The Real Race Report

I'd better write my race report while I can still remember it! SD and I stayed at a small hotel near Union Square, which is where the start was. The room was too small for any amenities, such as a coffee maker, so we went to a 24 hour restaurant a couple of blocks away. Although a Mariott was nearby, their restaurant didn't serve until 6 a.m., and that was too late to eat for a 7 a.m. start! I had a bowl of fresh fruit, one egg and ww toast. I would have preferred oatmeal but that wasn't available.

The weather was supposed to be hot that day--sunny and low 70s;--but of course it was still cool early in the morning. I wore a skirt and singlet, with a jacket over that. My water belt pockets were stuffed with money, energy bar, and gels. I actually had to pin some gels to the belt because I couldn't fit everything into the small pockets.

Also attached to my belt was a tiny "Go Dori" card that my running friend Marcia made, and a pin that I made at the expo that said, "My Power Song is Mom and Dad." That was to remember who I was running for; my parents are going through some tough times physically and they inspire me. I wore my "Find Your Happy Pace" singlet and put a sticker with my name on it in case anybody wanted to shout out encouragement to me. I finished the ensemble with a running hat and sunglasses, even though it was still dark. I learned a thing or two from Disneyland!

At the starting area, I used the portapotty and dropped off my gear bag. The gear bags were stashed onto school buses, a system I'm not used to, and I lost the sticker that said what bus number my gear was on. That made for a search and rescue at the finish, but my family helped me look and we found it without too much lost time.

My plan was to start off with the 5:30 group, then kick it in later in the race for a 5:15 or so finish. Only I couldn't find the pace group, so I just lined up in front of Macy's like they told me to the day before. I missed the singing of the Star Spangled Banner, so I sang it to myself while watching Old Glory wave atop of the St. Francis hotel.

My Garmin had a satellite signal, and my Timex was set for 10 and 1 minute intervals. I also reset the chronograph (stop watch.) As I crossed the starting line, I pressed start on the Garmin, started the stop watch, and started the intervals. Then I looked up to a sea of runners. Holy Crap! I'm in a marathon!

The first couple of miles went quickly, from Union Square down to the water. I didn't really know that area too well. When we got to Fisherman's Wharf I started looking for SD; we had arranged to meet at mile 3. I saw him before he saw me and handed him my jacket. He took my picture and said he would see me at mile 7. I was a couple of minutes behind my 12mm goal, and I wasn't worried. The day was beautiful and I could see the Golden Gate bridge. I thought back to the time a year or so ago when I did a 10 mile run from Fisherman's Wharf and across the Golden Gate and back. It was a nice memory.

This race wouldn't cross the bridge. When we got near it, we turned up a long hill. Before I climbed it, I stopped at the portapotty. I had passed a lot of them but didn't want to wait in line. There were about 5 women ahead of me and I swear I lost 5 minutes waiting. I never did use it--I went around the back and squatted. The only problem was the people climbing the hill could see me! I tried to be discreet and was done before it would have been my turn in line. Sheesh. I should have dropped out of line sooner, because while I was waiting, the 5:15 pace group passed by.

I didn't have much trouble climbing that hill and ran up the entire way. There were a lot of walkers and I had to go around them, but it wasn't bad. I was trying to catch the pace group, but I never saw them again. We continued on, and I lost track of the miles. Back when I took my jacket off, I accidentally stopped my Garmin and didn't realize it until mile 4, so I was a mile off. Good thing I had the chronograph running because I kept checking it at the mile markers to see how I was doing pace wise.

At my next portapotty stop, just before the beach, there were about 4 set up and still a line! I swear I wanted to yell out, "Just pull the crotch to the side and squat!" I mean, what were they doing in there, polishing their nails? One woman came out and announced that there was no toilet paper. The others ahead of me weren't going in and I said I didn't care! I had a PR to catch!

That's where the course headed downhill to the Great Highway and I powered down it, trying to make up for too much lost time. The view was so beautiful--a big expanse of sand and foamy water. The entire course was beautiful, but this was my favorite part.

I never did see SD at mile 7. After mile 12, the half marathon split off and the marathon headed into Golden Gate Park. SD was there and took my picture as I ran. I still felt good, but I was off my 5:15 finish. I still figured I could do 5:25 or better.

Then around mile 15 my knee started to hurt. Good thing I had a plan. My knee hadn't hurt since Grandma's Marathon in June 06, but I brought a couple of 8-hour Tylenol just in case. I took them and waited for them to do their magic. I was still doing my run/walk breaks and walked through the water stops. But I didn't dawdle.

Back on the Great Highway, I saw the 5:30 pacer. Oh no! I caught up with her and then realized that she probably crossed the start line after me, so if I stayed with her I would be slower than 5:30. I tried to run ahead and that's where I ran out of steam. I started talking to a woman who said she was turning 50 the next day and was trying to do sub 5 hours. She looked good, but she wasn't going to meet that goal. She suggested we run together and cross the finish together. I looked at her skeptically--I didn't think I could keep up with her! We chatted for a little while and then I needed a walking break. She kept on going, but I asked her name. Florene Quan. I don't normally print people's names, but if she ever Google's herself, maybe she'll come here. I should have told her about my blog.

At one point, I passed her and she was struggling. I looked her up in the results though, and she finished in 5:57. Good job, Florene!

A lot of people were struggling, including me. I asked for ice at the First Aid tent, but they said I had to sit down. I made that mistake at Grandma's, I wasn't going to do that again! "I can't sit", I told the nurse, and kept on walking.

At Lake Merced, I was pretty much just power-walking. I saw one woman puking and briefly considered walking over and helping her. I'm ashamed to say I just kept on going. Later though I shared my sport drink with another woman. She wanted water and there wasn't a water station in sight. There wasn't any shade and I was anxious to get away from the lake. It seemed like forever.

Finally, the lake was behind me and I was back on the Great Highway--the west side, which means the finish line was in front of me. I had at least 3 miles to go, but except for the fatigue, I felt fine. I knew I would finish and best my Twin Cities Marathon time. I tried to run, but couldn't, so I continued to power walk. The Team in Training coaches saw the determination on my face and shouted out encouragement.

This is where it really got tough. I'm happy to say, however, that I never had doubts. No wondering why I was doing this, what was I trying to prove, etc. I just dug deep. I thought of my mother recovering from knee replacement surgery and tried to ignore my own knee pain. At the expo the day before, I picked up some elastic bracelets with inspirational sayings. Each had a power word printed on it, such as "guts", "determination", "teamwork." There were several and I had all of them on my wrist! Teamwork made me think of my running group. We trained together and supported each other and I realized that they were my team. Even though it wasn't a traditional sports team, they are my teammates and that was a nice realization.

I passed a music station and thought about my power song. What song gives me energy? Well, duh! I didn't know the words, so I just hummed it until I got to the chorus. Then I belted out, "Babeee we were bo-orn to runnnnnn!" I was hoping to get some of the others to join in, but they just looked at me like I was delirious. No matter; it got me moving. :-)


"Three more stop lights to the finish line," a TnT coach shouted. I couldn't see it, but could see the traffic lights, so I gritted my teeth and started running. I ran straight to the finish. Just before I crossed, I saw SD, my sister Deni and her husband R. I was so happy to see them and smiled and waved. Deni did the half marathon and she and R. stayed till I finished my race, which I was so grateful for.

As I crossed the finish mat, a smiling tuxedoed gentleman was holding a be-ribboned blue box out to me. The best things come in small packages! I was overcome and touched my hand to my heart and even started to bow! Hel-lo. I think it was because he was Asian; I'm used to dealing with the Japanese business associates of SDs and forget that there are people who look just like them but are as American as a California roll.

Someone handed me a blue Tiffany bag to hold my little box in. Then I got a mylar blanket, a bagel and a banana. I headed over to have my finisher's picture taken and while standing in line asked the Dad of the girl who cut in front of me to put my necklace on me. My hands were full and I needed it on for my picture. Then I hooked up with my family. I eyed the nearby ocean, wanting to soak my legs in it but it seemed like too far to walk.



As always, I want to thank SD for his love and support. Also my sister and bro-in-law. Deni finished her half in 3:09:16; she walked it with her friend Laura, who also walked the Rock N Roll marathon in San Diego with her last June. Good job ladies!

I've been wearing my finishers medal ever since, along with one of the elastic bracelets--the one with the word "Victory" printed on it. :-)

V is for Victory!

Hi Everybody!

First, thanks for all your encouragement in the previous post. It really means a lot to me to have so much support.

I had a wonderful weekend, including a RBF meet-up with Irene, Michelle, Juls, YaYa, and Espeed. I'll have pictures and will talk about that in another post.

I'm still in California and have to go to a coffee shop to use the wi-fi, so I don't have a lot of time for a race report. So here's a 26.2 second race report.

My finish time was 5:50:10--way longer than I had hoped, but still a 15 minute PR. I was on schedule for close to 5:15 until my knee crapped out at mile 15. I had some 8-hour tylenol in my water belt and took two as prescribed. The pain diminished, but never went away.

The race was way hillier than I was prepared for, which may be why my knee, which has not bothered me this past year and a half, acted up. Or it may have been the heat, who knows? I don't care right now. I still feel victorious, because I finished with a smile on my face. I kept a positive attitude and had a fun race. And let me tell you, that finisher's medal was so worth it! That's one Tiffany necklace you can't buy for any price--you have to earn it!

I have pictures and so much more to say, but I'll have to post a real race report when I get home on Thursday. Thanks for stopping by.

Pre-Race Jitters

My marathon is coming up. Sunday. 7 a.m. San Francisco. Breathe in, breathe out.

I have certainly trained for this race, and I'm as ready as I'll ever be. So why don't I feel ready?

I was doing OK until I watched the runners go past at mile 21 of the Twin Cities Marathon, and then it all came flooding back. The fatigue. The heat. The pain. There shouldn't be any heat in San Francisco, and I haven't had any pain on any of the training runs. The fatigue I felt on my twenty-milers, but I did feel like I could continue.

I want to run well, which I arbitrarily set at a 5:15 finish because a 12 minute mile pace is easy to keep track of. I want to reach the point where the marathon doesn't pistol-whip me. Yeah, people at the finish line look tired, but they don't look like they have to crawl to their car, trailing blood.

I've only had two marathon finishes and neither were stellar. My running has improved since that horrible Grandma's 2006, and I need a victory. I guess that's why I'm nervous. I want to feel victorious.

This marathon training has taken so much of my time--everything came second to my training. It took its toll on me mentally; there were times when it was all I could do to hit the road. Once I started running, I was fine, but it took some will power to get dressed and out the door. The problem wasn't just the mileage, but also the time commitment; a ten mile run meant over two hours on the road.

I expected to be living in California by now. I expected my house in Minneapolis to have sold. I thought my move would be over and I could focus solely on my marathon. Instead I had to deal with keeping the house looking like a model home, manage the completion of my new house, and figure out how I was going to get my stuff out there. I don't multi-task well.

But I got to run in some cool places, including a 12 mile run along the Paul Bunyan trail in north-central Minnesota. I also saw more of the local trails, revisiting my favorites, such as the River Run, and also exploring trails outside the city. The fall foliage has been beautiful. And I got to explore my new area in California, including a 17-mile run along a winery-laden road.

I had a nice 8 mile run on Saturday with AmyBee. She's in incredible shape and much faster than me; we were only able to run together because it was her first run since the Chicago marathon, so she was taking it easy. We ran along Minnehaha Creek, one of the best places to run in Minneapolis. Afterwards I had my favorite post-run food: pancakes with fruit and real maple syrup.

So now I'm in taper mode. I'm focusing on eating well--plenty of carbs and protein--and resting. I'm flying to California on Friday and looking forward to meeting up with Michelle, Juls, and Irene. And participating in the same race as my sister.

A Good Time

...was not had by all.

What a tough weekend for races, weather-wise. The Chicago Marathon was closed, due to intense heat. I called my friend Marcia yesterday and she said she was re-routed and told to walk when the race was canceled. Marcia is a back of the packer, and she told me that there was no Gatorade at mile 2. She said that had she finished, it probably would have been 6.5 hours. She got a medal anyway, but was not happy.

Heartbreaking stories all around. Jeanne ran the Army 10-miler, where they had water but not enough cups. Peter went to Chicago while recovering from a bad cold, only to have to deal with a canceled race. Juls finished, but her BQ continues to elude her. Fortunately she has a plan B. She said it was worse than Grandma's 2006, where I had my own run-in with the weather. Josh was at mile 20 when they canceled the race, though he stubbornly finished anyway!

I watched the Twin Cities Marathon with my neighbors at mile 3 and then with Coach Gary at mile 21. Officials were watching the heat index here, too, and came within 10 degrees of cancelling the race. I think the saving grace was the cloud cover; if the sun had been shining, there would have been a lot more medical emergencies. As it was, approximately 45 people were hospitalized!

I knew a lot of people running today, including some from my running club. Gary had two women that he coached running in this race, so he was out there to support them. He considerately packed little baggies of ice, which he distributed to the runners he knew, and some he didn't know if they looked like they needed it.

I haven't talked to Nat or AmyBee yet. They had also run in Chicago--it was Nat's first marathon. AmyBee has an entry to the New York marathon, which she planned to run just for fun, but now I guess it's her Plan B. Sunshine managed to have a good time, although she didn't get an official time.

The good news is no one died during the Twin Cities marathon. Sadly, the same can not be said for Chicago or Army 10 Miler.

The other good news, is that Michelle PRd during the Portland Marathon! I guess the west coast was the place to be this weekend.

To all of you who trained and met the challenge, whether you completed the distance or were pulled off the course, I say: Good Job!

Last Long Run

Tomorrow is a big marathon day. In my home town, there's the Twin Cities Marathon. I'll be out with my neighbors cheering on the runners. I know a lot of people who are in that race tomorrow, but they don't read my blog so I won't name them. Chicago, of course, is putting on its own marathon, and several people from my running club, as well as fellow bloggers are running it. Good luck to Marcia, Nat, AmyBee, Cheryl, Juls, Peter and Josh ! And on the west coast, good luck to Michelle, who is running the Portland Marathon!

Today was the last long run of my training! I ran 12 miles today, in all kind of weather. Waited until 9 a.m. when the thunderstorms ended, then headed out the door. Of course I had the marathoners attitude that it was only 12 miles and with all the long runs I've been doing this would be a piece of cake. I was so wrong! The temperature was in the high 60s when I started and although it had been raining, the humidity was so thick you could serve it on a plate. Ugh. I was hoping the rain would hold off until I was done, but I wore my cap just in case. The bill keeps the water off my face.

There were a lot of runners out, since the Twin Cities marathon is tomorrow. I guess they wanted to get one last run in to make sure they could do it. I wore my "Find Your Happy Pace" singlet and OMM running skirt and it was funny how many people I caught looking at my chest! I'm not used to wearing anything with writing on the front of my shirts.

When I started the sky was overcast, but then the sun came out. It was so beautiful with the leaves in their Autumn splendor! The sky to the west was black, but I tried to stay on the east side. It did rain on me a little as I was heading home, but by that time I was so hot I welcomed the relief.

Anyway, it was a tough 12 miles. Maybe it was the humidity and maybe it was the fact that I ran 20 miles just 5 short days ago. Afterwards I showered then went out to breakfast by myself, since my running buddies are in Chicago. I had buckwheat pancakes with maple syrup for the carbs and a side of two eggs for protein. A great recovery meal. Then I went home and took a too-brief nap.

Final Dress Rehearsal

Hi Everybody. Sorry I've been incommunicado. Blame it on marathon training. Or house selling. Or both, because lately it seems like when I'm not running, I'm cleaning the house to get it ready for a showing.

But let's talk about running, shall we. I just finished the third 20-mile run of my training. I ran alone, parking my car and running ten miles out and back, then swapping fuel belts and running another ten out and back. When I ran the other two 20 mile runs, I just wanted to get the miles in. Today, I ran like I was in a race. Complete with sunglasses, clothes, socks and of course, shoes that I plan to wear for the marathon. I bought a cute long-sleeve shirt a few weeks ago to wear for the race, but I think it will be too warm. I'll have to switch to the short sleeved shirt I wore for the Disney half, unless of course the temperature in San Francisco is in the 70s or more, in which case I'll wear a singlet.

I ran strong but too fast for the first few miles. I set my walking breaks to every 10 minutes (10:1) and was shooting for 12-12:30 minute miles, including the walks. I also tried to concentrate on walking faster during the breaks. Around mile 8 I started feeling fatigued and worried about that. Then I kicked it in gear and got that runner's high. :-)

Since this was a dress rehearsal I didn't listen to my iPod; instead I just tried to focus on my running and keeping my brain thinking right. A positive outlook results in a positive outcome. When I'd start to tire, I'd start reciting a cadence. "I can do it, I can do it" one word per step. I was surprised by how well that worked. My pace picked up significantly when I did that.

I tried not to stop, and when I did I continued to let my watch run--just like the clock will in the marathon. I timed one of my bathroom breaks--1:20. And that was going fast! I'll have to work on getting that down to a minute. I only stopped my watch twice--once for the first bathroom break and once while I was at the car swapping fuel belts, cause I didn't it would take as long on marathon day with SD to help me.

At the final three miles, I was really tired, but I wouldn't give in! In fact, for the final mile I went out of my way to run up a hill--my own little Lake Merced. It's hard to train for the elevations of San Francisco when you live on the prairie, but during my training runs I would seek out hills whenever I could. The Garmin time for this run was 4:06:36, and the real time was 4:12:12, which means I spent 6 minutes and 12 seconds in the bathroom and swapping fuel belts at the truck. The overall pace was 12:19mm, but maybe after I taper it will improve. I was running fast, but the walking breaks really slowed my overall pace down. As did the traffic lights. Sigh.

Anyway, it's time to taper! I am so looking forward to that. I'm quite frankly, sick of training. It's that 5 days a week that I don't like. It wasn't so bad in the beginning, but in my 50 mile weeks, I'd have two 5 mile runs, two 10 mile runs, and then a 20 miler. That doesn't look so bad, until you put it in hours -- over twelve hours of running. That's like a part-time job. :-) That's the drawback to being a back of the pack runner.

I'll stop by your blogs and see what you've been up to.