Big Sur International Marathon 2016

RACE DAY!

YAY!

Sunday morning I woke up at 3AM to get ready for the Big Sur International Marathon. The nice thing about living on the east coast is that this really didn't feel all that early. It's around the same time I am supposed to be getting up for work... which doesn't necessarily mean it's when I actually get up... but anyway... I had everything laid out that I needed so I quickly got dressed, gathered up all my stuff, and headed downstairs for a bite to eat (french press coffee and some toast with peanut butter).

The night before I had agreed to carpool with Martin, another runner who was staying at the AirBnb. Martin had pretty interesting story. He grew up in South Africa, met his wife in England, and together they decided to move to the USA. It turns out that they fell in love with and relocated to Montclair, New Jersey which is the same town that my Uncle has lived in for years. They didn't know each other but it was still a pretty neat coincidence!

Spooky

Once we found parking we took a twenty minute shuttle to the race start deep in the woods at Big Sur Station. There we were surrounded by these huge towering trees with spotlights casting eerie shadows everywhere. I found a somewhat quiet spot and sat down to wait for the race to start.

Make this sh*tter great again?

I eventually got bored of just sitting in a parking lot so I wandered around a little bit. All of the port-o-potties had funny signs taped to them and I found the one above particularly amusing. Even more so now. I ended up waiting in line for coffee and a bagel just for something to do and to keep warm. It was quite chilly and I didn't bring any throw-away clothes. After a while we were called to the road to line up for the start. I was in the last corral and we were so far back we couldn't see the start.

Miles 1-4:

I don't have any photos from the start of the race but the first four miles were mostly downhill through the woods. I focused on running my own race and not getting caught up in the excitement and going too fast. For this race I told myself I wasn't going to run with anyone else. My performance seems to suffer when I run with others. Not their fault but I end up running their pace and talking. Since I generally train by myself I am not used to talking while running and this takes more energy.

This is not one of the actual trees, it's just a tribute

It was cool and dark in the woods with those majestic trees towering over us. Very comfortable for running. It made me feel a little too optimistic and although I tried very hard to keep myself from going faster than my target pace, I may have slipped up a few times.

Breathtaking

Miles 5-9:

Somewhere after mile four you burst, yes BURST, out of the woods and are greeted with a jaw dropping view. You are running down the road bordered by endless grassy fields on your right and cliffs dropping off to the beautiful Pacific Ocean on your left. When we reached the open fields I started to worry that the famous California sunshine would cause some problems but luckily it always managed to be just cloudy enough that the sun stayed hidden for most of the race. It even misted a tiny bit, which was refreshing.

These miles continued downhill for a little bit and then we had some rolling hills to deal with. They really were not all that bad but I knew they were child's play compared to the beast we had to run up later.

It was somewhere around mile five I met an awesome girl named Blaire and we ended up running together until mile 19. As I said before I wasn't really looking for someone to run with and at first I was annoyed that I couldn't seem to shake her and she kept talking to me but she was incredibly nice and our paces matched almost perfectly.

Blaire had music playing on her phone and she would occasionally play a little recorded clip from one of her friends. Before she left on her marathon she asked friends and family to record something that she could play while running and draw strength from. It was really wonderful to hear all of the support she had out there and it was sweet that she shared it with me.

Up to Hurricane Point

Miles 10-15:

Shortly after mile ten we reached the part of the race I'd been nervous about. Hurricane Point. Hurricane Point is a two mile long climb up to a ledge with winds that will steal the air from your lungs. Thankfully at the bottom of the hill they have one of the best forms of motivation I've ever experienced. Taiko Drums. They were amazing. They played a beat that made the adrenaline rush through your body and gave you strength to make it to the top.

 Blaire and I had made an agreement that we would NOT walk up that hill (I think it was a mountain). It didn't matter how much we'd slow down or how much we hurt. We'd keep running. We stopped talking and just kept trudging up... and up... and up. There were many false turns that tricked you into thinking you'd made it then you'd get around the corner and see that you had another half mile to go. We kept putting one foot after the other until we reached the top. We ran all the way up Hurricane Point. I have never been more proud of myself.

When we finally reached the top we really understood why it's called Hurricane Point. The wind was fierce. You had to hold on to your hat, bib, anything that wasn't firmly attached or else the wind would rip it away. It was actually hard to breathe up there. I had wanted to take a picture but once we were actually there I just wanted to get away as quickly as possible so we kept running.

Hurricane Point to Bixby Bridge

Once you round the corner and the wind isn't howling the first think you notice is the piano music. In the picture above there is a grand piano set up on the far end of that bridge and you can hear it from miles away. The descent to Bixby Bridge is a wonderful three miles. Three miles! That is enough distance to forget all about the pain and suffering one endured to get up to Hurricane Point. That is enough distance to start feeling good again and regaining your will to go on. Hands down, this was the best part of any marathon I've ever run.

Bixby Bridge to Hurricane Point

Blaire and I chatted and laughed all the way down to the Bridge. Once again, I said I wanted to take a picture of the bridge and the grand piano but once there I really just wanted to keep moving. At this point we were well ahead of the five hour pacer and I wanted to keep that lead (which I obviously didn't).

Miles 16-22:

Once down from Hurricane Point and over the hill you are faced with another smaller hill and some false flats that do eventually level out and then down a little bit. At this point I was hurting. Running up Hurricane Point (and down it really) took a lot out of me. The road here had a terrible cant that was really painful at this point in the race.

Somewhere around mile 19 I unfortunately lost Blaire. She wasn't feeling too great and needed to take a quick break so I continued on alone. For some reason I don't quite remember this part of the race. All I know is that I was tired and hurting and just wanted to be done. I unfortunately started taking walk breaks.

Miles 23-26:

Once again, my memories are a bit fuzzy during these miles. We started getting closer to Carmel and the road moved away from the coast and into more residential areas. It was around mile 23 that I started really considering quitting. I was unhappy and the 5 hour pace group passed me. I was SO mad that I slowed down that much.

Right around mile 23 I started talking to a girl who is from Franconia, NH. I latched onto her and didn't let go until the finish.

The Last .2:

I was still with Franconia when we passed the 26 mile marker. I looked at her and barely croaked out that we had to make New Hampshire proud and we sprinted to the finish. I am very grateful that I met Franconia lady, otherwise I very well might have just sat down and been done with only .2 miles to go. I did not quit though and I completed my 5th marathon in my 4th state with a 5 minute PR!

Once I crossed over that finish line my body decided it was time to stop. Everything. I hobbled through and got a medal, and got a little ways away from the finish and collapsed on a table. I told myself I was waiting for Blaire but I was really incapable of moving.

Blaire came through the finish maybe five minutes after me and we hugged and congratulated each other. I finally convinced my body that I should move and I went through the food tent grabbing everything, even though all I wanted was chocolate milk and sleep. I found a spot on the ground and laid there in a daze for a good few minutes.

Eventually I roused and sat up and chatted with a nice gentleman who took the below picture of me. One thing that I really do not like about race finishes is that it's so loud. They always have a band playing and I get that it's a celebration and a bit of a party but after I have run 26.2 (or more) miles all I want is quiet. The noise completely overwhelms me and I end up leaving the celebrations as soon as possible.

How do I have no chin?

Finish Time: 05:02:20
Pace: 11:32

Post Race Thoughts:

I absolutely loved this race. I once again missed the goal I set for myself but I still PR'ed by about five minutes and I'll take that. This was a very challenging course, by far the hardest marathon I've run and I still managed to get faster and have a great time.

The things that really helped me through the more painful parts of the race were Blaire and her infectious optimism and the view. Every time I let myself think about how much I hurt or how much I wanted to stop I would think - hey, you are running a marathon in friggin' California. Every view was spectacularly gorgeous. It was definitely enough to distract you from all the miles you had left.

I've told everyone that I do not intend to run any marathon twice but I have a feeling I will see Big Sur again. Perhaps once I have a few more marathons under my belt and I've cut my PR down a bit more I'll head back out there and challenge Hurricane Point once more.

Big Sur International Marathon Part I (The Days Prior)

Last week April I ran the Big Sur International Marathon in California! It is my fifth marathon in my fourth state!

Hello California!

What an amazing trip. I had so much fun I *almost* didn't want to come home. I flew out to San Jose Thursday night before the race, rented a car, and drove to my AirBnb in Seaside. This was my first experience with AirBnb and I loved it! I stayed in the Finch Room at the Historic Landmark House in Seaside with hosts Annemarie and Jesse.

My petite guest room

Every morning I was there the hosts would come down and make breakfast and hang out with the guests, getting to know everyone as well as giving us tips for what sights we should see, good restaurants in the area, etc. There were some very interesting people staying at the house. I loved coming down and having some french press coffee and chatting with everyone.

All the pictures inside the aquarium came out bad so this is what you get.

The first full day I was there my first stop was the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Annemarie and Jesse suggested going early and even got me a discounted pass. Truthfully, aquariums are not my thing. Everything is so beautiful and I appreciate that but I feel so bad for everything that lives in those tiny tanks, swimming in circles. I know it's educational but these creatures should be free. So I wandered around for a little bit and then just decided to get out as quickly as possible.

After the aquarium I walked around that downtown area a little bit but decided it was too touristy for my tastes and I headed to the marathon expo. For some reason I thought it was a brilliant idea to WALK to the expo. In my not-so-comfortable sandals. It was as if nature agreed with me and about half way through my 1.25 mile walk it absolutely poured. So now I was soaking wet, because I had no rain gear, and my feet were developing blisters from rubbing against my wet sandals. Brilliant idea Whitney. Brilliant.

Poof! That's what my hair is doing.

Anyway, I got to the expo, got my race packet and decided to peruse the merchandise for once. I ended up walking out with a very nice visor (in the picture below) that I use on every run. It is a wonderful hat and I love it!

Love this visor!

Next on my to-do list was to find a local brewery/brew pub. Luckily for me (because I was still on foot) the Alvarado Street Brewery was a pretty short walk from the expo. Most people must have still been at the expo at the time because I had no trouble getting a spot at the bar. Once I had my food it started pouring again and more runners found  their way to the brewery making it quite crowded. It was fun because just about everyone sitting at the bar was there for the race, so I had a nice time chatting with everyone. I like hearing how far people come for a race. I think I traveled the farthest out of everyone I met though.

Nom Nom Nom

For food I got delicious grilled artichokes followed by fish tacos. It was a VERY messy meal, I felt like I needed to take a shower after. For beers I believe I had Eddie would Gose and Citraveza, a Mexican lager. Don't hold me to that though, it was 5 months ago!

This Might be the hardest hole on the course? IDK

After lunch I walked the 1.25 miles back to my car and decided to take a little drive. Everyone told me to skip the 17-mile drive through Pebble Beach but eh, I had time and truthfully I loved it. The houses were obscenely gorgeous, the road was fun and I got to see some of the famous golf courses. Not like that really mattered to me, but it did make some of my coworkers jealous.

After that I drove down into Big Sur a bit to see what the course was like. I am going to share those pictures during the actual race report because I didn't stop to take any pictures while running. I am SO glad that I did this sightseeing on Friday versus Saturday. When I drove around on Saturday all of the landmarks on the marathon course were packed with cars and people. When I went there was no one out there.

On the way back I amused (and terrified) myself by basically taking note of all the up and downhill portions of the course. I did this by repeatedly saying "Up-up-up-uuuuuuuupppppp" all the way up a hill and "Dooooown-down-down-down" on the way back down. I maybe said "Flat-flat" twice during that drive. THERE WERE NO FLATS. Thinking back, doing this to myself was a bad idea.

Formerly Clint Eastwood's Inn

After driving some of the course (I didn't make it all the way) I headed back in search of dinner. I heard good things about the town of Carmel so I headed that way. First, I stopped in at the Hog's Breath Inn for a beer. At the time I was completely unaware of the rather famous history of this place. It was owned by Clint Eastwood until 1999. It is a very funky little place with an outdoor patio with fire pits and a little bar in a completely separate building out back. That is where I ended up sitting. Right next to a raging fire and a few mounted hog heads.

For dinner I actually went to Casanova, a little European restaurant down the street. I don't seem to have any pictures of this place (which is probably a good thing because this post is already quite long) but I loved it here. I ended up sitting in a covered patio type area and talking to a very nice couple who suggested I look at the wine cellar. I asked if I could go see it and was given a little tour of the dusty rows of shelves that hold nearly 16,000 wines.

And THAT wraps up my first day in California! 

So sweet!

Day two started out with the wonderful breakfast provided by my AirBnb hosts and I decided to get out early and walk around Point Lobos, a small state natural reserve. This was by far my favorite part of the trip. The views were spectacular. I felt like I was on a tropical island. The waters were a beautiful clear blue and every view was more breathtaking than the last.

This is my favorite view

The park is home to lots of wildlife, the highlights being mother seals with their pups and otters. I spent 10 minutes just peering down at a beach watching the seals bask in the sun. There were also adorable partridges running around in the woods but I only got terrible pictures of them. One even posed for me on a log!

View from the highest point

I ended up walking about 5 miles around the entire park, which is not exactly the best idea the day before a marathon, but it was so worth it.

So what was up next? More driving and walking around of course! I drove BACK down through Big Sur to McWay Falls. This spot is famous for the little waterfall you can see below. The rest of the park that heads away from the coast is not very nice. I  tried to explore and I did find a little waterfall but the paths were hard to follow, some leading to dead ends or treacherous stream crossings. I decided to head out before I broke an ankle.

It was during this little excursion that I found that all of the beautiful sights along Big Sur were absolutely overrun with runners who had just gotten in for the weekend. Actually at McWay Falls you can't tell but I was squished between many, many tourists.

I headed back to Seaside and instead of going back to the Hog's Breath like I had planned I opted for a small Italian restaurant that was much closer. I had ravioli and tons of water and got to bed around 8PM.

Next up... the race report!

My First DNF: Pitch Pine Challenge Olympic Triathlon

This past Saturday I woke up at 4:20AM, packed all my gear in the Subaru, and headed out on a two hour long trek to White Lake State Park in Tamworth, NH.

Can you find all six floats?

A little side story before I get into the details of the race... The day before I was driving to pick up food for dinner. I was on a four lane road and as I was slowing for a red light I saw a gorgeous coyote. Its coat was fluffy and healthy. It trotted across the road and sat down on a hill overlooking the road.

At the same time I saw a woman pull over on the side of the road. I was a little concerned since the coyote was right there. She hopped out of the car and just walked over and picked up this not so small turtle who was on the white line craning his neck out attempting to cross the road. I love reading rescue stories like that, so seeing one in action was great. It made my night so I wanted to share!

Ok, back to the race! I was up at 4:20 to hit the road. I packed almost everything the night before and actually made a pretty good list of what I needed along with where each of those items were... Most items were listed as in the car, but my watch was charging on my desk, and my liquid nutrition was in the fridge. I am going to use this method from now on. Oftentimes I will pack and then second guess myself and have to rummage through my bags to make sure I have everything. This completely eliminated that uncertainty.

I got a few streets away when I realized I didn't actually go through my list to make sure I had everything, so I pulled over and ran through it once... only to realize I left my WATCH at home! No way was I doing a triathlon without my awesome triathlon watch so I turned around and headed back. I got about one house down from mine and saw ANOTHER beautiful, although petrified, coyote. He ended up running down our driveway so I felt really bad chasing him all the way there. Talk about the wildlife around my house! I usually only see turkeys. Anyway, ran in, grabbed watch and then I was actually on my way to the race.

I stopped at Dunkin Donuts and grabbed a wake-up wrap with ham and a coffee. By the time I was half way to the race I was hungry again so that wasn't quite enough pre-race food.

I made really good time and got to the race right at 7AM, when transition opened. Registration and getting my race packet and shirt was easy. I got my bike set up at my spot and ran back to the car to get the rest of my gear... when I got back to transition my bike was gone! I was completely confused. Who would steal a bike from a triathlon?? I wandered around for a minute and some guy was like "Hey, 39? You put your bike in spot 31 so I moved it for you." Oops! I had 31 on the brain since upon entering transition you are marked with your age and I am 31! Sorry actual 31!

So organized...

I got everything all set up. Look how pretty and organized that is. LOOK AT IT! One thing that I don't really get is that EVERYONE puts their shoes and gear on top of their towels... so I did too... didn't want to be that odd one... but when I get out of the water the first thing I need is my towel to dry my feet off and have something to sit on. So, why do most triathletes do it this way?

At this point I had quite a bit of time but I decided to get my wetsuit half way on. I was nervous about getting the wetsuit off so I used some Trislide for the first time on my ankles. The previous week when I went out for the first time ever for an open swim in my wetsuit it took me 10 minutes to wiggle out of that thing. I didn't want a 10 minute transition time!

So then there was some waiting, and more waiting... and finally the National Anthem which was amusing because we were all looking for the flag and I saw this woman sprinting across the beach and into the water. She jumped into a boat and held up a flag. The start of this race was a little disorganized and got off to a slightly late start. Not a problem though! Fifteen-ish minutes from the start I took a Huma Lemon gel and pulled my wetsuit all the way on. I made sure that it was pulled up as much as possible so I would not have trouble breathing like I did last time I wore it.

Eventually the men were led out into the water and shortly after it was the women's turn!

The Swim (1900 yd): 38:13 (2:01/100 yd)

We walked out a ways into the water and were just standing there when the director just yells "GO!" with no warning. Ok! We're off! Even though this was a fairly small race I was squished between swimmers over and over. I finally backed off because I didn't feel like getting kicked or punched.

On the way out I had a heck of a time wrapping my head around how far I had to swim. I didn't have much of a rhythm and I had to stop and take a breather once or twice. If you look back at the first picture in this post you can see the first orange float on the right. We started near shore over there and then there are three green floats, and two more orange. You can barely even see the middle green float which was the turn around.

On the way out I got slightly panicky thinking of how far I had to swim and how hard it seemed right from the start. Once I hit the half way I started to feel better. I found a rhythm! Five breaths and I'd sight. That is probably too much sighting but it gave me something to focus on. The way back flew by. Before I knew it I was out of the water trying to pull my wetsuit off.

I am really please with my swim. I was expecting something closer to a 2:30/100 yd pace. I was also happy that I felt good coming out of the water. Not exhausted or anything! I ran up to transition with a big smile on my face.. even while I was swearing at the rocky path we had to run on.

Transition: 4:03

Once I got to transition I set about trying to struggle out of my wetsuit. I asked a few people who were near me for tips and one guy just told me to sit down and he just pulled it off me! WOO! I got my own personal wetsuit stripper! That was amazing and probably saved me a few minutes in transition. I got into my cycling gear and I was off. I know 4:03 isn't a fantastic transition time but I'm happy with it.

The Bike (19.1 miles): 1:16:36 (15 mph)

My head looks crooked

I got through the swim, I was on the bike, and I felt like I was invincible! I took off determined to make this a fast bike leg. I kept looking down and seeing speeds between 15 and 20 mph. I felt really good. I slowed on a few flat spots to make sure I got water and Heed. I was going along yelling thank you's to every volunteer I saw out there and I was just having a great time.

I eventually started to wonder where this hill was that people mentioned and right before mile 9 I found it. That was not really fun. It wasn't particularly steep it just kept going. It did eventually end a little after 1.5 miles and the downhill was amazing! I only brushed the brakes once because I was unsure of a corner. My top speed was 37 mph! I picked my speed back up and headed out for lap number two of the bike course.

I got to mile 19 out of 26 and noticed that I was bouncing a bit. I'd never felt this before so I stopped to investigate. I had a flat. I felt horrible but I tried to jump into action as best as I could. I run up a little ways to a spot where I could put my bike down on the grass and I went about fixing the flat.

Of course it was the rear wheel went flat. Of course! I was a little frazzled and I attempted to take the tire and tube off the rim before moving the whole thing from my bike. Once I realized my mistake I took a step back and tried again. Wheel off? Check! Tire off? Check! New tube installed? Uh. No. Because the spare tube I had wasn't the right kind for my rims. The spare was a Schrader and my bike uses Presta. They are not interchangeable. The Scrader valve doesn't fit through the hole in my rim.

Ok, so just swapping to a new tube was out of the question. Only option was to find the leak. I blew a little air in there and ran my hand around the tube looking for the problem but had no luck. Listening for a leak was not happening because some guy with a huge lawn mower was cutting the grass at the school I had stopped at. I couldn't hear a thing.

At this point two ladies who were cheering for their friend came over to see if they could help. They quickly declared that they had no idea how to help me but it was at least nice to have company and they held my bike for me while I struggled. I ended up using the CO2 inflator to put a little more air in my tire and it seemed like it was holding. I took WAY too long to put the tube and tire back on my rim and then just as long to put the whole thing back on my bike and by the time that was done the tire was flat again.

I knew I was done. I couldn't limp 7 miles over a hill to the bike finish. I hadn't seen any course support vehicles in the 30 minutes I had been stuck so I was starting to wonder how I was going to get back. Luckily the nice ladies who came to help offered to drive me back to the race start in their van. They threw my bike in the back and off we went. Normally I would not accept a ride from strangers but they actually stayed with me the whole time I was trying to fix the flat and they were extremely bubbly, helpful people. I didn't feel unsafe at all.

They dropped me off by my car so I could just leave my bike there and I told them they were my heroes. We parted ways and I set off to turn in my timing chip. I did not intend to get mad when I turned in the chip but I was pretty upset that I saw no actual course support out there and had to rely on the kindness of total strangers to get me back. I talked to a few people who apologized and said they were pretty sure there were support cars out driving the course. They didn't even actually know.

The finish line I didn't get to run through

Post Race:

After I turned in my chip I ended up meeting a girl from NEMS, the local multisport club that I am a member of. We chatted for a little bit and exchanged info so that we could coordinate training sometime. I packed up my gear and found some showers that were 25 cents for 2 minutes. Three quarters later I didn't smell anymore and I was in nice comfy clothes. I headed out of the park in search of food.

Drowning my sorrows

I barely got out the park when I found Hobbs. It was a very nice restaurant and they didn't care that I was basically wearing my pajamas. I plopped down at the bar and had two beers (Bearcamp Brown and Silk Road Hefe) and the English Pea ravioli. It was a great way to chill out a little bit before starting the two hour drive back home. I ran into a few other triathletes that I recognized and congratulated them on their finish.

Even though I am sad that I wasn't able to finish the race overall I am pretty happy with how it was going up until the flat. My swim was fantastic. I found a rhythm and by the end of it I knew I'd have no trouble reaching 1.2 for a half IRONMAN swim distance. The bike was going really well too. I was happy, it was a beautiful day, and I was at a gorgeous lake in the mountains. I am choosing to focus on those things and I've already put the Pitch Pine Challenge on my 2017 must-do list!

Oof, this was quite the lengthy recap... and I didn't even finish the race! I'll be writing a book for the first Olympic triathlon that I actually complete!

Aerobars and Horse Pucky

Yes, my favorite picture of them was taken in my nasty garage

Friday I took the next step in pretending I am a triathlete. I got aerobars! I decided to go with the RedShift Clip-on system mostly because the DCRM review of them was pretty great and because I could easily (get my husband to) remove them.

Tiny bit crooked!

I took them out on the Nashua River Rail Trail figuring that would be a nice flat, relatively safe place to practice. I was wrong. I went around 10:30 and the Rail Trail was VERY busy. I spent most of the time dodging runners, casual cyclists, and the dreaded roller skaters... I got down into aero as much as possible but I was constantly jumping back up to swerve around people. At least it was good practice switching positions!

Oh, about the horse pucky... I was riding along on the rail trail and I saw some horseback riders. I slowed down, moved over and jokingly said "I'll trade with ya!", they laughed and said "no way!". Totally understandable. Passed another pair and said hello. So far I was enjoying seeing the horses out there. Then I get to the next pair and moved over, slowed down, greeted them and got yelled at. One of the riders was like "MOVE OVER AND SLOW DOWN WHEN PASSING HORSES!". I didn't respond. I was angry! I DID move over and I DID slow down. I got even angrier when there were about 5 riders and horses completely blocking the path and then I practically rode through horse pucky! I am now determined to find the barn responsible and lodge a complaint. If you have to pick up after your pets on the trail you damn well have to pick up after your HORSES.

Anyway less venting, more aero-experimenting! Aero position is not easy. I had more than a few "oh, shit!" moments. I don't really have a solid enough core so every time I went to switch I was fairly unstable. I guess that means more plank time for me!

I've got my first Olympic Triathlon this weekend at the Pitch Pine Challenge! Bring it on!