On the Ragged Edge of the Western World

I am so glad I ran this race!

Good thing I'm too cheap to back out of a race I already paid for. :-) I was concerned about the hills; concerned about my inadequate training. But I finished and I enjoyed myself.

But let's start with the Blogger meet-up. Donald had graciously arranged for us to meet for carbo-loading at an Italian restaurant in Carmel the night before the race. SD and I attended, along with Eric and Michelle, and Darrell, a blogger that I didn't know but the others did. He was there with his teenage son, Tyler, who was running in the relay. Donald was also running in the relay--the Hurricane Point leg!

Michelle and I met last year at Nike and I felt like I was hanging with an old friend. But the other's I have never met. There weren't any real surprises in meeting these people in person, except that Donald is much younger than I imagined. He is a really nice guy, which usually is a euphemism for someone who's lacking in the looks department, but not in this case. I am in awe of both him and Eric for their athletic capabilities. Actually, I'm a little in awe of Michelle, too.

Dinner was at 5 p.m., because we racers had to get up in the middle of the night to get to the starting line. The buses left Monterey at 4:30 in the morning to get the runners to Big Sur and then get back to Carmel so the road would be clear before the race started. SD and I got up at 3, I dressed, filled my water bottles, and headed across the street to Denny's for a bowl of oatmeal. It was the graveyard shift and I guess they weren't expecting anybody to eat before running 26.2 miles or some portion of that, because it was hard to get any service.

SD walked me to the bus and then headed out to take pictures. The bus left later than they said it would, so I only had 15 minutes to change out of my sweats, drop off my gear bag, and get in the portapotty line before the race started. Fortunately it wasn't a very long line and I was able to get out before everyone was gone.

The 21 mile race was on the same course as the marathon; it just started at mile 5 and 15 minutes ahead. Now that's the way to do it! We had the course to ourselves for the first 4 or so miles, then the leading man came running up, just past the Bixby bridge. Taiko drummers were pounding a slow steady beat, but when the marathon leader arrived, the pounding became fast and furious, which was how we knew he was approaching. That and the screaming. :-)

When the lead female passed me, I didn't get a good look at her number, but I commented to somebody that she didn't look like an elite. She was muscular and not matchstick thin, but she was sure running. And there were no other women close to her. The marathon winner was Kris Lawson, and her number was 38 and her age is 28, so it may have been her that I saw. How cool is that--I got to run with the front runners!

And then I got to run with the mid-packers. Life is better at the front--I never ate so much during a race. There were oranges, apple slices, and Gu packets being handed out all along the course. Plus fresh California strawberries at the Carmel Highlands. Usually this is stuff I only hear about, because by the time I get there everything is gone.

I expected to see Donald or Eric run past, but I never did. They must have gone by while I was in a portapotty. There were portapotties, like, every mile and I must have stopped at each one. At least I didn't disgrace my family by peeing in public! Food, entertainment, portapotties: I'm telling you, this race was perfect. :-)

And the course is STUNNING. SD and I have driven on Hwy. 1 many times, but it is different on foot. Climbing up Hurricane Point and then looking back to see where you came from was an incredible feeling. Watching the surf crash on the rocks, and just taking in all the natural beauty, made me so grateful to be a runner.

Lest you think it was a stroll in the park, there were some hills to deal with. And wind. I drafted off of people when I could and just bucked up when I couldn't. We had to climb a hill just to get onto Hwy. 1, because our start line was at the state park. I set my watch for 5:1, but just walked whenever I felt like it, which was often. My longest training run was 18 miles and even though I tried to be conservative, I was getting progressively fatigued. But I just played mind games until I crossed the finish line.

SD was there waiting for me and took my picture as I got my medal. I was exhausted, but it was a good tired and I felt proud for finishing. My finish time sucked, but I still feel like I ran a good race. And confident that I'm ready to Rock n Roll in San Diego!

Place Overall: 255 out of 588
Women: 204 out of 491
F Open: 0 out of 0
AgeGrade: 38.11% Place: 197
FINISH: 5:11:09 pace: 14:49
Chip Time: 5:11:09
Gun Time: 5:12:59

I looked for Michelle, but she came in sooner than I expected. If you haven't already, go read her race report. She rocked the Big Sur marathon!