Big Sur, I love you.
Your gorgeous views, unforgettable challenges, and blissful 26.2 miles will forever go down as one of my “happiest” races. So simply blissful, in fact, that it’s almost enough for me to forgot your relentless hill climbing. So without further ado…the Big Sur 2011 marathon race recap!
Throughout the week leading up to Big Sur, I experienced the kind of pre-race jitters I’ve never had before. Instead of pressure that I haven’t trained hard enough or I wouldn’t meet my goal time, I worried about whether or not I could even finish.
Never before have I done two marathons so close to one another (13 days to be exact) and never had I been that sick before a marathon. (I know what you’re probably thinking, “Man, that girl is always sick.” Yes, I feel like I get sick more times that I would care to count and I blame my commute…sitting in Bart for two and a half hours a day is a germ Mecca.) Thankfully, by the time the weekend came, all that was left was a runny nose and a bit of anxiousness. I didn’t obsess about the weather, the course, or fret over any of the other details that one normally would. Because the pressure of a goal time was off, it was as if my body was telling itself, “We’re going for a really long run on Sunday. Whatever happens…no biggie…you just need to finish.”
One quick road trip with Aron, Tara and Susan, and we were in Seaside, California, doing our normal pre-race duties: eating, hydrating, eating, hydrating, expo, eating and hydrating some more. We soon met up with the rest of the ladies (Alyssa, Jessica, RoadBunner, and Kristen) to let the marathon weekend commence.
As one would expect, we talked mostly about running the way a sixth grade girl would gush about a Jonas brother, and ate enough carbs for a small country. Luckily, I was in bed by 8:30, leaving ample hours of sleep for our 3:30 wake-up call.
Because part of highway one collapsed, the course changed to an out-and-back, meaning the buses dropped us off at the finish…which happened to be conveniently located next to a Safeway. I imagine this is what the world would look like if there were only 2,000 people left and the only building still standing was this Safeway. Throngs of runners camped out in every aisle trying to stay warm and wait for the race to begin. It was epic (I still can’t decide if I even like the word “epic,” but I’m going to throw it in there for shits and giggles).
Multiple port-a-potty stops later, it was time to line up. The sun had thankfully decided to appear, so off came the multiple layers and HELLO tank top and tempo shorts. Aron and I entered the corrals with our matching lime green Boston shorts, Boston 2 Big Sur bibs on front, and our Boston bibs on our backs. My first matching race outfit was a success.
As I stood there with waiting for the start gun, I gave myself another shot of reality.
I AM NOT IN THIS TO IMPRESS ANYONE.
I AM NOT IN THIS TO TRY AND WHIP OUT SOME SUPER SPEEDY TIME.
I AM HERE TO ENJOY THE SCENERY, ENJOY THE MILES, AND JUST BE.
Oh…and did I mention…I turned on my Garmin only to get the flashing “low battery” signal of death. DAMMIT! While I was totally freaking out at first, in some weird way I now look back and realize that the running gods did that for a reason as running without a pace glaring in my face would be the only way that I would be able to truly relax and run just for the fun of it.
At 6:45 a.m. we were off. I struggled for a bit wondering where my pace would steady off. Big Sur is touted as one of the most beautiful courses in the country, but also as one of the most challenging. They say you should add anywhere from 10-20 minutes to your PR time to account for the hills.
I compare Big Sur to Beantown like this: Boston has hills — lots of rolling hills with a few good climbs and some spurts of flatness. But you see, my friends, Big Sur doesn’t have rolling hills. Instead, it has 26.2 miles of climbing up and then climbing down, with barely any flatness. Allow me to put the emphasis on climb. Kapeesh?
When I saw the 3:50 pace group right in my arena, I thought that would be a good place to stick. And so I did for all 26.2 miles.
This was actually my first time ever running with a pace group. At first, the pack was pretty big with a lot of chatty Cathys. I exchanged casual conversation, but kept to myself for the most part. Oh, and here’s the kicker. I DIDN’T USE MUSIC ONCE! I don’t know what happened, but the scenery was enough to keep even the most distracted runner focused. I even put in my headphones once and couldn’t stand to keep them in. WIN!
So back to the pace group: the leader of the pace group was fan-frickin-tastic. It was almost like he was my own personal coach on the course:
“Ok, we’re approaching a big climb. Keep your strides short and slower. We’ll pick up the pace up top.”
“Keep your arms moving.”
“Remember, what goes up, must come down.”
His casual mantras were enough to keep me focused while I gazed off into the stunning scenery, and because I didn’t have any sense of time or pace, I at least knew what I was maintaining as I ran with the group. Throughout the race, I felt fantastic. My energy was strong, I fueled appropriately, I smiled at the course piano player and the old men handing out strawberries…each mile reminded me why I love running.
Aron caught me and snapped a mid-race pic. HOLLA!
As we covered more ground, the rest of the pace group fell off. Around mile 20, it was only the pace leader and I holding steady and strong. But it was around mile 21 or so that my joints really started to ache and I was ready to be done. Are my hips going to give out on the course? What if my knees buckle in?! But I suppose that’s what comes with running two marathons so closely.
We climbed up, we climbed down, and a soon it was the push to the finish. My joints were screaming, but I finished in exactly 3:50:00. Talk about a pace group!
I hobbled along to get my medal and I heard someone from the back calling my name. It was the pace group leader. To my complete and total surprise, he came up to tell me that during a race, the pace group leaders nominate someone as their hero. Apparently, because I had stuck with him from the very beginning through the end, he had chosen me as his hero and awarded me with a $100 gift card to RoadRunner Sports. I was so shocked, I cried.
Whoa..blurry.
I later found my way to the Boston 2 Big Sur tent where they handed out the extra medal and jacket that suckered me into this challenge in the first place. As soon as I had those bad boys, I knew I could rest easy – the challenge was complete.
I’ll save the rest of the weekend shenanigans for a later post, but I couldn’t have been happier. The race was nothing but casual bliss for all of the girls who came…Jessica and Alyssa even PR’d! It’s races like these that rekindle your love for running and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
And so I say with more emphasis than ever before…Happy Running!
Loved the recap. I remember the early wake up call and the bus ride. I was a ball of nerves the whole way. It’s a wonderful race that every runner should experience. Congrats on the solid finish AND the gift card. Boston 2 Big Sur is no joke… Be very proud of your multiple accomplishments. Cheers.
OMG OMG OMG This report just made me SO EXCITED all over again!!!! I seriously loved this weekend — will you do it again next year?! I get chills thinking about how awesome everything in Monterey was. I’m so happy for you, Hero, and I’m so glad we got to hang out so much this weekend!!
xoxo,
A
Nice job girly! Don’t know how you ran Boston and Big Sur!! Love your race outfit! I have those green shorts too!
Love this recap! That’s amazing you ran EXACTLY 3:50…and had so much fun just 13 days after your last marathon! I need to run Big Sur one of these years
Awesome recap! That definitely is one hilly course. Glad you were able to just go out there and enjoy the run
You are awesome!
That’s so awesome you got the $100 GC!! Sweet!! Awesome race, glad you enjoyed it without the pressure of a PR! 🙂
congrats, pace group hero! this looks like a gorgeous race and you are a 13-day-marathon-badass now!
Oh girl, I LOVE your attitude about this race! I can just hear your love for running reading through this. Sounds like you had a great time for sure! 🙂
Ah, this makes me want to do Boston 2 Big Sur EVEN MORE next year. Do you think you’ll take the challenge again? The course looks beautiful and scenic, and congrats on being the ‘hero!’ So cool 🙂
Awesome job! Maybe it was a blessing that your garmin died, sounds like you had a great time without it. I wouldn’t run without one for a race I wanted to PR in, but maybe for this race it worked out for you.
I thought you were going to run with your race shirt that says Page again, haha Great idea on putting the Boston marathon numbers on the back of your shirt!
That is a cool moment that the pace leader gave you the pace group hero award, really cool!
And my cousins girlfriend’s friend ran the race too, and she basically got your exact same time, I think she got 3:49! It was her first marathon, and when I heard her time I was blown away by how well she did. She is for sure going to qualify for Boston next time she runs a marathon, and I used your marathons times as an example for how much she will likely improve. So consider yourself being used to inspire others, haha
My favorite group of girls! I’m so glad you all had a great weekend and a huge congratulations to you! What a truly awesome accomplishment!
what a great race report! sick job on nabbing that gift card! well-deserved!
i desperatelyyyy want to run a race with you girls.
xx.christine
haha i love that last picture. Way to go on the race! You are such a rockstar Boston and then Big Sur that’s crazy and amazing! Love your green shorts too!
It sounds like a great race! Congrats on surviving two marathons in two weeks and on winning the gift card! It makes me think maybe I can do it someday (run 2 marathons in 2 weeks, not be a pace group hero). 🙂
great recap. nice work on sticking with the pace!!
BRILLIANT!! I love all of this, especially how much you clearly LOVED it and LOVE your running!! 😀 Makes me so happy to read!!
And wowzers a $100 giftcard too?!?!?! You are one lucky/awesome chica!!!
This is SO amazing!! You are such a rockstar for nailing that 3:50 pace! I also love that you won a giftcard, I think you & CF are quite the lucky couple!!! 😉 I hope you’re giving your legs some much needed rest this week!
Congratulations! I loved the recap, and also loved that you and Aron had matching outfits. I was down in Big Sur the weekend before the marathon. The hills are crazy, and you definitely earn the views! I was completely worn out after racing my boyfriend up one of the fire trails from the water back to the road. Congrats again, I’d love to do the Boston to Big Sur Challenge one day 🙂
Amazing! Such an great accomplishment! That elevation profile was totally scary! Congrats again on being awesome!
wow, congrats on that finish time! on such a hard course so close to boston. great job!
Hi Page, great job completing the challenge! And great race report. I saw you out on the course twice, I was with the 3:40 pace group so we saw you right after the first turnaround at Rocky Creek Bridge (before your turnaround of course). If you remember someone yelling “PAGE!” in that group and raising white arm warmer arms that was me 🙂 And then our groups passed again in the Point Lobos out & back detour.
Couldn’t agree more about the pace group leaders. Ours was fantastic! Wasn’t sure if I would be able to hang the whole course but he made it so much easier & enjoyable it just felt like a nice long run. I kicked it into another gear for the last mile’ish & finished in 3:38:09 for my 2nd marathon! A PR if I’m allowed to start counting that this early 🙂
I too am in love with Big Sur. Have to come back & do the full course sometime now so have decided that if I ever qualify for Boston I’ll take the challenge & come back & run the full, hopefully original, Big Sur course.
Glad you had a great trip too. Rest up, take care & thanks for all of the inspiration 🙂
Tim from Sacramento
awesome recap girl. i still am in awe of your finish time (/finish at all!) boston + sick +13 days=i would not even start. you and aron are my running heroes.
congrats! looks like it was a tough course! and that’s so cool about the gift card!
Wow, 3:50 that close to Boston and on a course like that?! Congrats!!!!
Pace group hero?? Your amazing gf!!! 🙂 Congrats on a job well done! rockstar!
Wow that is fantastic… congrats on such an amazing run!!
OK, here is a return love letter and it goes like this: you ran up and down the craziest elevation chart I’ve ever seen, managed to impress a pro enough to give you $100, and all after suffering through the daily germs of BART!!
you’re my hero. I’d give you a $200 gift card if I could 🙂
Play ifrnoamtive for me, Mr. internet writer.
Hey Page,
Congratulations of B2BS! What an amazing accomplishment.
I have a kind of random question…how tall are you? You seems taller than the other bloggers from the pictures so I was curious!
Congrats on completing the ultimate marathon challenge! I love your zen approach to this race. You are the hero to many runners out there. Nicely done!
Congrats! Nice recap! I want to run this race someday.. but not anytime soon because of the hills. That s awesome and funny that you finished at 3:50:00 with the pace group. Extra cool that you got the gift card. I’m hosting a Girls on the Run shopping part at Roadrunner Sports here on May 15th with 10% off just in the raaaaaaare chance you’ll be in SD with your gift card! :o)
Page! Another well-earned congratulations! You’re awesome! I cried too when I read that you were chosen as the pace group leader’s hero – so cool! xox
Great job! I didn’t know about the hero thing. Very cool!! I think it is sad when pace leaders lose their whole group so I am glad you stuck with the guy — it probably made his day. I had lots of fun with you this weekend and am looking forward to next year! Congrats on your B2B accomplishment!
Such a great recap! Congratulations on an amazing race. 🙂
Seriously how do 8 girls go to the same race and all come out feeling so in love with running and so happy?! Just shows you Big Sur is a magical place. Had a blast with you on this whole journey and can’t wait to share many more memories soon!!!
This sounds (and looks!) awesome! Nice job on going out there and just enjoying the race!
Congrats to the hero and congrats on Boston 2 Big Sur!! It was amazing to spend the weekend with you and the other California ladies, and I’m so pumped that you had a great race on a BEAUTIFUL course! See you again next year? 😉
That is so fun! Congrats on your second marathon in two weeks!!!!
Now that I know there’s a third medal and jacket involved, I may look into that for next year….
Wow! Impressive! Congrats! Those medals are awesome!