Race Number One in my dirty dozen for the next twelve months will be Sacramento's California International Marathon on December 7th. It will be a repeat appearance but hopefully not a repeat performance.
The weather the first time I ran CIM was beautifully clear and crisp. No, "crisp" would not be the word. The word would be "frigid"! And me without gloves. I'll have them next time.
The course is notoriously fast, and I am sure many PRs are set here. I would imagine it's fertile ground for those hoping to qualify for Boston. Things were fine, other than the boredom of Fair Oaks Boulevard, until mile 17 when, I am sure, a competitor pulled a knitting needle from his/her fanny pack and shoved it through my right knee. Okay, it just felt like it. I would be setting no records this day, personal or otherwise.
The searing pain dogged me all the way in to the finish line, where my brother and his kids were waiting...and waiting...and waiting...for the Old Man to come cruising in. Instead, he wobbled across, swearing CIM was one race he would never run again. Never!
I'm going to try it again, believing I'm in much better shape now than I was then. I weigh about 15 pounds less than I did the first time. I've also completed 15 other marathons since then, so I think I've got the mental chops to handle the Fair Oaks Boulevard stretch, if not happily, at least without fighting it so much.
Gotta run!
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