Post-CIM Thoughts
Photos from last Sunday’s CIM are up.
You know what that means. Time to buy a gem for my Match.com profile!
FYI, fellas: You ain’t seeing the goods ’til I get dinner.
Just kidding.
For only a breakfast special at the Waffle Barn, you can go steady with a 4:09 marathoner.
You are probably wondering why I didn’t bother buying a new outfit for my very first marathon.
“Yo, Sesa, haven’t you worn that orange top like 1,000 times in the past year?”
Well, I actually did browse a few shops for a new tank, but the shirts I tried on were too long. That and I hate shopping. Trying on clothes is so exhausting … more exhausting than 26.2 miles, yeah.
Wearing this bright singlet actually worked to my advantage. Not only did I get a few compliments from fellow runners that day, but my parents and sisters found me in those thousands of runners, no problem.
Caught dozing on the run. How embarrassing.
Much better.
This snap is my favorite of the bunch. Look at my face! Eye of the tiger.
Can you believe I carried those mittens from start to finish? I’d bought a much thinner pair for three bucks at the expo, but my mom insisted I wear something warmer. A few amused runners and spectators asked about them during the race. What can I say, my hands are icy.
Here I am at the finish:
I dig this one, too.
Other random post-marathon thoughts, before I attend to the way-late LMJS newsletter (sorry, Ducks) …
- I knew my iFitness belt would drive me nuts, because it shifted so many times during my long runs leading up to CIM. So I ended up attaching a large Fuelbelt pouch to my trusty Spibelt. It worked perfectly — the pouch was large enough for the six gels I carried, and the belt did not shift or bounce at all. Yeah I looked like a total runner-nerd, but I was comfortable.
- I ended up consuming seven gels before and during the race. Some of them had two shots of caffeine. So if you include the cup of Folgers I had when I got of bed that morning, I consumed 12 shots of caffeine within 6-7 hours. Crazy. I hadn’t been that wired since college.
- Yes, I did make the classic newbie marathoner mistake by going too fast during the first half of the race. I should have stuck with the 4:00 pacer, at least until Mile 20.
- That said, I truly am proud of my 4:09 finish. I was disappointed in myself during miles 21-25, but when I saw how excited my parents and sister were for me, I got over it.
- Re: my knees. Right after the race I emailed my boss and told her they hurt too much, and she let me take a sick day. Then I got out of bed on Monday morning and they felt totally fine. Like, I began to wonder if I hadn’t worked hard enough, they felt so good. Only my quads and calves were sore. By Wednesday all the tightness in my lower limbs had disappeared.
- I am still laughing over this picture Courtney and Alyssa posted after our pre-CIM carb session:
Snapped in mid-snort. And yes, I really am that dopey in real life.
- I took seven days off from running and all other exercise. Didn’t really miss it that much, as I had work to catch up on, the LMJS newsletter to finish (sorry), friends to catch up with, a sister to treat to her birthday breakfast.
- Also compared post-marathon notes over dinner with Kristin, Alyssa, Layla, Dennis and Courtney last Wednesday at Paragon near AT&T Park. I had a grilled cheese sandwich and a stout, SO GOOD.
- Dennis had somehow survived the chaos that was the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon, and his horrific recap (and the race organizers’ Facebook wall) convinced me to never sign up for an RNR event. Have you been reading the stories about the crowded/fainting/barfing runners and fire hydrant water? I get sick just thinking about it all.
And, the No. 1 question people have asked me:
Am I really, truly dead-set against running another marathon?
Misty watercolor memories ...
Since the race my resolve has softened a bit.
While those last five miles were too painful, and I had wondered if I had inflicted permanent damage to my body … I’m OK now. I survived with no long-term damage.
I enjoyed this whole marathon experience! I set a new half-marathon PR, met some fun runners and ran a strong race during the first 21 miles of CIM.
And I still believe I have a sub-4:00 marathon in me.
However, I don’t want to train for another full until I determine what I need to do to make my knees tougher. Yes, I know the final 10K of a marathon is going to feel uncomfortable no matter what, but the intensity of my knee pain was an indicator that I was undertrained (or perhaps overtrained).
I don’t plan on training for another full for at least 6-9 months. Until then, I have other goals I would rather attend to, like a sub-24:00 5K and a sub-1:50 half-marathon. And I have non-running goals too, of course.
For now, let’s say I’m open to running another marathon. And I would love to run CIM again.
Filed under: Uncategorized | 8 Comments
I’d like to run another, but I’m with you — it’s definitely AT LEAST the better part of a year away.
Loud race clothes rock! The easier to spot you are, the better.
Glad you’re feeling better now! :)
Thanks, Angela!
If another Bay Area meetup is organized, I will most likely run CIM again. So much fun to hang out with you all and carbo-load together.
* Hey, there’s a trick to removing most of that annoying watermark on those SportsPhoto pics, which is pretty easy to do with Photoshop.
* It was great meeting ya at post-marathon dinner. Funtimes for sure.
* Oh, after my first marathon, I told myself never again. It actually took me over a year to run another. But I tell you what… it gets addicting. (I’m not sure what the addicting part is, the medals, the runner’s high, or the pain… it’s probably the pain)
* My knees used to be in Really Bad Shape, to the point where I literally could not get out of bed. But then I started really taking care of them through numerous ways, like icing them after every long run (even if they didn’t hurt), stretching & strengthening my hamstrings (a lot of my knee problems came from stress from overly tight and weak hamstrings and hip flexors), and foam rolling like nobody’s business. Now my knees are actually better than ever, though occasionally I’ll still feel a twinge here and there, but they are fleeting. Maybe some of this will help you?
* Gotta say, you do take crazy amounts of Gu! (;
Thank you, Dennis. :) I must admit that I haven’t been icing, foam-rolling or doing any sort of strengthening exercises at all. I need to get on that.
Nice meeting you too. Can’t wait for the next meetup! I think the next one should be a beer run.
I wear the same thing in races. I don’t see it as a problem. I like the colors, the clothes doesn’t chafe and it works. Plus, it’s not like I’m buying a bunch of race photos.
I didn’t think you’d completely rule out a second marathon. It’s kinda annoying how the urge to register for another creeps up even after a less than ideal race.
Wearing the same old thing is best if it’s super comfortable, right? Though the mittens make me look like there’s a banana exploding from my top.
Yeah I am FIGHTING the urge to sign up for another full right now. Gotta show some restraint.
Oh my gosh I am so sorry that I missed all of this. CONGRATS ON YOUR MARATHON!!!!!
I know what it feels like to be so disappointed with a time after a marathon, that’s what happened after my first marathon (Richmond). We are similar because we both had really good times (4:09 and 3:56) but it is all about what we think we are capable of and the feeling of letting ourselves down…or at least that’s how I felt.
But the feelings quickly faded and after a couple weeks, I hardly was upset about it at all. In fact, right before I did Rehoboth this weekend, the sad feelings of Richmond had almost all disappeared and I was a little nervous about having the motivation to push myself.
Any, sorry for rambling, but my point is that I am SUPER PROUD of you!!!!!!
Thanks, Katherine! I hope I did you proud with my neon race outfit :)
Of course I want to go back out there right away and go sub-4:00, but in my particular case I need to strengthen my lower body before I attempt another full.
However, you are so hardcore for making such a huge PR and qualifying for Boston!! I am so happy for you, and can’t wait to see what you do next.