Naturally, I had a hard time going to bed on Saturday night, especially at 9pm. I had to attempt to sleep super early since my alarm clock was set for 2:30 AM. I had to be at the shuttle stop in downtown Monterey by 4am since it was about an hour's drive south on Highway 1 to Big Sur.
One thing I prepared that night was my Elevation Tat of Big Sur's race course. It was a pretty nifty thing that I saw at the race expo. Basically, it was the elevation map of the entire course in the form of a temporary tattoo! It also had all the aid stations mapped out. Pretty cool stuff indeed! Well, I somehow managed to catch some sleep and woke up on time. I made sure I had my breakfast packed for the bus ride along with all my race essentials like my Spibelt, GU packets, and bib. I also made sure I lubricated every inch of any possible "problem" area with Body Glide along with a healthy dose of sunscreen.
My wife and my dad dropped me and my friend Melissa off at the shuttle area a little before 4am and we were able to hop right onto a bus. It was weird driving through the darkness and expecting to run a race in a few short hours. Looking outside at the foggy shadows and being unable to make out a great deal of what I was seeing made we yearn even more for the gorgeous landscape I was expecting out on the race course.
Before we got to the starting area, I wanted to eat my breakfast (2 Smuckers Uncrustable PB&J sandwiches, a banana, and coconut water) so I would have plenty of time to digest it and hopefully avoid any GI issues on the race course. My mind was at ease though because I had driven down part of the highway the day before and saw packs of porta potties lined up every couple of miles in case nature did call.
We arrived at the starting area around 5AM where the cold temps and darkness awaited us. It was probably in the high 40's at that time so it was pretty nippy out! I can't remember what Melissa and I did to pass the time besides complaining to each other how cold it was and wishing the race would start sooner.
Around 6:15AM, I hit the bathroom one last time and made my way to my starting corral. The sun was finally starting to rise amongst the trees in Big Sur and I was ready to get this race started!
I found the 3:35 Clif Bar pacing team that I was going to attempt to run with. It was definitely ambitious and in retrospect utter foolishness, especially since my training had faltered leading up to this, but I thought why not. I could always fall back to one of the other pace teams if I wasn't feeling up to it.
After the start, I felt pretty good. The first section through the woods of Big Sur was a slight downhill and I was able to average ~7:45 min/mile. Then at mile 4, problems arose. I felt a shot of pain on the outside of my left knee. Was this my IT band flaring up? I slowed down my pace and hoped that the pain would subside.
A few miles later, with the pain not going away, I had to shift gears mentally. Going into the race, I had set some loose timing goals, but I also wanted to try to enjoy the whole experience. Well, right around mile 9, my attitude would be put to the test when I threw those timing goals out the window. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed that I wouldn't be able to run the rest of the race healthy. But, I decided I was going to attempt to finish this race and to enjoy the sights along the way as much as possible. So... I whipped out my camera phone and started taking pictures.
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| Taiko drummers at the foot of the ascent up to Hurricane Point |
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| Along the road up to Hurricane Point |
Not coincidentally, I made this decision right before the ascent up to Hurricane Point, the roughest part of the course. It was about a 500 foot elevation gain from miles 11 to 12.
It was horrible.
I basically had to walk the entire way uphill. I stopped a couple of times to stretch out my IT band to see if that would help. I was so desperate I wrapped my headband around my thigh to see if that would alleviate some of the pressure off my knee. I was wondering to myself how I was going to manage the 15+ miles still to come.
Some reprieve from the pain came around the halfway point of the race. After reaching the summit of Hurricane Point, I picked up a second wind on the downhill descent towards the iconic Bixby Bridge. The sights were spectacular all around. From a distance, I could hear the famed grand piano playing and that seemed to lift my spirits. All in all, it was a memorable sensory experience with the music and the landscape!
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| The Bixby Bridge |
The second half of the race entailed more of the same strategy. I mainly walked/jogged uphill and jogged/ran downhill. Unfortunately, the pain did not go away. Thankfully, with all the beautiful sights, the great volunteers, the lively on-course entertainment, and the mass of fellow runners, I was inspired to continue doing my best on my way to the finish line.
The miles were going by slowly but surely. I saw numerous Clif Bar pacing teams go by, but I didn't care. What concerned me was that I didn't have any way of letting my family know what had happened since there wasn't any cell service in the area. They were all going to be at the finish line based on the estimated finish time I had given them that morning. Obviously, I wasn't going to come close in finishing in that time span and I didn't want them to worry about me. When I reached the Carmel Highlands after mile 20 or so, I finally had cell phone service and I texted my wife to let her know it was going to be a LONG time before I finished.
The last 6 miles took what seemed to be an eternity to complete. I had been warned in the beginning by veteran of this race that while Hurricane Point was bad, the Carmel Highlands were pretty brutal too because of its undulating hills. Not exactly what my body was needing at that point. Somewhere along that span I got passed by fellow Team for Life teammate David Wingard (http://rundavidrun.org/) who was zooming his way into the home stretch. That was definitely cool to see!
In the final mile, I could hear the crowds of people from a distance, and couldn't wait to get to end! As I approached the finish line, I first saw my wife and son to my left cheering me on. I then saw the rest of my family along with my friends John and Bernadette right before the finish line.
BSIM GPS watch data
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| Thanks to my friend John for the photo! |
I received my finisher's medal, but before I could rendezvous with my family, a medic saw me hobbling and asked if I wanted to go to the medical tent to get checked out.
I agreed and she escorted me to the tent where an orthopedic surgeon saw me. I told him I assumed it was my IT band that was causing all my pain. He said that could very well be the case, but based on my symptoms and where the pain was focused, he thought it may have been a stress fracture. He told me to get some crutches and to see my physician back home for further evaluation.
While the doctor's news alarmed me, at that moment I just wanted to go to the Lazarex/Team for Life tent and meet up with my family. I eventually found them with the help of my friend Bernadette and hung out with the Lazarex staff and Team For Life teammates. I also gorged myself on chocolate milk, a couple bags of chips, and some donuts. Hey, I just burned 5,000 calories!
In retrospect, this was the most difficult athletic challenge I've ever taken on. Between the mileage, the hills, the wind, and the slanted road (I'm serious, it was annoying!), the reputation of the Big Sur Int'l Marathon as being one of the world's toughest marathons was well deserved. My injury made it even harder.
At the time of this post, it's been almost 4 weeks since the race. I haven't run a single lick since then per my physician's orders. After a week's worth of testing and evaluation, no stress fracture was found (thank goodness!), but I do have an inflamed IT band. I'm hoping to return to some light running soon since I have the Mountain House Kite Run 5K coming up in June. I'm doing some cross training in the meantime (cycling, rowing) to prevent me from losing all my fitness. If all goes well, I'll be starting up my training for the Chicago Marathon in October.
Yes, I am a glutton for punishment.
Thanks again to all of you for all your support! It truly made a difference when I was out on the course!
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