San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon Recap

The short version...

I finished in 5:50:18. Mandy ran whole race with me. Slanted roads from miles 9-12 killed my knees, so the rest of the race was painful, especially starting up from walking again. Got sunburned but very little chafing. Bands pretty much sucked. Mental challenge was tough, though training and Mandy really helped with that.

The LONG version...

Great aspects of the marathon:

• Scenery: the first four miles were beautiful, running through Balboa park, around museums, beautiful buildings, scenery, a giant outdoor organ. Then we also ran through Petco Park, where the Padres play, on the way back to downtown. That was really cool, since we were on the back concourse, and could see home plate and the entire stadium as we ran through it.

• Wide roads, so even though there were thousands of runners, it was the least crowded course I have ever been on. 

• The support: from the community and from Tarrus. Tons of people cheering, though many were cheering specifically for Team in Training, which was only slightly annoying since a few of them cheered for the rest of us as well. Tarrus met us around mile 7 taking lots of pictures and video and even running with us for a while. He met us again during mile 25 and at the finish line. He surprised me with a wonderful charm bracelet he had made at the Expo too to commemorate my first marathon. He is so sweet!

• No hallucinations, dehydration, vomiting (or other accidental forms of leakage)

• Nutrition and hydration plan worked, even though I broke all the rules of not trying things on race day (hadn’t used the drink on a long run, or with the gels, and I tried a new Hammer gel flavor (Tropical, along with my favorite Montana Huckleberry), and I tried Mandy’s salt tablets, as well as eating stuff along the course like Twizzlers and pretzels and table salt. I had very little pain on Monday, except when I had to run at the airport because our plane was boarding and I had Tarrus’ boarding pass and he was buying us breakfast all the way at the end of the terminal, and I still had to make a plan to get us seats next to each other. It turned out great, though my heart (or lungs, I couldn’t tell) was hurting running in the airport, as well as my knees. A big guy was in the seat next to him and appreciated being given my aisle seat about 6 rows back.

• No chafing or painful blisters: all credit here goes to Body glide and my fastidious application of it prior to the race. I also used moleskin pieces from a blister treatment pack where I usually blister on my feet and it paid off because I had some blisters, but not the painful, puss-filled kind that I had after my 22 miler. Also, credit belongs to the Inji socks, which are like gloves for your feet. They helped prevent my toes from cramming together and causing painful blisters which affected me for my first 5 half marathons. I can finally get a pedicure now since I’ve been putting it off to keep my calloused feet that I needed to protect my feet. 

• My training paid off. My arms really helped push me through the last few miles when my legs and hips were in pain. I believe my knees would have been ok were it not for the factor soon to be discussed. Additionally, the mental aspects of training really helped. The positive visualizations, working through pain, the physical endurance you need to be able to finish strong, all contributed to my success.

• My list: I made a list of everyone that has supported me throughout the marathon and dedicated a mile to each of them. You know who you are!!

Not so great things about the marathon:

• Slanted roads!!!!! Miles 9-12+ took us from the downtown area up to the Fashion district on highway 163 (a 2 lane highway, not an interstate). This is where my problem developed. Those of you who are runners know that this can be very uncomfortable to run for distances, even sometimes on the edge of the street where the difference in pavement is slight (i.e., cambered roads to facilitate drainage). But worse than just the average 1.5% slope at the edge of the pavement, imagine a visibly slanted highway surface, for three miles, during the middle of the marathon, where you still have to run over 13 miles. My knees, especially my left knee where I have had little trouble until now, were killing me the rest of the way.

• The sun: no amount of “40+ waterproof, sweat-proof, rub-proof” sunscreen could withstand 4 hours in the sun apparently. Even though it was cloudy for the first 7 miles, the last 19 were sunny. The breeze, especially coming off the water for the last 6 miles or so kept us pretty comfortable temperature-wise, but the lack of shade and the reflecting rays off of the water on Fiesta Island made the sunburn creep up on us. And I do mean creep. I could tell Mandy got “some” sun after the race, but we seemed fine. After getting back to hotel I could tell it even more on her shoulders, but I seemed fine. By night, it was clear we were both burnt, though Mandy was much worse than me. Neither of us had put on sunscreen on our legs, and it really showed on hers, though our shoulders, arms and necks were also affected. Luckily our faces didn’t burn, likely due to the visors. Two days later, the sunburn is by far what hurts the most, especially when showering and wearing pants!

• Pain: in addition to my knees, the last 6 miles, my hips, calves, quads were all hurting. “Push through the pain” Mandy kept saying, and I did. I’m told this is completely normal.

• Our finish time. I thought we really were going to finish in 5:30 since we were pushing the pace the entire race. We took a few stops, and lots of walk breaks, but I really thought pushing a 11 minute mile pace would get us to 5:30, but I guess I didn’t factor in the walk breaks. I am a bit vain about my time, because I feel this will be my only marathon since my knees were just not made to be a long distance runner. I know I should be happy I just finished, but I guess because I have done 6 half marathons and have started focusing on time, my pride is preventing me from fully enjoying the fact that I just completed a MARATHON.

All in all, it was a great experience, one I will cherish forever. On the plane to San Diego, we watched Invictus. That poem was very meaningful to me and I put the last two lines on my dedication list I carried with me during the race since I felt it appopriate for helping me gather the mental strength needed to finish:

Out of the night that covers me,


Black as the pit from pole to pole,


I thank whatever gods may be


For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance


I have not winced nor cried aloud.


Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears


Looms but the Horror of the shade,


And yet the menace of the years


Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,


How charged with punishments the scroll,


I am the master of my fate:


I am the captain of my soul.