[ San Diego Marathon ]

San Diego Marathon

Happy New Year everyone. I started the '99 racing season with the San Diego Marathon last Sunday. While it rained in Silicon Valley, 3 of us from the STARS* team experienced perfect running weather along the beautiful coast of Carlsbad. Tana was coming off a fantastic 3:05 finish at Cal 5 wks ago. Albert was embarking on his 6th marathon in 1 year. I was finally "racing" a marathon after my last serious effort in '95 earned a 2:56:53 at Cal.

*STARS (Southbay Triathletes and Runners) is sponsored by The Runner's High in Los Altos, CA.

This year I want to improve my running and finish Ironman New Zealand and the Full Vineman with solid, sub 3:30 marathons. Togo's at De La Cruz Ave is supplying the best sandwiches in the world to help meet this goal! But, of course, "Powered by Jesus" means what He thinks best, is what I really want.

Tana and I get a thorough warm-up , say a quick prayer, and begin our race towards the sea. I'm on 6:30 pace for 6mi, my heart rate (HR) is 165 (just below anaerobic), and I'm drinking at every station. But I'm already working harder than I remember at any other marathon. I'm shooting for a 2:50 finish which I based on past training and racing results at Cal. Before the start we were told the harder San Diego course is 5min slower than Cal. I refused to acknowledge this.

Climbing up mile 7, I'm now understanding. I lost a minute! The struggling wheelchairs lost much more. I plan to attack the downhills to make up the time. I see Tana at the top about 3 min behind. I hear a couple guys rationalizing their minimal training for this race based on a book, " The Lore of Running", which says 'long runs' are overrated. I go by them.

Flying down I do a much better job pounding my quads silly and being a target for high speed wheelchairs than I do making up the lost minute. The best I do is 30 secs. At mile 9 we head up a longer hill and I realize this pace spells trouble. A marathon's supposed to feel easy through 10mi, and I can't recall 10 miles ever feeling harder. My injured Achilles tendon is starting to hurt, my shoulder's ache and I want to start eating Gu.

I desperately want to maintain the pace until 18mi and see what happens. But I pray about it and realize... "swallow your pride and choose a new goal." Because it doesn't mean much anyway telling someone, "I was on a 2:50 pace for 18mi" when you blow up and finish in 3:20.

I'm eating GU already and taking Ibuprofen to ease the shoulder and feet pain. I'm pounding down mile 13 and trying to remain relaxed. I assume our splits will be automatically recorded at the 13.1mi mark and transmitted to the web site where surely my running partner, Dick, will be checking my progress. I cross the sensors with a respectable 1:26:00 and suddenly feel relieved that people at home know I'm doing well. Then I realize I still have to finish and allow the world see my second split. Now I feel more pressure to continue strong.

I remember Dick's prediction for my race. Between 2:57 and 3:10. Watching my training he was sure I didn't have enough long runs to break 2:57 and get a PR. I had to prove him wrong.

Miles 15 to 18 are long and rolling along the coast. I reload my hat at the "GU Station" and continue pushing a steady 6:52 or 6:58 pace, depending on "down" roller or "up" roller. I'm carefully listening to my watch's 6:30 pace timer. It BEEPS 3-1/2 minutes before the next mile mark which means 3-1/2 minutes behind 2:50 pace.... and I'm losing 25 seconds each mile. I can't fall 7 minutes behind if I want to break 2:57.

My HR is back up to 165 and maintaining. Another competitor is on my heals matching my stride. Each mile the BEEPS come earlier, getting closer to the preceding mile. The supporters are cheering and playing music. The head-wind picks up a little but the guy behind me isn't offering work.... so I pull over and slow down... he reluctantly takes the lead and I fall in behind the draft. At mile 18, the final turn-around, he picks it up and leaves me behind on a steep section. I see Tana 1/2mile after the turn, still looking fluid and composed. I act like I'm having a ball to be positive but really I want to say "help, I don't know how much longer till the bonk".

But a wacko runner catches my attention. He's cussing and yelling as he runs about how he's "burning up inside" like something's "eating him alive" and how this always happens to him... at Boston... at Cal... I can't understand how he can have the energy to shout constantly while running. It's very annoying and I'm scared he'll freak out if I tell him to shut up. As we go by women runners I worry he's scaring them and taking away from their race experience. So, opposite to my intention, I ask him to join me. "Come on, come on up and run with me. We can do it. We'll work together". It shocks him, he calms down a little, tries to catch up. At the same time I push the pace (hoping, if necessary, I can sprint away from him) and keep encouraging him that he'll be allright. The new pace quiets him down. I left him behind at 20mi  , hopefully without enough energy to continue yelling.

More GU, water, Gatorade, Ibuprofen. I'm still going strong, striving for palm trees, street signs, and other road marks. But the BEEPS are farther from the next mile. I catch the guy who dropped me. He hears my watch beeping and asks if it's my timer or my HR monitor (probably hoping I'm going anaerobic). I happily reply, "Nope, just the timer" and pull ahead keeping my HR at 165.

If I can just get to mile 24, like in Hawaii, the crowds will get me home from there. Just then a volunteer in Hawaiian attire says, "Aloha! Candy?" Since when do they hand out candy at aid stations? At mile 24 my watch BEEPS! I'm a mile behind! That's 7 minutes. I try not to face the math and just hammer onward. But there's no crowds. The town is almost deserted except for a giant leprechaun giving high 5's. I catch some other age group competitors and we all pick it up for the final mile. Everything hurts and I just try to keep it together on the downhill. My monitor final warns that I'm anaerobic but I can see the final turn. I hope for some error in my timing so I'll see a 2:56:something.... but I come across   in 2:57:20... 23 seconds over my PR.

But it doesn't matter because this was my hardest effort   and best marathon placing. I'm so glad to think I'm still at my peak running ability after all the injuries. God is good!

Tana finished in 3:08:30, good for 3rd place    and 9th overall woman!!

my splits..
the beginning... 06:48, 06:12, 06:31, 06:19, 06:37, 06:26,
the hill... 07:31, 06:30, 06:19, 06:46, 06:52,
the next hill... 07:18, 06:40, 06:37
mile 15, the rollers begin... 06:39, 07:05, 06:59, 06:52, 06:58, 06:53,
the last 6 miles... 06:53, 06:58, 06:52, 06:54, 06:56, 06:54, 06:32, 06:22 (for .2mi)

-Troy