Marathon Post #1

I don't feel too steady on my feet
I feel hollow I feel weak
Passion fruit and holy bread
Fill my guts and ease my head
Through the early morning sun
I can see her here she comes
-The Stone Roses

San Diego 2013. An adventure in marathoning. How to document? I think I will organize this the same way that the race fans experienced it. And by race fans, I mean the only two that I know. I saw our fans at mile 5.5, 17, and the finish line. So what follows will be the story of the first part of the race.

The morning started with two really good decisions. First, I decided not to eat the cream cheese glob that was jammed in the center of my 7-11 bagel. Second, we took a cab to the start line. We were planning to walk, since there would be so many street closures, but when we saw the cab sitting right outside the hotel, it was clear there was only one thing to do.

With 30 minutes to go before race time, I decided I had plenty of time to stand in the port-a-john line - which turned out to be not true. I listened to the National Anthem in line, dealt with a line cutter trying to refuse another line cutter, and barely made it out before the race started. And so, with no time to survey the landscape, I did not go to my correct corral and just jumped in wherever I could (which turned out to be in front of where I was supposed to be). And so, I did not see Ran Dumb Thoughts until the race was over.

Despite all that confusion, the race started well. Until about mile 1.5, when I fell down. That's right. I fell down. There was about a 1 inch lip of concrete that I didn't see. I'm not sure why I wasn't picking my feet up high enough to clear it anyway, but down I went. I hopped back up and realized I was OK with a very minor cut on my right hand, a very minor scrape on my right knee, a small scratch on my iPod, and a huge amount of embarrassment. This would be the perfect time to quit - except that I am not Chris Bosh or any member of the Ottawa Senators (yes, that means you Radek Bonk) - and so my goal was not to find a reason to quit.

So I continued on. Around mile 4, "This is Letting Go" by Rise Against came on and I felt invincible. I ran through Petco Park and then through the part of downtown that we had explored over the weekend. I felt really good. About the time that "Hysteria" by Def Leppard was ending (that's right - there's always a place for a hair band or two on the playlist), I saw the fans and had a quick conversation. We were off to a really good start. I felt good, hadn't had any dead leg problems, and the playlist was perfect. I really enjoyed hearing The Stone Roses (She Bangs The Drums), Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (Hysterical), and Better Than Ezra (Wallflower). All good.