Next Marathon Stop: Santa Barbara!

After weighing the pros and cons, I have registered to run the Santa Barbara International Marathon (SBIM) November 12, 2011. This is my last shot to fulfill my 2011 goal to complete a marathon without having to stop and walk. After knocking 20 minutes off my last race time, as well as choosing a course that is less challenging than San Francisco and Boston, I think I have a really good chance of getting this done! I also have a secondary goal, which is to finish in 5 hours or less (a VERY tall order!).

Thats 3 races lined up for the fall, September-October-November. Heartbreak Ridge Half, Temecula Half, and SBMI. I have never had such an intense line-up! There is something about actually being registered for a race that YOU have to pay for that makes training easier. Call me cheap, but I don't want to see that entry fee go to waste!

I think the biggest difference between this training cycle and Boston's training cycle is stress. I am much less stressed in the summer (school is out) and I have less financial stress since I'll be packing up and moving home with the parents. Finishing grad school also is a huge burden removed. The past 2 weeks I have felt so much like my old self, nothing like the I have the past 9 months. I find myself smiling when driving, laughing out loud at TV shows, excited to see people and go places. You never really realize how crummy you felt until you start feeling better. I am really looking forward to my first long(ish) run of the training plan (8 miles) which had to me moved to tomorrow AM due to heat. I bet it is going to feel GREAT.

Hard Corps!

So, I talked to mi madre a day after I told her about the 13.1 heartbreak ridge race. She thinks I am crazy.
Race website course description (no map or elevation profile available):  13.1-mile course, 90% gravel off-road through the breathtaking rolling hills of Camp Pendleton in the 43 area. Course is on packed fire-roads.  This course offers a little bit of everything - it’s an out and back course, including rolling hills and some flat and fast stretches intermixed throughout. 
Not so scary sounding, right?  Maybe a little challenging, but no western states endurance challege.

Mom's description (has a vague idea of where it takes place, more than I do at least): I talked to a guy I work with who does triathlons and ironmans. He was talking about that race. There is a reason they call it heartbreak. Marines train there. It is not going to be easy (imagine it a tone of intimidation).

My response:  It's only a half marathon so it can't be as difficult as a full marathon. Boston had a hill called "heartbreak" hill, so if I could do that, I should be ok.

Mom's response: But that was a hill. This is heartbreak ridge.
(awkward pause)


My response: ...so you are saying I probably won't PR?
(awkward pause)


Mom's response: Well, I'll be there to cheer you on anyway. Maybe after we can go down to the beach and I can lay you out on a stretcher next to me while I lay out. First we can put you in the water and see what you attract. Go shark fishing.


My response: You need to have a fishing license for that.

I am so lucky to have family that supports me in my running endeavors, even though they don't really fully understand why anyone would want to be a distance runner. And knowing my mom, she was probably using some reverse psychology on me to make me train harder so I do PR at the race. She knows how competitive I am, and knows that anytime someone doubts my ability to do something it pretty much guarantees that I will get the job done. After all, if people hadn't expressed doubt about my ability to run a marathon, I probably never would have stepped up to the plate and got it done. Call it the Type A in me, but I am a goal/challenge oriented person who has a controlling desire to prove that I can do anything.

...and then I found this race picture. Maybe mom is on to something...

So, gotta train harder to make sure I PR on this breathtaking hilly/flat course that I now have a reason to be very afraid of. Good thing my new training ground is crazy hilly!

Really Big Free Marathon

Part of the bummer I will face being unemployed is not being able to pay entry fees for races. Super big boo! Marathons are typically super expensive and it seems hard to find a cheap one. Well, here is the cheapest marathon you will find!

It's the Really Big Free Marathon. For people not from the Southwest, it isn't actually in Vegas, but in a suburb outside of the city called Henderson. If you want to run down the strip, you probably need to run the Rock n' Roll marathon for that. I'm not sure if you can pick up a hooker in Henderson, but I imagine this more where they live and not where they work. I don't know if you noticed from the name, but it is free. It costs nothing except a $50 deposit that is funded when you toe the line. And you get the usual stuff: tech shirt, goodies, medal, aid stations, etc.

Best part: you have 18 months to start training for the race, so no excuses not to PR. Too long for you to run? Don't worry, there is a half and I have a non-runners guide to running marathons that I will give you to jump start your training. Have plans November 3, 2012? It's a Saturday, and the race is in the morning, so you can go down to the strip to celebrate. I plan of eating twice my weight at a buffet, drinking anything and everything with a lime in it, and falling asleep in a party dress and a pair of Brooks at a slot machine. (If that doesn't convince you, I am not sure what will). These people figured out how to get the sponsors to foot the entire cost of the race as long as you show up to run. Thanks to Adam at The Boring Runner for posting this!