It's been awhile.

Remember that cool, overcast day in Duluth? Since then, the heat index in Minneapolis has skyrocketed to over 110 at least twice (postponing Torchlight until August 25th). Luckily, MRRR teammates have been running in other far-off places. Europe. Taos and Chicago. San Francisco. One teammate is now married. One roommate has moved to California, with a very important detour to Iceland.

We were 3rd place at Grandma's! The USATF team results for Grandma's Marathon are posted here. 

San Francisco Marathon: Worth the Hurt

Steve, me, Steve, Drew post-race!

Last Sunday, my brother, his friend, and I all ran 26.2 miles in San Francisco. My husband ran the half marathon. We all started off together at 5:42 a.m. in the third wave. It was a cool morning in the 50s, and amazingly, not that foggy!

Steves, me, Drew, at the start!

The Bay Bridge, beautifully lit behind us at the start

Overall, San Francisco is a good marathon. I particularly enjoyed the first 13 miles. We began along the Embarcadero, and ran along the coast to the Golden Gate bridge, across it and back, then went into the Presidio, through Golden Gate park, and ended through the Mission.

Drew and I started with even 9 minute miles, right on the agreed upon pace (I crowed every mile about how exactly evenly I was pacing us!). Those first 13 miles were great. It was beautiful to run as the sun was coming up and watch the Golden Gate bridge come closer into view as  we ran past Chrissy field and Fort Mason. There were a few hills before the bridge, and then a doozy of a hill just after the bridge. They weren't bad, and for me, it was great to have a local guide in my brother to warn me and tell me what was coming up. As with any race, it's so important to know the course and be psychologically prepared. He had run the race before, and had done training runs on the course. In addition to the course info, it was great just to have him tell me what he knew about various landmarks and neighborhoods as we ran past/through them. I had really been looking forward to running across the Golden Gate bridge, but it turned out to be underwhelming. It was too crowded up there! Runners have two lanes, and the bridge was still open to traffic. That made it pretty crowded and pretty loud. I was really glad we were in an early wave, because passing required both technique and etiquette.

The worst for me were the "rolling hills" in the Presidio, just after the bridge and before Golden Gate park. Between miles 10 and 13, I was done with hills. I said to Drew, "You said there wouldn't be hills! I'm from Iowa!" That comment elicited a chuckle from a woman near us. When we entered Golden Gate park, around mile 14, we decided that each of us was ready to run our own race. I needed to go internal to get strong again. The part in Golden Gate park is mentally challenging. It seems a lot longer than it should be. There are a lot of twists and turns between miles 13 and 19, all in the park. Meanwhile, the first half-marathoners finish in the park (and the marathoners have to continue on past that enticing finish line), and the second half half-marathoners start. On the upside, there were a lot of people cheering over those miles. Still, the miles in Golden Gate park were the toughest and slowest for me. I wasn't hurting as bad as the guy in the S/M black patent boy shorts and chains (but he probably liked it...) My mantra in those miles was "you trained for this." A positive mantra really does help! I also break down the goals. I pushed for mile 20 because then it would be "only an hour left."

Indeed, after mile 20 I could smell the barn and I was feeling okay. At that point I knew I could do it and the worst was behind me. There were a lot of downhills after the park as well, and despite the half marathoners blowing past us, they and the increased number of people cheering helped. The last two miles I was able to significantly pick up the pace. Mile 25 was fun because of the "tempters" dressed in devils costumes, offering bourbon and candy and saying "haven't you run far enough? Just stop! Join us!" I didn't stop, I ran faster.

Exiting Golden Gate park, refreshed by seeing my husband and bro-in-law cheering

Psyched to be done and have run well!

Probably the worst part of the race was the inconsistently-plotted water/electrolyte stops. I can only suppose that the constraints of San Francisco street traffic made race planners unable to have them every two miles. Instead, they seemed *about* every two or two-and-a-half miles...but it was kind of frustrating to be obsessing over thirst and unsure whether water would (and when) actually appear. Moreover, the mixing of electrolyte with water was very inconsistent. Steve choked on the 3/4 powder he got in one cup. All in all though, those are minor complaints. I was totally happy with the 4:00:27 I ran. This was a fun destination marathon. On Monday, Steve and I continued to Yosemite National Park and recovered by doing awesome hikes in the Sierras.

And finally---I'd like to use this platform to solicit each of you as members of MRRR:

I will be running the 30th annual Twin Cities marathon October 2, 2011. It will be my 3rd Twin Cities. I will be running for Bolder Options as part of their charity team. That means I need to raise $1000 in order to run! This Twin Cities is a big deal marathon for me. My Personal Page at Bolder Options explains why this race in particular is meaningful for me. Bolder Options is a great organization that promotes healthy bodies and minds by pairing community athletes with youth in Minneapolis. I have a sentimental reason behind why I am running. My dad ran the first Twin Cities marathon 30 years ago, and many after that. It will be neat for me to follow in both my parents' footsteps thirty years later. I am asking for your support now. Please visit my donation page and give what you can. As athletes, I'm sure you can empathize with the importance sport had in defining your identity and helping you learn how to work towards goals in all areas of life. Thanks in advance!