5:07:42 (Bad)

Last weekend, i completed the California International Marathon in 5:07:42.

I am extremely unhappy with my time and feel like a catastrophic failure.  

This being my second running of the CIM, i should have done better.  In fact, i feel that i was better prepared overall: in contrast to all my other races, i was familiar with the course; in terms of training, i hit all my essential workouts and had a decent weekly mileage that topped out at 52 miles.  Everything was going according to plan.  I was completely set up for success... 

...but utterly failed to execute.  

After wallowing in self-pity for a bit, i beat the dead horse to a pulp to try and understand my poor performance.  I've concluded that it was due to dehydration.  

In the days leading up to the race, the weather forecast was unfavorable, with the possibility of precipitation predicted to be somewhere between 50 and 70%.  Not being a fan of running in the rain (i've had a few bad experiences in the past), i planned my attire accordingly, bringing along a rain jacket and waterproof socks.  Although i've never run a significant distance in that getup, it seemed like a good idea.  Even though everyone gets wet from sweat when running, i intensely dislike the clammy feeling of a wet shirt, and abhor running in squishy waterlogged socks. 

Waterproof jacket, check.  Waterproof socks, check.

So the morning of the race comes around, and basically everyone is pleasantly surprised that it's dry.  Then the gun went off and we started running.  After a mile or so, i heard a few people commenting in one way or another that it was great running weather.  In retrospect, that should have immediately tipped me off that i was going to be in trouble, because i personally felt that it was warmer than advertised.

The truth is that my body had already dropped me some clues that i was too dense to notice.  Just a few run-walk-run cycles in, i already felt a little sweaty inside my jacket.  I thought that it wasn't a big deal, that maybe my jacket merely wasn't as "breathable" as it was touted to be.  But it was really a sign that i had overdressed for the occasion.  I only realized this after around 6 miles, which is when i decided to peel my jacket off.  Once the cool air hit my torso, i felt a sense of relief... i had unknowingly been uncomfortably warm and excessively sweating up to that point.  

Looked warm, felt warmer. 

The premature dehydration was only one factor.  I've gotten through a hot and humid race before.  My real point-of-failure was in not keeping up with the fluid losses.  Around 3 miles in, i was already a little thirsty.  A bad sign, since i usually drink enough to keep ahead of the sensation.  Despite this, i obstinately kept to my usual hydration strategy of 1 sip/chug per mile.  Frankly, i probably even sipped a little less than usual, since the moisture in my jacket made me feel clammy and fooled me into thinking i was running cooler than i actually was.  At the end of the race, i finished with a not-insignificant amount of water still left over in my Camelbak, whereas it would normally have been bone-dry by mile 24.  

TL;DR: i sweated too much but didn't drink nearly enough. 

On reflection (and reviewing my splits), i was able to soldier through all of this until the halfway point.  Then my pace dropped by up to 30 seconds per mile despite trying to keep the intensity up.  

At around mile 16, i felt the beginning of a cramp in my left thigh but decided to "trust my training," attempt a negative split, and continue trying to make up for lost time (my target finish was around 4:45).  At around mile 21 (35K mark, on the official splits), it all unraveled as my left leg seized up and i stumbled to the side of the course.  I suddenly felt so lightheaded that i just wanted to sit down, but also realized that if i did that, there would be no standing back up.  So i gutted through the next five miles - running when able and walking when the cramps started again... and slowly jogged across the finish line.    

Trudging slowly to the finish. My expression reflects my self-disgust.

Such a bad race.  It was my tenth marathon, too.  An ignominious showing for what should have been a glorious event.  

Oh well.  

Lesson for the next time: if running with a jacket (which i am definitely not accustomed to), hydrate as if it's a warm race and don't push the pace.  At the minimum - pay closer attention to my body's cues and adjust accordingly. I've been able to do this in the past, but for some reason the weather forecast just spooked me and locked me in to a "cold and wet" mindset.  

No significant race notes, since i've covered the course in detail before.  A side note about the porta-potties - the line gets thinner the farther one goes from the starting line, and they virtually evaporate a minute before the gun goes off.  A slowpoke like me could literally wait until the gun goes off to use one, and still start running with the 4:30 pace group.  

Moseyed on over after using a porta-potty, around 7 minutes after the gun went off.

I am definitely going to run this again for redemption.  

Eating my "free" burrito after the race.

In the shadow of the Capitol building.

Next up, Tokyo.

Japanese food for lunch after the race.  Foreshadowing the next marathon.