Bizz Johnson 26.2

Almost midnight, leaving tomorrow at 4:15am on the Super Shuttle to get to Moab. Gotta get this in while I'm thinking straight.

Bizz Johnson Trail Marathon this past weekend. 26.2 miles - all trail - running from Mason Station to Susanville winding along the Susan River in the later miles, between pine and fir trees, mostly on wide fire trails with a few notable sections across old, restored railroad bridges and through dark, cool tunnels. The smell of fall clung to the air as the first signs of yellow and gold spread across the valley. It was ideal conditions for a marathon and so it was that I lined up with the rest of the 350+ participants at 9am on Sunday to give it a go.

Amongst the mostly unidentifiable masses was Alanis Morissette, there to tackle her first marathon.

Quick rewind: Saturday morning 5 of us met in SF to caravan en masse in Troy's Toyota something. Forerunner? Truck? 2 up, 3 back and a shit ton of food and bags in the cargo space. We were locked and loaded and on the road for the 6 hour ride to Susanville. Troy (who'd first done Bizz 6-7 years ago), Dana (her first marathon although she'd done her first 50k earlier this year), Tina (her first marathon and longest distance ever), Cheyenne (not her first marathon, but her first trail marathon) and yours truly. Different paces, different goals, but all dialed in to the same race. It made for a quick drive and lively conversation as we careened through the 80 corridor across California and through Reno.

Sarah was there at registration manning the PCTR booth with her inimitable warmth and welcoming embrace. We checked in, scouted out the finish site and went back to our Best Western to kick it on a patch of grass on the edge of the parking lot American-style with a picnic of roasted chicken and pasta, courtesy of our pre-race meal strategist, Dana Katz. Cheyenne followed with dessert - how did I luck out to befriend such good traveling foodies?

This was followed by the dark hours lost to Marley and Me which I can only attribute to the jello-like state of our brains following innumerable references to Alanis lyrics (isn't it ironic??), our collective comatose digestive state and the long drive. Most of us were sleeping by 10. Some of us - ahem - were shedding a few tears as M&M came to it's obvious conclusion. Seriously, people.


Nice thing about a small marathon - as compared to say, New York - is the timeline. We were up at 6:15 and on the bus at 7:45 to start at a leisurely 9am. It was almost like indulging in coffee and the Sunday NY Times. Almost.

We happened to board the same bus as my friend, John, from the Endurables - celebrating his first marathon (although he, too, has done a 50k) and a birthday. We took pictures in the waning minutes before the start, wishing each other well, high-fiving, hoping for the best possible outcomes within our reach and trying to feel good about the collective nervous energy around us. I passed Alanis heading to the loo on her own but was too lame/cool/tired to say anything. Dur. I smiled taking note of the friends around me. Having done countless races and taken bus rides to the start on my own for many years, I had often wished to have just such a group of people that I could share the experience with and here it was. I felt very fortunate.

And then it was go time. We did a quick out/back for a mile or so before heading off on the BJ trail for the next 25 miles. Troy took off on his goal pace while I settled in to what felt comfortable just behind him. I was running with a Garmin for the first time in a marathon and while my first mile said 8:15, my 2nd said 9:38. I wasn't sure if I was reading it right or if I was just that inconsistent. As per my usual MO, I just went with what felt like the right effort for me at that moment, knowing that I'd try to ride it as long as I could before hanging on for survival.

My miles seemed to hover between 8:30's and 8:45's, assuming I was reading things right. All felt good. Altitude was around 5200 but felt nothing like the TRT 50k I'd done in the summer. Everything seemed to be going well and the miles passed relatively fast.

A quick 6 - bam. No problem. 10. Alright, out of the 20's and into the teens now. Sub-4 here I come! 13 - halfway, baby! Time to pee. 16 - just 10 miles left? Hey, I think I have a shot at going under 3:50! 18 - uh oh, can I keep this pace? 19 - just make it to 20, Sarah will be there at the aid station so that will be a boost. 20 - starting to see some 9 minute miles. Shit. I have 65 minutes to do 6+ miles - that's 10 minute miles. I can do that, can't I? 22 - okay, only one aid station to go. Run lively to that next tree than ease back on the pace for a few yards. Okay, ramp up again to that next tree. Sort of a hobbled fartlek workout. 23 - that went kind of fast. Okay. I'm back. Let's see - 34 minutes to do 3+ miles under 3:50. I can do that unless I completely implode. 24 - last aid station! 2 miles left - god, I want to stop. Balls of feet feeling tender, hip bones sore. It's so dark in this tunnel. I'm going to eat it. This is killing my pace! 25 - thank you mother of jesus, one mile left. I've totally got this! Check garmin every .10 of a mile - you're doing it! 25.5 - more than a half mile. So. Far. 26 and a turn into the woods - where is the finish line? How far is another .2? Finish line - oh god, does that clock say 1:49? Am I that close to 1:50? Pick it up, girl. Who's that cute guy just ahead of me? He's so tall. Finish - I did it! 1:49:33. I qualified for Boston! Holy hell.

Without much thought that I could do it and certainly without the kind of training I'd put into my first attempt to qualify for Boston at CIM, I'd done it. Thank you paddling, thank you Crossfit, thank you Endurables runs and pacing Rick at midnight, thank you legs, thank you lungs, thank you fate. I was elated. And soon, very stiff and in pain.

I cheered as the final runners crossed just before the timer struck 4:00 and waited as Troy and Dana came in right behind one another, then Alanis, then John, then Dana and Cheyenne. One by one they each finished, most not near their original goals but with varying degrees of satisfaction at having survived aches and pains and dwindling times. And beating Alanis. Or at least, her twin brother who was the slower sib that day.

We hung around the finish for awhile sharing stories and watching the results get posted. I congratulated Alanis on her first marathon and she said thanks and asked how many I'd done. She's a wisp of a thing - super cute. Go Canada! Troy popped in a cassette tape (sooo dating ourselves!) of Alanis - mercifully out of her earshot - and we headed out to get some real food at the Black Bear Diner where we inquired about the kinds of beers available and were told "the best kinds" after which there was a sitcom-like pause where you could almost hear a narrative voice in the distance say "wait for it" before the waitress continued "Bud, Budweiser, Heineken."

Uh, hmmm, let me think about that and get back to you.

A round of smug food orders later (hold the cheese, no fries please, can I get fruit instead of hashbrowns, no mayo, dressing on the side), we were soon sated and back on the road. Lots of good conversation and one liners populated the drive home but I can't do justice to any of them right now. SuperShuttle comes in 3+ hours - I'm going to be all sorts of sleep-deprived ugly tomorrow. Hello, Moab!

Final results showed that I placed 4th of 30 in my age group. That surprises me more than my time - trail running girls in their 40's are some of the strongest out there. A 45-50 year old woman won the woman's race with a 3:08!

So yeah, it was a great race for me personally but I think everyone came away with a good weekend vibe and the high that comes from sharing an experience like this with friends. Beautiful day, great people, great course, lots of laughs and smiles, some struggles and pain - ultimately all leading to the triumph of finishing something you started.

Congrats to all my fellow BJ peeps! See you at The North Face Challenge 50k in December!