Marathon State #9 Tucson, Arizona

Tucson Marathon

December 8, 2013

Once we begin the crazy process of running a marathon in every state, it becomes a mission to add marathons to the travel calendar whenever possible.  Tuscon is a  last minute decision allowing us to cross off another state before the end of the year. Once we are registered and committed, we must decide to drive or fly.  A reasonable airfare from LAX gets us there with some driving and some flying.  A short flight has us in the rental car on the way to packet pick-up in no time.  

The expo is very small with a few vendors, but basically it is a quick stop to pick up the shirt and bib and we are out the door. Of course not feeling well, I  second guess my impulse to sign up and run now. Feeling feverish with a sore throat, we grab a quick bite to eat before crashing at the motel.  My memory  conflicts with my husband's, he says we had Italian food which sounds like what I would want to eat, but I thought we had Panda Express. My husband tells me that Tucson doesn't even have a Panda! Regardless, I know we ate something, because I definitely never go without eating too often even when sick. Once back at the hotel, I crawl in bed and fret about the run in the morning.  My husband goes to the store to get Advil, bananas and a cheap pair of sunglasses for me since I forgot to pack mine. Good thing there is a Fresno State football game on the television to keep my husband preoccupied.  The morning comes too soon as we ride the bumpy shuttle bus to the staging are in the foothills of Mt. Lemon. Shivering from the cold temperatures as well as the fever, I take some Advil on the bus and hope for the best. As we depart the bus there is a light dusting of snow on the ground.  "Oh boy, don't know about this!"  My windbreaker jacket will go with me on the run. Once the run begins, my body magically goes into running work mode thanks to some help from the Advil. I shed the jacket, in no time, and wrap it around my neck for the ride down the mountain. A fellow runner tells me that it looks like I have a flying cape. The run ends up being a pretty painless experience.  It is downhill for several miles followed by a gentle downhill grade for most of the race. Even though it is out in the desert with a desert type landscape, I find it peaceful and quite beautiful. I feel confident I can break four hours and maybe even get a Boston qualifying time...until we reach the altered portion of the course due to road construction. The detour ends up being a massive hill around mile 23. It's a cruel twist of fate to go from gentle downhills to a monster hill in the late stages of the course. The climb costs serious time, but the remaining miles are flat and I  squeeze out a 3:58. All things considered, I am thankful to get sub four hour finish and we celebrate our Tuscon finish with some Red Robin burgers and beer.  

Our gait the next day is evidence that we ran a downhill marathon with the monster hill. The tour of the Biosphere with  its numerous steps is interesting yet painful. Before the flight home we check out a tasty pizza place near the University of  Arizona. Tenny is happy to see us. She doesn't mind being outside in the summer time, but she hates to sleep anywhere, but a warm bed during the winter months.