CIM - last time I did this race was in 1998 and ran a 3:39 with little training. I had also run this event in 1995 with Gary Riele. We had trained alot for this race with the specific goal of qualifying for the 1st running of the Boston marathon. Our goal time at that race was 3;15.
To qualify for Boston I had to run a 3:35. I had trained fairly well for this race and had a personal goal of 3:30. I drove up solo the day before to pick up my number and check out the expo in the Sacramento Convention Center. Huge place with lots of vendors. I picked up my race number and also purchased a ticket for the bus trip to the start. This allowed me to park my car at the finish and not bother my sister Julie in the morning to have to drive me to the start line at 5;30.
I drove up to Julie and Jerry's house in Rancho Murrieta and visited with them for awhile and then drove with Julie over to her daughter's house to check it out. I had helped Chris and Christina finance the purchased of their first home in Folsom a year earlier but had never seen the house.
When Julie and I got back to her home, just the two of us went out to a great pasta dinner and then my normal pre-race treat - Ice Cream.
In the morning Jerry insisted on driving me to the start line which was only 15 miles away. We started out at 5:45 for a 7 am start. When we got to within 5 miles of the start area the traffic was really bad and we crawled for about 2.5 miles and it was 6;30. I decided that I could make it faster to the start area by walk/running. So out of the car I go. It was more like 3 miles and I got there with 15 minutes to spare. One last porta-pottie before the start and I would be ready to go. When I got to the start area, 15,000 people and porta-potties at the far side of the area prevented me from doing what i needed to do, so i lined up at the start and got ready to run.
I ran well ahead of my goal time and pace and decided at mile 7 stop make a quick porta-pottie stop. In/out get on with the run.
Saw Paula and Elias at mile 9, feelin great - well ahead of pace. Saw them again at 15 and 20 mile markers, my pace began to slow but I was still on pace to make Boston qualifying,
I remeber going through mile 18 and an aid station guy said something like - great pacing and oh yeah, your bleeding. I look down and I see blood on my shirt. One of my nipples has been rubbed raw.
By the time I finish my shirt is 30% blood red. but I finish under my boston qualifing time and Paula, Elias, Julie and Jerry are there to welcome me over the finish line. what a great feeling.
we eat lunch at The Hard Rock cafe and we all head home.