After passing mile 15 and knowing that the rollers of CIM were done, I planned to dig a bit deeper on my speed. I didn’t push it every mile, but I stuck with the same tactic: settle into the discomfort of a faster speed for a few miles, and then reassess.
My headphones stopped working at about mile 18 and that is also when I started feeling a bit more uncomfortable. My breathing felt good, and my energy levels were fine, but I started to be more aware of some of the aches and pains rising in my body. For a minute I panicked when I thought about how far I had to go. But, as soon as that thought popped into my head, I kicked it out.
Instead, I thought how I could break up the remainder of the course into bite-sized chunks.
I knew my friend Linda was going to be stationed near the 20 mile marker, so I thought “Just worry about getting to Linda right now!”. And, before I knew it, I settled in and passed a happy, cheering Linda. Then, I knew my friends Michelle and Allie would be waiting for me around mile 22ish. So I thought, “Ok, get to those girls at mile 22!”.
Running into Allie and Michelle gave me a second wind, even though my heels were starting to hurt and my legs were tightening up. After I parted ways with them, I realized it was time to lock my eyes on the prize- the CIM finish line.
Just get to the capital, I thought. You can do anything for a few more miles!
Even though I was initially irritated that my headphones stopped working, it ended up being an incredible experience. The closer runners move into East Sacramento and then towards the capital, the more the energy of the crowd electrifies. Bands are placed more frequently and more spectators line the course. Had I kept my headphones in, I would have lost out entirely on the vibrant noises of beautiful Sacramento and all the love and support that onlookers gave to every single runner on Sunday.
In the final mile of the CIM course, taiko drummers beat rhythmically on their drums, the crowd swells with cheering, and the course narrows. When my Garmin buzzed with a gentle reminder that I had one mile left, and I realized what time I was likely to log at the finish, the emotions of the day and the fatigue hit, and I genuinely started crying. My throat started to spasm and it begin to mess with my breathing, so I had to give myself a snarky little pep talk reserved solely for moments like this:
Suck it up, buttercup! You’ve got to fight for this for one more mile, THEN you can have a meltdown.
I remembered my dear friend, Lindsy, was waiting for me at the finish line and I thought, “Push, push, push. Just go get to Linds!”. Lindsy screamed out to me just a few 100 meters away from the finish line, I flashed her a grin, and then booked it to the end. I finished with a huge smile on my face (mission accomplished!) and a massive PR.
The city of Sacramento and its wonderful people (especially you, squad!) help shepard me to a perfect race. And while I proudly hobbled away from CIM as a 4:37 marathoner, it doesn’t mean that I feel any less intimidated by the distance. The marathon can and will humble you. It’s a challenge that I will always approach with great caution and respect.
See you again next year, CIM, you beautiful beast!
