Back in Jan when I finished my first 1/2 Marathon in Carlsbad I wondered what it might be like to try the full. With more than a bit of bravado I signed up for the SF full marathon, which was more than 6 months away. With plenty of time to train I thought it would be a great way to stay motivated to run during the Summer.
The training was going ok when I managed to strain my achilles tendon 2 weeks before the race. Unable to run I spent the last 2 weeks of my training on an elliptical machine. Scared that there was zero chance of running the whole 26.2 miles I put in a request to downgrade to a 1/2 marathon. At the last moment I decided to roll the dice and go for it. I found that taping my leg alleviated most of the pain.
So at 5:30am I set off from the Bay Bridge with about 6,000 others to tackle the 26.2 miles. After crossing the Golden Gate Bridge at mile 10 my legs were tight but still holding. I stopped at least 6 times to re-tape my leg and stretch. There were a few moments when I thought my legs would never hold - the hills were dishing out lots of pounding.
Running a marathon takes a huge physical and mental toll. What your mind tries to do as you attempt to keep your spirits up is really something. By mile 20 both of my knees were in considerable pain. Every so often sharp shooting pain would run up my legs, but I this point I was not going to stop. So I just kept rolling. The 6 final miles seemed endless, but the crowds cheering along the route kept me motivated. I crossed the line looking like shit at 4hrs 27mins. I actually cried abit before getting my legs iced down and meeting up with my family who'd made the trip to watch me run.
Beers with my family and some friends in SF that night was the perfect cap on the trip. 1 week later and my knees are still in recover mode. Who knows if I'll ever do this again...
PS - Back in June I also did the Camp Pendalton Mud run for the 2nd year. I finished in 59 mins! 19 mins faster than last year.
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