miles
Time: 4:45:34
Average: 10:54 per mile
Overall Impression: Mother Theresa Move Over, Sixpack Chopra Is In Town! (MTMOSCIIT)