4:52:12

This past weekend, i ran the Santa Rosa Marathon in 4:52:12.

I am not particularly happy about my finish, my target being somewhere between 4:30 and 4:45.  

I had a sinking feeling that i was in trouble around mile 3; i could feel my left glutes and piriformis working harder than usual.  Whenever this has happened in training, they loosen up within about a mile.  Then again, training runs are done at a relatively slow pace.  For this marathon i was trying to do a "race pace" of 9:30 during my 3 minute runs punctuated by brisk walking intervals.  The hip tightness never let up, and after a few more miles, i could feel the same sensation developing on the right.  

Wondering why it hurts so much

In spite of the pain, around halfway through the race i had managed to convince myself that i was doing quite well.  Everything was going according to plan.  I got to 13.1 in less time than anticipated, and if i could manage a negative split, i should finish well within my target.  Alas, the pain then started to intensify, and my speed started dropping off.  Deciding to "trust my training," i only pushed myself harder.  

Average pace, as tracked by my GPS watch. Note the steady decline after the halfway point

Tragedy struck around mile 24.  Towards the end of a three-minute run, my left thigh cramped up.  I slowed down and tried to jog through it, but it just got worse.  Walking for about 2 minutes made it dissipate completely, so i gingerly jogged through my next interval.  At that point, i had a suspicion that my legs were ticking time bombs, but i hoped that they would last.  After all, it was JUST ANOTHER TWO MILES.  

There was one special guy that i had been trying to catch up with: Banana Man (so named because of the banana he carried in his backpack).  We had started the marathon at roughly the same pace, but at around mile 6, he got faster and left me behind.  I had seen him vaguely in the distance for the past 19 miles or so.  However, Banana Man had slowed down considerably over the past 2 miles, and was now basically within striking distance.  So i gritted my teeth, stepped on the gas, and actually PASSED him!  

At around mile 25.5, i finally fell apart.  My right thigh cramped up so hard that i had to stop moving, bend over, and massage the muscle.  A nice lady tapped me lightly on the shoulder and said "We're almost there!" as she trotted by.  Despite her cajoling, my leg was so stiff and painful that i could just stand there and watch helplessly... as Banana Man et al. trudged slowly past.  

Determined to at least hobble the rest of the way, i slowly put one foot in front of the other and started walking through the pain.  This went on for a minute or so.  Miraculously, the cramping vanished, and i managed to pick up my feet and do an "old man shuffle" all the way to the finish line.  In the end, Banana Man beat me by about 33 seconds... but i still finished the race "running."   

The smile hides the pain

Immediately after crossing the finish, both legs seized up completely... and i had to ignominiously limp to get my medal.  Owww. 

I worked for that medal

Postmortem analysis/rationalization of my disappointing finish: 

I did my usual 16-week buildup for this race, but had been very liberal with substitutions.  Primarily this was due to time constraints.  Some days i would need to do 9 miles but could only do 6; other days i would need to do a long run and split it up into a double instead.  For the entire training cycle, i only completed ONE full 20-miler, and that had been on a treadmill.  Meh.  Honestly, i thought my decent finishes in my most recent halfs (halves?) were a testament to my improving athletic ability.  But the full 26.2 is more than just 13.1 x 2.  It has its own challenges and requires a different approach to preparation.  Half-assery will not cut it; in order to be able to "trust the training," you have to train properly. 

In addition, about a month ago, while heading out to do a 20-miler, i twisted my left ankle about a mile in.  My left foot hit a reflector (just my luck - the only one on the side of the road), and i went down.  I didn't necessarily think any serious damage was done, but if i'm being completely honest, it might have; my left ankle still hurts when i point my toes down and in.  Maybe i'm unconsciously favoring my left ankle and working my hips more?  At any rate, that event struck a considerable blow to my training: instead of a "monster" week with maximum mileage, i had to back off and baby the ankle to be sure i'd make it to race day. 

TL;DR: i missed my goal because i was undertrained and unprepared. 

For future reference: 

1.  Long runs really count; get in at least two 20-milers before race day.  Do strides at the end of each.

2.  Continue to do hill work until the end. 

3.  Don't slack off of strength training. 

Even though this is my ninth marathon, i'm still learning new things.  Hopefully, application of those lessons leads to further gains.  

On a different note, this is the first marathon that i've run "alone."  Gianina and Adrian stayed at home (which was only two hours away), so i had to work out all the logistics in advance.  I also had to get a new Camelbak with a bigger bladder and more storage space.  It's a rehearsal for a future race that i won't mention since i don't want to jinx it.  

RACE NOTES: 

1. The "expo" was just a packet pickup in the Sports Basement (a sporting goods store) in Santa Rosa.  The "swag" wasn't bad: the usual coupons, a puffy jacket, and a bottle of red wine.  

2.  Race day weather was great, starting out in the high 50s and ending in the mid 60s.  Mostly cloudy all throughout, a little bit of sunlight here and there.  It could have been much worse (initially projected to be 80s), as there was little to no shade on the course.  

A little ray of sunshine

3.  Since it was such a small race (less than a thousand marathoners), there were no long security checks.  In fact, i stayed at my downtown hotel half a mile from the start, and just moseyed on over a few minutes before the gun went off. 

Leaving the hotel... 20 minutes before the race starts

Waiting for the gun to go off

4.  The course, while billed as being "flat," really isn't.  To be fair, there aren't any significant hills, but the up-and-down "undulations" will get to you if you're expecting "flat."  It was otherwise pleasant, running mostly through parks/vineyards, with some patches of road/sidewalk.  Definitely not as gorgeous as Napa.  You can avail of the "shot of Chardonnay" (i did) right after you run through the Deloach Winery at mile 10.  It may have been a bad idea, but i thought a little alcohol would dull the pain in my hips.  I was wrong. The course also tended to narrow at some points, which is always inconvenient for my run-walk-run strategy (which requires a lot of passing).   

The official elevation chart

Elevation as measured by my GPS watch.  Note the "undulations" midway

5.  I've never really hung around for a post-race experience.  At the end, i'm usually just trying to reunite with my family so we can get back to the hotel.  Usually, the lines for beer etc. are so long anyway that i don't even think it's worth it.  Well, since i was by myself for this one, i just sat down, drank some water, and ate some chocolate chip cookies for a few minutes, trying to rest my legs enough for the walk back to the hotel. (Half a mile isn't that bad... at NYC, you have to walk a mile just to get out of the racers' area).   Since i wasn't driving, i decided to sample the "free beer."  There were no lines, and with the way they managed the freebies, one could easily have gotten way more than the allotment of two.  As it was, i got three.  Unfortunately, they were IPAs.

6.  In terms of value for money: $130-ish and change isn't bad for a jacket, a bottle of wine, some beers, and free (low-res - you have to pay $11 for the HD versions) race day photographs.  Clearly, this race has great support from local businesses.  

Overall, i probably wouldn't do it again, but it's a decent race.  Next stop, San Jose.  

POSTSCRIPT (random pictures of Santa Rosa):

2:08:38 (But Probably Closer to 2:10)

This past weekend, i completed the Surfer's Path Half Marathon in allegedly 2:08:38.

I say "allegedly," because similar to my recent B2B finish, my watch disagrees with the result.  This time though, it was entirely in my favor: i'm not sure if i just ran the tangents too well (inadvertently "cheating"), or they measured the course incorrectly, but my watch reports that i only completed around 12.8 miles.  I suspect it was the latter.  Same as my previous race, i don't really care enough about the "official" time to let the organizers know.  At least everyone was equally affected, and i honestly don't think anyone is fooled.  

(To avoid confusion, i am categorically stating that i am a chip time believer.)  

Whether i finished in 2:08:38 or 2:10 and change, it's still faster than my recent finish at Napa.  This continues to validate my 3:1 run-walk-run strategy, wherein i keep the ratio consistent but try to do the 3 minute run at "tempo pace."  I had enough gas in the tank to see it through until the end, but i wonder how well the strategy will hold up for the full 26.2.  We'll see. 

Around my second walk break (not even a mile in), a guy passed me while condescendingly tapping on my shoulder and saying "You can do it, boss!"  I easily passed him on my subsequent running interval, but he caught up with me when i slowed down to walk.  This went on a few more times, with each time taking him longer to catch up.  By the time we got to mile 4, he was nowhere to be seen.  Run-walk-run FTW!  

Game face during a 3-minute run interval

I may be moving up in the world, too: my results reflect that i finished in the top 50% in my age group, my division, and overall - and on chip time, to boot.  Or... maybe most of the runners were just there for the view...   

RACE NOTES: 

1.  No expo.  The bibs were mailed out.  It would have been nice to have had more pre-race communication from the organizers, since i wasn't even sure that the race was pushing through until i got my bib around 3 weeks prior to the event.  In lieu of an expo, we just wandered around the boardwalk and consumed unhealthy fried snacks the day before.  

"Carb-loading" with a deep-fried Oreo 

2.  The weather was great, starting out in the mid-40s and ending in the mid-50s.  It was pretty cloudy, too.  Perfect. 

3.  It was easy to get to the start from our hotel 15 minutes away, and there was ample parking close to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.  Since it was a small race, security wasn't tight, and Gianina accompanied me up until the gun went off.  

Start line in the background

4.  The course is an out-and-back, heading east to Capitola and then turning right back around and heading back to Santa Cruz (route details here).  There were a decent amount of hills, but short and not too steep, with a total elevation gain of 375 feet.  I'm a little hazy on why there is a net elevation gain if it's an out-and-back, but then again i'm just a lung doctor.  The views of Monterey Bay were great, and even better in the second half.  Aid stations were placed roughly every 2-3 miles, starting around 1.5 miles in.  No gels, just water and "electrolytes."  

The ambulance "sweeping" at the end of the race. Thankfully i was headed in the opposite direction

Elevation chart

5.  At close to 1400 participants, it was a small event, and never felt crowded.  As an aside, i never wear headphones during a race and was quite entertained by the ongoing conversation of the ladies i intermittently caught up with.  Some snippets: "So is he your boyfriend?" "He wants to be," and "You just don't understand the fragile state i'm in right now... i mean, emotionally."  I wasn't even eavesdropping, they were just talking really loud.  

6.  Gianina was able to meet me right at the finish line.  Shirts were handed out at a booth, but since the race was much smaller than B2B, there was virtually no queue, and i got mine immediately.  There was a "goodie bag" containing a banana, an orange, a bag of chips, a Kind Bar, a can of Bubly, and a bottle of water.  Not bad.  I believe there were "free" massages as well, but i didn't partake.  

Santa Cruz wharf in the background

That's a breakfast burrito... not included in the finisher bag

Lack of communication aside, i liked it, and would definitely do it again.

Next, back to the full marathon: Santa Rosa.

At least i got a shirt this time

1:37:32 (Really 1:27:35)

Last weekend, i completed the Bay to Breakers in (allegedly) 1:37:32. 

 I say "allegedly," because the chip time is identical to the gun time, which definitely did not happen.  

More accurately, my GPS watch, which i started exactly when i stepped on the starting line and stopped immediately after crossing the finish, indicates that i actually finished in 1:27:35.  I suppose i could complain and request a correction of my official result, but i don't care THAT MUCH about what the record shows.  

This is the second time i've run B2B, the first time being 2016, when i finished in 1:33:04.  I was not particularly enamored of the race, but i had to be in San Francisco this past weekend and was planning on doing a long run anyway... so i decided to incorporate it into my schedule.  

My actual requirement for the day was 16 miles.  I couldn't quite figure out how get the total mileage in... Should i run a double?  Should i do the 7-some miles and just do the long run the next day?  In the end, i realized that the simplest solution was the best: i ran the race... and then ran back to the hotel.  

All told, i ran around 15 miles, which is still ok because of all the hills.  Honestly, they were great, and i wish i had more where we live in the Central Valley (i'm not even kidding).  My quads burned quite a bit, which i hope translates into some strength gains.  

For the uninitiated, B2B is a 12k that runs westward through the city of San Francisco, starting around the Embarcadero and finishing around the Dutch Windmill in Golden Gate Park.  While nominally a "race," (especially for the seeded and sub-seeded runners), it's more of a 4-hour party through the streets of the city.  As seen from my placing (i am a plodder), a lot of people take their time meandering through, and just try to enjoy the spectacle.  Many people do it in costume, and some do it butt-naked.  Some spectators along the route give you high-fives (standard), hugs (a little off, especially in the middle of a pandemic), the opportunity to do a "dancing break" (strange, but ok), and even vodka or jello shots (potentially hazardous).  It doesn't take itself seriously, and it doesn't sound like most people do, either.  

Therein lies my beef: 

1.  Participants start in corrals, of which there were eight, labeled A through H.  In THEORY, these are based on your projected times, with the fastest, seeded, "serious" runners in corral A, sub-seeded in corral B, and so forth.  Each corral is released in subsequent waves after the gun goes off.  I started in corral D.  In PRACTICE, although volunteers at the start make sure you're wearing a bib, no one checks which corral you're supposed to be in.  While waiting to start, i surreptitiously checked out what the bibs of the people standing beside me and saw some Gs and Hs just hanging out.  Not to be a stickler, but what's the point of assigning corrals if you don't enforce them?  

2.  This naturally leads to the problem of the slow start... After crossing the starting line, there are numerous walkers that one has to avoid.  This persisted until about one mile in, leading me to conclude that some people probably snuck into corrals A, B, and C with the intent of just walking the race.  

3.  The finish line was highly chaotic.  I couldn't figure out where to get my medal, then noticed that there were volunteers along the sides handing them out.  It didn't seem like these kids were checking bibs; they just gave them to whoever had their hands outstretched (i know, because i just reached over someone's head to get one).  Worst of all was that they only gave out shirts after the race.  Almost immediately after crossing the finish, i noticed a winding queue of people lined up to get their shirts.  I suppose i could have joined them, but i was in a hurry to get back to the hotel for lunch.  There must be a better way to give out the official shirts than to expect close to 17,000 people to just line up after a race.  

Oh well.  

RACE NOTES: 

1.  There was no expo.  The bibs were mailed out a few weeks prior.  At least there wasn't any pressure to get into the city earlier the day before the race.  

The Bay Bridge in the background

2.  The weather was great, hanging out around the 50s for the entire duration.  It was foggy, but not very windy.  Nice.    

3.  Since we stayed in a hotel off of Market Street, it was just a short walk to get to the start.  The gun went off a little after 8 AM (10 minutes prior to me crossing the starting line), which left ample time to wake up at a decent hour, eat breakfast, take a dump, etc.  

4.  In terms of breakfast, one has to factor in the fact that the race is basically in the middle of the financial district on a Sunday morning; meaning, there are really no restaurants open that early.  If your hotel has a "grab-and-go" counter (ours did), or an early buffet breakfast, then you're golden.  Otherwise, the only viable option would be the Philz Coffee at the Embarcadero Center (right underneath the Hyatt), which opens at 6 AM.  

5.  It's hard to be sure how many people actually participated in the race.  My results indicate that there were close to 17,000 participants.  Previous B2Bs have evidently swelled up to over 40,000 (which is Chicago or New York levels) due to bandits.  Except for the starting line, ANYONE could have joined the course and be part of the massive moveable party.  There were parts of the course where the crowd got really dense, notably the starting line, and at the base of the Hayes street hill/hell.  For the most part i felt like there was ample spacing between racers...  The naked ones we gave an especially wide berth. 

6.  The course winds through several neighborhoods which, while not being "touristy," were fairly picturesque.  I actually prefer this, since San Francisco is so quirky, with interesting architecture.  There was a decent amount of hills, natch. 

7.  Since i had to run back to the hotel before my legs cooled down enough to realize that they were suffering, i didn't hang around for the post-race party.  

All told, i wouldn't do it again.  Or if i did, i would just sneak in a little after the start.  For $77, i don't feel like i got my money's worth.  

At any rate, my main goal for this race was to finish injury-free, using recovery techniques i codified after my last run.  Mission accomplished. 

I didn't take any pictures during the race, but here are some rando shots of me running around the city in subsequent days:

Next, Santa Cruz. 

2:11:20

This past weekend, i completed the Napa Valley Half Marathon in 2:11:20.

Not as fast as i'd like (sub-2) but not too shabby. Unlike my previous "fast" halfs (halves?), i did not "run-jog-run" this one; rather, i relentlessly followed a 3:1 run-walk-run strategy, but dialed up the run intervals to my tempo pace. The final result was just a smidge slower than my first run-jog-run half three years ago. This was more a proof-of-concept than anything, to show that i can do intermittent bursts of tempo pace up to a total duration of two hours. Moving forward, i'll need to experiment with three things: faster-paced run intervals, faster-paced walk intervals, and longer run ratios (3:30:1 or even 4:1).  If i can achieve all three, maybe i'll be able to run the elusive sub-4 marathon one day. 

As far as why i ran a half and not a full, i have been injured since Huntington Beach, and was simply not up to doing the full 26.2.  Around two weeks after that particular race, i started running 20 miles a week again, and both my Achilles tendons just got completely inflamed.  The pain in those areas became so bad that there were days i could barely walk, and they were extremely tender to even gentle touch.  I ended up taking an additional 6 weeks off running altogether.  After that self-imposed exile, i started testing the waters at 10 miles a week with a 10-15% weekly increase in mileage.  Ultimately i was able to do a 10 miler, but that was only around 5 weeks prior to this race.  

Much to my dismay, i basically get injured after every marathon.  I suspect that the mainly culprit is improper recovery, namely trying to just "pick up where i left off" after a short period of rest.  However, i am no elite athlete, and probably need to dial it back up slower.  I also think that after a race, i get so focused on improving my performance that i forget "the basics" - that is, emphasizing pace and mileage and neglecting proper running form.  

So, form: the reason my Achilles tendons suffered so hard is probably because i was trying to run with my ankles.  This is a shame, because Galloway's run-walk-run method in fact encourages that.  Once i stopped doing that and started running more mindfully - focusing more on using the thighs and hips - the pain let up and i was able to run properly again.  Overall, i've become more introspective than before (that's what the prospect of NEVER RUNNING AGAIN does to a man), and have codified the steps for getting back into running.  I'm not smart enough to have come up with this on my own; i based it on an article i read on Runner's World, plus some personal tweaks: 

JB'S RECOVERY PLAN

1. 1-3 weeks of no running (1 for a half, 2 for a full, and 3 weeks if it was a particularly hard marathon). 

2. Only 10 easy miles the first week back. 

3. Focus on form!  

    a. Push from the glutes

    b. Drive the legs using the hips

    c. Run lightly: "paw the ground" with the feet

4. Rotate shoes every few days (currently switching between Vomero and Pegasus). 

5. Consistently do eccentric Achilles strengthening exercises. 

6. Do lunges and glute exercises during the "no running" period.  

Race notes: 

1.  The expo was nothing special.  The swag included a decent backpack.  Otherwise, it was just the usual local running stores, sign-up booths for upcoming races, and overpriced race merchandise.  Nothing necessarily bad with that last one, especially if one wants to support the local economy.  There was also "free" wine tasting.  The lines were so long that you wonder how anyone could pony up $140 for a race but not just buy their own damn bottle of wine.  

2.  The weather was definitely a little nippier than i  prefer, starting out at 36 degrees and ending up in the mid 40s.  I took off my "overpants" right at the start (although next time i should probably do sweatpants and not just pajama bottoms), peeled off my throwaway sweater about 1/2 mile in, and discarded my long-sleeved shirt (yes, i wore three top layers) around 1.5 miles in.  I felt decently warm, especially when running in the sunlight.  

3.  There were buses to the start, but they left too early for my taste (5:10 for a 7 AM race), so Gianina just dropped me off at the starting line.  There was a decent crowd at the start, but i only had to wait 15 minutes for a porta-potty.  No food, but there were coolers where you could fill up your water bottle.  

4.  Small races FTW!  Only a little over 2000 runners, it was great.  Most of the time i felt like i was running alone... easier to run the tangents that way.

At the starting line.

5.  The course was the Silverado trail, with great views of rolling vineyards.  I even spotted some hot-air balloons in the distance.  Elevation wise, some hills until a little past the halfway mark, and mostly downhill after that.  There were aid stations every 2-3 miles or so, and what appeared to be ample porta-potties that i never needed to take advantage of.  

6.  Not much of a post-race experience.  Get your water and medal at the chute, walk a bit and get some food.  The parking lot is right there at the school, and since there's not that many people, it's relatively easy to get a spot.  It beats marathons where you have to walk another mile or so just to meet your family.  

I'm uncertain what the future holds.  Hopefully my recovery plan prevents more injuries.  I wonder if i should drop down to half marathons; the training is not as intense and the recovery is not as painful.  But something (hubris?) tells me that my marathon days aren't over yet.  

4:46:44 (AKA It's Not the Heat, it's the Humidity)

Last weekend, i completed the Surf City Marathon in 4:46:44.

I have mixed feelings about my performance.  On one hand i feel bad because i didn't break 4:30 (after coming really close the last time), but on the other, i'm happy to have even finished.   

Not the naked guy, the one in the gray shirt.

Photo credit: Finisherpix

Since my training runs are usually done at 50-60 degrees in the Central Valley's roughly 30% humidity, i suppose those are my "optimal running conditions."  The Surf City Marathon is USUALLY run in the Spring, which probably approximates at least that temperature.  The pandemic's bumping it off into the summer changed that considerably; in fact, an email was sent by the race organizers a few days prior, warning runners about the relative heat/humidity, and to not attempt to run a PR.  

Anyway, race day temperature started at around 68 and ultimately ended up at least 10 degrees warmer.  The humidity was close to 100%, and there was NO SHADE.  Seventy-eight degrees doesn't sound too warm, but take away shade and evaporative cooling, and it is by no means a walk in the park.  

I knew it was going to be a bad race when i started sweating somewhere close to mile 2, since that usually only starts around miles 4-5.  To preempt any possible bad outcome, i started hydrating more than usual: sucking a little bit more than my cursory gulp from my Camelbak every mile AND drinking at every aid station.  Despite all this hydration, i never once felt the need to use a porta-potty.  I think everyone else felt the same way - there were toilets aplenty along the course, but i never saw a line build up anywhere.  So no one was peeing, but we were all sweating buckets. If it had been a few degrees warmer, i wonder if we would have had some collapses.  In all honesty, i really shouldn't complain; i almost ran Tokyo last year, and i'm sure it was warmer and wetter.  

Mugging for the camera while suffering
Photo credit: Finisherpix

As far as race prep strategy, i changed things up this time around.  On the general principle that my overarching goal is to continue running marathons into my geriatric years, but not necessarily to run FAST or even to break my previous PR, i eschewed the traditional taper and ran a 20 miler within a week of the race.  The thought being that the taper is designed to maximize one's performance for ONE upcoming event, not to continue building strength for the long term.  Of course i could be completely off-base on this, but then again i'm just a lung doctor.  Empirically, while i finished slower than i was hoping (perhaps through no fault of mine), i didn't end up as sore as expected after the race.

Going back to my performance: considering that i didn't train the way i was supposed to, and that the conditions were suboptimal... 4:46 and change is acceptable.  

RACE NOTES: 

1.  There was an unremarkable expo at the packet pickup.  There was a shirt, but no swag.  I was in and out in about 15 minutes.

2.  It wasn't difficult to get to the starting line on the day of the race.  The race FAQs spelled out where exactly to go, and it only took me about 10 minutes to walk the half mile (or so) from where Gianina dropped me off.  I really considered staying at the race hotel, which is steps from the start.  However staying in Irvine was no big deal and presented only a 20-minute drive. 

Photo credit: Gianina Chong

Close to the start

3.  Even though there were only a little over 1000 runners, it felt like more.  I think the half marathoners started running about an hour after the marathoners, and since there was a lot of overlap between the routes, it could feel pretty crowded at times (albeit never New York or Chicago levels of crowded).  In addition, the last nine miles were basically an out and back on a sidewalk by the beach, with the narrowest segment being about ten feet across for a mile.  The only racers on that part were the marathoners, but there were a fair amount of walkers and bikers. 

4.  The course, billed as being gorgeous and adjacent to the beach, is really pretty meh.  The first third runs inland.  The remainder of the course is run partly on the Pacific Coast Highway and partly on that little sidewalk mentioned above.  There was some haze on the horizon, limiting the view of the ocean, and there were freighters all over the place.  Not nearly as nice (not even close) to Big Sur.  I also detected some unpleasant odors the closer we got to the beach.  One was of rotting garbage or organic matter, another smelled like aquarium water (probably ammonia or urea).  

5.  There was lots of food and liquids past the finish line.  There are also some tents set up for running clubs, one of which i approached and managed to snag a (members-only?) cup of Coke from.  There was ample parking close by,  and i only needed to walk another half mile to where Gianina parked the car. 

Photo credit: Gianina Chong

Photo credit: Gianina Chong

An aside: the underappreciated perk of running a race in Southern California... is the proximity of Jollibees.  Nothing like a bucket of Chickenjoy for the post-race refuel. 

That's it for the not-so-great marathon number 8.  Weather aside, i wasn't really pleased with the course.  Unless it was the only race that fit in with my schedule, i would NOT run it again.  

I wonder if my non-traditional taper will be an effective approach.  Let's see if it improves my performance on a course i've already run: Napa.