It took me a month to decide if I wanted to run the marathon. I had never really thought about doing one, but some friends were training for the Suzuki Rock and Roll marathon, and kept suggesting that I run it as well. I was already doing a 10-mile run once a week, so I already had a good base. Also, I was bored, and needed some kind of goal. The main reason I didn’t want to run it was because I didn’t really like running all that much. Doing it just once a week was enough for me. But I figured if I were ever going to do one, now would be the time. So 8 weeks before the marathon, I decided to run it, and started training on my own (I don’t like to run with people).

My training consisted of doing a short run 1-2 times a week. These runs would be 4-8 miles long. On the other days, I would do other exercises per my normal routine. Then I would do one long run on the weekends. At that time, Roger was getting back into skateboarding. He would meet his friend Stan at a skateboard park up in Carlsbad at 6:30 AM on Sat or Sun. Those of you who know Roger can’t imagine him wanting to wake up that early, but he did for skateboarding. The reason they met that early was to beat the crowds. Anyways, I would wake up with him at 5:30 AM and drive up with him. Then I would start running home along the coast, and he would pick me up at the end point on his way home. It worked out really well. I would be done with my long run by 9 AM, and would have the rest of the day to do other things.

The timing also worked out well in that I wasn’t climbing yet, and for some reason, there were not mountain biking trips or anything else going on. So I wasn’t sacrificing any weekend trips for my training. Also, I don’t think I could have trained for longer than 8 weeks. I would have been bored of it if it had gone on any longer. I thought I was going to save money since we weren’t going anywhere, but I ended up spending lots of money for lots of unforseen reasons.

About 2 weeks into my training, my right leg started cramping up during my runs and my knees were killing me. I’ll go into the cramping details first. After an hour of running, the area from my right butt down through my calf would tighten so badly that I couldn’t move. So I started seeing my masseuse and chiropractor (the “running doctor” - he ran marathons as well, and treated marathoners) regularly. I saw a podiatrist for my knee pain, and got orthodics, since appararently, I have low/flat arches. Then I bought a couple more pairs of running shoes, knee straps, hydration system, watch, etc. BTW, it was a big production preparing for my long runs. I had to make the ‘Accelerade’ and fill my fuel belt. I had to vaseline my chaffing areas, put on my knee straps, sunscreen, and blister prevention strips. I had to bring my sunglasses, hat, and mp3 player ( we didn’t have the IPOD yet).

Anyways, my cramping never stopped, but I think I just learned how to run through the pain. I decided that I wasn’t going to go for time with my cramping situation. I just wanted to finish. So during the marathon, I just started running at my normal pace, and it seemed like everyone was passing me. But at the half-marathon mark, the opposite happened. I started passing people! I wasn’t running faster, I think I just paced myself better. I felt good during the race energy wise. I actually drank too much, and had to pull over and pee about 4 times. I contemplated waiting in line for the bathrooms, but I didn’t want to stop for that long. Then I noticed half-hidden people squatting on the side of the race route, and thought what the hell. When I got to mile 20, I felt good, and actually picked up my pace. I ran my last 6 miles strong, and actually ran it faster than I ran the rest of the race! My total time was about 4 hours and 30 minutes. Since that includes my 4 pee breaks, walking during the refueling stations, and my cramping, I feel pretty good about that. I expected it would take me 5 hours or so.

If I were to do it again, I would have eaten better during my training. Those of you who know me, know that I eat extremely healthy (maybe to a fault!). Well, I had my moments during the 8 weeks of training when I would just go to town (mostly at potluck parties, which there seemed to be alot of during that time). I thought “I’ll just burn it off tomorrow”. I don’t think I did though. I gained about 3-5 pounds. I think some of it was muscle because my legs got bigger. I think I gained about 1-2 pound on each calf alone! I actually felt ’sick’ during some long runs and would have to pull into a hotel and go to the bathroom.

I’m glad I did it when I did, only because I don’t think I could commit another 8 weeks to only training for the marathon again. During my training, I was afraid to do anything else because I didn’t want to get hurt. Also, there are too many other things that I want to do, and would rather spend time on. It was a good time in my life to do it, and I actually had a great time running it. I never imagined I would describe it as fun, but it WAS fun seeing the training pay off during the race.

Here’s the pics.

Posted by Judy at 5:24 pm.