Here is my OC Marathon Recap!
The OC Marathon starts at 5:30am so I had a super early wake up call and met up with Skinny Runner and Kristina to taxi to the start.
It was still dark and we did the whole porta potty stop and got in line.
I keep saying I don’t have any friends, so I’ve been making efforts to make more… Tip – this is not an effective way.
When you go to a race with people you should share your race day plans and discuss whether or not you want to run alone or together. The girls both PRed last weekend in Eugene so they were running conservative. But their conservative pace is still more than 30 seconds faster than my best pace so I was going to run alone. Deal. Done.
I went out a bit too fast per usual but then got into a rhythm. I tried to stick to my marathon race plan but didn’t need to walk through the aid stations after all. I broke down the race in my head a little bit more for pacing <- more on this soon since I’m getting a ton of questions!
Anyway. I was sticking to the plan and saw the girls at a turn around. Well, a couple of miles later around mile 20 they turned back to come run with me. Thanks. <- sarcastic at the time.
SR asked me what pace I wanted to keep. I said 8:20s. And then it was on.
They actually made me stick to that! The girls and I kept the pace and SR yelled at me when I seemed to slow down. I yelled back with words that would make a sailor blush, but kept running.
During those last 6 miles I broke up with running, broke up with SR and considered an exit strategy to ditch the girls, call a cab and drink my sorrows away.
In the end I stuck with it and ran a
New marathon PR =
3:36:23 Pace: 8:16
I am so happy!!! I can’t believe it! AH!
But it was NOT easy. It was hard and unpleasant and immediately after the race I was an unhappy lil bear.
Now I am SO HAPPY and proud of myself.
Then, I ate a box of candy. And all was right with the world. 
Thank you for all the well wishes and support. I am very lucky to have so many friends and readers and strangers that care about me and my little running endeavors. I really do appreciate it!
If you have questions on my racing strategy or pace or whatever please leave them in the comments or email them to me. I was NOT following a specific training plan so I don’t have tips on that, but a post on my marathon race approach is coming soon.
Question: What was the best thing you ate this weekend?
That is so incredible! Congratulations!!!
Congrats on the PR and hooray for good friends that push us when we don’t (but do) want to get pushed.
The best thing I did over the weekend was run a small half marathon (only 150 participants) that helped a local animal rescue shelter as well. Along with the entry fee we were also asked to bring donations such as dog food, collars, bleach, etc.
Congrats on a new PR! That’s freaking awesome!
CONGRATS!!! AMAZING PR!!! i aspire to be like you… but first that might mean i have to actually run a full marathon. hehe.. one day. again congrats! don’t break up with running cuz that would be super sad!!
Congratulations on a great race and a great PR. 3:36 is so freaking fast, you should be very proud. Way to push hard and challenge yourself mentally and physically.
Dangit, SR, such a pain. Haha–congratulations, girl, you’re such an inspiration! Good call on the post-race chocolate box.
Congrats on the PR, but just curious when you decided to go for it instead of taking it easy as a training run for the 50K? I apologize if this was asked before, just wondering if it was an in-race decision or a pre-race thing.
Dude! Awesome PR! That is amazing! I’m still working on that pace for a half, let alone a full! Way to go and way to hang in there!!
Congrats on the PR! Great job fighting through it at the end 🙂
Awesome race! Congrats on your new PR! I think I see Boston in your future 🙂
Gotta say it was the Red Robin I had on Saturday. California Chicken Sandwich and sweet potato fries. We had onion rings as an appetizer and margaritas since they were priced for Cinco De Mayo!
Congrats on your run! That’s amazing! Keep it up girl! You are that close to a Boston Qualifying Time!!!
Congrats on the PR!
edited to add: not that those who are “born fast” don’t work hard too! I’m continually amazed by you marathoners of all paces. Someday I’ll do a full too 🙂
Just stopping by to let you know that I’m so inspired by you! I remember in the past you’ve written about how you feel that you’re not a “natural” runner, and that you weren’t born fast, you really have to work at it. Well look at you now! So close to a BQ! I’m not naturally fast by any stretch but lately reading your blog makes me think that hard work does pay off, and it’s not just genetics! Keep killing it girl, it’s not annoying it’s just awesome!
Congrats on the PR!! That’s a dizzying finish time 🙂 You are sooo damn strong and awesome for hanging in there and digging deep!!
I’m cracking up at the ‘broke up with running.’ I’m pretty sure I do that every week. Well, actually, since I prefer triathlon, I’m pretty much a slut with all three. Love the analogy! CONGRATS ON THE PR AND BEING FINALIST!! WOO-HOO!
Wow. So impressed and inspired by you. Well done.
You are seriously amazing. You are knocking down these PRs like it’s nothing! I am amazed at how often you are able to race – and race well!!! Congrats on another amazing race, Monica! Next up: BQ =)
Okay… this made me cry. You should be so proud of yourself for hanging in there and fighting like hell to PR. You are awesome, and such an inspiration.
WOW, that is AWESOME!! What great support you guys are for each other. UGH UGH UGH I am so nervous about my full in Oct and the girl I am training with, I fear slowing HER down! http://www.colorushealthy.com
I am eagerly looking forward to your marathon post… as someone who is stuck in the upper 3:00s-lower 4:00s and striving for that 3:35, I would love to hear what you’ve been doing differently.
CONGRATS CONGRATS CONGRATS!!! That’s an awesome PR, I’m so happy for you! And thank you for admitting that it was not easy… I’m so impressed, I cannot hold that pace during a 5K, let alone a MARATHON! Enjoy your success, I’m going to vote for your video now 😉
PS: I just read SR’s recap- you girls are too funny!!!
Congrats thats amazing! It must feel awesome to PR a race like that. I would definitely head straight for a box of chocolates after that too. The best thing I ate this weekend was a Cesar salad with steak tips on it- I’m kind of obsessed with Cesar salad, and I haven’t had steak in so long so it was awesome.
Did something “click” with you after Long Beach last fall that made the training easier/better/idon’tknowtherightword?
Anyway – again, so happy for you! And what awesome friends you have to make sure you got to the finish line!
Amazing! Congratulations on your pr mOnica!!
Congratulations on your PR!! You rock!
I’m going to be training for my first 50k soon.. can you include info about how you trained for that (i know its not specific plan but general plan??) I’d love to get faster in my marathon times (sub 4 for my 1st in 3:59 ha!) thanks!
And just think mere months ago you were going to break up with the full marathon for good…now you’re on to PR after PR & getting quite speedy. Great job!
CONGRATS on the awesome PR! That’s fantastic!!
Congrats on rocking the OC marathon! Nice PR!!!!
Congrats on the new marathon PR!!! You have seriously been crushing it lately in your races!
Congrats on the pr! Question you may have answered before but: do you not wear compression socks every race for a reason?
WOW on the PR!
Besides your new secret overall strategy, I wonder how you do NOT diss your friends while they’re spurring you to run faster / on pace with them. I know it’s ultimately a goal (to go faster, keep that pace), but sometimes when I am running with a faster friend, I just get discouraged and think “oh you’re always gonna be faster than me, just go ahead”. I guess that’s the ugly tape I need to turn off, but sometimes I just think my legs aren’t meant to move that fast. They are not small limber legs, they are big and always tight–often I am just happy to keep a 10mm pace! Anyway…enough of my blah blah manly legs.
You’re looking fab, working hard and running fast! Love every minute… 🙂
PS: I ran the half yesterday with a non-PR time of 2:11:46 (with one pee stop at mile 4). Overall it was a good race, despite my slower pace. My lame-sauce Garmin shut down randomly (grrrrr) at mile 6.25 and I didn’t notice until nearly .8 miles later. That really ticked me off and kinda threw me.
My hero!
Congratulations!!
No, it’s not easy!!!
The rewards are worth it!!!!
Wow, congrats! I had a less successful race this weekend and also broke up with running in the middle of it (we have since gotten back together but are taking things slow). The best thing I ate this weekend was an amazing omelette that I still deserved even if the race sucked!
Congrats! You are on a roll 🙂 You are looking so super skinny and you arms look awesome, I think SR posted a pic of your arms, anyways great job!
So awesome that you have such great friends to help you (even though at the time it might suck a little!)!
Great job on the new PR!!!
congrats, kid. you worked hard and held on when it got really tough. you earned it, you deserve it, OWN IT.
that’s awesome, congrats! I ran a marathon on Sunday and definitely was figuring out my exit plan at one point too – i called my bf at one point to tell him I was going to quit, luckily he talked me off the ledge and I finished 🙂 I’m curious what you’ve been doing to get your speed up. I can’t seem to break below 4 hours and it is driving me nuts because in long training runs (20 miles) I’m running at 3:45-3:50 marathon pace but can’t convert in races.
Oh my goodness, girl, you are just SO inspiring! I felt my heart do a little flutter for you when I saw that new PR in bold, because I can only imagine how awesome that must have felt! Can’t wait to hear more about your pacing management and how you broke up the race – whatever you were doing, you were clearly doing something right! 🙂
Awesome job! Totally awesome….best thing I ate this weekend? Hmm, everything I ate after my half yesterday, especially my dinner at Cheesecake Factory – everything always tastes that much better after a race. Although my chocolate cake from Cheesecake Factory always tastes delish lol.
Great seeing you out on the course yesterday. Congrats on the PR! I should have been right there with you, but cramping got the best of me.
Awesome!! Congrats on the PR!
Wow!! Fantastic time and new pr!! My best half marathon time was run with a friend who was pushing me the whole way… it made such a difference!
Congrats on the PR! So close to a BQ!!
Wooo Hooo!! Way to go! Keep it up girl. Seems like you are on a great path right now!
Hi Monica! I’d actually love to know what shorts you wore for the OC Marathon — I’m looking for a longer compression short (NOT booty shorts) and I love the length of the ones you’re wearing in these photos.
Congrats on the PR — so fast!!!
Congratulations! You have such great running buddies to pace you to that PR. Well done!! 🙂
Congrats Monica!!
I have a question- you have obviously been on a fantastic streak lately with all of these PRs and your weight loss (you look awesome). What are you doing differently? I would love to know your secrets 🙂
Congrats!!! I sent you an email since after the half I got to sit in my car foR like 3 hours waiting to leave the OC fairgrounds so I had plenty of time to see how you and SR were doing on the course. Are you running RnR San Diego? Maybe you can yell at me and keep me on pace 😉
Congrats on an amazing PR!! I enjoyed reading your recap and found myself nodding my head in agreement when you said you were not very happy right after the race. I felt like that my last half too. Ha!
You’ll have to let me know what PR City’s like so I’ll know what to expect soon. Hopefully. 🙂
Wow Congrats Monica!!!! You are in beast mode with your running! You have been killing it girl 🙂 Perhaps you could share your new found mojo/perspective with us mortals? Seriously, you are amazing!
Great job Mon! I’m glad this one went so well for you! You’re doing so great lately!
Many congrats! You are a PR machine lately and looking good doing it. 😉
You’re seriously a mary machine! I’m in awe – and so jealous – and know that you have great friends that don’t let you back off your goals! Way to go girl!
That is great, I cannot wait for you to come to Boston and train/coach me, hee!
Best thing I ate all weekend….slice of EZ toast, with smashed avacado and a fried egg, YUM!!!
I am so happy for you! This is awesome to read!!
So happy for your PR! Those last 6 miles of the marathon are always the worst, I’m glad you had your friends there for support! Best thing I ate was the rice pasta with chicken and spinach!
You are speedy! You must of qualified for Boston by now?
The best thing I ate all weekend was Moe’s nachos. I’m sure they didn’t taste as good as a PR feels!!! Awesome job!
This is so awesome, Monica! It’s cool to see you improving so much in your speed. It hurts, but the pain is worth it, I hope!!! Looking forward to reading about how you managed pacing. I’m running my first mary in October.
When you weigh less, you run faster! It makes since that you are having so many PRs! Congrats and enjoy the recovery 🙂
Those guys at the top sure looked cold!Congrats on your new PR!Keep inspiring the masses.
Congrats on your new PR! That was so sweet of SR and Kristina to come back around and pace you for the last few miles, which we all know are the worst thing ever. And, at least you were able to get in some good refueling. 🙂 The best thing I ate this weekend was sweet potato sushi. It was my first time trying it and it was totally delicious.
I had a delicious lengua torta and elotes from a Cinco de Mayo festival. And then I got orange-habanero chocolate ice cream afterwards! It was so good 😛 I’m still dreaming about that ice cream!
Congrats! Do you think your increase in volume has helped endurance? I just blew up miserably at my goal half and I am trying to strategize for upcoming races.
Way to go on your PR!!!
You’re a rockstar! Congrats!!
Congratulations on another PR. I think it is inspiring, not annoying that you have done several in a short period of time.
Best thing I ate all weekend- Whole grain cheerios topped with caramel sauce and chocolate syrup with skim milk. It’s a great dessert in my book. And a fabulous breakfast on a day like today when I struggled to get even a half hour’s sleep.
Way to go on that new PR!!!!
Congrats on a great race! That’s an amazing time!
Congrats! Your friends are super sweet for helping you keep pace. I would love to hear more about your pacing/race plan in general.
Congratulations on a super speedy new PR!
Congrats on the PR! We must know your secrets 😉
Either my homemade Buffalo Wing Mac and Cheese or Dark Chocolate PB Cookies. Probably the cookies. It was such a healthy weekend…
Great job on your PR! Do you think it’s because of the serious training or because you’ve obviously dropped some lbs? When I was actually running I remember reading a whole bunch of stats about mile times improving x amount with every y amount of weight lost. Nonetheless, something is obviously working for you!
I don’t comment often here but I just have to say you are such an inspiration! I am running my second marathon in December and my goal is to run it in under 5 hours. I am tortoise-slow, but you really do inspire me to increase my speed and I hope someday I can come close to your pace! Thanks and Congrats on the PR~
Way to go girl!!! That’s amazing!!
ahhhh you’re so freaking amazing! PR after PR! 😀 and the best thing I ate this weekend was brown rice triscuits. they are amazing!
I’m so happy for you Monica! Congrats again and I do hope you BQ soon.
Dang girl! Look at you run! Best thing I ate? Hmmm vanilla ice cream with pb stirred in mmmmmmm
Hey, congrats on your new pr!! Well done! I know what it feels like having to run on your own for being the slow one ;))
Congrats! That’s amazing and because I’m super slow, you’re basically a kenyan in my book.
Glad you stuck with it, you did awesome! Great race and recap! 🙂
I am running my first marathon in two weeks and would love a post on any tips for pre-race, during the race and post race recovery. Awesome job on your PR.
Congratulations! That’s an awesome pace! I want to know how you made that salad. It looks so yummy!
Running is always hard and unpleasant but SO rewarding 🙂 Good job- I will always be super proud of you.