Latest reviews by Christopher Malenab

(2013)
"CIM my 7th time around "
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

With a 7:00AM start time I had my alarm set at 3:45AM to get myself enough time to get up get a bite and make my way out of the door. Before heading to the start line I met with my running club at the finish line area in Sacramento. From there a party bus would take us to the start line area in Folsom, where we could hangout in the bus until moments before the start.

After the well wishes to other team members, a quick trip to the porto, and a throw of my gear in the sweat check truck, I was now ready to make my way to the start. I would linger between the 3:05 and the 3:10 signs moving to keep warm. While in this area, the groups started to fill together and pacers started to take their spot.

Boom we were now off and started our 26.2-mile journey to the state Capitol! The morning start temperatures were between 25-28 degrees, so I opted to run with a face mask to cover the lower portion of my face, I also had arm sleeves, gloves, a beanie, and long sleeve to shed somewhere along the course.

For me the key to tackling a happy time in this race was to run smart. That I did, in the first mile alone I ran nearly 35 seconds slower than marathon pace, to allow for a warm-up without making too many squiggly movements getting around other runners. Knowing the course a little all too well, I knew I would be able to quickly make up the time with a couple faster miles within the first 8 miles.

By the 8-mile mark I was running around the 7:06/mi pace, which is where I wanted to be. For me keeping it comfortable was going to be the key a successful race. The goal wasn't run a fast first half and hold on for dear life for the second. My training and time invested into this race wasn't designed for that strategy, it was about running fairly close to even splits between the first half and the second half. I crossed the 13.1-mile timing mat at time of 1:33:22, I was very happy with this. I was feeling good, the only issue at this point was the cold and wither to dump the long sleeve top at this point.

I opted to stay layered up for 3.5-miles more where I ended up shedding the top long sleeve around the 16.5-mile aid station. I remember this because one of the marathon supporters yelled at me "Yeah baby take it all off", I laughed when I heard that. I still opted to keep the gloves, arm sleeves, beanie and face mask. These items would stay on through the duration of the race.

After shedding my top layer, I wanted to focus on each and every mile at this point, but rather the course in chunks. From here my goal was to stay comfortable and get to mile 21. Little chunks allow me to just run off of feel rather than being overly concerned with pace, there were stretches where I would pick it up and stretches I would run a little slower. This strategy would pay off.

Getting over the final bridge at H Street would get me into East Sacramento, Mid Town, and then finally into Downtown Sacramento. These to me are the easy miles in regards to running with extra energy. The course is lined with tons of onlookers, supporters, friends and family. I saw plenty of familiar faces that would cheer me onto the finish. After a left hand turn then a quick right onto L Street, it would be time to keep pushing these last few miles.

From 20th Street to the finish seemed like an eternity only because at this point I started to count down the blocks rather than kept in mind I was in the home stretch. Finally the 26-mile marker was visible, and I would just be a couple turns away from crossing the finish.

I gave it a good final push to the finish line and saw I was going to get under the 3:10 marathon time, which for me is my new Boston Marathon qualifying time since I will be 35 years old on race day in 2015! Finish line crossed with an official time of 3:09:25, 35 seconds under my BQ! My first marathon time that met the Boston Qualifying standards.

After crossing the finish line, I quickly found my father-in-law who was awaiting my finish, where he had a phone ready for me so I could call my wife with the great news. I suggest to my wife that she stayed at home with our son due to the cold temperatures that they would have to stand in at the finish line area.

With the 17th marathon medal around my neck, I layered up with my gear and even headed to my car where I kept some extra layers. After getting warm it was time to go celebrate with my running clubs finish line tent, with some beer and soup. When I got there I would find out that many of my running club teammates ran personal best and achieved their BQ standards! One of our team members is a CIM streaker and he would finish his 31st California International Marathon! Great job Ernie.

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(2013)
"#TSFM2013"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

I have completed 4 TSFMs in a row, I will be returning for 2014 to make it 5! I love everything about this race from traveling into a city I enjoy running in to the post race festivities and everything in between. I know most people are concerned about the hills, but the hills aren't as bad as people would think. Take the time to look at the course profile. The variation of climbs, downs and flats make it for a comfortable race for those that don't favor just flat. Personally I do much better on courses that engage different muscles groups over the 26.2 distance.

The race also offers a 5k, 2 different half marathons routes, a 26.2 and 56.4 mile distance. The expo, swag and finish line bling are also part of the enjoyment of this event. It truly is one race that every marathoner should do in their lifetime.

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(2012)
"when it rains ... it pours ... 2012 the year of the rain"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

The 30th running of the California International Marathon happened on Sunday December 2, 2012. As expected the storm was ready to attempt to ruin the day for all of us who planned to tackle the 26.2 miles from Folsom to the Capitol in Sacramento, CA. However, those who had this mission of taking on the marathon did not let Mother Nature "rain" on a runner's parade. The race had so many elements during the course of the event that most runners could not explain or prepare for what needed to be done before the race. I will bring the course and the marathon into more detail a little later in the blog. As many of you know a marathon weekend is more than just showing up to a starting line and running, there are a lot of steps and procedures that go into the run before the "gun" goes off.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, Friday was when the marathon expo started and that is when I did the "runner" thing and picked up my goodies. However, Saturday was a little bit different for me as it was the first time I ever had to work a booth at a runner's expo. Outside of my social network interactions promoting and talking about The San Francisco Marathon, working the booth was my first assignment as an ambassador for the marathon. This was an awesome experience as I was able to talk to runners about a great course, while others came up and talked about the course themselves discussing how much they loved the event, some of those where so excited they jumped towards the opportunity to register and receive a $10 discount at the CIM Expo.

While working the booth that morning, I was able to meet other SFM2013 Ambassadors who I have been chatting with and getting to know online over the course of the last few months. Along with working with Laura at the booth, I was able to meet Meg and Charlie during the expo. Both Charlie and Meg PR'd during the CIM, with Charlie finishing at a smoking time of 2:44 (YES FOLKS 2 HOURS 44 MINUTES).

After my assigned shift for the booth, I was able to catch one of the presentations during the expo in the expo hall next door to the vendors. This was one chat I was looking forward to. Since my goal going into the race was to earn a Boston Qualifying time of 3:05:00, I thought perhaps it would be good to know who the pacer is and what his plan was. The plan to attack the weather sounded like a good one considering that the group was pretty big, and I could benefit from this with drafting off others and return the favor at other moments in the race. I left the expo feeling confident and was ready to take on whatever Mother Nature had to offer come Sunday morning. However, I think she knew what I was thinking and right as I walked out of the Sacramento Convention Center, a pretty hard rain dumped down as to say ... "I'm here" in a creepy horror flick voice.

Once I got home, it was ready for the marathon eve dinner and movie. As like at other races, the night before is a pretty sacred night. The routine is pretty similar for each night prior to a marathon. The night included a home made dish of pasta with tomato sauce with a side servings of garlic bread. This meal got me the carbs I was was craving for an always like to take in the night before the marathon. Once the meal was consumed it was time to sit in my recliner and throw on the marathon eve movie for the night. "The Spirit of the Marathon", is a great movie that I always watch as it allows me to relax but also stay motivated and focused on what needs to be done. Though I know the story of each runner by now, it seems that each time I watch the movie before a race, I am able to relate to a different runner in each of the viewing times. With the end credits scrolling I was now ready for bed and to take on whatever the CIM had to offer in the morning.

Pre Marathon Day - Sunday December 2
It was an early morning for me when my alarm got me up at 3:00 am to start the day. With a 7:00 am start time, I had to be on my running clubs bus at 5:00 am, which was taking us from the finish to the start. Before getting my gear on and ready to head out of the door, I consumed a couple staple breakfast choices like every long run morning. The typical cup of coffee, cinnamon raisin bagel, a banana, 30 pieces of Energy Bits, and a bottle of Nuun Hydration. The routine was nothing out of the norm as I got ready by putting on my gear. Once I got everything ready I double checked to make sure I had the key items, my Garmin, bib, timing chip, and shoes (I wear a different pair of shoes to run in than what I get to the race with). With everything all set it was time to jump into the car and see what the day and race had in store for me.

Once I got into the bus it was the typical friendly greeting by all of the familiar faces of the Buffalo Chips Running Club members. The ride from downtown Sacramento to Folsom was pretty quick, outside of the extra turns our bus driver opted to take since he didn't know where to go. On the bus the energy was good, most runners just talking and chatting about the strategy for the day, while others opted to use the time to get a few minutes of added rest in, since we were still 2 hours from start time. Upon arrival to the start, the rain started to really come down and hit the ground. In fact it was clear that this storm was going to hit us pretty hard as we jumped off the bus to make a stop at the porto-potties just feet away. As we got back onto the bus we were all soaked. Still the energy was good and positive, there were a lot of laughs and chuckles going on the bus. With the race starting to come closer, we started to make our way to the start after dumping our gear bags off at the assigned trucks. The final, good lucks and run smarts were suggested to one another, and though we are a team, it was time for the individuals to shine over the course of the next 26.2 miles.

The Marathon
At the start runners like myself started to scramble to find our pace leader with his "3:05" sign in the air. Fortunately, for us he hadn't already lost his sign from the wind gusts hitting us face on. Along with the strong winds were some welcoming sharp bits of rain pelting us in the face. The National Anthem played as normal before each start, and this meant we were only seconds away from starting this journey.

BOOM! There went the gun to get us going, the first part of the run was nice and smooth, in fact a little fast than I thought we would start off but nonetheless, I was ready to keep with the pacer for today. My goal was 3:05 and for me I would be willing to do anything to get after that specific time at the CIM. Fortunately, the first few miles were all with a tail wind, this gave us a an opportunity to get together as a group before we had to attack the headwinds and the climbs that the first half of the marathon had to offer us. The first 6 miles we ran faster times than needed knowing that mile 7 and on would be some pretty bad weather in front of us. According to my Garmin we ran the first 6 miles with times of 6:55, 6:49, 6:41, 6:49, 6:49, and 6:49. My legs were feeling good and I was ready, know that after the first relay exchange we would be heading south bound onto Fair Oaks Blvd, and this is where we would meet the wind and some of the rolling hills that would offer a challenge.

After the relay exchange we continued to travel as a group, tight and compact, the communication and the alternating between the workload of blocking the wind was being pretty well executed at this point. We slowed with our splits at this point as we hit some nasty puddles in the road and winds that I feel were gust hitting us harder than 40 mph. Miles 7, 8, 9 and 10, were ran respectively at 7:11, 7:20, 7:23, 7:06. We were still okay as the magic number for the per mile pace is 7:02/mile.

The next 2 miles is where I started to fall behind but would battle to play catch as we moved past Old Fair Oaks and crossing Sunrise Blvd into the larger of the climbs on the route. I felt I just needed to collect myself and as long as the pacer was within eyesight I would be okay, however when I looked back and noticed that more and more runners started fading hitting the elements together was not an option. I decided to try to close the group a little more, which did not pay off at that point. My splits starting really falling behind and I opted to slow a little just to try to regroup going into the half marathon split I had miles of 7:34, 7:48 and 7:45. My half marathon time was 1:34:38. At this point I was 2 minutes out of my split I was looking for but thought I could try to give the second half a go and see what I had left in my legs.

Within steps into the second half of the marathon, it was starting to get more and more difficult for me to battle the elements alone with groups spread so far apart. Along these next 4 miles I would be fortunate enough to hear some familiar voices giving me a cheer along the course. I struggled during the second half of the marathon including making the final steps into the finish. The slowing definitely had my heart rate drop a bit causing my body temperature to drop. However luckily, I am a bit too stubborn to quit an athletic event. The second half of the course took me 2 hours 4 minutes and 54 seconds to complete.

As I crossed the finish line I had a feeling of disappointment, but I did make sure that goal C was still in tact. Goal C was to cross the finish line with a smile. After I had some time to walk off the 26.2 miles that caused me frustration, I made my way to get my gear, layer up and head to spend some time with my Buffalo Chips teammates to talk about the run that just happened and disappointed many of us.

The weather was not in our favor during the race, but still there were just higher levels of expectations for many of us as we all trainer pretty well going into the final race of the year. A day after the race was completed my feelings of motivation are probably stronger knowing that I have 15 weeks to my next attempt to that 3:05 time to get me to Boston. One thing that I did learn from this experience, is that "what challenges us most, defines us" is very true. It could have been easy at the half way point to say, today isn't my day and it can be easy to walk off the course jump on a bus and have a DID NOT FINISH next to my name on the timing sheet. Well this marathon is something that challenged, and boy was there a definition after this ... a defining moment of NEVER QUIT.

Congrats to all that finished the CIM and a big THANK YOU to all of the volunteers and spectators that put themselves out in the storm to make this marathon happen. December 8, 2013 will be the next CIM and it will be time to conquer this course. I have a date with a marathon that day.

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