My First Race: The Marin County Half Marathon

So, on Sunday April 19, 2009 377 days after I began the Couch to 5k I ran the inaugural Marin County Half Marathon.

What was I thinking? "You'll be lucky to finish with those hills and your lack of training", I told myself. Three weeks without running and several weeks building up just wasn't enough. No speed work, a couple hills and over the course of 4 weeks. This could go really badly and I knew it. But the Marin County Half Marathon was the inaugural race and I felt, on some level, that if I didn't get out there and run something, my bailing on Napa would morph into a fear of racing.

The week of the race, the full marathon was cancelled. I suddenly worried non-stop about a badly organized race. I was panicking with visions of Chicago styled lack of water and vowed to bring my own. Bringing my water was the best decision I could have made but for completely different reasons than I thought.

During the expo on Saturday I met Dean Karnazes. It's funny, I actually heard about ultra marathons years ago. I ran for about 7 months in 1999 and while I can't remember where I heard about it, I do remember feeling inspired. Marathons where never my goal with all the crowds and miles of road. Something about the idea of running through the woods and jumping over boulders always felt like a dream to me. So when I read ultra marathon man is wasn't the first time I'd heard of running distances over 26.2. I was inspired more by his personal story and sense of humor. So while I liked him, I never idolized him. Yet, when I met him in person. I saw his compact muscular form and realized why I liked him so much. He is the epitome of fitness to me. He isn't skinny and his muscles don't look cannibalized. To me he represents complete fitness. He runs but he surfs, climbs, kayaks and a ton of other stuff. To me that is what I want for myself and that it why David Goggins is also one of the runners I admire. I admire them less for their running accomplishments (though I still relish those accomplishments for myself) and more for their ability to be amazing at lots of different sports and be fully athletic. I met him and just wanted to soak up what this fitness looked like. Almost like I was memorizing it for future reference. Listening to Shannon Rowbury fit into the same theme as she spoke about cross-training and I realized that is what I want. I want to not only be a runner for the rest of my life but I want to truly be an athlete.

The night before the race I was panicking. I packed my back, and repacked... and repacked again. I was afraid I would forget something so I kept bugging people on Twitter to make sure I had everything I could possibly need to run 13.1. My dreams that night were... odd. In one my teeth kept falling out. and my molar was gooey like marshmallow when I spit it out. In another I think I ran the race naked. I kept waking up with one weird nightmare after another and after giving up on sleep I got ready and took the bus to the race. I was so jumpy I worried my full inhalers would mysteriously empty or the bus that wasn't due would be late. I worried I couldn't walk from the bus depot to the race in time and even after getting picked up my the race shuttle, I sat worrying. I've run more than 13 miles before but it was getting hot. 86 degrees of hot. The road started on a slight downhill before turning around following a small grade and then hitting a hill I had tanked on before. I wondered... would I fail before the 5 mile mark?

The first thing I learned... get to the race early. I was on time but barely. I tossed on my shoes, put on my water bottle pack and checked in my bag as soon as I got off the shuttle. I ate Talipia and zucchini for breakfast and started to drink a can of sugar free starbucks double-shot. All of a sudden I hear, "follow the bag piper to the start line"! With a few choice words I chugged the can and followed a man playing a bag pipe up a hill to the start line. Once at the start line I looked around and realized, I had messed up. I was... in the front. It was crowded so I could move sideways but not really back. Every time I tried to move back a photographer would try to pull me forward for pictures! Right before the start Dean showed up to speak on the back of a motorcycle after getting lost on his morning run before the race. We were all warmed up and suddenly we took off. I was trying to breathe smooth, run with myself and just left other people pass me. Then I heard something and saw something at the same time. I looked up and saw both the 2:00 pacer right by me and the 1:45 pacer right behind me. Then I looked to the left and heard Dean laughing about the fact that he had never run a half marathon before.

Hmmm, 2:00 right in front, Dean next to me... oh sh*t! I was going out way to fast! I had visions of of every going out too fast story I'd listened to on various podcasts. Just about every boston podcast of phedippidations had drilled into my head the importance of going out easy. Damn it; I knew better. 75% of the race reports I've read over the past year had some going out too fast element! I had no excuse. First I made myself slow my breathing. Then I starting picturing my slow runs and how it felt to be in Heart Rate Zone 3. We turned around. the slight grade reminded me of the upcoming hill and I began reminding myself in mantra fashion to save it for the hills. "What are you doing, save it for the hills" "these people don't know what that trail is like, save it for the hills". By the hill I began seeing people who passed me stretching at the porta potties. I saw some slowing way down and I realized, I felt good. so I kept it up, slow up the hill and when it flattened I flew. I had energy to burn. The sun was hot but I knew the trail was coming and there were huge trees on that there hill.

The water stops were perfectly organized and as people stopped to drink out of recyclable cups that couldn't be squeezed I realized my water bottle was saving me serious time. I just kept running. The first trail was single track and I began passing people for the first time in my life; ever. Coming around the hill I spoke with a woman who was struggling in the heat and gave her support trying to let her know we would be out of the sun in about a mile. I stayed with her for a bit. Then it hit me, I could talk! The next water stop I did something for the first time. I took a cup, aiming my hand to grab it in one fluid motion and promptly poring it over my head. Awe, my dreads saved the day. They soaked up that water and dripped it over my body for the next 5 minutes. Heah, my hair is a portable air cooling system! I felt strong on the trail as I've run it before. But even when I ran it before the first third killed me. Not today. Going into the trail I spoke with a gorgeous older man named Kurt about my envy of his calves. He was talking about the dipsea and his body looked like a map it was so carved. Suddenly that trail seemed a little easier. I was flying on others inspiration. I was seeing others run well and suddenly running better. I was seeing some suffer and in offering support I was realizing how strong I felt. Right around mile 9, I remembered my Rape in February 2008. The more I thought about it the stronger I felt and the faster my feet moved. Then, just as suddenly as his face and body appeared in my mind. I thought of my feet landing on him pounding him into nothing and then it stopped. Nothing, no pounding feet, no heart rate jumping, no quick breathing; I just saw him. I said goodbye and the vision left; I could run forever.

I tripped and caught myself without losing a step. I felt my feet firm on the floor and began laughing and cheering the mile markers. I swear, I was crazy happy. I was running smooth when I saw the 2:15 pacer. The 2:15 pacer!!!!! Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to see him. I joked about him being a good sight and hoping to leave him at the end. We spoke for a couple minutes before we were flooded by the 10Kers. A lot of the walkers where getting killed by the heat and at some points the bottle neck was creating a human obstacle course. I stayed smooth listening for the rhythm of my feet. small steps uphill, leaping like a goat on the downhills. mine 11 was met at the crest of a hill in full sun. I picked up my speed just wanting to get out of the heat until I was back on the road again. I heard someone yet, "looking good 258" and I thought for a moment that must be my projected time until I heard it again and realized, "hey, I am number 258!" one mile to go I decided to push it and picked up my speed some more. I going fast and I knew it. I thought, that 2:15 pacer is around here somewhere. maybe I can beat him. I heard someone yell, "200 yards you can push it out" and I found something in me I didn't know was there. I pictured every sprinter I had ever seen on TV and bam I took off" I heard the cheers I looked up and saw 2:12:03 on the clock as I lept over the line.

It was the most perfect first race experience I could have ever asked for. It was a wonderful supportive well organized race. The other participants were kind and quick to offer a kind word to a struggling runner. The scenery was amazing and just as your knees got tired of the road it took off into the trails. Some complained about the hills but everyone knew were the race was being held and they even made it detour for the two miles so it didn't start on an uphill. I am still high as a kite and walked for an hour the day after. Today is Tuesday and I ran, 6 miles. I struggled and took it one step at a time and planned my next race in my head the entire time.