4:17:21 Garmin Time 4:21:17 (transposed those numbers - bad sub-conscious! bad! bad!) Official results now up. 4:21: 14 :)
40F at the start, rising to 50s? 60s? Very sunny, all clear skies.
Executive Summary: Another hilly marathon, though certainly less so than Victoria last October (almost identical time as Victoria, just around 30 seconds faster). Did not feel I did my best today; just wasn't "on." Apologies to my gentlemen readers, but this was the worse time of the month for me to be running. I felt the slowness but was also very pleased about pushing through it. Lovely, lovely course, though too much sunshine for yours truly. Had a bit of leg cramping in second half. Walked only through water stops except a couple of very brief walking in last 4 miles to work out cramp. Splits: 10:15, 10:14, 10:14, 9:32, 9:46, 9:53, 9:53, 9:15, 9:29, 9:55, 9:41, 10:14, 9:34, 10:24, 9:08, 9:23, 9:56, 9:12, 9:57, 10:35, 9:49, 9:51, 10:23, 10:37, 10:00, 11:21, and last .2 @ 8:45.
I'm debating as to how much whining I should put into this report, because it really was an extraordinary, gorgeous, well-organized marathon that I would definitely do again. I guess I'll whine a little, but try to keep it brief, then talk about the abundance of "good stuff" about this course. I wasn't at my best today, and I never run well in sunshine, and there was a headwind after about mile 10 or 11, and there were a ton of hills, with the exception of some long flat terrain after mile 20, and my left leg kept cramping up a bit, possibly because of the severe cant in the road during the first half, or possibly because of the warmth. There. I think I'm done now.
The course... The Napa Valley Marathon is one of the most beautiful courses I've run, through vineyards and oak studded green hills. For those who enjoy crowd support, you get it in little bursts at the cross streets as you run down the closed-to-traffic Silvarado Trail. Or, UNtrail, as it is a two lane 45-55 mph highway. The first 10 or 11 miles consists of rolling hills (pleasant) with a couple of steep, short hills thrown in (not pleasant). From the mid point on, the hills become less steep but longer, culminating with the 1.3 mile 5% grade stretch that comes up around 19. (Already the memory elves are trying to erase it...) After mile 20 or so the course is fairly flat and straight (which can be a little challenging mentally as you see all the miles stretching out before you). In the last mile the course snakes through the town of Napa California, ending at a high school, where I had a nice cup of broth and a hot shower. Well, not terribly hot. Warm.
First half... It took me about 7 miles to feel "warmed up." In spite of my mediocre splits, I was able to get into a 9:30-9:20 pace by mile 4 - when I was traveling on flat or down hill that is. On the up hills, I eased up and stopped looking at the watch, careful not to "fight" the hills. The walk breaks in the water stops were about 30 seconds long. The first 10 miles were the prettiest, I thought. Throughout the course, the vineyards were incredible, and most of them feature a mansion in French Provincial or California Mission style, or some other jaw dropping form of grandeur. The widely varying climate of this valley makes it possible to see giant cacti, pines, lemon trees, and oaks all in the same stretch of highway.
Second half... The second half of my marathon was extremely challenging. I wanted to find someone to draft on when the head wind started, but we seemed to enter the Carnage Zone a little early in this race, so all my candidates were either moving too fast, or dropping to a walk once I caught them. But mentally, I think I did quite well. Knowing by about mile 15 that I was not having a stellar day, I'm sure I could have slipped into some serious self-pity but I didn't. There was a moment around mile 22 when I knew there was no hope whatsoever for a PR and felt a drop in my energy, but it didn't last long. So many people were struggling at that point and I love, love, LOVE passing people in the last miles - it really gave me a boost to think about the fact that I was "hurting but still strong." The left quad cramping up was so disappointing, but a completely different outcome from the same problem a year ago in Eugene (also a warm day with some weird paving); I was able to relax it enough to keep running. The severe slowdown in mile 26 was me deciding to shuffle occasionally rather than surrender to more walking. See my kick at the end? Ouch.
Flotsam... I should also mention the very nice expo, and good speakers, including Dean Karnazes, who, despite what anyone will say about his character, is an amazing and inspiring runner. Our hotel in Calistoga, though buggy (stuff not working, Best Western style), was a delightful .25 mile from the start. The sun came over the mountains the very moment of the "...and the rockets red glare..." being sung by the amazing John Keston. Mr. Sno and the lovely SnoFlake drove to Napa and ran the 5K (Mr. Sno barefoot as usual, a moving conversation piece). They were there at the finish with my bag, joined by my sister, up from Oakland with her husband, neither of whom has ever come to any of my races. And speaking of bags, THE BEST RACE SCHWAG EVER: the Napa Valley Marathon duffle or backpack (I chose the backpack). Lovely shirt and nice medal. A wonderful marathon.
| 