TWO CITIES MARATHON

Fresno, California

November 3rd, 2024

Will She or Won't She...That is the Question?

I have read that if you can dedicate yourself to something for six months you can change your life. Now, I don't know if someone with almost six decades of bad habits can change completely or lastingly in those months, but the attempt is made. With a few lbs. shed through improved diet and hours spent in the gym and on the pavement, November 2024 is shaping up to be a great month of reckoning. The 20 weeks of marathon training is ending and the true test begins...how well can my body perform on a crispy autumn Sunday morning. What starts out as a crazy idea back on May 2nd to go for that blue "I Qualified for Boston" shirt advertised on the marathon page ends with pounding the pavement through Fresno and Clovis for 26.2 miles. Will I earn the coveted shirt or will I fall short that is the question!

Woodard Park Loop

The two weeks leading up to marathon day is usually a nice little break with lots of tapering  on the schedule. The week before marathon day is a measly fifteen miles and also the time when little aches and pains are more readily felt. The five miler predictor run lets me know the range of my probable marathon time. In the past a 42:20 indicates a time well under four hours, but only if all goes well on race day.  It has been at least five years without a sub-four hour finish time. As an older runner, the body needs more rest and recovery and muscles strains flair up more often. My hamstrings and glutes are still areas of weakness and they constantly remind me and object with knotting jolts of pain when I push too hard. My body has become quite comfortable running ten minute miles and mid nines, but is less happy at miles in the eights. The outcome will come down to a battle of the mind over the body. 

The Humboldt Marathon in August had a Boston qualifying time for my age of 4:05 which I missed by about ninety seconds. In September the BAA announced new qualifying time standards for the 2026 race tightening the times by five minutes for most age categories.  My age group must now run 4:00 or less to qualify. In order to actually get into Boston, runners need a good buffer of at least five to ten minutes. The cutoff times are announced each year in September so many runners without a significant buffer must anxiously wait to see if they make the cut. At this point my goal is to chase after the 'blue qualified shirt!"  Anything under four will be a victory to me. Actually, just being able to run again is the true victory.

We drive up to Fresno the day before the race to get our bib, shirt and sweatshirt even though race day pick-up is allowed. I know my husband is going to make me get up super early, regardless of whether we go to the expo, to get a good parking spot on race day. We make the extra uneventful trip and wait in an unusually long line just to get inside the expo venue. Instead of going out to eat on the way home, we pick up a Traders take and bake pizza. It's the best family run pizza establishment in town that we've enjoyed for over thirty-five years. It's a nice reward for our healthy eating habits the last seven months.  Pizza carbs are the best kind of splurge for our pre-race meal. 

Pizza Carb loading

Amazingly, I am able to fall asleep without too much trouble and wake up at 3 am raring to go, but first I spend 45 minutes foam rolling and using a tennis ball to work out some very sore spots. Breaking up that bad fascia that gets inflamed makes for a less painful run experience. 

3 a.m. is the perfect time to roll out the pain

We arrive at Clovis Community College an hour before the race and get a great parking spot which makes up for having to get up so early. We have time to get in line for two potty breaks before dropping off our bag of warm clothes at bag drop before heading to the start line.  The start is packed with runners as we weave our way through the crowd and find the 3:55 pacers. My plan is to keep the pacers in sight for as long as possible. The first mile is really slow as there is no room to maneuver around all the other people. A little warm-up mile never hurts unless you are trying to hit a time goal.  My pants keep sliding down and I spend a few miles continually pulling them up. After working up a sweat the need to hold onto my pants fades into a distant memory. Now the focus is running and staying near the pacers.

The run down Sheppard is uneventful as I lock into a rhythm before turning onto Friant. The race used to start in Fresno and go to Clovis and then back to Fresno. Friant brings back memories of struggling through the final tough miles. Now they are the smooth sailing miles of the first half. The course deviates off from the half marathoners onto a trail section with views of the vista. It's a serene peaceful break from the thoroughfare before rejoining the herd on Friant Street. The full marathoners take another detour around Woodard Park before again rejoining the pack of half runners making their way back to Sheppard. There are people out cheering the runners on.

The Elusive 3:55 Pacers

My half marathon time is not as good as I hoped. If I continue at this pace, I doubt I can maintain the pace needed to break four hours. After the second GU pack of the day kicks in, I am able to increase my pace. The pacers are faintly visible as I stride little by little to catch up. 

Leapfrog partner

One lady in the crowd is very encouraging. I encounter her three more times in the last ten miles. She reminds me of a high school running coach giving each runner the words they need to hear. I can't remember the exact words, but her encouragement really resonates within me. She has no idea how her passionate words uplift and empower me in those lonely moments to keep fighting and pushing for my goal. I leapfrog with one tall runner, using his pace to pull me along. Once the full turns towards Clovis and the half marathoners turn toward the finish, the course becomes more about each individual runner fighting his or her own battle with the road; the mind has the plan but do the legs have the capacity to comply.

Downtown Clovis

The road to Clovis is an out and back with three tunnels along a bike path with a loop through downtown followed by another out and back around Cottonwood Park. I am able to keep the pace going through the downtown section. The real struggle hits on the way to the out and back to the park. The trail is very uneven broken pavement that requires intensified focus on my footing. My pace is slowing and my energy is zapped. My leapfrog friend is pulling away. It's time to pull out the magic pills in my pocket that I carry for dire situations. The Modesto pace coordinator, who is a pharmacist, told me many years ago to take acetaminophen with caffeine for a boost of energy when necessary. It is just an over the counter pain reliever, but is better tolerated by the liver and kidneys. I rarely use them, but I packed them for a just in case scenario and this seemed liked an appropriate time.  As soon as I approach the water table with some of the loudest students passing out water and cheering runners, I take two magic pills. As I make my way back to the the main trail I cross paths with my husband, I tell him I don't think I am going to make my time. He is looking strong and he tells me to keep going. It takes almost a mile to feel the increase in energy from the pain reliever as I make my way to mile 23. Back through the three tunnels more words of encouragement from the lady and finally I hit the mile 25 marker. Now, it comes down to pure grit. The energy burst in gone and it all comes down to how bad do I want it. I have to push, push, push and force myself to maintain the pace. You can slow down and coast in or you can push through the fatigue and fight until the final timing mat is crossed. 

Will there be a 3 as the first number on the finish line timer? There are two more turns. I am catching a lady who breaks into a walk until her friend comes back and encourages her to start running again.  I make the final turn and hear them announce my name. As I look at the clock the time reads 3:59:24. I barely make my time. I move to the side of the road and feel the urge to vomit momentarily, but it quickly passes as the reality sets in that I have accomplished the goal. Seven months of discipline has paid off...

Chip Time 3:58:49

We have a few of the breakfast items provided as we recover and listen to the band. We forgo the two free beers and the chocolate sundaes. Now that is progress...alcohol and sugar are no longer desirable rewards. The satisfaction of a healthier body and the ability to strive towards goals is the best kind of reward.   

Thankfully, the country is also rewarded on November 5th with a return to common sense for the country. The darkness of the last four years is slowly coming to an end. The air feels lighter and spirits seem more hopeful for the future! Looking forward to better days and another chance to improve my marathon time. The shirt arrived...but it is a Men's medium and is too big, but it fits my husband perfectly. It served its purpose as the motivation I needed to push myself and now my husband can use the same shirt as his carrot on a stick (gifted it to him) to motivate him to go for the gusto on our next downhill race in April.