Just when I think I’m not going to run this thing anymore, here I am signed up yet again for the Modesto Marathon. This year, thank goodness, I’m only doing the half! This is the fifth year of the MoMary, and here’s how those five years have shaken down for yours truly:
2010 – the inaugural year. I had huge, BQ-sized goals and dreams which went down in dehydrated, puking flames by Mile 18. I was sunburnt and exhausted at the finish line.
2011 – UltraIronHubs was trained and ready for his first sub-3, but the drenching rain and 25 mph winds had other plans. He still BQ’d, of course, because that’s what he does, but his 3:14 was sort of a bitter pill. You can read my spectator report by clicking here.
2012 – UIH and I ran together, but one of us (*cough* ME *cough*) was wildly undertrained and barely capable of going the distance. You can read about it by clicking here.
2013 – UIH was in the throes of plantar fasciitis recovery and I was training for an ultra, so neither one of us ran. Sad face.
And now here we are in 2014, ready to rumble once again!
Modesto is my hometown, I love this place! Gotta give UIH props for catching this great photo out of a moving car as we left the expo. He’s got skills! |
This year is all about UIH. I really only signed up for the half because I’m two weeks out from the AR50 and I didn’t want to miss a day of training to spectate his race. Isn’t that supportive of me?!?
UltraIronHubs has been following the Hansons Marathon Method training plan and is completely primed and ready for a huge day tomorrow. The weather is going to be spot on perfect (mid to high 40s at the start, very little wind, clear skies, and less than 60 degrees when he finishes), and he is planning on bringing home a marathon PR that starts with the number 2. I am so excited for him!!
Obligatory “at the expo holding our bibs” shot. |
The expo moved to a new location this year and I was sort of underwhelmed. Well, that’s not entirely fair – I almost never like expos. But since this one included walking up three flights of very steep stairs to pick up my bib in a tiny, stuffy room made it low on my list for sure. The volunteers were awesome, though! Super friendly and available every time you turned around to tell you where to go next. I appreciated that. We were in and out in under 20 minutes.
My goals for the race have been drastically revised over the past three days because I am having one of the worst bouts of allergies I have ever had. Ever! Our weird not-really-a-winter, combined with a very early and very warm spring means that the allergens are off the charts around here. I know those of you who are still experiencing snow days have a TON of sympathy for me, so I’ll just leave my complaining at the door and get on with the goals:
- Start and finish the race. I think this is pretty doable, and possibly the only goal I am going to meet, which is why I wrote it down.
- Try to run a little, maybe run a lot, but maybe walk the whole thing. I had to walk a good portion of a three-miler on Thursday and couldn’t even make it across the street this morning without wheezing, so I’m trying to keep my goals in line with reality here.
- If I’m walking the whole thing, keep up a good pace. My legs are willing, but it’s a bit of a question if my lungs will cooperate.
- Don’t pee on myself during a huge coughing fit. Who am I kidding? I always pee when I’m coughing! This has nothing to do with the race!
- Try desperately hard to beat UIH to the finish line because he is running twice as far as I am. This one is going to depend on how everything else lines up – can I actually breathe enough to run? Am I able to walk at a brisk pace? How many port-o-potty stops will I need to make? Just in case, I plan on carrying a cowbell so I can scream and cheer for him as he blows by me.
Oh, yeah! Also?
- Don’t drown. I think that one’s a lock.
Lancer!! says
Woo-HOO!! Glad to hear you’re “running” tomorrow. Sorry to hear about the allergy fits. 🙁
ajh says
I must be behind. I am just reading this and I know you ran it yesterday!