Race Recap: 2018 California International Marathon (CIM)

If you would have told me it’d take nearly a month to write the recap from my first ever Boston Qualifying race, I would have called you a liar. But, ehh…… life happens! The desire was there to put the details on paper & I had written portions of this recap sporadically, but the time just never presented itself. This December has been absolutely nuts, but the fun kind of crazy, mostly!! From holidays to birthdays to ridiculous stretches of work shifts, I’m really just staying afloat thanks to caffeine & cookies. Can you relate—I’m sure many can!? And while I’m not huge on resolutions, I am 100% ready to flip the calendar & start a fresh new year.

But before that “turn of the page”, I vowed to myself to devote a chunk of time to get my thoughts & experiences on “paper” from CIM… before 2018 was over. Talk about getting down to the wire! And we all know I am not concise with my words….

So… where do I start with one of the most epic & rewarding weekends of my life??!

I suppose it all started a couple years ago when the dream of breaking 3:30 in the marathon {8-flat pace} came into mind when I finished the 2016 Tokyo Marathon in 3:41. At that time, it seemed like such a far-stretching dream/goal—so it was perfect to shoot for! Then came the moped crash & tibial plateau fracture, which derailed most of 2017’s training. Onward I pressed.

In March of this year, during my tapering for the 2018 Shamrock Marathon, I hired Sarah Bishop with McKirdy Trained to help me reach my running goals. The following month, I set my first PR in over 16 months {half marathon, 1:41:42}. I was elated! My goal for the Fall of running sub-1:40 in the half distance didn’t seem “big” enough. Although I had said no more marathons for 2018, I changed my tune & signed up for the 2018 CIM. I didn’t know anyone going to this race, but I liked the prospect of a fast time on a fast course with historically great weather. Fast forward to August, when I attended the inaugural McKirdy Trained Camp & met some of the coolest running humans on the planet. I was stoked that some of them would be at CIM & suddenly, I wasn’t headed to CA “solo”.

As training progressed, I ran my fastest paces EVER. Along the way, I nabbed a mile PR, a 10K PR, & in the final month before the marathon, I PR’d my half marathon on back-to-back weekends during long runs…. with the 2^nd half having a 4-mile warm-up of marathon-paced miles. Like whoa! It all comes with a cost though—walking the fine line between maximizing training & developing an injury. Unfortunately, I did develop a “sore” foot that persisted for the final 2 weeks before the marathon. It was “present” during the marathon, from mile 1 to the finish, just never “painful”. {No definitive diagnosis, but PT continues to work with me on some chronic lower back tightness which we have assumed is referral weakening in my ankle. But, have no fear; this did not interfere with me crushing this marathon!!}

Then in November, when CA experienced some of the most devastating fires in its history, the reality set in that this race could very well be cancelled. Coaches offered options of switching goal races & gave advice on such prospects. No other marathons lit a fire in me like CIM. I promised myself if the race went on as planned, I would give it my all, no matter what.

In total, the 16-week training block produced 910 miles, averaging just under 57 miles per week {peaked in my first ever 70-mile week!!}. My long runs maxed at under 20 miles. Each week I did a “shorter” speed session {usually 10-12 miles} & all long runs incorporated miles that were at marathon pace or faster. So, enough of the stats, right?? Only number geeks like me appreciate that mumbo-jumbo anyway. Hehe! Basically, a totally new way of marathon training for me & yep, it definitely worked.

On Friday before the race, I flew from Norfolk to Baltimore. When I boarded my flight from Baltimore to Sacramento, another girl sat in my row. I quickly identified her as a runner, thanks to her Bowerman Track Club backpack. By some amazing aligning of the stars, we ended up chatting for hours as we crossed from the East Coast to the West Coast & discovered that we shared a running coach. Talk about crazy small world!! Alexis, this new friend of mine, went on to have an amazing weekend as well & we had so much fun hanging out, eating all the carbs, & chatting all things running! Her spectator crew, sister Leah + girlfriend Molly, which pretty much adopted me for the weekend too, was THE BEST!! Thanks for all the laughs & pics, girls!

I suppose now is a good time to quickly touch on logistics of this race. Being a point-to-point race (Folsom, CA to Sacramento, CA), you have the choice to stay at the start or the finish. I 100% think staying at the finish is the best option. There are free, race-sponsored buses that will transport you from your Downtown Sac hotel to the race start. It is a bit of a hike on the buses en route to the race start, so I recommend trying to get on one of the earlier buses. Another point worth mentioning is Downtown Sac is an interesting place—be prepared for potential panhandling & sketchy activity. I wouldn’t recommend walking alone at night in certain areas, so plan accordingly with dinner & such. Be safe!! Lastly, the terrain of the course—which I will also comment on below—do some UPHILL and DOWNHILL training if you are accustomed to pancake flat running. I did zero hill training. And that I do regret. While the course is net downhill, there is definitely a fair bit of climbing {again, all in perspective based on your usual terrain conditions}!

So back to the weekend’s timeline. Saturday in Sacramento was a blast—a McKirdy Trained meet-up, shakeout 2+ miler in the rain, expo experience, a yummy salad & pizza lunch, back to the expo for a panel discussion, a coffee shop meet-up, & then dinner with fellow McKirdy Trained athletes at Pizza Rock {so glad I finally met Whitney, as well as Michelle who I recently began following on Instagram!}. So much fun to meet so many people who are as obsessed with running as myself!

Sunday morning, Race Day! It began with a 4:xx wake up, a search for hot water for oatmeal that the front deak swore they’d have {wrong!} which we luckily found at another hotel, & then onto the buses which were a very convenient 5 minute walk from our hotel, The Citizen Hotel. Alexis, Michelle, Whitney, & I stuck together race morning. Those girls are so much fun! It was a brisk morning in the upper 30s. PERFECT race conditions, warming up into the 40s by the finish. I had a throw-away fleece & PJ pants for the start, which I should mention hosted the LARGEST selection of port-a-potties that I’ve EVER seen. At the dry bag drop, we randomly met up & said well wishes to our coach & then headed to the start corrals. There is no set corral number on your bib, you simply line up near where you predict yourself to finish. I positioned myself ahead of the 3:30 pace group—I did not want to get bogged down with that large group! My coach had written my race plan to run a 3:23-3:24! I was fit & I was ready to go! Off we went at 7am sharp.

I should mention here one tip I have for racing if you’re a Garmin wearer. Plug your race plan into your watch as a workout. I did it many times this Fall & it kept me controlled when I needed to be in training runs & races alike. Plus, it eliminates the need to think—just do what the watch says & you’ll achieve your goal! {if only it were always THAT easy… ha!}

A comment Whitney had said that morning stuck with me for the beginning part of the race—“the beginning isn’t hard, it should feel easy, so it’s really like only 10 miles are hard”. Which is kind of spot on. Marathon pacing isn’t 5K pacing. It SHOULD feel easy at the start. How controlled & easy you run the first 10K will predict how much you suffer the last 10K! Shortly after the race started we had our first uphill {which was not small}… “Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into??” But, for every uphill, which were plentiful, there was an even bigger downhill.

Miles 1-6: 7:53{ish…I accidently paused my watch for a couple seconds, whoops!}, 7:57, 7:48, 7:56, 7:48, 7:54

It’s funny what you hear during a race that just sticks with you & is exactly what you need to hear in that moment. Around the 10K mark, a man on the sidelines said “Just settle in & run”. So simple, but it stuck with me.

The next segment also just ticked by. About this time I realized, “Wow, marathons go by so much quicker when you’re running fast”…. Again, simple & a duh statement, but it was a mid-race revelation.

Miles 7-13: 7:50, 7:52, 7:47, 7:47, 7:41, 7:55, 7:38

Being an experienced marathoner, I know the wheels can fall off at any point, but I was holding out hope that it would NOT happen on December 2^nd. My first “uh-oh” came in mile 15. My left quad got tight. Crap, Crap, Crap. “Ok, maybe it’ll let up”, I thought. Nope… never did. The downhills had gotten me. Just to keep the party equal, my right quad joined in sometime after the 20 mile point. “Great.” This is probably the one thing I want to figure out in my next marathon training cycle. I do not cramp during training, EVER, but I have now cramped in 2 of my 6 marathons. I take SaltSticks & fuel adequately. I drink water at every stop. It’s just bizarre.

Miles 14-20: 7:43, 7:45, 7:41, 7:40, 7:48, 7:42, 7:36

One thing I noticed during this race was that I was never alone. I was constantly running stride by stride, not in a congested way, but in a “you’re not alone & these people are working just as hard as you are” kind of way. It was also impressive & inspiring the number of speedy racers out on the course—some 99 or 100 women qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials on a perfect racing day! American distance racing for women is on fire! About this point on the course, I met & chatted with a couple of fellow McKirdy Trained athletes—I believe there were 60-something of us out there. They definitely inspired me too! Thanks y’all!

Miles 21-Finish: 7:43, 7:49, 7:52, 7:47, 7:55, 7:51, 7:42{final 0.34 miles}

Things got tough during that final 10K due to the quad cramping. I never once struggled though from a fitness or an exhausted standpoint the entire race. I never felt like the pacing was out of my wheelhouse. I had successfully completed the first 3 segments of the race plan. Nailed it. All that was left was to maintain 7:40 pace… but my quads said “no freakin’ way”. Surprisingly though, every time I looked at my watch, I was maintaining 7:48 average pace. So I wasn’t slowing much, but I just could not speed up. This was reassuring & kept me putting one foot in front of the other; as well as some perfectly timed songs on my playlist that made me think of my boys & a spectator on the side with a big SCOTT sign {hubby’s name}. I had a few internal conversations. No way was I walking, because if I walked I knew my quads would still hurt & I had to get to the finish regardless {thank you, point-to-point race}…. running was the quickest way to get there! So if I wasn’t quitting, I better just go as fast as I could. I knew sub-3:30 was nearly in the bag, barring my legs didn’t seize up {which I willed them, verbally talking & all, during the last mile}. I practiced Lamaze breathing, which I’d never taken a class for during pregnancy, but I’ve seen on TV, hehe! As the finish line loomed, I heard someone yell my name, louder than others had mid-race, & then yelled again—it was Alexis! We crossed the finish line seconds apart, both crushing our PRs & punching our ticket to Boston in 2020.

Although I would have been thrilled with 3:29:xx, accomplishing my long-term goal of sub-3:30, I was elated & shocked that me, little ole me, had run a 3:25:21. Say what?! A 16:07 PR. Well hot damn, you are correct Alexis, WE ARE FAST! At the finish line I got the best hugs ever from James & Heather McKirdy. Amazing folks, those guys.

Once the cramps decided they weren’t going to become all out leg seizing, I walked around & met up with the rest of Sarah’s athletes. Pics were in order! We all had amazing races & had big smiles on our faces, thanks to some awesome coaching! Best day ever {well, except for my wedding day & the birth of the boys}!!

For those curious, my race day fuel was Picky Oats {Can’t Beet Chocolate} for breakfast 90 minutes before the start, & then a non-caffeine Huma gel at the start. During the race, I took 5 Huma gels—at miles 5, 9, 13.1, 18, 22.5 {alternated non-caffeine with caffeine}. I can’t rave enough how happy I am to have discovered Huma gels. They are AMAZING!! 100 calories each & I have had ZERO GI distress from them. I also sipped water at all stops, plus a sip of Nuun at a hydration point in the last 10K due to the cramping. I popped in a piece of RunGum at the halfway point & took a SaltStick at miles 6, 12, 18, & 24. It seems like a lot to remember {& carry… thank you Lululemon shorts with a full waistband pocket!}, but with having burned 2,400 calories & being a decent sweat-er, this is just replacing what is lost over the course of 26+ miles.

And more numbers for my stats junkies…

Splits:

5K – 24:39

10K – 24:23

15K – 24:28

20K – 24:24

25K – 23:59

30K – 24:08

35K – 24:06

40K – 24:27

*All within 40 seconds*

First half – 1:43:02

Second half – 1:42:19

*Negative split by 43 seconds*

All in all, a GREAT {obviously!} racing experience! I loved nearly every minute of this weekend… except when I felt like my quads were ripping inside my legs. HA! Getting home was uneventful & I had my obligatory/100% necessary massage at the 48-hr post-marathon mark. As the New Year approaches, I am happily embracing some changes. Bring it on 2019!!! Best Wishes to all of you for a Happy & Healthy 2019—May it bring all that your running heart desires!