done!

We did it!!

Running the 2010 Nike Women’s marathon was an incredible experience.

Luckily we found out at the last minute that if you did the early start (5:30am as we had planned), you would be prevented from running any faster than a 17 minute mile!!  They had policemen on motorcyles that wouldn’t let you run any faster than that, which would have been so frustrating!  We knew we were going to take the run slow – but not that slow.  So we decided to start with everyone else at 7:00am.

I had a great sleep the night before, and felt really good when I woke up.  I met my running buddies Ted and Maha, and we headed to Union Square to the start line.  It was amazing to see all those people in Union Square before the sun rose!

Maha and Josie in Union Square near startline

It only took about 12 minutes to cross the start line – we were on our way running at 7:12am.

The course is an absolutely gorgeous one that goes past some wonderful parts of San Francisco. You get to see Alcatraz, the Golden Gate bridge, Ocean Beach, Golden Gate Park, Lake Merced and many many other wonderful sights. This is the map from my Garmin.

Map of Nike Course

We started out at a fairly slow pace – but still we were on the Embarcadero before we knew it. Right from the start the 3 of us were on track with our 5 minute run 1 minute walk intervals. The first big hill was between Aquatic Park and Fort Mason, and we power walked up it. After that we were running past Crissy Field, and shortly after encountered our second major climb in the Presidio. Certainly the view of the Golden Gate Bridge helped take our minds off the hill.

Presidio Hill

The cheering along the course was amazing. When you are wearing the TNT purple shirt you get even more cheers, and it was great to see our mentors, coaches and captains out there supporting us.

You never forget the cause as you are running – many people are wearing photos of loved ones running in memory of or in honor of. Additionally you run past many signs that provide great inspiration including ones that tell the story of those who have been cancer free for many years. It’s a great reminder of why we are doing this, and makes you realize that the pain and exhaustion you are dealing with is nothing compared to what these families have had to go through.

After the Presidio we ran toward Ocean Beach.

Ocean Beach

Then it was in to Golden Gate park. I thought this part was going to be particularly challenging, as this was where the half marathoners split off to cross their finish line. But we really had been pacing ourselves well and we were ready to continue, and having the half marathoners shout out ‘Good Luck Marathoners’ was wonderful. Golden Gate park had a good amount of downhill sections and we sped down those. One part of Golden Gate park was an out and back, and we were able to see many of our running buddies as they were coming back the other way.

After Golden Gate park we headed down Ocean Highway, and ended up at Lake Merced. This was probably the most challenging part of the run – it was from mile 19 to 23 and going around the lake took a long time. Ted, Maha and I were still together – not exactly engaging in conversation but it was so special having them close. We also saw even more of our TNT people around the lake which was much appreciated. Maha had an amazing group of people out supporting her- including her husband and kids, brothers, friends and cousins. It was wonderful to see them cheering her on, and they helped Ted and me keep going too.

The three of us stayed together until close to mile 22, and after that Maha and I were able to continue to run together until the end. That last stretch of Ocean Highway was a challenge, but one thing that made it more bearable was the promise of an upcoming walk break! Having a walk break after every 5 minutes is a good way of breaking up the course, and certainly reduces the monotony.

Finally we saw the end! Maha and I had a strong finish, and it felt great to cross that finish line.

Maha and Josie just after finish line

You can see that we are holding our little blue boxes with our medals – it is a beautiful souvenir of the run.

Finisher Medal

After some much appreciated sandwiches and drinks at the TNT tent, we hobbled over to the massage tent, where students from the National Holistic Institute’s Massage Therapy school were offering free massages – heavenly.

We finished around 5:46 – here is the summary:

Summary stats

and pacing:

and other random photos from the race:

It took quite a few days to stop hobbling, but now it’s time to think about the next event! I’m not sure I’ll do a marathon again, but some more half marathons and maybe even a tri might be in the future.

I highly recommend training for a marathon or other endurance event through TNT. The support is amazing, they really do train you to finish, and I have met some great friends -thank you TNT!

Wonderful TNT buddies