CALIFORNIA INTERNATIONAL MARATHON 2012 THE MEMORIES

 It's 3:34 on Sunday Dec 2. The alarm just went off. Geez,  time to get up. I can't believe I am getting up so early to get dressed in shorts to go out and spend next 7 hours in the rain and wind. The only thing worse, not getting up. At this point, I am on auto pilot, shoes, shirt coat, shorts, socks, uns all laid out. Just turn on the coffee, boil the eggs, tape the feet, wait for Mary and Erin to arrive at 4:30.
We follow the first round of yellow school buses down Hwy 50, park on K street and walk to the Sheraton to huddle in

alcove in front. We're on the first round of buses to leave to the start line. The wind is rock'n and roll'n the bus on the highway. We stop to get off the freeway and the folding door is actually blowing inward to a 90 degree angle. Not a good sign. At 6:25, we leave the sauna that is the inside of the bus to hit the porta- potties and check a bag. It is so wet and blowy.

 

"...give us your huddled masses..." under the eaves of a gas station, for us, a firetruck for a windbreak.

 

As miserable as we were, we had tears in our eyes, standing in the pouring rain with 10,000 fellow runners, listening to the National Anthem at sunrise. I closed my eyes and could have been the only person standing there.

 It is so windy, rain is blowing in the side of my raincoat. Out heads are down, just trying to break the wind. We try to duck behind other runners to let them do the hardwork. We go through ankle deep puddles. Erin's coat rips apart just due to the sheer force of the wind. She had water accumulating in her pockets. None of us are remotely dry. Water is dripping down my back.

The the wind stops around mile 10. Around Fair Oaks Ave and Grant Ave, the sun just kisses us through the clouds. We are just in front of the police lines but still walking in the street. Ok just let us get through FO blvd, ok, just let us get through FO and Arden, the FO and Watt and Munroe and Howe Ave. I've never seen the wall. OK let us get over the J Street bridge without the roads closing. Now, how about walking down J Street, over to K Street passed Sutter's Fort. We see mile markers 24, 25, 26. It's like the sign people are waiting for us to pass before taking them down. The police are asking runners to move over to the side walks. We ignore. Too much work 1/2 mile from the end. We turn the final corner and I am cooked. Mary takes my hand. She wills me to finish hand-in-hand, hand held high over our heads in triumph.

26.2 miles. The Marathon. The last .2 is so hard. 26 is not easy, but the body and mind so want to quit. You just don't let it. You can't. If you do, you might as well have stayed in bed. I am a Marathoner.



The Marathoners Finish CIM 2012