Running the California International Marathon
Back in 2019, while listening to The Morning Shakeout podcast, I first heard about the California International Marathon (CIM). It was advertised as a fast, PR-friendly course with lots of competition and perfect weather. I immediately started making plans to go in 2020 as a vacation destination with a marathon thrown in the middle, which is pretty ideal for me. While I don’t have to tell you that it got canceled last year in the midst of all the craziness, I signed up for the 2021 version the day registration opened in April. I would run it three weeks after the Richmond Half Marathon, a race I signed up for in 2020 with vain hopes of running it in the same year. I crossed my fingers that neither one would get canceled again…
Slowly the days inched closer until both races, and in the meantime I decided to get a customized training plan for the first time in my running ‘career.’ My friend Tim, the running coach at Roanoke College, had just launched his business, so I scheduled a phone call with him and went from there (check out Tim Smith Training!). My original goal at CIM was to qualify for the New York City Marathon, which would mean a time of 3:13 or faster. That seemed aggressive at first…until I ran Richmond and realized I might just be a little faster than I thought!
Fast-forward to December, and I flew across the country with a few friends. We landed in San Diego to meet up with the rest of our group, and spent a few days exploring the city. It was nothing sort of magical. Our first day there we visited the beautiful city of Encinitas. I grabbed coffee at Ironsmith, we saw the water, and finished with a dinner at Arrivederci where I got fresh, homemade pasta as part of the meal. Incredible.
On Friday we started the day with a run through downtown, and afterwards I got to ea chilaquiles for the first time from Cocina 35. Then we got to explore downtown, including Little Italy, which was so fun to see. I can’t even remember the onslaught of food that happened that day, but at some point in the middle of the afternoon I grabbed a tray at Tacos el Gordo and ate authentic Mexican tacos. I’ll never go back to regular ones after that! Around sunset we hopped in the car to make the trek to Sacramento for the race (and, of course, dropped by The Counter on the way there. Those FRIES!)
Saturday was mostly spent resting and prepping for the race, visiting the expo, and taking pictures. We watched movies, went on a final shakeout run, and propped up the legs as much as possible.
On Sunday I woke up at 3:45am, before my alarm ever rang, and I felt ready. After breakfast and coffee we hopped on the start-line shuttles, then had about an hour to kill before the start of the race. With 10,000 runners crowding into one area, my original plan of starting with the 3-hour pace group was slightly foiled, and it took me about 5 miles to make up the ground I had lost by lining up too far back. I was on pace for my sub-3 attempt from the start, though, and with the first mile completely downhill I had to work harder on holding myself back than anything!
The race itself flew by, which is crazy to say for a 26.2-mile feat. The actual course was not all that pretty until the last 2 miles through downtown Sacramento, but even with hills it set up perfectly to allow all of our group to run fast. Around mile 21 my legs started to feel heavy, but I knew I wanted to finish with nothing left, knowing I had given it all. I somehow sped up over a bridge as I took my last gel, and with my strategy of pumping up the crowd the whole way, I found the energy to keep moving forward. In just a few miles I passed a couple hundred people (some of whom were struggling, which is always a terrifying thought!), and despite a few leg cramps I pushed strong until the end. At 40 kilometers (about 1.5 miles before the end), I saw a time of 2:48 on the clock and couldn’t believe it… I was going to finish well under 3 hours if all went well!
I ended up finishing in 2:56:45 (my mind is still blown by that number honestly!), and two of my group qualified for Boston on the way to some big PRs. After I crossed the finish line my legs almost gave way. My calves were cramping uncontrollably, and I almost took down a barrier trying to find my balance. I was freezing cold even after layering, and I looked so rough that the volunteers would not believe it when I said I didn’t need medical help. I was exhausted and incredibly emotional, but I knew there were a lot of other people worse off than me! Regardless, a kind lady brought me extra water, and eventually we all recovered enough to hobble over to the shuttle.
After a big lunch of some incredible Thai food (as the ‘winner’ I got to pick the restaurant!), we headed back to San Diego, thankfully hitting no traffic along the way.
Monday was the last day in California, and it was perfect. We celebrated BIG. After all of us slept in we went to a big outdoor hot tub right next to a pool and soaked in the warm weather and water. The rest of the day was filled with a trip to Cutwater Spirits (one of my favorites!), fancy rooftop drinks at Mr. A’s with the most incredible skyline view, and dinner at the best seafood restaurant I’ve ever visited to cap off the celebration. None of us could walk very well, but we could all eat! The weather was a perfect California send-off, and I couldn’t have asked for a better end to the trip.
On Tuesday a few of us packed our things and headed back to Norfolk. With flight delays I did not get home until 1am, and as I type this I am both worn out and incredibly happy. I have beautiful memories of a week in one of my favorite places in the world, and a big race in the middle that was more than I could have dreamed.
My next adventure? Boston 2022. Until then, I’m going to run very little, enjoy the holidays, and soak in the adventure of a lifetime.