Steinbeck Country

The alarm went off at 5:30 a.m. We remembered to turn the clock back last night, which helped because I was up every couple of hours as a result of hydrating all day. My race clothes were laid out and I dressed quickly. Then SD, my husband, and I went to grab a bagel.

It was supposed to be warm during the race, so I wore shorts and singlet. I had my sunglasses, but the sun didn't materialize until the end of the race. That was actually a blessing; although the view would have been prettier, the weather would have been warmer, so no one was complaining about the lack of sunshine.

We were told the bagel shop would be open at 6, but it wasn't. So we followed some other runners who were out and found Starbucks! And there was a bagel shop across the street. SD went to get the bagels and I went to get the java. As much as I wanted to order a cafe latte, I knew that coffee is a diuretic and I didn't want to be dehydrated, so I had an orange juice instead.

While I was waiting for SDs drink, I chatted up one of the runners. She told me she ran this race the past four years and that she's a local. She lamented that she was wearing an orange bib, and not a yellow. I was wearing the same color bib as she, which I guess means back of the pack. Yellow must be mid-packer. She said next year we'll both wear yellow bibs. OK.

I was full of jitters before the race started. And emotional--I got all choked up during the Star Spangled Banner and couldn't even sing. Sheesh. The gun went off and two minutes later I was across the mat. I chose not to run with my iPod, but as the rock song was playing at the start, I regretted that. But not for long.

Within the first 1/2 mile, I was wondering where the port-a-potties were. I had forgotten to look on the map. Never mind that I had gone twice during the previous half-hour. As mile 1 approached, we were back near the starting line and I thought we'd go past the toilets, but we didn't. Drat.

We went through a tunnel, which was cool for about three minutes. It seemed like a long tunnel and I never knew that I was claustrophobic, but I was getting anxious to get out of that tunnel! Finally we emerged into the light.

The Big Sur Half-Marathon is on Monterey Bay, which is thankfully not the same route as the marathon. It's a beautiful, relatively flat course and one I'm familiar with from training runs when I visit this area. We ran south from Fisherman's Wharf and were serenaded by some of the oldest musicians I've ever seen! They played New Orleans type jazz. Then we ran along Cannery Row, immortalized by Steinbeck. This was mile 2 and the race official said the next time we see him it will be mile 12, since it's an out and back course. The Run Forrest Run 5K was also going on and I high-fived "Forrest" as I went past him. We turned left at the famed Monterey Aquarium and headed to Pacific Grove.

You could hear the drums before you could see the drummers. They were incredible, full of high energy and in-sync. The ocean was just beautiful and I felt strong. I had my Garmin to tell me my pace and distance while my Ironman watched beeped the walking breaks: run 9 minutes, walk 1 and take a sip of sport's drink. We ran down Lighthouse Ave. for awhile, then back to the beach. I was looking for my friends, Bill and Matilda, who came down from Gilroy and were staying near Lighthouse. When I didn't see them, I assumed they slept in.

S.D. wanted me to carry my phone so he could call me during the race. When the phone rang, I thought it was him, until I saw the area code of the number. I figured it was a wrong number, but it was Matilda. She and Bill were near the turn-around point and wanted to know where I was. "Almost to mile 5."

The course was an out-and-back and I thought the turnaround was at mile 6.5. Then I realized that I hadn't passed the golf-course yet and still had to get to Asilomar. It turned out the turnaround was closer to mile 8.

Asilomar is stunning coastline, but I didn't really see it because the mid-packers were on the way back and running on the west side of the road (that would be the ocean side to you east coasters.)

Just before the turnaround, I saw my friends and my husband, standing on the west side of the road. I waved and they took pictures as I continued south. Then I crossed the chip mat and headed north. I high-fived my fan club as I went past them again.

The secret to not being the last of the pack is to run in races that are walker friendly. As I ran north, there were lots of people still heading south. I shouted encouragement to them, and they to me. The woman that I talked to this morning in Starbucks recognized me and said hi.

They were handing out Gu at the next station and I took one. I had my own gels, but I use Power Bar gels and wanted to know how Gu tasted. The chocolate was pretty good. I continued to run and realized I was running fast (for me) and just eating up the hills. "What was in that Gu?" I said to no one in particular. One guy looked at me quizically.

Now I had an unobstructed view of the ocean and it was magnificent! "Are you getting that Runner's High yet?" I asked a woman next to me. "I'm getting that Runner's Desire for Beer," she said. Another woman laughed and said she was embarassed to say she was craving coffee. That sounded good to me!

As I neared mile 11, my legs were starting to fatigue. Uh-oh, it's too soon for that! I thought about Jeanne running the Marine Corp marathon and figured she must really be feeling fatigued. I dedicated the next mile to her. At the appropriate time I ate another gel and tried to think of something other than my tiredness. Then I heard the drummers over by the Aquarium again. I listened to the beat and ran in step to it, like we do in spinning class. It worked and I thanked the drummers as I ran past.

Now I was back at Cannery Row and the 5K finish line was there. "Forrest Gump" was there with his box of chocolates, cheering on the 5K finishers. Bubba Gump restaurant was a sponsor and there was someone in a shrimp costume there also. I high-fived the shrimp as I went by.

The old jazz musicians were still there, playing a lively version of When the Saints Come Marching In. I tried to pick up my pace but was surrounded by walkers. I soon figured out why. In addition to the 5K and the Half-M, there was a 10-mile walk and they had the same finish line as the half marathoners. I guess the walk started after the run, but we slower runners had to mingle with the walkers here. And since we were on the bike path, it was narrow and difficult to pass.

It got worse the closer I got to the finish line because runners who had finished their race were walking on the course in the opposite direction, I assume to go back to their hotel. So I'd try to pass a walker on my left only to be blocked by someone mosey-ing back to their room. You would think a runner would be more considerate of their fellow racers and stay off the course.

Finally I noticed there was fencing on both sides of me and realized I was in the finish chute. I couldn't see the finish line, but I could hear the announcer and ran strong. I crossed the chip mat at mile 13, then another mat, which was the finish line. SD was there and he took my picture as I crossed. I took my medal and put it around my neck.

Official time: 2:52:04, a 13:08 pace. Not my fastest time, but better than I expected. I ran a good race and had fun. I'm happy about that.