Flying out to Napa, I was full of nerves, uneasy, sure that I was about to face death itself. With these thoughts racing through my mind, the only thing to do, in good Marathon training, was to drink! I took my family and my wine maker husband to 3 iconic wineries (Domaine Carneros, Chateau Montelena & Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, not to be confused with "Stags Leap Winery") in which we were literally treated like kings. Finally it pays to be in this industry! The Napa Valley is so beautiful and with a winery every few feet, we were in Heaven...too much Heaven.
The Marathon check in welcomed us with excellent goodie bags and an expo to die over, however what made this a truly unique race experience was the full wine tasting of rotating wineries all day! It was like the mother ship calling us home. Even the hotel had a wine tasting for us every night!
With a day by the pool and an early night to bed on March 3rd, we readied ourselves for race day.
March 4th, 4:30am two alarm clocks buzzed followed by the phone ringing with our wake up call. A lump in my throat settled nicely in the pit of my stomach as I guzzled down a piping hot cup of coffee and a granola bar. We dressed in our "Fueled by Vivac" running shirts. I also dressed in a full outfit of compression gear bought the day before...yes I was about to run my 1st marathon in something I had never worn before...and yes, I know this is a bad idea. My new shoes I left on the floor opting for my tried and true ones, I'm not a complete idiot! Of course this was Jesse's idea, I would have worn the new shoes too...maybe I am an idiot, after all I was about to run myself full speed toward a heart attack.
5:15 we had a mass of runners loading onto school buses in the dark. The Napa air was cold and chilled you to the bone. We drove 40 minutes to the start of the race in Calistoga. I worked on not throwing up.
6:00 we arrive in Calistoga with about 50 other buses. The walk to the port-a-potties is long, dark and cold, really really cold. The lines at the port-a-potties is ridiculous but it gives me a chance to look around. People have already stripped down from their warm ups to their tiny race outfits despite the brain freezing cold we are shrouded in. Some have dressed themselves in trash bags to keep warm (I learn these can be dumped on the side of the road later on in the race). I realize, as I survey the crowd, that these are totally crazy people! Some are in wild weird costumes, but most are in very effective running gear that may or may not look good, but they obviously don't care, this is about results, not a fashion show. I decide to mention my observation to Jesse who quickly reminds me that I am now one of those crazy people too.
7:00am the race starts. Fog is swirling over the vineyards as the sun rises. The road curves through big trees, wineries dot the landscape, my heart pounds in my chest with adrenaline. Jesse, ever the amazing coach, reminds me to slow down, you start out of the gate too fast, you can't finish.
People have come down their driveways to play music and cheer for us, it is an unexpected pick-me-up and I realize what an asset it is to run a race with home town support. I make a mental note to run New York City or Chicago with its throngs of spectators. Then I realize I should wait to make plans for another marathon, it is only mile 8 and my legs feel tired.
Mile 16 I find Jesse's parents and my mom and dad along with our son Denim cheering. The pride I see on their faces hits me like a ton of bricks and I feel like I can run forever. I lean down to kiss our 5 year old and he yells "keep going mom! keep going!", I cried for a half mile after that.
The sun settled in the sky and the heat swarmed over our bodies, it was a little too hot for a marathon.
I continued to find the mile markers very funny since they were also posted with signs that said "donated clothing". These were the spots for runners to shed their extra layers which event staff would take to the finish line and you would hope your items would reconnect with you.
Mile 20-22 I became less than social. Jesse mused over the passing wineries, the vineyard pruning styles and the birds in the trees. I grunted.
Mile 24 I could see the end was in striking distance. Each aid station was a welcome respite as I walked for a few seconds drinking water. Starting to run again honestly feels like your fragile legs may shatter into a million pieces, yet I was able to muster only a few tears and enough effort to continue. Jesse reminded me that while I had compared running a marathon to giving birth to a child, that isn't exactly the same thing, the baby is coming out no matter what, with a marathon there IS a choice. You choose to finish it even under great duress.
As we continued the march toward the finish, I see people are on the side of the road vomiting, squatting down crying, falling apart. I slowly manage to put one foot in front of the other. I am chanting "3 more miles, 3 more miles". I start to recognize the exquisite scenery again. Holy crap, I am going to make it!
As we head down the home stretch, we again see the faces of our families beaming with pride, we take our son by the hands and all three of us run across the finish line. I am overwhelmed by the fact that I just finished my 1st marathon. I wonder if it isn't a dream. My legs are heavy and stiff, but I feel great! This has to be a dream, how on earth can I feel good? We pick up our bags and luck into a message. Everyone wants to know how it feels. I have no idea, I obviously can't feel, something is wrong with me maybe? Am I going to drop dead?
Back at the hotel, our parents surprise us with magical wines and a wonderful celebration. A little later we shower and head to the hot tub. I still feel great and now am even able to walk...and walk normally! What is going on here? Jesse and I decide the compression gear is absolutely the reason, my knee doesn't even hurt!
We reminisce with other runners about the event and everyone's experience. We laugh about what hurt and when, about the vultures that flew too low for comfort at mile 22. I smile realizing I am part of the club now, the "I can do anything club". I realize I have a sensation of pride unlike any other time in my life. It is amazing. I realize I owe this to Jesse. Jess stayed with me every step of the 5 hour 11 minute race.
There are husbands that give their wives jewels, bring home flowers and I have even heard of some that pick up their dirty socks. I don't have one of those husbands. What I have is a husband that encourages me to push myself in ways I never would on my own. A husband that in 20 degree weather rides his bike at a mere coast to cheer me on for an 18 mile run. A husband that hugged me tight at the end of this race and said "I am so proud of you. I love you so much. You are AMAZING!" I am the luckiest woman in the world, and to think, I thought he was trying to kill me with this training!
So what is next? A shorter race time that is for sure!
-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!
www.VivacWinery.com
