Hey all

Yesterday’s CIM (California International Marathon) was my fourth run of this race.  I will always love this race because it was the first marathon I ran to cap off my first year of running back in 2008.  Each year it’s a toss up with the weather but historically it’s a safe bet. 

Not this year.

Weather predictions were right on for the beginning of this race with 100% chance of rain.  It rained 100% of the time for the first four hours or so with some gusty winds just to spice it up.

On the bus ride to the start in Folsom I met a first time marathoner who had lost 50 lbs over the course of the year.  We talked about training and shared our experiences of how and why we started running.  My favorite story was when he told me about his young son taking his bike out to ride along with him on some of his shorter runs so they could share some time during his training.  Awesome!   Parking at the start line most of us chose to stay on the bus as long as possible to avoid the wind and rain.

My goal for this race was 4:50 which would give me a 15 minute PR.  Having never run under five hours 4:59xx was my fall back but I really felt I could do better despite some training setbacks that seemed well behind me.

I lined up with the 4:40 pacer who happens to be a friend from a local running club.  It was not my intention to stay with her for long as she is an awesome pacer and I knew she would run be running even splits.

THE RACE

Miles 1-6

Wet and windy but I held pace easily with the 4:40 group and chatted with another runner I had trained with a few years ago.  His goal was 4:30 so after this he decided to pick it up a bit with his running partner for this race and we parted ways.

Miles 7-13

More of the same weather with some nice puddles building up.   At this point it was impossible to worry about it so I just ploughed through.  I met up with another friend that was running his leg of the relay and we stayed together for 3 miles or so.  I had settled back into my goal pace during these miles and managed to make this split right on schedule.

Miles 14-20

Yep…still raining.  During these miles I held a steady pace but decided to shed my poncho (yes I wore it for almost 20 miles), waterlogged arm warmers and gloves.  My split here was a minute or so off goal pace so I knew I had some ground to make up but I was feeling good.

Miles 21-23

These miles were by far the toughest of the race for me.  A combination of nausea and some slight cramping slowed my pace here and it was during this stretch I made the decision to shoot for 4:55 or better as I was not gaining the time I had lost earlier.  The good news was the skies were clearing and when the sun started shining there were a lot of cheers from the runners. 

Miles 24 to FINISH

Biggest mental test for me every time.  Even with good training I have taken some long walks in these miles during prior marathons.  I was determined not to repeat that now.  I had done a few things different for this race.  I carried my ipod in a pocket but had run the entire race without it.  I wore my Garmin but instead of obsessing over pace as I have done in the past I put the display on race time and concentrated on mile splits.  I think this was something that helped me mentally as I took the approach of just not walking at all in these last few miles.  I was not concerned with my pace at all.  Just continuing to run at an even pace all the way to the finish.  The result was I covered these final miles much faster than the previous three. Turning the corner at the 26 mile marker I was surprised by a very special friend who had been waiting for me to finish.  I was honestly so overwhelmed with her support that the last bit of the race I cruised in effortlessly.   

Chip time was 4:54:15.  Not fast for some of you but a PR by 11 minutes for me.  The weather was indeed awful for most of the race but I have to say I loved every minute of it.

I have to mention my friend Barbara who completed her 100^th marathon at this CIM.  Several friends from the area had made the trip up to cheer her in over the last half mile. I was so glad to be able to get back on the course and join them. I am very proud to know her and to be able to train with her.  I should mention that ultras are her first love and she has completed 381 of these.  Including Western States 100 and Badwater. 

My first RR.  Hopefully not too long.  Thanks for reading. 

Congrats on the shiny new PR. Enjoy it!

Great job, Loco!    The weather was awful, but not only did you persevere, you rocked out a new PR!    HUGE Congrats!!

I saw some picture of the race and ouch.  Felt for you.  Great job and in those conditions, you did amazing!

WTG, I think we've seen the pictures of how crazy-wet that run was, you guys who sloshed on through are awesome!!

Interesting report.  I cannot imagine running four hours with the rain coming down the whole time. That takes grit.  Congratulations on getting your sub-5 and a PR!   It sounds like you have very cool, supportive friends.

I saw some pictures of the race a PR in that rain is awesome.

Congratulations on a great PR in yucky conditions!