My 9th marathon. my 6th Rock 'n' Roll San Diego and the 5th marathon in just over 12 months (the previoius 4 were spread over 3 years). Ninth time's the charm. That's how that saying goes, rigiht?
Pre-race
I woke up to a medly of phone alarms at 3:30. After last year's debacle getting dropped off and earlier troubles getting to the start line this year (rnr2010 / safari park 2011), I wanted to allow for as much time as possible to Balboa Park. I didn't feel right, but it was also 4am in the morning; nobody should feel right at that time. The wifey and Z drove me and my buddy's sister to the start line with plenty of time to spare. After an hour of chit chatting, holding my water bottle while i pottied and brief warm-up, you could say me and Jenny are pretty much besties by now.
It was off to the corrals when I heard "Let It Rock" by Kevin Rudolf featuring Lil' Wayne blasting over the speakers throughout Balboa Park. 'This is a nice song to get pumped up to,' I thought to myself. Little did I know, the song was accompanied by and flash mob.
With the Corrals approx 1/2 mile long, I had missed the entire thing. For the better, I suppose; if I had seen that I undoubtedly would've expended a lot of energy trying to assimilate myself w/ the mob.
Race
Once we got moving, my intial feelings from earlier in the morning were confirmed. I felt off. Through the mostly down hill stretch into downtown my pace and HR were right were I wanted them, but my mind was all over the place. 'Why is it so hard to run a 9 minute mile right now?' I pushed on through downtown making my way to mile 7 I was met by a familiar face who had caught me from behind.
Anderson had been with the track club for several years also. The San Diego Track Club's training program for the RnR is so large that you might not necessarily get to know everyone by name, but run w/ the same group enough, you'll definitely get to know them by 'expected finish times'. Anderson and I are comparable through the various distances and I've used him unknowingly as a benchmark for my success.
A- Hey Ryan
R- Hey Bud
A- How you feeling?
R- Like shit, you?
A- That sucks. I don't know yet. Ask met again on Friars (approx 3-4 miles farther along the race course)
R- unlikely I'll be anywhere near you at that point (he had caught me from at least 1 or 2 corrals back), but I'm sure you're fine dude.
(note - gently sprinkle heavy breathing throughout the above convo and it's like you're there)
His pace a few seconds faster than mine and I lose him in the overused term 'sea of humanity'.
Through 10 miles I didn't feel any worse, good news. Through 13 my legs began to feel heavy. And at 14 I put on the best smile I could for Jg, Zoey and Oliver as they awaited w/ my nutrition replenishment.
At 15 or so, the race added a 2.5 mile out and back that was new to 2011. New because many complained about Fiesta island from the previous year. Im my opinion, this was worse. This is was where I felt defeat. "make it to the next water station" is what I told myself. sometimes I did, but by 19.5 I was happy to get 5 full minutes in without taking a break. that's when I heard a familiar voice from behind...it was Anderson!?
A-Ask me how I feel now???
Somehow passing him in the dreaded out and back (I've been running with my focus on the ground in front of me lately; bad habit I know. I will work on it). And I didn't have to ask him how he felt. He felt like I felt. Our goals were now out of reach. Our spirits broken, do we keep pushing and risk injury? In hindsight, maybe. But I'm able to race again in the future and I'm okay with the decision to back off. We ran the last 7 miles together, picking out land marks in the distance before we took breaks.
Just before 23, I saw about a dozen beautiful faces. In previous years, there were a slew of us racing, but they were on the sidelines this year and they were all here for me.
From there we enter the not so aptly named Fiesta Island, the large loop of 4 miles now reduced to approximately 2.5 was much easier mentally and before we knew it Anderson and I were passing the SDTC aid station at approximately mile 25.3. This is where we decide to stop stopping, passing my fan club one more again before we hit the home stretch. I pass Ollie right before the finish line and hear "go Ry Ry!" as I cross. 4:25ish? Didn't matter I crossed the finish line content.
After thoughts
Every time I finish a marathon there is a sense of accomplishment that I find hard to compare to. I love running. I love training. I love that I have a wife that supports me and I love that someday soon I know I will cross the finish line with a time of 3:59:59 or faster. Until then, I gotta keep hustlin', b/c like the blog title reads, Marathonin', like pimpin', ain't easy.
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