Golden Gate Headlands Marathon....24 hours in CA...and hills..hills..hills

My weekend recap of the Golden Gate Headlands Marathon in Sausalito, California:

This past month I'd been spoiled by being able to run marathons all within driving distance. Getting ready for California, and all the insanity of a short trip out and back threw me right back into the swing of things.

It had been really difficult to find a race for this past weekend because of Easter Sunday. I generally run road races, but this time I took on a trail marathon. I flew out late Friday night and due to a flight delay in Chicago, I didn't touch down in California until 11pm. By the time I got my rental car, and drove to Sausalito it was really late. Thanks to a friend of a friend I had a place to stay in Sausalito for the night and that was a huge help. I crawled into bed around 1am and was so thankful for a late marathon start in the morning. At least I'd get a few good hours of sleep beforehand. Like a lot of people, I have a difficult time sleeping anywhere but my own bed, so it wasn't the most restful sleep and when I got up in the morning I was still feeling fuzzy. I got myself ready and drove out to the start. Apparently I was really out of it and wasn't thinking straight because I forgot to do 2 very important things. I have a pretty set routine when getting ready for a marathon. I'm careful to always use sunblock on any exposed skin and friction protection on the bottoms of my feet to prevent blisters. Yet today, in my coffee suppressed state I didn't remember either!

The start line was drawn on a road, with the ocean to our left. I watched people surfing and took in the breathtakingly beautiful hills all around. Prior to the race I'd looked at the elevation profile and it was hilly, but didn't look too drastic. Active.com described the course as this,"as you view San Francisco tucked behind the rolling green hills of the Marin Headlands, you'll liken the image to Dorothy encountering the Emerald City."

 View of the beach and waves near the start

Getting ready for the start

                                               
 While talking with several runners at the start, one lady shared with me that after looking at the course and the difficulty of the hills she was shooting for a finish time about an hour past her normal times. That's when the wheels started really turning. Looking up at the hills, I started to wonder just how intense this marathon might get. I was going to find out very quickly!  After a short pre-race briefing regarding the course and rules, they set us off for the hills. Almost the first 2 miles were heading straight up. No headphones were allowed and with the intensity of the incline, all I could hear was heavy breathing and feet pounding. We quickly turned off the road and onto the trail. By the time I got to the top of that first hill I knew I was in for a long day ahead. Having only 6 days between marathons and with the extreme hills that we would cover twice as it was a loop course, I knew it was going to be a long and slow day.

 Isn't that a sight to behold!

The views were seriously magnificent! I can honestly say it was one of the most beautiful places I've ever run, but with such steep hills I found myself walking more than running. There was very little flat ground, and it felt like we were either going straight up, or on the other extreme, straight down. Knowing the course had a 6 hour cut off and seeing how long the hills were taking me, I pushed to run my downhills as fast as possible. Feeling out of my element with the trails, and adding into the mix all the hills, it was also probably the most challenging marathon I have ever run to date.

During the first loop I talked with a couple ladies who were running this as their first marathon. I was impressed! I couldn't imagine picking such an extreme course for my first! They both passed me and I it wasn't long before I was all alone on the trails, enjoying the views. It was a great time to reflect on my journey this year and what I have before me. I thought about Rickey, the 2 1/2 year old little girl whom I was running for. She lives with relatives and her home life is very unstable. Like the other children that I've run for, she lives in extreme poverty, and never knows for sure when she will get her next meal. I knew crossing this finish line would bring me one step closer to helping her, and hopefully making a new beginning for her life.

I pushed, but I was no match for the hills. I quickly realized this marathon was going to be my slowest marathon time ever. Accepting that reality, my goal shifted off any time constraints, to crossing the finish line. I decided to treat it like an ultra marathon, conserving energy on hills so I could run the downhills and flat portions well. It also gave me the chance to really enjoy the beauty of the world around me. Running alone, high in the hills was a unique experience. The course had plenty of different terrain including a few muddy spots where I managed to soak my shoes. Best of all, the loop ended on the beach and we had to run about a half mile on the soft sand. I finished the first loop in 2:27, and took off for the second pass at the hills and views with the sun shining bright overhead.  About halfway through the loop I came across, Deana, one of the ladies I had talked with earlier in the race. We were both exhausted and it was great motivation for both of us to have someone to run with. We finished the last few miles side by side, encouraging each other to the very end. I was very excited for her, with this being her first marathon finish. It was great to be a part of that experience with her and it just intensified my belief in the growth and camaraderie that comes from running. A couple miles can bloom a friendship that lasts far beyond the marathon.

 The Sun finally came out while we were on loop 2

Yeah those hills are the ones we just came down from

sign on the trail - really, they have to tell people that??

I've met so many great people at races this year, and also deepened friendships over the miles as I've run. I finished the Golden Gate Headlands Marathon in 5:16, setting a new slowest marathon time by almost 40 minutes, but finishing with Deana made it a celebration. It had been a long, hard day, but it was done.

Tired and burned from the wind, good time to stop for a picture

Deana - all smiles - knowing we are almost done!

Deana heading for the finish line!

After showering and repacking I headed to Oakland to hang out with a friend for the last few hours I had in California. Pizza and beer never tasted so darn good! Before I knew it, I was back at the airport, my flight leaving at 11pm, exactly 24 hours after I'd landed. I tried to sleep on the plane, knowing the day ahead of was going to be crazy busy with Easter and I managed to get a few zzzz's. We landed at 6:30am and I made it home to see my kids open their Easter baskets. Seeing them enjoy their candy and plush bunnies made the crazy travel worth it.

 my kids Easter morning

This was not an easy weekend, my legs took a beating, my internal time clock completely rearranged, and coffee was no match for my fatigue, with the long day of family activities on Easter. Nevertheless, I remember the quote by motivational speaker and coach Tom Krause:"Getting what you want is not nearly as important as giving what you have." I didn't run an impressive marathon time, but I gave everything I had. I gave it for Rickey.

 medal

 This is what happens when you forget the sunscreen!!