Big Sur Marathon

I finally did it! I ran 26.3 miles without stopping! It was an amazing experience, and I would like to say that it was the hardest run I have ever done. However, I ran a 20 mile run two months ago when I was training for the marathon that blows the actual thing out of the water. At the time, I hadn't ever done anything more than 13 miles.

That day, I decided to go running with the running club, which my friend Ishan suggested that I check out. Two other guys were training for marathons, and they wanted to do a long run. I agreed, and we set out. The first 12 miles were at a brisk 6:30 pace, which they seemed fine with, but killed me. While running on Mountain Home Road in Woodside, my foot started hurting me and I was sure that my quads and calves couldn't take me any further. The other two guys waited for me at the little grocery store in Woodside, and we started back towards campus. I quickly fell behind and it started to get dark.

It had been raining that day, and unbenownst to me, my nipples started chafing. They were bleeding by the time we started back to campus. Running down Whiskey Hill Road, I had to take off my shirt, and I was ready to curl up on the side of the road and die. The last uphill was along Sand Hill road, and I had to walk part of the way. I was already at 15 miles, which I had never run before. I hobbled back to campus on Sand Hill Road, walking most of the way. I was worried that the other guys might be looking for me, so I returned to the claw, but they were already gone. I had run 20 miles, 7 more than ever before! As I approached Mirrielees, I saw E. driver her car with a bunch of my friends, with whom I was supposed to grab dinner and froyo. I was embarassed by my blood-stained shirt, and barely made the drive out to Cupertino. Here is a link to my gps data from that run.

The marathon was much better. For starters, the elevation change was big (7,000 ft), but not as much as my first 20 miler (10,000 ft). The day was chill, but not cold, and the start was festive. I went out way too fast, but slowed my roll to 7:30 pace for the long downhill to the sea. I found a group of people who had goals similar to my 3:16 goal, and I stuck with them all the way to the top of Hurricane Point. Heidi and I broke the wind for each other, and I was feeling great. For some reason, the 2.5 uphill of Hurricane Point killed my legs and I was unable to run fast for the rest of the race. I barely noticed the picturesque Bixby Bridge which is the centerpiece of the beautiful course. The second half was quite a bit more difficult, with continuous "rolling" hills that sapped my energy.

I had promised myself that I would step up my pace for the last 10k if I was feeling good, which I wasn't. By this time, I was doing 8:00 pace on downhills and 11:00 pace on uphills. A postman from Santa Cruz passed me with about 2 miles left to go, and that encouraged me. I pushed the last mile, and sprinted after I crested the last hill. I was thinking that it finished in Monterey, but the finish was in Carmel Highlands! After the finish, I was completely wiped out, and I barely made it through the food line before sitting down and devouring muffins, bagels, and fruit. I climbed onto the bus with great effort, and had a tough time walking to my car. Despite it all, I never reached a point where I didn't think I could go any further, but I also didn't get a "second wind", unless you count my kick at the end. Here is the track of my first marathon.

I would definately recommend this marathon, as it is beautiful, hugging the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean. They say it is about 20 minutes slower than most marathons, which I hope is true, as I ran it in 3:34. I am now planning on running the Silicon Valley Marathon, and I want to do it in 3:10 or less to qualify for the Boston Marathon!