Race Day Reflections: BSIM 2025
As promised, my post-marathon reflections. I ran the Big Sur International Marathon last Sunday, and it was an incredible experience!
The Physical Challenge
I felt nervous about my Achilles tendinitis the days leading up to the race. I went to see an orthopedist the week before the race and they’d prescribed me some strong anti-inflammatory medication to take through race day and some exercises to do. I didn’t run for five days before the race and tried to ice to reduce the strain.
Knowing that the course could be unpredictable with headwinds, I set three goals for myself: the first goal was to finish, the second was to finish in 4:45, and the third was 4:15. Of course, I had to have a secret stretch goal, which was 4:00. I finished in 4:12!
Race Day Journey
We ran from our hotel to the race start line — very short run, not more than ten minutes. I could already feel my calf starting to act up.
I started in corral B in the 4:15 pace group. After the first mile marker, I stepped to the side to see if I could stretch my leg out. No dice. I briefly considered getting bussed to the finish line, not making the cutoff time of six hours, and trying to run a make-up marathon in SF in a month or so, or whenever my calf healed. That sounded really disappointing. I decided to keep going and tried to catch up with the 4:15 pace group.
By mile four, I started trying to ignore the calf pain in earnest. It wasn’t getting worse, so I thought, why not keep running? There wasn’t any “popping” feeling, just a repeated strain.
At some point between miles four and nine, I passed the 4:10 pace group.
At around mile nine, I ran into two classmates from college who had come from New York to run the race. It was a joyous catch-up (we hadn’t seen each other in three years, and we each had no idea the other was going to be there). This gave me the adrenaline I needed to charge up the hill.
The two-mile climb from mile ten to twelve felt great. I got to Hurricane Point, and then Bixby Canyon Bridge. Dare I say underwhelming? I felt really grateful for having done all those SF hill training runs, because this could’ve been my downfall, but I really felt in control of my pace and heart rate during this major climb.
By mile twelve or so, I started to feel my left leg getting sore.
Around mile thirteen or fourteen, my AirPods died. Oh no.
The next section was a blur. I tried to power through, not look at my watch, and drink water at every station. I ate all five of my goos at four mile intervals.
In many ways, I felt really glad and almost thankful that my injury took the pressure off. I could’ve really psyched myself out, and managing the pain forced me to stay calm and focused on the present moment, step after step. I kept telling myself to run at a pace where I thought I could keep going forever (thanks Margo, for the mantra advice!) where I just need to take one step after another, and focus on breathing really evenly through my nose and out through my mouth. I kept my heart rate around 155 bpm.
The rolling hills after mile fourteen were definitely tough. I would say the second half of the race was way harder than the first half, physically. My body was so sore. I didn’t hit a wall, though, and wanted to be able to finish strong and sprint the last fifty meters.
I ate a strawberry (we love a rural marathon) at around mile twenty two.
My boyfriend and family were waiting for me at the finish, equipped with very embarrassing signage.
The Emotional Journey
I felt so happy and grateful for most of the run. I was glad to have put all the work in during training, and excited to be watching it pay off. There’s something incredibly powerful about seeing months of preparation culminate in a single day.
Even with the calf pain, I found myself smiling at various points throughout the race. (Truthfully, the race photos make me out to be an actress in a tampon commercial.) The stunning coastlines, the supportive volunteers, and the fellow runners pushing through their own challenges—all of it created this atmosphere of collective accomplishment that was truly special to be part of.
The Leaning Course
Another odd thing about the course that I didn’t gather from any of my Redditing was that most of the road leaned down towards the west coast, such that by mile fourteen, my left leg was so much more sore than my right. I thought it might be because I was subconsciously putting more weight on my left leg due to my right calf strain, but I talked to my boyfriend about this afterwards and he said that he, too, felt like his left leg was super sore for the same reason of the road tilt.
Lessons for Next Time
I would definitely want to run another marathon! I was so pleased with the outcome of this beautiful first experience.
Some other takeaways:
Bring Zofran along…I have a super sensitive stomach
Do not drink the Nuun water; bring my own electrolyte water
Nothing around my waist; fanny pack or gel pouch in my shirt ideally
I felt grateful for my support system, friends who kept checking in and family who came to watch. The marathon challenged me in a good way, and I saw that patience, consistency, and adapting to unexpected challenges (like my calf injury) can lead to positive outcomes.
