Santa Rosa Marathon

Santa Rosa Marathon

August 28, 2022

3:44:33

BQ

NYQ

Marathon number 21

Disclaimer: I received an entry to the Santa Rosa Marathon to review as part of being a BibRave ambassador. Learn more about becoming a BibRave ambassador here: https://www.bibrave.com/bibravepro And check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

The typical Bay Area fog lingered all morning for this year’s Santa Rosa Marathon making race conditions perfect with cool, still air. I had been looking forward to race day for months and was excited to make the drive over to the heart of California’s wine country for this annual event. The alarm went off early that Sunday morning and I rolled out of bed at 3:15am with anticipation. There’s something to be said about being able to sleep well, in your own bed, the night before a big race. I quickly made coffee and showered to wake myself up in the darkness of morning, then got into my race gear and pinned on my bib. Number 112. That sounded like a good number to me. I was feeling well rested, excited, and ready.

Santa Rosa, CA is an 80 mile drive from where I live but the traffic was light and I arrived at Old Courthouse Square, the start area, around 5:30am. Parking was a breeze. A well-lit garage was what I decided on as did many others, but there was also plenty of empty lots and metered parking available as well. I expected to pay around $8 but when I returned later, the attendant was letting everyone exit free of charge.

Since I had chosen the “mail me my bib” option at registration for $25, I did not attend the expo which had taken place the previous Friday. However, race management was extremely good at keeping all the runners informed, excited, and motivated. There was a 5k and 10k that took place on Saturday with the half marathon and full marathon taking place on Sunday. There were also “challenges” for those who wanted to run both days. I decided to focus my efforts on earning another BQ at the full marathon. Both the half and full courses are certified for anyone looking to qualify for NYC as well.

Upon arriving at the starting area, I was relaxed and comfortable. There weren’t too many runners there just yet but the ones that were arriving seemed to be in top form as they congregated wearing their Boston attire. As daylight broke, I dropped off my gear check bag after stuffing my light jacket and phone into it and securing the seven GU energy gels I had planned to take throughout the race into every pocket of my running shorts. Then, as I was casually walking over to the start line, the 3:40:00 pacer began walking next to me.

Being undecided about how fast I should set my pace, I took that as a sign and set out to stick with her as long as I could. We lined up in Corral A, just behind the Elite Corral and waited as the National Anthem was sung. I had not done a warmup run so I jumped around a bit as the clock ticked down. And then we started, all 800 of us.

As much as I wanted to BQ again, knee issues for the entire month of July made me hesitant to be so goal aggressive, so I set smaller targets for this race as well. First, I just wanted to finish the race. Second, I wanted to beat my previous course time of 4:38:09 from 2019. I was fairly confident that I could achieve those goals unless something unforeseen happened. A third goal was to finish in under 4 hours. Again, that seemed doable even though I had some negative associations leftover from the 2019 race and, again, my training was interrupted in July. My next goal was to BQ which would be a time better than 3:55:00. And, then, if I was feeling good, I’d try for the 2023 NYC qualifying time of 3:51:00. Both of these goals, while lofty in most cases, were “just for fun” as I had already achieved them at the Modesto Marathon in March. And, finally, if it was a phenomenal day, why not set my sights on a PR? (My personal best being 3:44:06)

In any case, it was a “no pressure” race for me, a stepping stone in my fall training plan, and a way to evaluate where I was at physically.

There was a small crowd around the 3:40:00 pacer as we made our way through the city streets in downtown Santa Rosa during the first few miles. My pace felt comfortable, almost easy. I almost felt like I was holding back and was happy to feel that way after questioning my incomplete training schedule. As we spilled onto the Santa Rosa Creek Bike Trail, where the majority of the course is run, I remembered that the course would feel easier for the first seven miles because of a slight, continuous decline. I hoped that I could stay with the pacer until mile 15 (where my 2019 race turned bad) and tucked that hope away in the back of my mind as I relaxed into mile 3 & 4.

Then, what was this? Our pace group was coming up to another group in front of us. It was the 3:35:00 group! We continued to inch closer and closer to their group until mile 5 when we were pretty much one group. Were they too slow or were we too fast? I tried not to overthink it. I also refrained from looking at my watch for pace statistics. It was way too early in the game to start getting hung up on how fast I was running. Instead, I focused on maintaining my comfy pace. Ha! Still, by the next aid station, I stayed just behind the 3:35:00 pacer thinking that they would pull out in front of me eventually and I’d be back in the 3:40:00 group.

We turned onto a gravel road section of the course around the 10k mark, a section I hadn’t remembered being so bumpy. I was happy when we cleared it about a mile later. It was then that I realized that we were almost to mile 8 and I was still in sight of the 3:35:00 group. At mile 9, I grabbed a GU from my pocket as I could feel the slight incline starting to slow me down. Just after, we made a detour through the beautiful mile stretch of DeLoach Winery.

I could hear the cheers of the pace group just up ahead as they entered the barrel room. I spend up slightly. Still alone, I ran through the barrel room doors and exited with a great solo photo shot!

Yes, we run right through the barrel room and are offered wine as we do so! I heard the volunteers shout, “Can I buy you a drink?”!

I graciously declined, eyes forward, paces to keep, goals to achieve. The winery is such a distracting section of the course and it offers a well needed positive mental shift as you enter the double digit miles of marathon.

After the excitement of DeLoach, I knew it was time to get back to work. I recalled from the 2019 race that there would be rolling hills between miles 12-14 and I remember really starting to struggle at this point back then. This year, I felt much more prepared and when the uphill came, I adjusted my pace to suit my effort level and continued on.

One girl stopped running and walked as I passed by at the top of a mile 12 hill. I crossed the halfway point at 1:47:59, however I didn’t know it at the time. I was still running by effort and, unbelievably, I was still keeping up with the 3:35:00 pace group.

By mile 14, I had started counting down the miles, and, for some reason having 12 miles to go didn’t seem too bad. Since mile 15 was where I had so much difficulty in 2019, I had made it a little game in my mind. I told myself, “let’s see how well I can get through miles 15-20 this year”, then for the final six miles, I could “reward myself” with a run/walk if I needed to. That section of the course seemed so much faster this year. When I got to the mile 17 marker, I allowed myself to check my time. I had done a 17 mile practice run the previous weekend in 2:24:00 and, just for fun, I compared that time to my 17 miles in the race. 2:20:00! Whoa! I was way ahead of schedule. If I continued at that pace (which I didn’t expect to do), I’d finish with a 3:37:00 time.

This gave me a confidence boost. But, I had already felt a twinge of cramping in my right foot even though I was continuously fueling and hydrating (with both water and electrolytes). A woman on the sidelines cheered, “Just cruising along! Looking strong!” I relaxed and kept going. I passed several runners in these miles, one that had bike support (was that allowed?). I overheard her conversation with her supporter in which she remarked that she was “already taking it a mile at a time”. Later, as I was making my way back to the bike path, I lost track of where I was at in my mind. I was telling myself, “just relax until mile 16” when it dawned on me that I was already close to mile 19! And, not only that, I was still ahead of the 3:40:00 pace group which I hadn’t see in hours.

Just then I heard a group of people chatting and laughing and assumed it was for sure that pace group coming up behind me. I was wrong! We turned a corner and spectators at the end of a driveway cheered. Wow, I’m almost to mile 20! Then, it’s just 10k on the bike path back to the finish. My calves were a little crampy at this point despite the electrolytes I gulped down.

I grabbed another water and GU, turned left onto the path, and started the slight climb on the final stretch. I took a few slight walk breaks during miles 20-22, but kept a pretty good pace.

There were times when my right foot cramped but I ran through it, willing it to relax. By mile 23, I was fighting my legs. My mind was strong but the cramps were becoming more of an issue.

I was still running as much as I could though, passing many of the half marathon runners who were now sharing the last miles. Then, here she came! The 3:40:00 pacer! She was still surrounded by a few of those same original people from the beginning of the race. I put it in gear and tried running with them. I made it to the mile 24 marker with them before I saw them head off without me towards the finish. I couldn’t believe that I made it that far before they got away from me. Soon after this, I was stopped in my tracks by a big calf cramp. It was almost as bad a my Lake Tahoe Marathon finish line cramp and I hobbled a bit to work it out. Then, got right back to my run/walk. Around this point, I saw several of my BibRave teammates and their cheers and support gave me a burst of energy.

My body was tired but my mind stayed determined. At mile 25, I passed a man who could barely muster a “Nice!” as I slowly ran by him. I continued up the incline of the final mile, remembering the designs and murals on the walls of the path, knowing that when the flower artwork appeared I was just about finished.

I knew I was super close to a PR but every time I sped up, the cramps came. Still, for the last .2, I gave it my best, cramps and all! I crossed the finish line with a time of 3:44:33 and was very pleased with it despite missing a personal record by 23 seconds.

With my brand new medal around my neck, I grabbed some snacks and retrieved my gear check bag.

Scanning the QR code on my race bib gave me immediate race results which revealed that I had come in 6th in my age group out of 52. Bummer for no AG award but it was as I predicted since there was a lot of fast runners trying for a last minute BQ before this year’s Boston qualifying deadline of September 11.

I collected my earned bottle of DeLoach “Runner’s Red” and tote bag. Then slipped into my comfy finisher’s jacket with pride.

It was warm at the post-race party but something about cozying up in the jacket brought me comfort after all that hard effort.

After getting “age verified”, I headed over to the beer tents. Each runner received 4 free beers, enough to numb any pain from the race. HenHouse Brewery commemorated the event with custom beer cans which I thought was really spectacular.

Wanting to recover quickly, I didn’t indulge in any alcoholic beverages but kept to water and a protein shake instead.

I met up with several Fleet Feet friends and we discussed our thoughts on our morning adventure. Then, I took some photos in the vineyards to remember what a gorgeous day it had been.

I couldn’t have been more proud of my mindset and effort for this race. And sometimes that goes a lot further than being totally trained.

After the photo shoot, I hopped in the car and on the radio played Boston’s “More Than a Feeling”!

It was then that I finally realized how much it meant to me. I had not only run my third BQ, but finished 10:26 under qualifying time! I blasted the music and cried! Marathon 21 was done. Pride and achievement were the sentiments as I drove back home over the California hills after crushing it in wine country.

Registration for the 2023 Santa Rosa Marathon coming soon! SantaRosamarathon.com