Ojai 2 Ocean Marathon

This is it.  It’s finally time!  Last year I said, “if all goes well [speaking of the half-marathon], it’s on to the full”.  Guess what!  IT’S ON!  

I started running races three years ago with the thought of a marathon simply that, a thought.  I was struggling with knee problems and no matter how great I thought it would be to run a marathon, I figured it wouldn’t be in the cards.  Then, I was told by a very good friend, “If you want to run a marathon, your knees will find a way.”  I took this piece of advice without a second thought and since then, it has echoed in my mind.

So, I kept running.  My muscles and knees became stronger.  I ran some 5ks, then a 10k and last year was the half-marathon.  Now it’s finally time to complete this serious life goal that I’ve had my eye on.  

I did some research around the country on different marathons and I chose Ojai 2 Ocean for numerous reasons.  The fact that the race is limited to 1000 entrants caught my eye, mostly because some of the bigger races are frustrating. People end up in the wrong corrals and cause traffic jams due to their slower pace, which means those people who accurately gauged their corral number/time end up being slowed down.  In addition, the race is partially downhill, which meets my requirement of “not uphill”, and the temperature is ideal in 50s and 60s.  The main reason, though, is that the mere thought of running through the beautiful scenery of California, completing such an important life goal of mine, running my way to the pacific ocean just makes me smile. 

I’ve already started running this year and am up to 8 miles on a good day.  Marathon training officially starts next week, but I feel like I’m already pre-training.  I’m following Hal Higdon’s plan again, probably boosting the mileage slightly as I had done for the half.  

I can’t even express how excited I am to start this journey.  Some people don’t quite understand why this is so important to me, but the fact remains, it is.  I really want to prove to myself that I can do it.  I want this accomplishment under my belt.  My first goal is to finish.  My second goal is to finish in under 4 hours, 20 minutes, which means 10 minute miles.  The first goal is the big one, the one that matters most.  The second goal would be icing on the cake. 

Wish me luck, and for any of my friends in the SoCal area, I’d love to see you out there on June 3rd. :)

A Brief Recap of my Journey to the Half

8 Months ago, I posted my New Year’s Resolutions.  It’s been a tough year so far, but I’ve managed to finally knock off the most intimidating resolution on my list: Run a Half Marathon.  

My ultimate life goal is to complete a full Marathon, but it’s something I know I need to work up to.  I had this plan in my head 8 months ago about all these steps I was going to take to get ready for the Half, but in reality, it didn’t go anything like how I planned.  What really got me to start this journey was receiving an email from RunKeeper about a training plan for the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Chicago.  I thought, I better just sign up - if I don’t, there’s a good chance this is going to fall by the wayside.  So, I signed up.  I started training 1 week later knowing that this endeavor would require dedication in order to finish the race and avoid injuries.  I hate to say it, but Nike has it right - that “Just do it” attitude is what got me to start. 

I trained for 12 weeks. I modified the novice half-marathon plan from Hal Higdon to fit my lifestyle - I played tennis for my cross-training.  I pushed myself each run - sometimes it was to get myself to go, sometimes it was to listen to my body and not go, sometimes it was to push harder, while other times it was to slow down.  Running has been incredible for my body and mind.

For my body, I had no knee pain during training.  My right quad had been tight for the last week during my runs, but it didn’t feel like anything stretching wasn’t going to help.  The quad tightened up a bit after only a few miles into the race, but I knew I could handle it.  I made sure to walk each water station and rehydrate.  Then, around mile 10, something in my right knee started feeling serious.  I slowed to a walk for a few steps, then decided I wasn’t going to let the fear stop me.  I started running again and the pain subsided.  The power of the mind.

That’s pretty much the most amazing part of this journey.  I can’t even describe how much I learned about myself.  I set a goal, worked hard and accomplished what I set out to do.  That simple process has opened doors to so much more.  I didn’t give up.  I was determined.  I really can’t put into words everything that I gained from this experience.  

I finished the race in 2 hours, 5 minutes and 5 seconds.  4 minutes and 55 seconds faster than my goal time.  I could have kept running.  I finished strong.  Part of me couldn’t believe I did it, that it was done.  I did, and it was.  

Now that the half has passed, it’s time to start thinking about that full marathon.  One of the most incredible aspects about just that thought, is that I know I can do it and that I will do it…pending no injuries, of course.  That would just delay me a bit.  :)

August 14, 2011

One of my life goals is to run a marathon.  I’m also being realistic about it.  I’ve had some random knee problems in the past and my health is always the most important factor in the possibility of this goal.  Last year, I completed a 5k and a 10k as part of my New Year’s Resolutions.  This year’s resolution is to complete a half-marathon.  If this goes well, it’s on to the full.  If my knees start to act up at any time during the training (for this or any other race), though, I will quit running in a heartbeat.  My true sport love is tennis.  If anything were to mess up my life-long tennis plans, I’d be truly upset.  I love to play hard and push myself physically, but I’m also being smart about it.  Training starts next week!  XD