2013 Big Sur International Marathon Weekend Race Report and Recap

So, I am bringing the blog back just for today to recap my weekend and race experience at the 2013 Big Sur International Marathon.  I have not decided if I will be run blogging on a regular basis again or not.  On to the weekend…

My wife and I set out for San Francisco on Friday morning.  We flew United (what’s up free tickets from frequent flyer miles!!).  The flight was early and uneventful.  We even got in a little early into San Fran.  From there we picked up our rental car and headed down the Pacific Coast Highway to Monterey.

I had made the drive from San Francisco to Santa Cruz once before and this time, it was just as beautiful as I had remembered it.  The coastline is gorgeous, which is an understatement.  Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, all of it was very scenic.  We arrived in Monterey in about 2 hours and headed for our hotel.

We stayed at the Hotel Abrego.  I got a pretty good deal on the rate through the marathon website when I signed up for the race way back in July.  The hotel is renovated and our room was very nice and had a fireplace.  The hotel also had a heated pool and a hot tub (more on that later).  The desk staff was nice enough and the location was ideal as it was only a 10 minute walk to the expo.

Sweet low bib number!

After we settled at the hotel, we decided to hit the expo.  My wife was soooo excited to go to another running expo!  Just kidding, I dragged her along J.  I picked up my bib and morning bus ticket and then we browsed the expo.

I didn’t really see anything I wanted to buy except for some new running sunglasses that I couldn’t decide on.

We went and had an early dinner at the Mucky Duck, which was pretty cool.  They had an indoor open fire pit that you could sit around.  We were bushed after dinner so we called it an early night.

The next morning we decided to drive the course.  I was nervous about hurricane point and the course in general and my wife thought it would be a good idea to get a visual on everything.  So, we hopped in the car and drove to Carmel, about 10 minutes south of Monterey.  We then began to drive the course in reverse starting at the finish in Carmel and heading south towards Big Sur.  While breathtaking and beautiful, I quickly realized that driving the course was not making me feel better, but rather quite sick. 

The seemingly endless hills and cambered roads offered a sobering view of what I was in for on Sunday.

Bixby Bridge

And then we drove up hurricane point.

Hurricane Point

Yeah, so that looks kinda hard…

Hurricane point is a climb to 560ft beginning at mile 10 of the marathon course and lasts for 2 miles at 5% grade.  I was definitely worried at this point, and I quickly re-adjusted my goals for the race.

We had dinner that night at Moulin Bistro with a good friend of mine that I haven’t seen in about 15 years.  I continued my carb loading and we had a very nice meal.  From there it was off to an early bed-time at 9:30.

For Boston

Ready to Roll

The alarm went off at 3:15 am.  No, that is not a typo.  I had to be at the bus loading area at 4am, so I had to get up quite early.  With everything laid out the night before (this wasn’t my first rodeo) I quickly dressed, kissed my wife and walked 10 minutes to the bus loading area.

I’m not gonna lie, the bus ride up to Big Sur was straight up spooky.  It was a full moon and here is this huge coach bus navigating these windy cliff roads on the way to Big Sur.  I thought I was going to puke thinking about the driver taking a turn too hard and sending us off a cliff.  I tried not to look out the window and rest.

We arrived at the start area about an hour later.  I found a spot on a curb in the park and tried to stay warm and loose.  I ate my bagel with peanut butter and drank a little more water and Gatorade.  After waiting about 75 minutes, it was time to walk to the starting line.  I lined up with the 3:45 pace group and tried to calm my nerves.  We had a moment of silence for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing and then the national anthem.  I had goose bumps during both.

Once the gun went off it was game on.  The first mile was a little crowded but it spaced out after that due to the first hill.  The scenery here was all forest with giant sequoias and all kinds of other beautiful trees.  The fog was thick and the air had a nice chill that made running comfortable.  The next several miles were uneventful as I settled into my 8:12 or so pace.  There was a lot of farmland and several hills, none of which were super difficult.  Things got very interesting at mile 7 when we hit the coast and headwinds that were about 15-20 mph.  The wind was cold and intense for many of the next few miles.

The support for Boston was great to see.  Many people wearing the blue and yellow of the BAA, or like me, had memorial bibs with slogans like “Boston Strong” on the back.  One woman had “All in for Boston” written on the backs of her legs.

As we closed out mile 9 on a nice long downhill, I could hear the Taiko drummers at the base of Hurricane Point.  I felt like we were all on some kind of death march.  The relay runners at the exchange point here were cheering us on, but it felt more like the crowd cheering gladiators on their way into the arena.  I tried to psych myself up for what was about to happen.  At this point, you just try to take it easy, shorten your stride and put your head down.  The next two miles on this hill were, as you would imagine…grueling.  The view from the top was unreal.  Somehow, I felt that God would be pissed off if we ran past all of that natural beauty and were so focused on the race that we didn’t appreciate it…so I did my best to focus on that and not the pain in my quads and calves.  The blue waves of the Pacific crashing into the shoreline and the pristine coast rising and falling in the distance made for quite a scene.  We were rewarded with a nice downhill (not too fast) and then crossed the iconic Bixby Bridge and then the halfway mark.

At this point I was still running 8:08 and feeling very good.  I made a few pit stops as needed.  It was during mile 14 that I was chatting with a guy who had run Big Sur several times.  I asked him for tips for the rest of the course.  He said that there were “rolling hills from here on in.”  Turns out that “rolling hills” means some of the toughest hills you will ever run during the second half of a marathon that just had you summit a 2 mile climb.  If I had to liken this marathon to another sport, it would be prize fighting.  It’s you against the course and just when you think you are feeling all right…boom!  It hits you with a body blow.  And then another.  And another.  And another.  There were so many hills over the last few miles that I lost count.  All I can say is that my pace was no longer 8:08.  I took my time when I had to.

By the time I got to mile 24, I felt like I had nothing left to give.  I had no more energy gels left and I was out of Gatorade too.  At this point I had really slowed and then a small woman all of about 5 feet tall came running past me on my right.  As she did so, she must have seen the Boston Strong bib on my back and she patted me on the back and said, “Come on Boston, we’re almost there.”  Well, suffice it to say that woman’s words got me to the end of that race.  I had all the energy I needed at that point.

I have never been more excited to see a finish line in any race I’ve done before.  Crossing that line was a truly great feeling.  I finished in 3:48:45.  This was about 9 minutes slower than my personal best, but considering they tell you to add 15 to 20 minutes to your best marathon time at Big Sur, I was very satisfied.

Neat Medal

I was sore and exhausted but somehow I felt fantastic.  Maybe it was the beer at the finish line?  We drove back to the hotel and I had a much-needed shower before we went out for a celebratory cheeseburger and beer.

Burger ‘N Beer

Back at the hotel, I hung out in the hot tub with some great marathoners from Chicago, as we traded notes on the race and running in general.  We all decided that even though an ice bath was probably a better idea from a recovery standpoint, the hot tub was too good to pass up.

Big Sur was definitely one of the greatest outdoor experiences of my life.  It was also one of the most challenging experiences I’ve ever had.  The 2013 Marine Corps Marathon is next on my horizon in October.

I’ll leave you with one this parting thought: I used to think that running a marathon was difficult (and it is), but then I ran Big Sur and found out what difficult really means.  I can’t wait to sign up for next year’s race and see if I have what it takes to go 26.2 rounds with Big Sur again.

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An Easy but Warm 8

I haven’t been able to run for the last couple of days as the wife was out of town.  I suppose the dog could have watched the boys in the morning while I ran, but then what would I tell the sheriff when he came to arrest me?  Luckily, the wife came back last night, so I was able to run today.

I had to settle for an afternoon run, something I usually try to avoid, because I spent my morning handing out hockey equipment.  The youth league I coach in is starting next weekend so today was equipment day.  Nothing like handing out some hockey gear to start off your weekend.  Seriously though, the kids loved it and they looked so excited, especially the little ones.  They can’t wait to get on the ice!

We’re having some unseasonably warm weather in Boston today, and it was about 70 degrees when I set out for my 8 miles.  The run felt good.  This was as far as I’ve run since the marathon and I feel like I’m ready to get back into 10 milers next weekend.  I was able to step on the gas a little today and run a few miles under 8.

Rest tomorrow, and then an easy run on Monday morning.  I don’t want to overdo it though, I’ve got my own hockey league starting on Monday night.

 

 

 

Easing Back In

I had another run this morning, my second since last weekend’s Chicago Marathon.  I felt pretty good, although my legs felt a little heavy in the middle of the run.  We only went for about 4 miles, and overall it wasn’t too bad.  It’s a couple of months until I begin training for my next marathon, so it is important that I try to maintain as much fitness as possible until that time.  We had six guys this morning which is becoming the norm for our pre-work runs.  I think it’s time for shirts for the Green and Rockview Running Club.  At this point I think we have more than 16 people on our list.

The fact that it was basically pitch black when we headed out this morning does not help with the morning motivation.  Although the warmer temperatures in Boston lately are a bonus.  When you can still run in shorts and a short-sleeve top around here in mid-October, it’s not so bad.  I can’t wait until we roll the clocks back for daylight savings time.  The extra bit of daylight for a couple of weeks will be welcome.  I was thinking of signing up for a fall race or two.  Nothing crazy, maybe a half marathon or something with the guys I run with.  I am going to float the idea and see what people think.

Hello, 30 degrees…

So, it was cold this morning in Boston.  I was greeted for my first run since last Sunday’s marathon with 30 degree temperatures.  The last time I ran, I had on shorts and a tank top with some arm warmers.  Today I had on tights, shorts, and a long-sleeve thermal running top.  Oh, and a hat and gloves as well.  It was actually a very refreshing run.  It was also a reminder of what the winter will bring for those of us that train outside in New England or other parts of the country that are cold.
I took 5 days off after the marathon and did nothing.  No running, no biking, no gym visits, nothing.  Today’s run felt really good.  I didn’t worry about pace during my 4 mile run.  I was just focused on…running.  It was great.  I definitely did some more stretching than normal before and after the run.  My massage therapist said I need to work on my hip flexors, so I am trying to make sure I give them some stretching time prior to running.

This week marked the shortest reovery time after a marathon that I have ever had, so I guess I had really good training going into Chicago.  I was actually really anxious to run this morning and it felt good to get back out there.

Hockey starts in about a week or so, and I am looking forward to using ice time as my cross-training.  I will also pick up again with coaching youth hockey next weekend.  I am really looking forward to that as well.
Off tomorrow and then on Monday I will pick up with a light training schedule during the week.

Ready to Roll (again)

So yesterday was the first day since the marathon that my legs were not sore.  Today I feel great and actually wanted to run this morning.  My wife is out of town though, and I didn’t think leaving the kids while I put in a few miles was a good idea 🙂  They put you in jail for that type of thing…something about child endangerment, etc.

My plan is to get out tomorrow morning for a few miles.  Nothing major, but it’s time to get the legs moving again.  Next week I will look to do a pretty regular schedule of runs as I being a modified bridge training until mid-December when I will begin getting ready for Big Sur.

The weather is already cooperating as we will have our lowest temperatures of the fall so far tomorrow morning.  It will likely be in the low 30s 🙂

Dear Chicago,

Dear Chicago,

First, I want to thank you for an amazing marathon this year.  Everything came together so well this past weekend: the weather was ideal, the fans lining the streets were unbelievably supportive, the race volunteers were fantastic, the food and drink in your bars and restaurants was delicious and plentiful.  It was perfect…well almost.  There is a small matter of one of the marathoners missing his PR by a mere 21 seconds, but I suppose that’s not really your fault.

I am tired and my legs are incredibly sore today.  On this point, walking down stairs is the worst (it’s always the worst).  Each day things will get a little less sore.  I have not lost any toenails so far, although I have had to pierce a few nails and blood blisters to relieve some pressure (gross, I know, but better than losing a nail).

The thing I really want to thank you for though, is reaffirming that by and large, a truly wonderful group of people make of the community of runners, and specifically marathoners.  I met so many great people this weekend before, during, and after the race that I could literally feel the positive energy.  Even on the subway to O’Hare, and back on the plane to Boston, I met so many great folks with their own inspiring stories.  Everyone in this community is so supportive of each other and different motivations and goals.

I am truly blessed to be able to have running be part of my life, and by extension, I am also blessed with so many friends and fellow runners out there, all the ones I know and all the ones I have yet to meet.

I will be back next year, Chicago.  You put on too great of a race weekend to not return.

2012 Chicago Marathon Weekend and Full Race Report

Well, it has been quite a weekend here in the windy city. I had a great time running in the 35th Chicago Marathon, but before I get to the race, there is much to tell about the entire weekend.

I arrived at Logan airport in Boston a solid 85 minutes before my flight. I was greeted by one of the longest security lines in any airport that I have ever been in. Not awesome. By the time I finally made it through security and to my gate, I sat down on the plane with a whole 12 minutes to spare before takeoff! TSA to the rescue once again.

The flight was uneventful and we were only 15 minutes delayed into O’Hare. An easy 40 minute ride on the subway and we were downtown. We (dear old mom and me) stayed at Hotel 71 which was fantastic. The views of the city from the room were excellent:

We got settled and then hopped a cab to the expo to pick up my race bib and packet. The city was extra crazy as Notre Dame was playing Miami at Soldier Field. There were many drunken students and alumni wandering the city. Fun viewing for sure.

The expo was ENORMOUS, but like everything else at this marathon, very well organized. I picked up my bib and took a few photos.

Expo Entrance

Trying to Own Chicago

Gatorade had my back!

Then it was off to meet my fellow bloggers from the loop. We had a very small loopfest at the expo and took this great picture:

Loopfest Chicago?

There were lots of cool products from various vendors, but if you’ve been to one of these things, you’ve been to all of them in terms of what’s for sale. The one jacket I wanted from Nike that said Chicago marathon was sold out…boo! But, I made a quick call to my wife and she ordered my jacket online. Megan saves the day again!

After the expo, we headed outside to catch a cab back to the hotel before dinner with the Mang. This is where things started to get a little weird. The cab that picked us up was definitely driven by a black power believing, Obama supporting, singing, and cussing cab driver, who also told us that he was a millionaire and also an “o.g.” from the streets. Indeed, this guy was an original gangster.

He told us many times, through song and verse, that he was sure Obama would be reelected nd that you have to “blink twice for Obama”. Still not sure what that means. There is also a parade in the spring, and he said if we could bring people from other parts of the country, we could make some money.

The flyer from the crazy cab driver

How that works, I am uncertain. He made up words, he swore, he told stories about threatening Chicago’s finest. All manner of things came out of this dude’s mouth. In a word, it was amazing. One of my most entertaining cab rides ever.

After a quick shower, we changed clothes and went out to meet my new friend Sharon, who is in one of my online running clubs on Facebook, the Sub-30 Club. We met Sharon and her husband for coffee on Michigan avenue. It was great to finally put a real face with an avatar. We have a lot in common since we are both lawyers who are now at small firms after having worked at some really large ones earlier in our careers. Chicago was Sharon’s first marathon and I can now say that she did a great job and finished in just over 5 hours!

After that, we hopped in a cab to meet the Mang for dinner at La Scarola, one of the best Italian restaurants in the city. La Scarola was as crowded as ever, but it was worth it:

La Scarola!

Dinner was delicious and marked the end of carb loading for me. After dinner we went to a bar somewhere in Chicago near Wrigley (I think) and had a drink. Actually, I had soda water.

Back at the hotel, I put the d-tag timing device on my shoe, and laid out my race day clothing.

Race gear

I slept horribly, which is not uncommon the night before a race. It’s like being a kid on Christmas Eve…impossible to sleep. I even had a dream that I overslept and didn’t make it to the corrals in time. Luckily I woke up at 4:50, well before my alarm went off. I stretched, ate a bagel with lean it butter, got dressed and then it was off to the starting corrals.

The walk down Michigan avenue was kind of surreal; it was still dark at 6:15, but there were thousands of other runners all headed down to Grant Park with me. I got to the corrals and hit the head before lining up. As the corral (I was in corral C) started to fill, I found my 3:35 pacer and lined up. It was a cool 39 degrees in the corral, but there was a great energy among all the runners. I ditched my sweats about 10 minutes before the start and tried to focus on what I wanted to do.

The start

It took only about 3 minutes to cross the starting line after the gun went off. The early running was fun and the crowds were amazing. My Garmin was useless from a pacing perspective after about half a mile with all the tunnels and interference. It became a very expensive stop watch at that point. While running with pacers though, you just have to stay with them. Some of our early splits were a little fast as we tried to make up some time lost in the sea of people at the start. Things began to thin out around mile 4.

The spectators were fantastic. The entire city was out to cheer on the runners and the energy was infectious. I especially love the little kids that hold out their hand looking for a high five. They were great.

Rear shot around mile 12

I saw mom and Shannon at miles 12 and 21. They were great and moved around to see me a couple of times and again at the finish.

Mile 26

My calves started to cramp a little around mile 21 and I began to lose contact with the pacers. I knew at that point that my dreams of 3:35 were out the window. I felt pretty good at mile 22 on, but I just couldn’t hold the same pace I had been running.

I ended up crossing the finish in 3:39:27, missing out on a PR by a mere 21 seconds. I have been playing several parts of the race over in my head and I am kicking myself that I had to slow so much near the end. But hey, that’s part of running marathons. You learn a bit each time you run one. I think my future training needs to incorporate more fast finishes on my long runs. I need to force my legs to run fast at the end of races.

After crossing the finish, I got a heat sheet, a medal, a bag of potato chips (you need lots of salt at that point), a bottle of water, and a beer.  That might have been the best tasting beer of my life! I then met up with Shannon and my mom for a few photos.

Tired but feeling good!

Me and mom

Me and the Mang.

They decided to walk back to the hotel and I definitely took a bike rickshaw. I was too sore to walk the 6 blocks back. It was well worth the $5.

After the greatest shower of my life 🙂 , the three of us went to sweetwater, a sports bar near the hotel for burgers and beers. Everything tasted delicious.  Yes that is my medal around my neck at the bar, and yes I pinned my bib to my sweater.I was making up for lost calories as I burned about 4500 calories during the race! After that it was nap time.

Then I set off on my own to meet some new running buddies at a bar called the hidden shamrock. I took the subway a few stops and met up with Julie and a bunch of people from Boston. I am really glad I went out because we had a fantastic time.

Me and Julie A. – fastest museum director in Salem

Julie and Kate at the Shamrock

There was beer, football, shots of whiskey, and photos in a firehouse (don’t ask).

The end of the night brought something that I hadn’t had in Chicago, but was looking forward to: deep dish pizza at Giordano’s. In a word, delicious. It tasted as good as it looks:

Giordano’s

Thanks to everyone who supported me during this training cycle and at the race. Thanks to all the Chicago Marathon volunteers for all their hard work. Putting on a race like that would be impossible without all of your hard work and time. Thank you very much.

A big thank you to my wonderful wife, Megan.  Without her none of this would be possible.  From being there to hang with the kids while I train, to putting up with my crankiness while tapering, she is supportive through it all.  She really is the best wife.  Ever.

Shout outs to my family, the sub-30 club, e-bunny, Sharon D., Shannon M., Jill F., Julie A., Kate C., the Green and Rockview running club, all the Loopsters, and anyone else who has read this blog so far. Thank you.

Even though I didn’t set a PR, I had a lot of fun in this marathon and enjoyed the race immensely and am looking forward to running this race again next year. After I rest for about 5 days, I will start to loosen up with some short runs. In mid December I will begin training in earnest for the Big Sur International Marathon in California this coming April.

Until next time…