The San Diego Marathon
January 16, 2000
by D. Knowlton
The San Diego Marathon, January 16, 2000 - My First Marathon!
I arrived at Kim's house Saturday afternoon, and we rode over to the Fitness Expo, in order to claim our bib numbers, timing chips, and T-shirts. We also looked around some of the booths, and purchased a few more T-shirts as souvenirs. We decided it might be a good idea to drive the course, and see what we were in for. We drove most of it, but then it was getting dark, so we skipped the southernmost portion. There were a few good hills, but they were long, gradual grades, rather than being short and steep. I was glad to have had a chance to see the course, and have an idea what to expect. It made me a tad less nervous!
We went to bed early, but I was pretty wound up, and seemed to be awake a lot of the night....I must have walked that marathon at least a dozen times in my head! I did feel rested enough though, when the alarm went off at 3:30 am. We grabbed breakfast, and were on our way to the race site by 4:15.
Our start time was at 5:30, for "non-competitive walkers". The racewalkers and slower runners would start at 6:30, and the regular runners and wheelchairs at 7:30.
The gun sounded, and we all herded ourselves onto the first part of the course. It was interesting, as it was very dark out, and there were few lights; all of us walking in pitch darkness, with the sound of the waves breaking.
We walked through the very pretty little town of Carlsbad, and to the coastal route. From there we would turn south, and walk several miles to the point where we would do an inland loop, then back to the coast and another few miles south. At mile 18 we would turn around, and head back north to the starting point. At this early hour, things were quiet with very few spectators. The bands were just setting up, but one fellow did give us a rendition of Reveille on his horn as we passed!
Early on, I found my pace, and found myself walking alone. I looked forward to mile 5, and seeing Phil and Pat to cheer me on. They were there, and I was able to hand off my windbreaker, as it was warming up.
However, it was overcast, and soon after passing mile 5, the drizzle started. It didn't let up all day. The worst of it was not being wet and miserable, but that the little bit of moisture made the streets very slick, especially noticeable on the hills! This inland loop had the most elevation gain, but I found that the hills didn't present me much of a problem. If anything, I found myself passing people on the hills. I tried to give an extra effort on the flats, and downhill stretches, to give me a little leeway later, when I knew I would be tired.
I felt pretty good throughout, and just kept taking my ClifShots every 4 miles. I did have a Luna bar at mile 8 instead. At about mile 12, the faster runners began to catch up, so we had to keep to the side. At mile 15, I saw Phil and Pat for the last time until the finish, and soon after, I was back to the coast road and heading south.
Finally, the turnaround point was in sight, at the top of a long hill. I could hear bagpipers playing at the top, and when I got there, I got sort of choked up. The pipers, the foggy sea, the feeling that I WAS ACTUALLY DOING THIS....all this made me a bit emotional. I got myself under control, and started down the hill and to the end.
I found that I didn't seem to need as much water, or maybe it was just that my stomach couldn't handle it. I forced myself to drink at about every other station though.
At mile 20, I was feeling pretty hungry and tired, so I ate another Luna bar. At about mile 22, I was definitely getting tired, and finding all kinds of new aches and pains. At mile 23, there was a real boost, in the form of a water station all decked out like Margaritaville....with potted plants, pink flamingos, and people in beach garb. They even had a series of rhyming signs along the approach...a la Burma Shave!
At this point, I'm saying to myself...."only another 5K". The miles seemed to be going by a lot slower now, and many of the runners passing me were gasping, and talking to themselves. Everyone just wanted to make it to the end!
I found myself thinking of all my cyber-friends, the people at JustWalk, and on the e-mail forums, and I imagined them all cheering me on. I could hear their voices and clapping encouraging me at the end. The last few miles had a lot of spectators, cheering and shouting....the energy was incredible, and gave me new strength. I found myself getting emotional again. It was hard not to, after putting out so much effort, and experiencing such energy among the crowds.
I found myself on the final approach, downhill (thank goodness!), and I could hear the announcer at the finish line. I was secure now, in that I would finish in under 6 hours.
I crossed the finish line in 5:51:45, and saw Phil and Pat yelling and taking pictures. I started to work my way back to where I had seen Phil and Pat, and was met by a man I didn't know, with 2 bouquets of flowers. He asked me if I was looking for Pat, and told me that Phil had left to look for me. It turned out that he was Kathi's husband Paul, and recognized me by my yellow JustWalk T-shirt. They had made it there in time to see me at the finish line. Phil eventually came back, and Jenny and her husband Bob turned up in time to see Kim cross the finish. Paul and Kathi presented us with flowers to celebrate our victory, and we all headed over to Kim's for a post-marathon celebration.
It was such fun to meet more of my cyber-buds face-to-face! We had a great time!
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