For the last marathon of 2023, we headed out west to run the California International Marathon. CIM is a fast and hilly course, starting in Folsom and ending in Sacramento, with 20 miles of rolling hills before it flattens out after mile 21. This net downhill course is popular with Boston Qualifiers and Olympic Trial Qualifiers, but it is by no means easy, especially for those of us who train in pancake-flat Chicago!
Janet's Recap
Those who know me well know that I was in a very weird headspace heading into CIM. I always have a bit of taper madness, but it had also been an unusually long 26-week training cycle - I started the summer training program with CES the first week of June, then added an additional 8 weeks for CIM. My body was tired, and sure enough, I got sick 4 weeks out from race day and ended up taking almost 2 weeks off running as I could not stop coughing. Even after recovery, my heart rate was very erratic, and kept jumping up every time I ran up an incline. To be honest, I was dreading the 20 miles of hills that awaited me at CIM. We had done 2 weekend runs at Morton Arboretum, but I didn't know if that was enough.
Travel, Hotel & Logistics
We took a Friday morning flight from Chicago to Sacramento - I think half the plane was filled with CIM runners! After landing, we took a quick 15-minute Uber ride to the Hyatt Regency in downtown Sacramento. The hotel was fantastic and ready for runners to arrive – they checked us in early, welcoming us with snack bags filled with water, electrolytes, banana and earplugs. The location was perfect - across the street from the Expo at the Convention Center, and around the corner from the bus pickup on race day. All the restaurants we visited were within walking distance. We would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone running CIM!
Places to Eat
We hit up quite a few places in our efforts to carb-load - all within a mile walking distance:
Saigon Alley Kitchen & Bar – This minimalist modern Vietnamese restaurant just a few blocks from the Hyatt served up the perfect post-plane ride meal – warm and filling pho noodles in rich, flavorful broth. I enjoyed the tofu and veggie version in a vegan broth, while Zhenya and our friends tried the more traditional ones with beef broth thinly sliced ribeye. It definitely hit the spot.
Il Fornaio – This upscale Italian restaurant chain is located inside the Capitol Mall. We were treated to festive holiday decorations and an expansive pizza and pasta menu. They kept bringing basketfuls of warm, fresh baked Italian bread and we must have gone through 4 loaves between the 4 of us. But it was carb-loading season, and we ate all the bread, the bruschetta, the pizzas and the pastas!
Old Soul – This cute, industrial looking coffee shop is located in a hidden alley and recommended by a Sacramento local. After a chilly CIM shakeout run, the hot coffee was on point and the food was even better. I enjoyed whole wheat toast with banana, peanut butter and honey (literally my favorite meal!) and Zhenya had a delicious looking egg sandwich. Afterwards, I visited their fresh-baked pastry case for an oatmeal raisin cookie for dessert. I take my carb-loading very seriously.
Adamo’s – This small, family run Italian restaurant in Midtown is a local favorite. The moment we walked in, we could tell by the steaming plates of pasta all around us that the food would be good. While the pastas were delicious, the service was slow. I think they were a bit overwhelmed by the volume of people (nearly all runners carb-loading the night before a marathon) and were not equipped to handle it. After waiting nearly an hour, our entrées finally came. It was delicious but we ate quickly and headed back to the hotel. After all, we had a 3am wakeup time the next morning!
Race Morning
The alarm went off at 3am, but I had already been awake, too nervous to actually look at my watch, hoping to get that extra hour of half-sleep. I finally got up, had a cup of tea, ate my Maurten bar while watching the mile-by-mile video of the CIM course the organizers had posted on the website (along with tips for how to tackle each segment.) At 4:30am, we loaded onto the bus that would take us to the start line in Folsom. I ate a banana as I sat in the darkness, feeling the palpable tension in the air. Unlike the world majors, which featured 50,000 runners and large a mix of people – elites, charity runners, first timers – the CIM runners all seemed to have a specific goal in mind, whether it was a BQ, an OTQ, or a PR time.
After the 45-minute bus ride, we arrived at the start area. Getting off the bus, we were treated to an endless row of porta-potties. There were only 10,000 runners at CIM, so my immediate thought was “Wow, one per person?!” I headed to the Fleet Feet tent to meet our friends from Chicago. The tent was warm, filled excited runners, and cheerful volunteers handing out water, coffee and bagels. After a chat and some group pictures, we headed out to the corrals just outside the tent. The sun was starting to rise as we waited for the 7am start time.
The Marathon
Miles 1-8
I decided to start with the 4:30 pace group – as all advice was to start slow and controlled, or else risk blowing up on the hills. My plan was to stay with the 4:30's for the first 13 miles to get through the toughest hills, then leave them in the second half. The pacers Liz and Beth were fantastic, reminding us constantly to slow down on the uphill and to relax our arms and let gravity do the work as we headed downhill. They also told cheesy jokes to keep us entertained and it was much appreciated!
Miles 8-13
The first few miles had gone by quickly - it felt like a relaxed Saturday long run. I thought I was doing fine until around mile 8, during a sharp uphill, when I glanced at my Garmin and noticed my heart rate was jumping to 190. Although my legs were not tired, I was getting a bit lightheaded. This erratic heart rate situation had been happening since I got sick 4 weeks ago. It was getting warmer and I started to worry I was dehydrated. (I think stressing over my heart rate was making me more stressed!) I started drinking more from my handheld bottle and popping salt tabs, stopping at every water station to refill my bottle to the top.
Miles 13-21
Just after crossing Mile 13.1, I left the 4:30 pace group per plan. I ran most of this stretch with Heather, a new ultra-running friend I had made along the way. We settled into our own race pace for the next 8-10 miles, as she shared with me her ultra-running adventures (she ran the Javelina 100! In 27 hours! By herself!) Although the hills in this stretch were less intense than the first half, they kept coming, just in the guise of more gentle rollers. I started to feel the impact of the hills on my quads…just before mile 20, I popped that Extra Strength Tylenol I had saved in my pocket.
Miles 21-24
The last ‘hill’ is the J Street bridge, and I could hear myself breathing harder as I ran up this last incline. After the bridge, the course flattens out as we head into downtown Sacramento. We finally see the 4:20 group ahead of us and we catch up to them. I stayed with them for about 5 minutes, until one of the pacers tripped on a light reflector and nearly knocked me over. (Light reflectors jutting up half an inch from the ground ran all along the entire course.) I decided to leave the 4:20's and go my own for the rest of the race.
The Last Mile & Finish
The last 2 miles were the hardest for me, perhaps because I was running by myself. I almost need the distraction of other people. I tried to get my Spotify tempo playlist going, but the music that ended up playing was Ed Sheeran, which is just NOT the type of music I want to hear in the last miles of a marathon. I shut off the music and just ran without. I was so tempted to walk but I kept hearing Zhenya’s voice in my head to “Just keep running! Don’t stop!” Just before mile 26, I saw Zhenya, Sam, and Anthony cheering me on and that gave me the final boost I needed.
Near the finish line, there were 2 sharp left turns, which really annoyed me (I avoid sharp turns because they aggravate my IT band.) At that point, I was DONE, and rather than smile for the cameras at the finish line, I just charged across. I might have looked a bit pissed off in my finish line photos!
In the end, I ran a PR of 4:18:20, taking 25 minutes off my London Marathon time 7 months earlier. My goal was between 4:15 and 4:30 so I was happy with the result. I had been so scared of running a hilly marathon but I was glad I pushed myself to do it, and happy my friends had encouraged me to sign up.
Zhenya's Recap
CIM was my 5th and final marathon of 2023. Earlier in the year I was selected to be one of the race ambassadors and I was very excited to be able to host a CIM training kick off run in July and share some CIM swag with the Chicago running community.
The marathon weekend came up so quickly. I couldn't believe I ran NYC marathon only 4 weeks prior. When we left Chicago it was cold and rainy, and I am not going to lie I was dreading the travel and the weekend. But as soon as we landed in sunny Sacramento, my mood shifted instantly and I was so happy to just be in California.
CIM was my 3rd marathon in California (I ran LA Marathon in 2021 and Big Sur earlier this year). What can I say, I love that state. As much as I enjoyed the sunshine and the palm trees, mentally and physically I was pretty beat. I knew CIM wasn't going to be a PR course for me (even though I initially planned it that way). Having done multiple marathons in one year/season for a number of years now, I know that it is easier for me to PR/run strong the 1st marathon out of the cycle, and maybe I should've gone all out in Chicago, I am, however, happy with all of my race results and 2023 not being a PR year.
Friday Night - Meeting Deena Kastor
Friday night we went to Fleet Feet Sacramento to meet Deena Kastor. I've read her book and received my Chicago medal from her in 2022. It was really nice to hear her speak in a more of an intimate environmemt. Our friend Minji was there with her whole fam, as well as my friend Carolyn who I met earlier this year in Boston. It was so great to hear from Deena and see all of our friends.
Saturday Morning - Shake Out Run
Saturday morning we headed across the street for the official CIM + BPN shakeout run. There were so many people there! We were able to say hi to a few influencers from Instagram, other CIM ambassadors and meet new people. The 2 mile easy shekeout run took us through the city, to Old Town Sacramento and back. It was really fun to run in a new place.
I spent the rest of Saturday afternoon in a hot tub, resting, reading and eating. I still had no plan for Sunday and even though I watched the course preview, I still didn't know what to expect.
Marathon Day
Sunday morning came before I knew it. I rolled out of bed at 3:50 or so. Made coffee for the bus. Braided my hair. Ate something. I think it was a banana and a bar? I am really not sure. Around 4:20 am I went down to the 2nd floor of the hotel to meet with the VIP coordinator who showed us to our buses. Minji was my bus buddy and we sat together chatting the morning away. The drive to Folsom was uneventful.
Once at the start we were shown to the VIP area, which is insife a Cross Fit gym, there was more coffee there, as well as gels, bagels and bananas. I definitely had a bagel and a banana there! The best part of the VIP area were the private bathrooms. Something was going on with my stomach, and I was constantly going in and out. I think I went a total of 4 times.
Due to some of the buses arriving late, the marathon had a delayed start of 7:10am. A LeAnn Rimes recording was played for the national anthem, but the way they introduced it made it seem like the real LeAnn Rimes was there! She was not. (We later learned the anthem was supposed to be sung by a high school student, but they apparently didn't feel like waking up early that day!)
Because of the delayed start, Minji and I were some of the last ones to leave the VIP area. Fortunately we were able to get into the corral and get as close to the 3:30 pacer as we could. I didn't really care where I was going to be, as I knew it was a smaller race and streets wouldn't be as packed as NYC or Chicago. Minji, however had a goal of 3:30, so we maneuvered our way through the crowd. I personally hate doing that, as my biggest pet peeve is when people do it at music festivals, like Lollapalooza. Yet here we were. I would like to formally apologize to anyone I pissed off that morning.
The marathon began and somehow my watch didn't start. I caught that about 1/4 mile in, restarted the watch and started knocking out the miles. Below are my splits, they are not actual CIM splits because my watch was off.
Miles 1-2: 7:45 and 7:44 - perfect
Miles 3-6: 7:28, 7:35, 7:29, 7:31 - as I look at this data now, I was going way faster than I should have on those hills. I don't remember going this fast and honestly thought I was still in the 7:45 range. And this is why my best races are run with a pacer, I don't have an internal metronome nor can I pace myself.
Mile 7: 7:23
Mile 8: 7:29 - For someone with no goal, I definitely didn't know what I was doing. I think subconsciously I was hoping to PR and beat my 3:14:48 time from Berlin 2022, but I also knew that physically and most importantly, mentally, I was tired.
Mile 9: 7:41 - back on the original imaginary track
Mile 10 and 11: were they downhill? (question mark because I truly can't remember) 7:18 and 7:11 which I am going to regret later
Mile 12: 7:25
Mile 13-17: 7:45, 7:55, 8:14, 7:58, 8:02 - the regret
Mile 18: 19 8:18, 8:21 - more regret
Mile 20: 12:45 - walking never felt so good
Mile 21: 10:15 - walking is amazing
Mile 22-26: 9:37, 8:57, 9:18, 8:58, 8:48 - back to running, let's finish this
3:37:42, my 11th marathon was finally over. I remember the most random things from that day:
The woman dressed up as a fairy who was waving her magic wand - I saw her 3 times
How big the dogs were the first 5 miles - people were spectating with these massive husky/giant bear dogs that were amazing
The woman who was telling us to thank the trees for the oxygen they were producing
The street preachers who told meat least 3 times that I was going to hell if I didn't repent then and there
The guy dressed up as Jesus holding "The end is near sign"
Seeing Sam and Sarah on the course
How pretty East Sacramento is and how I wanted to rewatch the movie Lady Bird
Right after crossing the finish line, I was escorted to the Sutter Club for the VIP post-race resort. I got my gear check, said hi to a few people, drank some pineapple juice, grabbed a water and went to meet up with Anthony and Sam so we could cheer on Janet.
As soon as I got back to the hotel, I was in that hot tub. And all I can remember saying is I am so glad it is over!
The next day we left for San Francisco. As tough as walking those hills were, I think they did magic for my recovery!
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