Trip Report: The Avenue of the Giants Marathon

At the last minute, I decided to participate in my fourth marathon, the Ave. of the Giants, this past Sunday. I had been on the fence for the past week, because I hadn't trained in over four weeks (since my hand gliding injury). I was worried most about my sore ribs, which had kept me sidelined for the past month, but they didn't turn out to be an issue. I started out fine -- I even had a brief hope of setting a PR -- but soon enough my legs started getting sore, beginning at mile 8. The lactic acid continued to build up and I thought about quitting at about mile 16-18. At that point I felt like I was barely moving. Luckily, my soreness went away a bit and I finished in 4:42, 40 minutes slower than my time last year.

During the second half of the race, I struck up a conversation with another runner who was struggling as much as I was. She was a 26 year-old in great shape, but she signed up for her first marathon with little preparation. The two of us hobbled along the second half of the course together, getting passed by loads of people, including a 76 year-old speedster who finished in 4:34. Consider it a lesson learned -- be prepared for to run 26.2 miles or you (and your ego) will suffer!

After finishing the marathon and returning to my campsite, I met two other finishers also spending the night, Ruthanne and Bonnie. Ruthanne was also disappointed with her time. She had run a 3:52, about 30 minutes behind her recent PR. I learned that she had also recently finished a 50 mile ultra named Copper Canyon, and she is training for the Leadville Trail 100 mile race this fall. Ruthanne described the experience as "transcendental," and she convinced me to train even harder for my upcoming ultra. Bonnie is a Bay Area marathoner who has completed ~40 events in the past 10 years. She gave me a tip for my next race: The Nisene Marks Marathon next month near Santa Cruz. I already sent in my registration, and Jess and I booked two nights at a beach site campground off of the PCH. Hopefully, I'll have a good training month so I'll be prepared for the single track trail and 2,500 ft. of climbing I'll need to complete in the first half of the course.