Don’t miss the thrilling recap of the first part of the Mountains2Beach Marathon here. And now the race continues….
Miles 18-21 (8:34, 9:02, 9:23, 9:39)
I saw Mike and the girls again at mile 18 and I felt strong at that point. If I kept the pace under 8:46 for miles 19-26.2 I was on target to come in under 3:45, but it was not meant to be. I slipped from 8:34 for mile 18 to 9:02 for mile 19. It was right around mile 18 that the 3:45 pacer passed me and I hung in behind him for dear life for another mile or so but could not keep up. In spite of (because of?) taking a gel with caffeine around mile 18, I hit the wall and my splits got slower from there on out.
Near mile 18 the trail goes through some more industrial sections and is completely exposed to the sun. Last year’s race (I hear) was more overcast but this year we were getting beaten by the sun. The temperature wasn’t more than 65 degrees down in Ventura and there was a breeze, but I wouldn’t have minded some clouds! At mile 21 the course stops declining and hits the beach streets and boardwalk in Ventura. That is a really rough section of the course emotionally and physically. After the downhill miles from 0-21, the flat might as well have been uphill. You pass the finish line at mile 21 and still have 5.2 miles to go! I knew it was coming, I’d read several other race reports and studied the course, but you have no idea how rough it is until you run it.
Miles 22-24 (10:39, 10:46, 11:27)
By mile 22 I was really struggling and my splits dropped into the 10s and then 11s. It seemed like mile 24 would never end. My body screamed, “Stop! Stop running!” and my mind yelled, “Go! Move your legs! Why are you so slow?!” It was awful watching the other runners heading back toward the finish line. I would never cut the course (it would only be cheating myself) but I cannot tell you how tempting it was and how easy it would have been.
Miles 25-26.24 (11:14, 10:08, 9:13)
Apparently when I passed the turnaround at mile 24 and realized I wasn’t going to collapse right there on the course, I was able to pick the pace up slightly and give it a kick at the end. I got the pace back down to 10:08 for mile 26 and then hit 9:13 for the sprint to the finish. I had a sub-4 in my sights and I wasn’t going to let go! I came in at 3:57:29, which is a personal record by five minutes and 10 seconds.
Finish Line Expo
The oranges at the finish line expo tasted heavenly! I gobbled up a few slices and grabbed some Clif Bars and cups of water and met up with my family. We walked toward the shore with the thought that I would take an ice bath in the ocean, but I could not make it over the rocks at the beach. With some help bending my sore legs, I sat down on one of the rocks and focused on catching my breath. I felt drained and I wasn’t recovering like I usually do after a race. In fact, I started shaking uncontrollably and couldn’t stop. When that continued for about 30 minutes, I realized I should get to a medical tent to get checked out. Unfortunately by that time Mike had taken one of the girls to the restroom, so it was up to my oldest to guide me and my youngest. It didn’t help that at that point, I burst into tears. I felt overwhelmed and disappointed, not that I didn’t get a 3:45, but that I’d bonked so bad and didn’t meet my goal of enjoying the race.
Another runner saw me sobbing and he escorted me to the medical tent. Gilbert, thank you so much for your kindness! There are lots of people I should thank — everyone at the medical tent including the nurse from UCLA, and the EMTs who took my vital signs, and the man who got me some dry t-shirts and a blanket to warm me and some Gatorade and chips.
My vital signs all checked out — my blood pressure was 150 over 90 (not dangerously high), and my pulse was 67. The EMTs gave me some oxygen and just had me rest. It was another 30 minutes though before I finally stopped shaking and felt well enough to walk back to my car with Mike (after I paid for the t-shirts I’d been given) a full hour after I’d finished the race.
As I said, I need some more time to process the experience and see how I feel about it all. I can’t be too traumatized by it because I’ve already set my sights on another marathon (Long Beach on October 13). My main concern is figuring out why I bonked so bad in the race when my five 20-mile runs went so well during training. I happen to be getting blood tests done tomorrow to check on my thyroid, which I suspect is the culprit in the uncontrollable shaking. The only other time I’ve ever had the shakes like that is when I went to the dentist when I was hyperthyroid (but didn’t know it) and I had a reaction to the epinephrine in the dental anesthesia. Perhaps my thyroid levels are high and I need to reduce the dose of thyroid supplements I’m taking. Or perhaps the adrenaline from the race simply pushed me over the edge. All I know is that I never want it to happen again! [Edited to add: My thyroid levels turned out to be normal. I now suspect that the shaking was due to dehydration and/or under-fueling — in spite of my best efforts at planning I did not consume enough liquids and calories during the race.]
All in all, I am proud of myself for being dedicated to the training, for reaching for an ambitious goal, for toughing out a difficult race, for pulling out a sub-4 time and 5 minute PR, and for bouncing back to be ready and willing to race again. I feel great physically — better than I did after my first marathon — and I find myself wanting to build on my training to go on and have an even better race next time.
You should be very proud of yourself!! Dizzy, shaking, chills after a race are scary stuff…
If you decide on the Oct 13 race, we’ll be in a similar training cycle again. I have a Half on Oct 27 🙂
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Thanks Geli! You are so kind to cheer me on and it’s fun to watch you train for and run races right along with me! I hope Hood to Coast happens for us one day!
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I agree with Geli…be proud of all your efforts, training and during the race. Emotions are on the surface after any big adventure (a scare, a thrill, race, giving birth, taking your child to the ER, etc.) so crying 30 minutes later is to be expected. You have invested a lot, had a PR and are lookin’ strong. Chin up, sweetie!
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Thanks Mom! I know it’s hard to watch from a distance but I appreciate your support!
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An amazing chronicle of perseverance and a great accomplishment! One very proud father here. Congratulations on the personal record and all the best in your training for the next race.
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Thanks Dad! It helps to know that you and Mom are cheering me on and supporting me no matter the outcome!
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Angela, you are my hero. I could not keep a 9-min pace on my best day. I soaked up every detail – thank you for sharing! What an incredible accomplishment. I’m proud of you!
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Thank you so much Andrea! I appreciate your support. It’s been such a blessing to find you and other friends this year who enjoy running and racing as much as I do! I look forward to hearing about your next race!
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Angela, you have so much to be proud of!! Your time is great and a PR!!! I know it’s hard to not meet all of your goals but you did awesome!!!
I’m glad that you went to the medical tent and got checked out – scary when you feel so out of control!!
Great job!!
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Thanks Kim. I felt a little silly for getting checked out but I also wasn’t going to let my pride get in the way of making sure I was okay, especially with my kids at the race!
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Loved reading about it, but sorry that it fell a little short of expectations. It sounds like an incredible race to me, and I would kill for your time! You should be so proud! Your strong training will help you do even better next time…
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Thank you for your kind comment! I had such a great experience at my first marathon that I had very high hopes for this one. I am certainly happy with my finishing time, I just could have done without the bonking and the shakes. 🙂
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I’m so glad I have finally read your blog! Thanks for sharing your story. It is inspiring! It’s been great getting to know you this year! Even though it’s the end of BUMPS I will be keeping in touch!!
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It has been great getting to know you too! Good luck with your race tomorrow!! I can’t wait to hear all about it!
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Great recap. You’re so good at putting your thoughts into words.
I completely understand needing time to fully process the marathon experience. It’s a lot of cumulative time, between the training and actual race, to try to sum up in a few words.
You’re awesome, btw. You managed a PR, despite not feeling your best towards the end. Hold your head high, be proud and start obsessing over the next one. 🙂
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Great job Angela! That PR is huge and your finish time is amazing! I cannot imagine ever even bring in the ballpark for qualifying for one of the majors!
If I read right that you ran the whole race on one bowl of oatmeal, a banana, a gel and liquids, then I can also say that would never be enough fuel for my body. I needed a gel just to make it through a half and would probably plan to eat 3 or so for the distance you covered. I may over consume out of my own fear of bonking, I don’t know. I’m glad you were still close to the finish and could get medical attention so it was a little less scary!
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Thanks Holly. I took in 3 gels — one before the race, one at mile 12, and one at mile 18 — in addition to the sports drink. The strange thing is that I slowed down after each gel, instead of getting a little pick-me-up from the caffeine like I hoped.
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I’m in a running group with Gilbert (the gentleman who helped you) He is awesome! He didn’t have to, but he rode up on the 4:00am shuttle with me and stayed with me until the start. He is a true gentleman 🙂 Congrats on your PR!
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Thanks Gina! I hope you had a good race. Please tell Gilbert thank you again from me when you see him. I’m not surprised to hear you had good things to say about him.
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wow, awesome! I am considering this race, trying to run another BQ. I ran a BQ last year for 2014, but just found out I didnt make the cut……LOVED your writing,
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Thanks Elizabeth. I do recommend the race especially if you live nearby and enjoy a smaller race. I only wish there had been more crowd support especially on those last tough miles when you hit the beach. Congrats on your BQ! I am sorry to hear you didn’t make the cut though — very disappointing!
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I enjoyed reading your posts. I ran Phoenix a few months ago and will run the upcoming M2B for the first time. How would you compare M2B to Phoenix? I know your personal experiences were completely different, but what about the courses? The profiles look very similar, but general profiles can be deceiving sometimes.
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Hi! They are both favorable courses but I think M2B has the better downhill profile if you train for that and then manage it correctly. Use the first two miles before you enter the trail to settle in to your pace — don’t go out too fast. You want the pack to thin out a little before you hit the narrow trail anyway. Prepare yourself mentally for the little uphill on the loop section. Personally I remember the uphill being easier/gentler grade on M2B than some of the hills we encountered at miles 6-7 at Phoenix. Then you can really cruise downhill when you get back on the trail and take advantage of the fact that there are no turns — no needing to run the tangents. Then you need to prepare yourself mentally for the stretch starting at about mile 18. The downhill ends rather abruptly right as you go through some unattractive industrial areas that are exposed to the sun (so it’s very dependent on the weather on race day). If you’ve paced and fueled properly, you should be fine on this section. It’s a little tough mentally when you reach the beach and see the finish line but still have several miles to run out and back along the beach. It’s not my favorite finish for that reason. Just know that once you hit the turnaround at mile 25 you can give it your all and chase down that finish line! Good luck! Let me know how the race goes for you and what you think of the course!
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thanks for your reply! Very helpful! Did you ever figure out what went wrong for you on M2B? I’m also aiming for 3:45 at M2B for my 2nd marathon, so lots in common 🙂
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I think I did not take in enough fuel on the first half of the course and by the time I realized that at mile 18 it was too late. I also could have gone out a little more slowly at the start. In retrospect I probably should have done more training on hills to prepare for the downhill grade. After that race, I started incorporating hill workouts about once per week because they did the double duty of helping me gain speed (hills are speed work in disguise) and taught me how to run efficiently back down the hills.
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Did you fuel any differently for the race than you did for your 5 previous 20 mile training runs?
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No, I had been training with Fluid (the on-course electrolyte drink) for all of my training runs, but I think on race day the weather was cool to start and I was so focused on my pace that I didn’t take in enough to drink in the first half of the race. I have since worked on carb loading in the days before the race and I’ve transitioned to relying on the course for fuel and not carrying it with me (which both keeps me from having to carry that weight and forces me to stick to a fueling plan for grabbing electrolytes at each aid station).
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Thanks for all your great advice! So helpful! I need to drink more too, but afraid to drink more on race day than my training runs (12 ounces for 22 miles and super thirsty at the end). I like your pacing strategy for M2B, although I’m not sure I can hold 9:00 pace on the uphill like you did. There’s not much more I can do for fitness with only 10 days to go, but I’ll try to work on heat adaptation. As you stated even 63 degrees in the sun was rough. I’ve been starting at 3:30am for LRs, so don’t get to deal with sun much, but I may have to try running with heavy sweaters until race day :). I wonder what’s worse: sun or wind (2015 Phoenix).
I hope to be okay at mile 23 unlike my limping self at Phoenix, and I’ll try to think of you and all other people who have inspired me on this journey 🙂
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