Well, I decided the night before race day to run Tacoma City - for sure. I drove to the expo after work and said hello to my friends working behind the tables. Then I signed up for the marathon. The only job left was to carbo-load and sleep. Lucky for me, my husband is an expert at cooking wonderful pasta and that's just what he did that evening.
The next morning I woke early and had my usual toast with peanut butter and jelly, and coffee. Then it was off to the race. My husband drove me - he needed to do some work at his office anyway and it was just up the street. He thought he'd be able to see me somewhere along the course, but would certainly meet me at the finish line afterwards.
It was cool enough to wear a long-sleeve tech shirt over my Maniac singlet and shorts in the starting area. Looked like perfect weather for a long run. While waiting I chatted with the father - Jeff - of one of Carlsson's cross country friends. Jeff had run my first-ever race with me in 2005. I always look forward to seeing him and his sons at various races in the area. His time on marathons is about 30-45 minutes faster than mine and I had no plans to run this one fast. We would not be running together. Just before the start I found Abi - a running group friend. She's been running a string of marathons and this one would give her Maniac status. She runs about my pace and we decided to at least start together.
The first few miles of the marathon loop through Tacoma's downtown area. A soft rain began to fall but only lasted a short time. We ran up and down a few hills but kept talking to each other the entire time. We saw a few familiar faces along the way; people from work, neighbors, but most in volunteer jackets - from our running club.
Before we knew it we were down on the waterfront. It was on the ramp to the waterfront that the lead runner of the half marathon passed us. Before long several more men ran by, and then right before the half's turn-around, the first woman half-marathoner passed us. We had fun cheering them all on.
At the end of the waterfront portion of the race is the "tunnel". This is a barely-two-car-wide dark, dank, low-ceilinged structure that curves in the middle just enough so that you can't see what is coming towards you. I ran through this tunnel last year with the running group as part of a training run and I must say, it was less "exciting" knowing that it was closed to motor traffic during the race. Still a fun experience though!
After the tunnel comes the Ruston neighborhood. Abi pointed out the homes of several people she knew and shared one of her S-Caps with me. She and I had both been taking gels every five miles or so, but the S-Cap offer was too good to pass up. I really need to order some of those. I already have three people to re-pay who have shared theirs with me.
We entered Point Defiance Park feeling strong and happy. Still chattering away we both agreed to walk the steepest hills if we felt the need. We felt the need several times but ran at our usual pace once the steepest parts were past. Oh, the water stop in the park was the best ever! Blues Brothers was the theme and they were all dressed and ready to rock and roll. The music and signs and energy were fabulous!
After the park comes a section of the course that winds through neighborhoods. It is also the start of a three-mile grade. It is rolling hills, but at an upward slant. I was glad I knew this, and that I knew when it would be over too. It made it much more tolerable for me. We turned a corner around mile 16 and there was my husband. He had just arrived and the timing was perfect. It was a steep uphill section so the three of us walked together for a bit before he left. Nice. fewer than 10 miles to go now - I always love it when the countdown is in single digits.
After the neighborhood, there are a few twists and turns and a bridge over the freeway (fun!) and then a trail that runs along the freeway. I found this part to be noisy - we didn't talk as much - but the traffic was an interesting distraction too. Several large groups of motorcycles passed by. It was a nice day for a ride too evidently. Because we weren't talking as much, there were several times when I took the lead and we just ran. It felt good, and I couldn't believe how strong I felt and how quickly the miles were passing by. We met one of our running group members who had bonked. He ran with us for awhile but then slowed and we kept moving. We said our hello's to Patch and Sonya at the Chaney Stadium water stop. Wonderful to see their smiles. Took a few walk breaks butfor the most part kept moving at a decent pace. At mile 23 or so, Abi began to feel the need to stretch. She was tiring. This was the point in the course though that starts the downward section all the way to the finish. I felt the need to continue running and at mile 24 or so checked my Garmin and realized that I had a good chance to beat my Hamburg time. I really wanted that. At 24.5 my Garmin quit - full of data. I turned it off and turned to look for Abi. She had been following right behind me and now I couldn't even see her. What to do. I had really wanted to cross the finish line with her, but I really wanted to beat my Hamburg time too. If I waited, I would be too late. I knew she was fine - I kept running. I felt strong and happy. After the hurt I felt at Hamburg, I really needed this. It was a smooth sail to the finish line and I could see the time - 4:36 something - yes! Heard the announcer say something about my Maniac shirt. Then he said my name. I couldn't help smiling. This was the best race ever! I crossed the line and got my medal and looked for Abi. Still not in sight. Looked for my husband - also missing. Had my chip removed and drank some water and had my picture taken. Still no sign of Abi or my husband. Finally - my husband. He had calculated our finish time based on what our time had been at mile 16 and didn't plan to see me cross the line for another 5 or 10 minutes. That made me feel even better. Saw Abi come into view at that point too. She was running with one of our club members who had taken the early-start option. Big hugs and congratulations all around! Yes!! Yippee!! Felt very, very happy about this race!!
1 comment:
Good report Cat! I felt like I ran the course with you...oh, wait, I ran it, but not with you! Lucky Abi though, I know how much fun we have when we run together, so I'm sure she did too.
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