Lake Tahoe Marathon

I waited on posting this post in hopes of including some pictures. So, forgive me for the delay. I figured I had better blog about the race though, before I forgot all the details.

Friday: Chris and I left for Lake Tahoe Friday evening after work and a nice dinner at home. We took our time driving up and stopped at this fantastic little yogurt shop in Placerville. We arrived at Chris' parents and after some catching up decided it was bed time....we had a big weekend ahead of us.

Saturday: Waking up to the crisp air of Tahoe was such a joy. The pine tree aroma was fantastic. We pulled on our Cal football gear and headed to the expo to pick up our bibs and planned to drive the course. The expo was small and quaint and after picking up our race packets and finding a new replenishing drink (September favorites blog to come) we headed out to the course. I have been torn about driving the course before the race. PC talked me into it in Napa and it was ok...so I figured...why not. In my mind I knew this run would be hard. However, driving it reminded just HOW hard. It was nice to have some landmarks in my mind for the journey Sunday. We spent the day lounging for the most part and had a nice pasta dinner shared with Kristi and an evening of chatting and strategically preparing race day gear.

Sunday: For the first time in many marathons I actually slept HARD the night before this run. I felt lucky knowing I was rested, had a good meal and was ready. Kristi was to ride the spectator bus with me up to Tahoe City, meanwhile PC would drive to the finish line and catch his bus to the half marathon start line. The bus was full of nervous energy, thankfully I had Kristi to talk about anything and everything with to keep the nerves at bay. As Kristi and I stood in line for the "honey buckets" (as they are called in the pacific northwest) she had to run off so as not to miss the bus and I snuck in to the start line a mere second or two prior to the gun. Literally....they shot a shotgun at the beginning of this race....that was a first!

This was an amazing race in that it was small, and there were runners who had run a marathon on Friday and Saturday who were doing the last one for the weekend....and there were runners who had started at 10pm on Saturday night and were running a full 72 mile course.

Out of the shoot I was surprised to hear the name "Erin" called out....looked over to see a classmate from PT school with her husband and daughter! I was able to go grab a hug and take a quick picture before I headed back to the course. The scenery was breathtaking. It was a beautiful morning and I was in awe. The spectator bus met us promptly at mile 1.25, 4, 7 and again at mile 13. At each stop....there stood Kristi with the sign her 6th grade class had made and she even ran with me for a few yards...in heels! What a friend! Knowing she would be at those stops really helped me through.

I was trying my best to put the brakes on as my Garmin was telling me I was at 7:46 pace consistently....I knew I had to save my legs for the infamous "Hill from Hell". Long about mile 14 this treacherous thing started....they even had a sign "Now entering the Hill from Hell". Each runner slogged through this mess. It was unlike anything I have ever run....there was one hill in Seattle that resembled it....but the hill in Seattle was less than a quarter mile. This brutality continued nearly to mile 17. I remember at times seeing EVERYONE walking. There was just no way your legs could do it. As we crested the top and came around Emerald Bay I looked over to see the sights....breathtaking. For a minute it was as though you had made it to "heaven" after THAT hill. From then on the course played with you. A smooth downhill followed by another nearly 1.5 mile hill. Ugh. However, at the end....the most gnarly downhill I have runawaited. I decided just to let my feet go.....I never did look at my Garmin, but I know I paid for it around mile 23 when I was really struggling to push on. I would walk a bit, run a bit.....and at this point I knew I could meet my sub 4 hour goal....if I ran the rest....strong. The last several miles are typically a blur...what with the internal arguments between your brain and legs. The last .2 of this race seemed an eternity.....but alas I spotted a blonde girl jumping up and down and screaming and I knew....there is Kristi....I could do this.

I came across the finish line in a haze, was (literally) herded into the chutes and asked "did you just finish the marathon?" I managed a "yes" and was handed a ticket...."Congratulations you are the 16th female finisher." I had to laugh as my time was 3:58:48, slower than any other run I have done....however, this is a marathon that cannot be compared to others, the course is just too hard. Turns out I was 2nd finisher in my age group and got a nifty little award for it.

I did my best to hydrate and stay on my feet as we waited for PC to come in....low and behold we finally spotted him and I let the railing hold me up while I managed a cheer or two. Come to find out...he didn't hear us anyways! Ha. He did well, especially considering the half marathoners started at....THAT hill. What a cruel way to start a race!

I managed better after this race than both Seattle and Napa. I did have a few 'moments' afterwards, but overall was better than previous races. What a difference a plan makes!

I think I improved my replenishing and did way better staying hydrated. I started drinking small bits of water at mile 8 and took water at every station thereafter. I got down nearly 2 energy gels and ate my jelly beans and gum as usual. I had to use my jellys early as my bag broke at mile 17, but it was ok, I thoroughly enjoyed them! I am glad to admit I learn from each marathon, it's a never ending learning process for sure.

The afternoon was capped with a nice outdoor lunch at one of my in-laws favorite eateries and a smooth drive back home.

It was an amazing run. If you asked me last week if I would do it again I would profoundly say no....however, as each day passes I think more and more that I might like to try it again. Who knows maybe next year I will be one of the maniacs running the 3 in 3 days marathon!