Race 10-111 California International Marathon

December 5th, 2010
Marathon - 2:49:46 - 150th/5879
Garmin Tracking here.

I ran the California International Marathon (CIM) for the first time ever this year. This was a change from the previous 4 years where my events of choice were the PCTR Woodside races (50k in 2009 and 2008, 35k in 2007 and 2006). This year I decided to change it up, a little because I wanted to focus on faster courses this year and partly because I wanted to run more (different) races.

I picked up my number at the expo the day before and went to dinner with several friends the night before at Il Fornaio in Sacramento. I order a pasta dish with shrimp, mussels, clams, and shrimp. I stayed overnight the night before the race in the Hilton which turned out to be an excellent choice because of the breakfast the hotel gave us, the free bus ride from the finish back to the hotel, and the late 1:30 check out.

On race day morning I had 2 bagels with cream cheese and 4 cups of cranberry juice at the hotel. Sean Pont told me all about how he couldmnm't run due to injury but his wife YiOu (who I know) was in the race as one of the elite women. I packed small vitamin energy drink that I ended up drinking between miles 4-8 and 2 GUs which I didn't end up using. There was a small delay in getting a bus to the race because initially they didn't have enough to pick up all the people at the hotel. They quickly found 2 more buses and we were on our way.

We got to the start at 6:30 which gave me a half hour to get ready. The bathroom line wasn't long so I used it, and then put my sweat check bag on the truck. I had plenty of time to get to the starting line but only started in about the 10th or 12th row.

I started the race with Brian Cooke who should be able to run a 2:40 but hadn't been under 3 hours yet. He had had some issues with crashing in his previous couple marathons so he was making a conscious effort not to start too fast. I was hoping for a 2:46 but was realistically shooting for 2:50 to match my Boston Marathon time earlier in the year. After a couple miles I pulled away and started to close on the 2:45 pace pack of women trying for the Olympic Trials. I starting falling back again around mile 7 and shortly after Brian caught up.

He went by me and I wondered if I was starting an eventual slowdown already. I ran a couple miles over 6:30 and he continued his pace in the 6:20s. The miles leading up to mile 15 were especially grueling as the sun came out and there was a long gradual uphill that seemed to sap my energy. I hit the half in 1:23:55 and ruled out a 2:46, or even a PR of low 2:47s. I guessed Brian had a minute on me by mile 15 - not that I was racing hum, but because we had similar race goals. It turned out he hit the half in :59 before me.

After cresting the hill I started getting a second wind and I broke down the remaining course in my mind into segments. I hoped to hold until 18, then run a couple miles well, and finally finish the last 10k fairly strong. I ended up going by Brian with about 13k left. He looked like he was on the verge of crashing, but still moving. I went by YiOu Wang of Tamalpa with about 12k to go. I mentioned to her that "We have a Bay to Breakers left" and she just gave me a grimacing smile. I didn't see her name in the finishing results but judging by her online post it was a more of a voluntary and less of an incapable DNF.

I recalculated the pace I'd need to run to be under 2:50 as it appeared possible when I crossed the 20 mile mark in 2:09:08. At various points I thought I needed 6:30 to 6:40 per mile and I was fully expecting to be a little behind pace with a mile left and needing a strong end kick to get under. That's how I envisioned it playing out.

I knew almost for sure at mile 25 that I'd be under and I was fresh with confidence after passing at least a dozen people in the last 5k, many of them women who I'm guessing were fading from their Olympic Trial paces. I ran a strong last mile and got a good sprint at the end turnover-wise, although photos confirmed my form struggled.

My chip time turned out to be 2:49:46, my watch showed 2:24:29 because I didn't stop it right at the finish, and my gun time was 2:49:56. Brian finished in a PR 2:57, less than a minute in front of my friends Peter Hsia and Kenley Gaffke. After the race I quickly got in the massage line which still took long to get my turn, but the massage by Sheryl from Monsters of Massage was excellent. The food was OK - pancakes and tomato soup, but nothing great. I found some other people I knew and we ate and talked a while before heading back to the hotel.

The ride home was rainy but I stopped at a produce place in Dixon I like and picked up
3 heads of lettuce, 2 artichokes, 7 ears of corn, 2 cucumbers, 1 cantaloupe, a bag with about 25 Brussels sprouts, 3 kiwis, and a bag of 8 tomatoes for only $12.63

In some Non-news that I'm sure people will ask me about between now and June - The WS100 lottery drawing was Saturday. I didn't get selected because I didn't enter the lottery. I have no interest in running that race in 2011. I've offered my pacing services to Chikara Omine if he wishes to use them again. Of course I'm sure I'll run the Double Dipsea that morning as well.