The Beauty in Failure
My 2022 Santa Rosa Marathon Race Recap
On Sunday, August 28, 2022 I ran The Santa Rosa Marathon. I entered the race with high hopes of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. While the goal was not achieved, I write this to shed light on the positive aspects that came with the journey, to share my review on race production and to share plans moving forward.
Enjoy!
Race Review
Welcome to the latest edition of Running On Ayers which is the blog documenting my journey from a collegiate long and triple jumper to a Boston Qualifying Marathon Runner.
On Sunday, I ran The Santa Rosa Marathon for the first time.
My overall opinion of the race production can be summed up by simply saying, I look forward to running this race again.
The race that was put on by Ventures Endurance who assembled a production team that was absolutely phenomenal. The race expo, which took place at the Santa Rosa Sports Basement, was well organized. There was a natural flow to the process that prevented crowding while encouraging shopping.
The swag included with entry cost at The 2022 Santa Rosa Marathon was absolutely phenomenal. It included a gorgeous running jacket, a very special bottle of wine labelled specifically to commemorate the race and so much more.
The start/finish line area was well organized and easily accessible to runners as well as spectators.
The course, which started in the downtown area of the city before travelling along the beautiful Santa Rosa Creek trail which was laced with vineyards and beautiful views of the water.
The volunteers along the course and talented pacers that I was privy to meet were friendly. The crowd support was surprisingly plentiful.
The post run party was packed with great food options, a plethora of beer. With my complimentary drink tickets, I chose the Henhouse Brewing Company’s tall can.
They had created a commemorative design especially for the race. Part of me wishes that I would have realized this before I cracked it open, but after tasting it, I don’t regret the decision.
Special thank you to Ventures Endurance, The City of Santa Rosa and all the volunteers that helped make this amazing race possible.
Race Recap
Now let’s rewind a bit. This race was a busy one for me. I was attempting to run a marathon faster than I ever had while advertising for the newest Actively Pursuing Goals clothing launch. In hindsight, I probably bit off more than I could chew, but we’ll get to that.
My wife and I arrived on Saturday afternoon. After a quick bite to eat, we headed to Sports Basement to pick up my race bib from the expo. Once accomplished, my wife and I then proceeded to walk through the parking lot placing fliers for Actively Pursuing Goals on every car. According to Garmin I took over 17,000 steps that day which equates to nine miles. In full transparency, I did run five miles Saturday morning leaving four miles of walking through parking lots and talking to runners. I had a great time, but in hindsight, it was probably a bit too much time on my feet. If you are interested in checking out the new products we’ve added visit our store here.
After resting for a little while at a great hotel we found that was less than two miles from the start/finish line, we headed across town to an Italian restaurant called Riviera Ristorante for the traditional carb load. Our experience there was great. We met some other runners and enjoyed the ambiance. Unfortunately, my appetite didn’t allow me to enjoy the food. I often have trouble eating the day before I race, so I left the restaurant with most of my meal in a doggy bag.
By this point it was almost 9pm. I initially had planned to pick up some items for breakfast but I was spent and just wanted to lay down so I committed to grabbing something on my way to the starting line in the morning. BIG MISTAKE…
The race began at 6:30am. I left the hotel at about 5am. After perusing around town looking for something open, I decided to just head to the starting line in hopes to find something to eat there. I was able to park less than two blocks away from the finish line. A Starbucks was located there, but unfortunately was not yet open for business. As the clock ticked on I convinced myself that I had enough fuel in the tank and to stop worrying about it. I had been fueling for this race for over a week so a last minute muffin and banana shouldn’t make that much of a difference, right? Wrong again…
I started the race with the 3:10 pacer. I felt good. The pace felt extremely easy for me so by mile six I opted to move up to meet the 3:05 folks.
I trailed the pack from mile six through mile eighteen, but I was still feeling great so I opted to pass the 3:05 pacer in quest for the 3:00 crew. This was the beginning of the end.
After leaving the pace group I found myself in a void. My body began to feel the pain of the preceding miles.
My cuads were on fire and ready to cramp but I did my best to relax and keep good form. By mile twenty I was alone. I couldn’t see another runner in front of me or behind me. I felt like a stray animal searching for his pack in hopes to locate them before my predator located me. My predator was fatigue and it found me at about mile twenty one. I went from 7 minute miles to 8:05 by mile 22. By mile 23 I was almost at 9min/mi pace. Mile 24 was mostly walking where I suffered through an 11:08 pace.
The race was almost over, but my lack of fuel had caught up to me. The choice to leave the 3:05 group and not to hunt down the morning fuel had come back to bite me and I hobbled through the rest of the race just trying to make it to the finish line before being devoured.
I finished the race in 3:16:20; almost exactly 1 minute slower than I ran in March.
I came into this race in better shape and confident that I could achieve my Boston Qualifying time, but failed to complete the mission.
There’s a lot of factors that goes into marathon running.
While I was prepared in so many ways, there were others that I had neglected to factor in. These would include: fueling, resting the day before and having the patience to stick with the pace group. I learned each of these lessons the hard way and share them in hopes that you don’t have to do the same.
While partly disappointed, I’m thankful for the lessons I learned because I know that they’ll help me grow. I’m eternally grateful for my family for coming to support me in this journey. My wife helping me pass out fliers and taking care of me after the race. I’m grateful. It’s a blessing to have people who support you. Always be sure to to give thanks for those who come to your races. Their commitment and love is immeasurable.
Moving Forward
Qualifying for the 2023 Boston Marathon is no longer possible. The window to qualify closes in days and running another marathon in less than a few weeks is something that I’m not prepared to attempt. The goal now is to look forward to 2024.
Next Race Options
California International Marathon (CIM) 12/04/2022
I’ve had the opportunity to run CIM twice before. At the time I wasn’t in good enough shape to even attempt at a BQ but CIM is a phenomenal race that has been going on for over three decades. The positives about this race are that it’s a net downhill race as well as one of the highest percentages of Boston Qualifiers in the nation. The negative of this race is that the race is currently at capacity and to enter, I’d have to sign up for a charity bib which would cost over $275, which is more than I want to pay but hey, that’s what happens when you wait until the last minute to sign up for a race.
Honolulu Marathon 12/11/2022
Option #2 is the Honolulu Marathon. I’ve always wanted to take my wife to Hawaii. The course looks relatively flat and looks like a great opportunity to BQ. With flight and accommodations it’s sure to outweigh the late registration costs of CIM, but let’s be honest, the trip alone would be worth it!
Oakland Marathon (ORF) 03/19/2023
Option #3 would be to return to the Oakland Marathon in March but…sigh…do I really want to wait until March?!? The Oakland Marathon is an awesome race that I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of several times. The positives are that ORF is where I set my marathon PR earlier this year. The negatives would include the changes to the course that I experienced in 2022 and the fact that I wouldn’t have a chance to try to BQ for over six months.
What Are Your Thoughts?
There’s a lot of things to take into consideration and I’m weighing all options. What are your thoughts? Which race would you pick in this situation and why? I look forward to hearing your opinions in the comments below.
I believe that everything in life happens for a reason. We live to learn, grow and to teach and I’m happy to be able to do all three through this journey.
Thank you for reading and I implore you to
#EnjoyTheJourney
#EnjoyTheProcess
and Enjoy Pursuing Your #GOALS
Coach A
