Sacramento, CA
October 3, 2021
The Urban Cow Half Marathon is put on by the Sacramento Running Association and is a favorite amongst local runners. Associated with Fleet Feet running stores/training groups (with whom I’ve trained with in the past), this race is part of the scheduled runs leading up to the California International Marathon in December. Named after the Capital’s history of being a “cow town”, this event is all about cows. Their cow mascot, Howdy usually makes his rounds at local hotspots leading up to race weekend. I spotted him at the finish line watching the incoming runners this year.
I had run this particular course three times in previous years and had always done well. The course is pancake flat with the exception of a few small hills (around 100 feet of gain in total), the weather is typically cool and dry, and crowd support is fabulous! My prior year results are as follows:
2017: 2:02:22
2018: 2:01:25
2019: 1:58:25
2020: Event Canceled
I chose to have my race bib mailed this year so that I didn’t have to worry about driving into Sacramento on the Saturday before the event. Instead, I’d have the entire day to rest up and relax (as much as I could) saving much needed energy for the big day. In fact, that day we went to a cool pumpkin patch which was fun, light spirited, and a perfect distraction for pre-race nerves!
After our pumpkin fun, my focus shifted to preparing for the big event. I say “big event” because I knew this was my race! This was my time to reach that long-awaited goal of qualifying for the NYC Marathon. I was so sure of it that I wrote “NYC Time Qualifier” on my chalkboard and readied it near my tripod in anticipation of posting my victory pictures on social media! I had missed a sub 1:49:00 by 18 seconds a month earlier at the Santa Rosa Half and was determined to not let that happen again. In the weeks leading up to the Urban Cow, I increased strength training, mileage, and elevation gain. Plus, with the fall weather, temperatures were slightly cooler. I also purchased a pair of Mizuno Rebellion shoes that rival the fast, carbon plated racing shoes of other brands (without the $250 sticker shock). They arrived 6 days before the race, not optimal! I was slightly unsure whether to actually wear them on race day considering my longest training run in them was only 5 miles. But, they seemed super fast so I convinced myself that I’d make it through the 13.1 miles with them.
I hydrated with electrolytes from goultima.com ate my usual pre-race chicken fajitas, iced my knees as a precaution, and went to bed early. I was oddly nervous, probably because I had announced my plan to reach my goal on social platforms and now it was almost time to perform! Or, maybe I just didn’t want to let myself down. Regardless, I slept well, waking up just a little early.
I climbed out of bed, took a deep breath, smiled at myself in the mirror, and said, “TODAY is the day I qualify for NYC!” I repeated this again as I brewed my coffee, put on my shoes, and waved goodbye to hubby. Then, I started the car and said “Its time to go qualify!” Ha! William Land Park in downtown Sacramento is only a 35 minute drive and I arrived about 70 minutes prior to the first wave start. Parking was a cinch, and allowed me time to use the facilities before doing a easy, mile warm up run through Sac City College. I immediately ran into some friends in the dark parking lot and we discussed our race plans. As the sun started to brighten the start area, thousands of runners stretched, warmed up, and lined up for their final bathroom break. With nearly 2,000 athletes plus the hundreds of spectators, the excitement was palpable!
The first wave was instructed to line up in the start corral around 7:15am. The first wave was for runners with an expected finish time of 2 hours or under. I confidently lined up with the 1:45 pacer. Let me say that again…I CONFIDENTLY lined up with the 1:45 pacer. Three years prior I failed in my desperate attempt at a sub 2 hrs! This realization hit me as I was standing near the front of the first wave while the majority of runners were looking in at us waiting for the second wave (2 hr to 2.5 hr). For a few minutes, I thought about how far I’ve come and how close I was to reaching a goal that not long ago seemed unattainable. The pacer took his spot, I tucked in right behind him, the clock counted down, and we were off! HUGE cheers from the onlooking runners as the first large local race commenced! I couldn’t help but smile as I crossed the mat starting my final 13 miles toward my 5-year goal.
To finish in 1:45 you need an average pace of 8 minutes/mile. I usually average 8:23 pace on 10 mile runs, so this was faster for me but not out of the question. My plan was to stick with the pacer, not look at my watch, and see how I felt around mile 9. If I felt strong, I’d start picking up the pace. If I was really hurting I’d slow a bit because the overall goal was only sub 1:49. We got to mile 1 in no time! Instead of feeling overwhelmed, the pace seemed slow. I almost felt like I was holding back from running into the pacer. I thought he must be saving energy now and going to pick up the pace later. I didn’t account for my adrenaline playing into the first few miles (the actual paces turned out to be 7:39, 7:53, 8:00). Mile 3-the first aid station. We were just cruising along, no problem, but it didn’t look like we’d be stopping at all for water so I ran out in front to grab a quick sip. I intended to jump right back in the pacing pack but now they were behind me so I tried to take it easy so they’d catch up. It didn’t happen and it was kind of nice having a little space to myself. Even though I was in front of the 1:45 pack, I tried to simulate the pace we had been keeping. At mile 4.5, I started calculations. 8.5 miles until I qualify for NYC! That’s only a little over an hour away! And I was flying, feeling strong. When we hit mile 6, I really thought we were only 5 miles in. The miles were coming fast. Now we were lapping our way through downtown as I was still doing math. Less than an hour to go!
As we went through the short tunnel under the highway I decided it was time for a GU gel. The Old Town section was next which meant we were almost halfway there already. I was feeling better than I thought I would and still hadn’t seen the 1:45 pacer I left behind 30 minutes ago.
There was a timing mat and clock at the 10k mark, and, other than knowing I was ahead of the pacer, this was my first look at where I was time wise. 49 minutes and change.
At this pace, my projected finish time was 1:44 and meant that I was about a minute in front of the pacer. I celebrated by taking a quick water break. It was starting to warm up and the sun was bright but it wasn’t too bad. We continued on a straight section with an out and back and by the time I got to the turnaround I noticed the pacer coming up on my left. It seemed like he was really moving now, but in reality I was slowing down ever so slightly. By mile 8, I was struggling to keep up with him. I told myself to try to stay with him for two more miles and pushed myself to speed back up. Mile 9 is when I had a quick sense that I could lose my goal as I noticed the pacer getting slightly further away. Still, I did my best while trying to think positive and remain calm. The pacer was just up ahead and I kept my eye on him for a few more miles.
I reminded myself that at this point I could run my usual training pace and easily qualify. I had so much time to spare that now it was basically a victory lap! I came through the 10 mile mark at 1:20:00. 5k to go! At this point, I should have taken another GU gel, but it stayed in my pocket. I wasn’t thinking about that. Instead I was “in the zone”, counting down the miles and the minutes until I qualified. At mile 11 or so, I started feeling a side cramp. I get them sometimes if I’m going too fast or if I tense up thinking about finishing. I wasn’t surprised that l got one near the end of this race. As we turned the corner heading back in to Land Park, I tried to focus on my music instead of the final 1.3 miles. This way my side cramp didn’t get worse, although I’d probably push through it anyway at this stage of the game. At a half mile to go, there’s an arch that you run under. A sign on it announces, “1/2 mile to go! MOO-ve IT!” The course then wraps around a loop where you can see the finish line. I recalled the 2018 race when I was trying for a sub 2 and made it to this point when the clock reached 2:00:00! Now, my watch read 1:43!! In a few minutes I’ll officially be a qualifier!
A tenth of a mile before the finish my friends spotted me and were cheering and taking pictures as I headed to the finish shoot. One looked at the clock, knowing my sub 1:49 goal, and shouted ” oh, she’s got that goal, no problem”. Seeing their surprised faces gave me a little boost.
I glanced at the timing clock ticking away and sped up to try to get under 1:46:00! Gave it everything I had and raised my arms knowing this was the moment I had been waiting for. THIS was IT!!
I REALLY DID IT! I will forever be able to say that I time qualified for the NYC MARATHON!!
I crossed the mat with an official time of 1:45:44, qualifying with 3 minutes and 15 seconds to spare!! HOLY URBAN COW!!
Not only that but this was a HUGE PR for me! My previous record was 1:49:17 (3:33 minutes difference) from just August 29, 2021!
Still in shock, I collected my medal, a water, and some snacks and bolted across the street to get my phone from my car so that I could tell hubby the news. I texted him, got organized, fixed my hair under my hat as best as I could, then headed back over to find my friends. I was meandering around when I realized the 2 hour mark didn’t even happen yet! So crazy considering my past experiences here!
I met up with a few new friends from Instagram which is always fun!
Then I found my Fleet Feet friends and we celebrated our finishes in the beer garden while live music filled the air! We toasted to being together again and to the many PRs that we collectively racked up!
I spent the rest of the day on a cloud nine runner’s high, partially in disbelief, partially overwhelmed with pride. I did it! I set a goal, stayed focused on it, put the work in, and believed in it fully! My dream manifested as I knew it would. When I got home, I threw on my NYC marathon shirt, grabbed my chalkboard, and took that announcement photo that I knew would be needed!
Now, onward to continue the dream.
SEE YOU IN THE FIVE BOROUGHS!!
November 2022