Santa Rosa Marathon

Me with my finisher's wine and jacket at the expo

  

The Santa Rosa Marathon! My first marathon of the year...

My friend convinced me somehow that I should try to qualify for Boston this year. Keep in mind that my pace was/is much slower than the last time I qualified for Boston, not to mention the qualifying times cut off about 5 minutes from 2011.

Typical me jumped into it without much hesitation. I also dragged my running buddy Brian into joining me, even though his one and only prior marathon experience was less than enjoyable.

Santa Rosa sounded great. It was right before the Boston registration would open. It is also notorious for being a relatively flat and fast course. The added perks that sealed the deal were the cool jackets and the bottle of wine that you received at the expo.

I drove up with my boyfriend, and we stayed at the Best Western Garden Inn just a mile from the race. The hotel was a little disappointing from first glances, but I learned to love the place even though it had a minor ant infestation (but hey, our house is way worse) and had a very low budget/economy feel. It had the essentials though, and then some. Air conditioning, a hot shower, a comfy bed, and a little microwave and refrigerator.

I haven't ever been so nervous for a race before. I had overtrained in my efforts to qualify. I had bought a special running plan, and it ended up just being too much for me to take. Yet I kept going even if I started to feel injuries coming on. In result, by the time of the race, my legs were completely toasted and even a five mile run would leave me breathless and in pain. I had no idea how I was going to tackle 26.2 miles if I could barely do 5...

My Strava race course map

I had trained for it though, and I had gone just slightly over 20 miles. I knew that I was more prepared than most, but I also knew that my legs were suffering from some serious overtraining injuries and that it was going to be an uphill battle.

First thing's first! The expo. It was at the De Loach wineries and was all outdoors. Besides a pretty backwards and confusing entry (you had to go all the way to the end to get your bibs and then work your way up front), it was nice. I found the people to be friendly, but a little bit pushy. (No I don't want to do your race! I don't even want to do this one really!)

The jackets were super nice! They were light and I'm sure I'm going to use them for a lot of running occasions. The wine bottle was also nice...a "Finisher's Red". I haven't drank any yet, but I'll be sure to update you if anyone is dying to know.

After a nice gluten free pasta meal at Ca'Bianca Ristorante Italiano, I headed back to the hotel where I proceeded to freak out about not eating enough and making last minute runs to the grocery store and finally to Wendy's for french fries and a baked potato. Yes you heard me. And it was good! Don't judge.

Jon and I at the start

The start was at 6am downtown Santa Rosa. It was initially going to be a 7am start, but because of some heat waves earlier this summer they decided to be safe and move it to 6. I welcomed that decision with open arms because I know Santa Rosa's heat can get unbearable. It was pitch black though, and even though I didn't use the port-a-potties at the beginning, my friend said that they were pretty dark and scary and he had to download a flashlight app to see anything (although he regretted that he could see anything).

Luckily the weather was just right for us. There was a humid twinge in the air that made it comfortable yet cool at the start. We sought out the 4:15 marathon pacer and decided to try to stick with her as long as possible at a comfortable 9:53 pace.

The course was nice. It was mostly asphalt which I kind of hated. I was longing for soft dirt to run on, and there was only a short moment where I got my wish. The aid stations seemed to be every 3 miles or so, which were nice. I heard that some runners missed out on gatorade, but I brought my fluid and snack filled back pack so I wasn't relying on the aid stations.

I did however start to feel a blister coming on at mile 3.  At mile 16 I had to stop, and it was a constant battle trying to stay ahead of the pacer. (sorry but I have to post the picture!!!) Hoka One One, I love you, but please fix yo' toe boxes!

Blisters!

My poor friend Brian

I caught up to my friend Brian at around mile 18. He started out strong, but he started getting really bad leg cramps. Not to mention he had horrible chaffing going on in his chest region! Band-Aids, people! Band-Aids!  I knew that that t-shirt he got last minute was a bad idea. I mean it was a great cause, but never wear anything new on a race day!

The pace group caught up with us around mile 20 and it was just the thing I need to stay on target for a 4:15 marathon.

I crossed the finish line in 4:14 which was fine by me. I can't say that I'm not disappointed, because I am. It's my slowest marathon to date, and 35 minutes slower than my PR! The race was also full of super fast people, so I was put nearly in the bottom 4th.  Woe is me I guess. I should be grateful that I have two working legs! Kind of.

Finishing Photo

The finish was fun. I met up with my boyfriend who ran the half marathon and PR'ed. There was a pancake breakfast, coffee, beer, and a ton of fruit. My favorite was the fresh cold watermelon, which I now firmly believe should be at the end of every race.

My friend came in a bit later, and his only gripe (yet completely significant and justifiable) was that by the time he came in they completely ran out of bottled water, and a lot of other things. The half marathoners that came in before us snagged most of it which is really disappointing...especially after over 4 hours of pain.

Would I do it again? I think so. It was a beautiful course, with some great swag. The race directors seemed very sincere and passionate, and the facebook page was updated constantly with race information or answers to concerned runner questions. Like a fine wine, I think this race will get better with time! Again. Sorry about the blister photos.

Check out those giant finisher's medals!