Running on the Ragged Edge of the Western World

 
Have you ever heard the phrase "Running on the ragged edge of the western world"? If you have, then you probably know that it is the tag line for the Big Sur International Marathon in California.
 
On New Years Eve, I received the exciting news that I had been invited to run the Big Sur Marathon on April 27th.  WOW! I could hardly believe it.  I was officially registered and I would be running with my sister who ran it last year and it would be a great time.
 
I did have a few hesitations though!
1. I always thought Disney would be my first full marathon.
 
2. Just thinking about running across the Bixby Bridge makes me nervous.
 
3. Should I really be running Big Sur as my first Full Marathon. Afterall, it is ranked among the Top 15 toughest Marathons in the World
 
4. At this point ( January 2014), my longest run has only ever been 13.1 miles.
 
5. Flying to California makes me nervous ( I do love to travel and fly often, but I certainly don't have the love for it like my sister who is a flight attendant).
 
But all this aside, I'm being pretty positive about the experience for these reasons.
1. My sister had agreed to run with me at MY pace!
2. I'm already in training for a half marathon, I'll just continue my training for a full!
3. The timing is perfect. I don't have anything else planned.
 
BUT THEN.....We all know that this training did not go as planned. After The Princess Half Marathon I was severely injured. I've spent 3 months at the Chiro and in PT.  Although I just completed an 11K with little pain, I wouldn't say that I am marathon material yet.
 
 
So people keep asking me "What are you going to do about Big Sur?".  And to be completely honest, I just don't know.
 
Sometimes it's about the journey and not about how fast you can get there so part of me thinks I can still do this with a LOT of walking. And guess what? I just MIGHT be the last one to finish for real this time and I really won't care because it really is just about FINISHING!
 
BUT, the Big Sur marathon has such a slim time limit that I really don't think that I would be able to finish in the time allotted unless I was running the entire time and that I know I can not do. (Can you believe the time limit for Big Sur is LESS than Boston, and with all those hills???)
 
Of course there is the 21 miler! This race is walker friendly and you have to keep a pace of 18 mm, which I could surely do even if I walked the entire thing!  But why would I want to walk/run 21 miles by myself? I know completing 21 miles is an achievement, but I'd hate to do all those miles and not have the satisfaction of completing a marathon. I'd always think to myself "Really, you couldn't do that last 5.2 miles?".  There are races of lower distances as well. I often thought that maybe I could do one of those instead but of course there are many thoughts that go along with that as well.
 
1. Would I even be allowed to change distances ( Remember how well that worked out for me last time?).
 
2. Do I really want to go all the way to Big Sur and do a "Small-ish" race?
 
3. Do I really want to go all the way to Big Sur and not even get to run and experience the course with my sister ( which was the plan)?
 
 
So as you can see this whole running on the ragged edge of the western world has had me asking myself many questions.
 
What do you all think of the situation?
 
 
 
 
 

41 comments:

  1. Oh man... this situation is rather less-than-ideal :0( I wish I could offer some insight but I can offer support. No matter what you choose, I am 100% behind you! Can you defer it to 2015 at all? Just throwing it out there... but I plan on running the Big Sur Marathon next year :0)

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    1. Aww, Thanks for the support Lauren! Hadn't looked into deferment. That is exciting that you plan on doing it next year!

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  2. Wow - that's a tough one! I totally get wanting to be in peak shape for this one, but it's so hard to pass up the chance to experience it in whatever form you can! I would probably take the chance of going ahead and giving it a shot, just for the experience!

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    1. I keep thinking that too. This one would be such a shame to miss out on!

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  3. Oh goodness girl...what a rough situation. Sounds like you are stuck between a rock and a hard place. :0( I don't really have any advice and you probably wouldn't want to take my advice anyway because I'm incredibly stubborn...but I hope it all works out for the best! I'm behind you either way!! :0)

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    1. Thank you Karen for your support. I hate to give up such a wonderful opportunity but I also want to be smart about this and not risk further injury. Oh what to do!!!

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  4. I probably wouldn't attempt it myself, but I am very scared and terrified of doing a marathon in general! This would be a perfect reason for me NOT to do it. BUT I know I'm a big ol head case when it comes to running anyway. So what I'd do is probably 180 what YOU should do. ;) GOOD LUCK deciding!

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    1. Patty, I think you've made some pretty wise decisions! I read ya!

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  5. Would you be able to defer, and this close to the race? I'd still go on the trip because Big Sur is AMAZING, race or no race.

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    1. I have heard the scenery is amazing. It might be a possibility!

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  6. That's a hard call! But since you are injured and (I'm sure) don't want to risk further injury Big Sur as a first marathon in a few weeks may not be the way to go. You want to be strong, prepared and uninjured when you tackle your first 26.2. Is there any way you can defer? (is it too late?) Best wishes with whatever you decide!

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    1. These are the same exact thoughts that have been running in my mind too! I Haven't thought of deferment.

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  7. This is a tough cal! Running a marathon can be tough on the body and if you are not in full 100% perfect health I would be hesitant to run the Big Sur. Good luck with your decision!

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    1. Thanks! Decision making has never been a strong suite of mine!

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  8. Oh no! I say, run as much as you can but simply for the pure enjoyment of it with your sister! However, if you are not fully recovered, don't do it. You don't want to injure yourself even more & regret your decision later! Sending you good vibes!!! <3 xoxo

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    1. I do worry that I might not be able to enjoy it as much as I hoped because of the strict time limit. Thank you for the good vibes!

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  9. That's a tough decision! I'm always one to say go for it, but like you said that is a big commitment. What is the time limit, and do you know why it is so strict? Good luck with your decision making, I'll be waiting to hear what you decide!

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    1. They have to be able to open the roads because there are no other access roads along the course.

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  10. OH man - I feel ya... I'm having my own delmina about the race I'm doing in 2 weeks & that's just a pitiful half marathon - nothing at this level.
    But yeah, I would hate to do 21 miles when 26.2 seems not that much longer.
    But you shouldn't injure yourself where you're going to take longer to recover.
    I'm awful at decisions - don't ask me! :) haha I'll with you clarity & peace about your decision though.

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    1. Um, a half marathon is SUCH a Big Deal!!! I hope you make a good decision for yourself too. I'll be following along.

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  11. What a tough decision! I can see how it's tempting, but if you're still injured or coming back from injury attempting your first marathon or even 21 miles might not be the best idea. It all depends on where you are in recovery and if you really think you can do it without risking reinjury. Maybe cheer your sister on and just enjoy the trip? There's an argument to be made either way! Good luck deciding! And hope you're 100% soon!

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    1. Thank you so much Karla! You are right, I could easily talk myself in or out of this either way!

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  12. Wow! That's a tough decision! Knowing me I'd probably go for it just for the experience. But if I had the slightest worry about not being able to finish within the time limit I'd probably try to do the smaller race or look into deferring until next year. Good luck with whatever you decide!

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    1. Thanks Mindy! A smaller race would probably be ideal!

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  13. What a tough decision you have to make! If I were in your shoes, I'd steer on the side of caution and switch to the shorter distance, or if deferment is an option, try to wait until 2015 to attempt the race. Although you ran the 11k this past weekend with little pain, and you admit, you're not ready for 26.2 miles and in the long run it isn't worth it to risk further injuring yourself by crossing the start line of a race you aren't prepared for.

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    1. I guess I may have to say "There's always next year!" And hope the opportunity presents itself again!

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  14. Ugh, that's rough! I'm not sure what I'd do in your place... The biggest reason to defer would be to avoid re-injuring yourself if you think that might be a risk from pushing too hard to finish. Best of luck to you in making a tough tough choice!

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    1. I know if I did this race I wouldn't be pushing hard at all. But then that would be the reason I would risk being "Swept"...haha!

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  15. This is tough. I don't want you to get injured more than you are now. Maybe you can do it next year instead? Good luck!

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    1. Thanks Bonnie! I hope I get the same opportunities next year!

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  16. I say give it a shot, unless you really think you'd injure yourself. Even if you aren't able to finish, you can still have satisfaction knowing you tried your best (and probably went further than you ever have before), and you'll still have had the shared experience with your sister. Plus, you cold have a total mother-lifting-the-car-off-her-baby moment and surprise yourself with what you're capable of. :)

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    1. Haha! That's a great analogy Erika! I guess I "Kind of" did that at princess half this year and the consequences were not great!

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  17. Wow it is completely amazing you may get to run Big Sur!!! We drove down Route 1 on our Cali trip and it was so gorgeous. I can empathize with your situation, as you know, because I pretty much went through the same thought process when deciding on whether to run Boston this year or not. I mean, everything you just said, I was thinking! My question for you would be, are you allowed to defer? If not, write up a training plan that you think will prepare you for the race. If your chiro and PT and YOU think you can start the plan and work toward the race, do it. If there comes a point in your training where you feel like you may get injured, pull back. Adjust. It is a sucky situation to be in- the not knowing- but I know I felt better when I made a plan of attack.

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    1. Yes, the whole time you were talking about your debate to keep on with your plan to run Boston, I was struggle with these thoughts about Big Sur! Looks like you are well on your way though!

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  18. I did the 10.6 miler at Big Sur in 2011 - it has the same route as the marathon, which is why my friends and I chose it. Not going to lie, it's a hilly, tough course. And the bike marshalls were pretty strict about keeping everyone in place. We ended up walking it because I injured my ankle about a month after registering. We had a blast, but then, we weren't trying to beat the sweepers. It was a super fun event...can you drop down to that distance, possibly?

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    1. I see that distance in now sold out, so I bet not. I'm gonna do a little research though. Glad to see that you walked it and still didn't get picked up! What did you mean by "you weren't trying to beat the sweepers"? Isn't that always the plan?

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    2. Here's the link to my recap of the race: http://www.myjourneytofit.com/2011/05/big-sur-106-miler-recap.html

      I checked my Garmin stats and it looks like we finished in 3:25 - yeah, we had a good time walking it, that's for sure! I mean we weren't trying to beat the sweepers because we knew we'd finish in plenty of time since the marathoners would be out there for a while. Too bad it's sold out - it was a nice way to do that route without having to run a marathon.

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    3. Thank you! I will definitely check it out!

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  19. The Big Sur Marathon is one of my top 5 favorites. I know I will get a lot of rolled eyes for saying this, but having run the Disney World Marathon and Big Sur, on a scale of 1-10 I would give the Disney race a 5, and Big Sur a 10.
    It's not that I don't like Disney, because I do, the atmosphere is just so different it's really hard to compare the two.
    If you love looking at scenery of Disney characters and rides and seeing lots of runners dressed as characters then that is what you get at Disney. But if you like breathtaking mountains and cliffside views, listening to the ocean waves crash in, and thrive on a bit of a challenge then you'll love Big Sur.
    Yes, Big Sur has some crazy hills, but they are awesome and really give the race the things that help set it apart from many others. I love hills, and prefer marathons that have them. I always say the hills are not really anything to cringe on, the downhill is the hard part, as they are great quad killers:) LOL But if you have good form for downhill running, they won't bother you too much.
    Yes, it has a shorter time limit but there are a few things to consider. If it's your first marathon, you'll have a lot more adrenaline to push you harder than you will if it was your 2nd, LOL (I'm not kidding about that either, your first marathon gives you a little edge of energy that is different and sometimes can carry you through better than others:)
    I always rave about this race, I would do this one again in a heartbeat.
    A few other things to consider. Disney, you'll have to get up at like 2am and will be sitting at the starting line for hours before the race starts. Big Sur, you can get up at a closer to decent hour and you won't be sitting around forever at the start:) Big Sur may be smaller in comparison to Disney, but its a great medium size race, you won't feel like it is small, you'll still have lots of amazing runners around you and less costumes, but runners with just as much pride and energy.
    The time limit, you just have to get past the slide point, which if memory serves is around mile 22. Then if you want you can take it easy the rest of the way in:) - Sorry for the Novel:)-

    But in all honesty, go with what your gut tells you to do! You know what you like and don't like about races and the scenery you like to run through. If Disney is in your heart and it's the only race you can see yourself running as your first marathon, then hold off for Disney.
    But if your heart has room for the wide open space of mountains and ocean and you've been able to get a few long runs in already of at least 18 miles this year. Then go for Big Sur, and celebrate your first marathon finish with an encore at a future Disney race:)
    If you want me to give you a link to my Big Sur race recap, let me know and I'll share it with ya:) Good luck with your tough decision, go with what your heart and gut tell you:) I look forward to hearing what you decide!

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    1. Thank you for such a heartfelt response. I have sent you a message back!

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    2. :) You are smart to listen to your body, with IT all that downhill might be too much on the injury right now. Good luck getting that injury completely healed!

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