ET Full Moon Midnight Marathon 2017

Saturday 8/5
This was definitely a case of the FOMO which led to a last minute registration for the marathon about a week prior to the event taking place. It's not one of my favorite marathons because I don't like running that late at night. However some of my good friends were going to be there. On top of that I convinced myself that by running this marathon, I could then plan for my 200th marathon to take place at the Rock n' Roll San Diego Marathon, the race where I ran my very first marathon.

When Saturday rolled around, I wanted to get a jump on the usual weekend traffic to Vegas, so I left the house at about 5:30 am. I gassed up the car and I was then on my way to Vegas, baby!

Gas up

I made pretty good time. I got into Vegas before 9 am and rolled up to the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store off of Dean Martin Dr for some breakfast. In hindsight, I might have ordered too much food, but I couldn't decide what I wanted so I got their Sunrise Sampler. It came with pretty much everything... two eggs served with grits, fried apples, hash brown, bacon, smoked sausage, ham, and buttermilk biscuits & gravy.

Sunrise Sampler

After I paid for the meal, I hopped in the car and headed over to Town Square to catch a movie. The AMC Town Square 18 movie theater wasn't open until 10:30 am, so I found a chair with some shade to pass the time. While waiting, some little birds hopped by where I was sitting. It looked like they were used to being fed by people. They stood in front of me and stared at me as if they were asking for some crumbs. Sorry little bird, I don't have any food on me.

Oh hey little bird!

Shortly before the theater opened, I was able to go inside the ticketing area where I bought a ticket using one of their ticket kiosks for Atomic Blonde. Again, I wanted to watch Spider-Man: Homecoming, but the show times for that movie didn't work with my schedule. Charlie Theron has been one of my favorite actresses since the days of Mighty Joe Young, so this sounded like a good logical alternative. Before going inside the theater, I saw a diorama of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. While I like the Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) and Kevin Hart combo, they certainly must be out of original ideas for the film industry to shoot this remake.

On to the movie! Without spoiling the movie for anyone, it was essentially a female version of John Wick, but with a more significant plot and no puppies died. Here's an article with a good analysis of the movie in case you have questions after watching the movie.

Jumanji remake... out of new ideas

Atomic Blonde!

After the movie, I noticed that it was blazing hot as I walked to my car. My skin felt hot like it was being cooked. I drove over to my hotel. I got a room at the Red Roof Inn on Paradise Rd. It was located just North of Harmon Ave. I was a few hours early for check-in time, but I stopped in to see if any of the rooms were ready. Lucky for me, my room was ready. Before going into my room, I walked over to the nearby CVS to buy some drinks. I decided to take a shower since I got pretty sweaty just from walking briefly out in that Vegas heat!

Argo Tea and white

As 3 pm approached, I decided to go eat again at the PF Chang's that was across the street. I only decided to eat here because I still had some gift cards that I had received about 7 years ago from running Rock n' Roll races that I still have to use up. Good thing they don't expire! I ordered an iced tea and their Chicken Pad Thai. They may have used the proper ingredients for pad thai, however that was not pad thai. Fortunately it tasted good enough that I finished the whole thing. They had large portions here, so I was glad that I didn't get an appetizer to go with it.

Iced tea

Chicken Pad Thai

Double fortune

After paying my bill, I walked across the street to pick up my race packet at the Silver Sevens Hotel & Casino. Packet pick-up was located in one of the Tower Rooms, room #3348. When I got there, there was already a line that had formed in the hallway. While waiting in line, I bumped into a familiar face. I also talked to a couple from the east coast that were wearing their 4th of July Team RWB shirts. The packet pick-up process was quick, but it was super crowded in that room. I got my bib, timing chip, shirt, and my reflective vest and was on my way back to my room.

It's Jen!

Race shirt

Back at my room, I laid out my flat runner and got my stuff ready. I relaxed in my room until about 8 pm. I changed, grabbed all of my running stuff, and drove over to the Silver Sevens parking lot to catch the bus ride out to the starting line.

Flat runner

I boarded bus #3 which was designated the Marathon Maniacs/Half Fanatics bus. I found an empty seat about 3/4 of the way to the back. A runner that was a 50 Stater ended up sitting next to me. I originally was going to nap the entire way, but we ended up talking and found out that we both ran our very first marathon at the Rock n' Roll San Diego back in 2003! Eventually we did nap, but we were all awoken about 30 minutes from the drop off spot when the sound of rain was pelting our bus and as well as the flash of some really bright lightning. It was kind of difficult to go back to napping as people were using the restroom in the back and it really started to stink up the bus. Once we arrived at the starting line, many people were hesitant to get off of the bus because of the rain. We were given our glow sticks as we got off of the bus. Thankfully it was not raining... yet. I got in line for the portapotties. There were four of them, but the middle two apparently had been blown over. It was dark enough that pretty much everyone didn't notice until a couple of people came by and pushed them back up.

There's an alien among us!

Sunday 8/6
Right at midnight, we were given the verbal command to start the race... and away we go! Knowing that the first 13 miles was a gradual climb, I set off at a comfortable pace. However I started feeling nauseated during the 2nd mile probably because of all of the food sloshing around in my stomach. I quickly decided that it would be wise to start taking short walk breaks. The rain actually started coming down pretty good. For me, the rain was a welcomed feeling and it reminded me a bit of the Honolulu Marathon which was the only other time where I'd run through the rain in the dark. There wasn't a whole lot of people running the marathon or the 50k, so there was a lot of solo running. Mentally I was so drained by mile 10 which led to the next 3 miles being extra slow.

Seeing the aid station at the end of the climb near the halfway point was such a sight for sore eyes. It meant that the majority of the uphills was over. I was able to string together 5 decent consistent miles. As I approached mile 18 or so, I started catching up to some of the back-of-the-pack half marathoners. Some of them looked like they were having way too much fun! From there, I could see the finish line at the Little A'Le'Inn. I also had the incredible urge to poop. I started taking my salt caps that had ginger in it which usually calms down my intestines. Unfortunately before I get to cross that finish line and lay a deuce, I had to run about 3 miles up a small hill and back. It wasn't all that steep, but it sure felt like it when you've covered 20 miles. At this point, my left ankle was giving me problems and the leg cramps were settling in, so the final 10k was a slow go. At least the urge to poop eventually went away. It felt like it took forever to get up to the turnaround point!

Marathon turn around

During the final miles, I couldn't run much, so I stopped to take a picture of the scenery. I was finally able to see my surroundings with the dawn's early light. I also got to see some of my friends that were still heading out for the out and back. I tried to run most of the last mile, but the left ankle forced me to walk a lot. I was just glad to have finished it in under 6 hrs.

Dawn's early light

Robert and Karen

Finish line

Finish: 5:47:38
Click here for my Garmin data.

I believe they were passing out black or neon green versions of the same medal that was given out in 2013. I thought it looked familiar. If I had remembered sooner, I would've gotten the black one instead.

Recycled medal

I didn't stay too long at the finish area. I got a clean towel and some water to wipe off my face. Then I used one of the portapotties before hopping on the bus to head back to Las Vegas. I shut my eyes for pretty much the duration of the ride back. Back at the hotel room, I got cleaned up and packed up my stuff. Since I've been running slower and slower these days, there wasn't much time to take a quick nap. It was time to check-out and go home. I was feeling a bit tired, so I stopped by the same Cracker Barrel to eat a meal and drink some coffee. The wait was about 45 minutes for a table, so I decided to just drive home. Before hopping on the freeway, I stopped at the nearby Terrible Herbst/Chevron to gas up. Per the usual, the traffic was horrible through Primm, but eventually it picked up. I'm getting too old for this drive. I think I'll fly next time!

San Francisco Marathon 2017

Saturday 7/22
I took a morning Southwest Airlines flight out of John Wayne Airport (SNA) up to SFO. While going through TSA, they pulled my bag for extra inspection since I had Tailwind powder in my bottle. They completely emptied my bag and examined everything. After they were done testing various items for explosive residue and whatnot, I repacked my bag and headed for my gate. There was no need to rush since per the usual, the flight was delayed about an hour because air traffic control at SFO was managing inbound traffic. I passed the time by opening and eating the bag of potato chips that I had brought with me. Once we were wheels up, it was a short flight into San Francisco. Thank goodness because the inflight WiFi was shut off for most of the flight. Once landed, I took the AirTrain over to the BART station. I bought a $20 ticket and boarded one of the cars headed for downtown San Francisco. Unfortunately the car that I was in smelled like crap... I guess that's pretty standard for BART and SF in general. I got off at the Embarcadero Station and walked over to the Hyatt Regency to catch the bus over to the expo. There was a sign at the usual spot that informed us that boarding was now across the street over on Spear St.

Bus ride to the expo

Traffic was a pain in the ass to endure even though I was not doing the driving. It didn't help that the school bus seats were designed for small kids. Also the driver seemed a bit lost, but we were finally dropped off on Buchanan St near the corner of Marina Blvd. From there I walked over to the expo located at the Festival Pavilion of Fort Mason. It was crowded inside and I was getting pretty hungry. I picked up my bib and shirt. I then wrote my bib number on my gear check bag with one of their Sharpies and used the restroom before heading out. One last thing I did was to register for next year's race since they were having a $20 off deal.

Expo at Fort Mason

Just outside of the expo there were two lines, one for Hansen's soda and one for Hubert's Lemonade. The line was a bit shorter for Hansen's, so I got in that line and got a can of Creamy Root Beer. It was a pretty sunny and warm day, so it was pretty dang refreshing! After enjoying that drink, I took the stairs out of Fort Mason and made my way over to Bay St to head over to my hotel located at Fisherman's Wharf.

Hansen's Creamy Root Beer

This was my first time staying at Fisherman's Wharf. I used my Wyndham Rewards points for 2 free nights at the Travelodge located at the corner of Bay St and Columbus Ave. The room wasn't all that nice, but it was in a pretty decent area. It was much better than staying in the Union Square area. The view from my room wasn't much to be desired. There was a lot of construction next door.

View from my room

After dropping off my bag in the room, I went out to go get food. At first I thought that I could get something quick at the nearby In-n-Out. No dice. That place was packed with the line out the door! I walked a little bit further and even considered getting something at McDonald's. However the line there was also very long. That might have turned out for the best as I made the long walk over to Tadich Grill on California St near Battery St. Once I reached the restaurant, I found a seat at the bar. Per the recommendation from my local friends, this was one of the places that I needed to check out. I ordered their signature Seafood Cioppino. I love seafood. It was some good stuff and the broth went well with their bread. I would definitely want to come back here to try other items on their menu.

Tadich Grill

Seafood Cioppino

After the delicious meal, I made the long walk back to my room. I stopped at the nearby Safeway to pick up the usual drinks and stuff before getting back to my room. Once I got back, I went through my race packet and laid out my flat runner to make sure I had packed everything for the race.

Drinks and banana

Race shirt

Back of race shirt

Flat runner

I stayed in my room, watched some TV while finishing off the rest of my potato chips. Then at a little after 7 pm, I decided to go outside for a walk. I went over a couple blocks to check out the crooked portion of Lombard St. I can vaguely remember when my dad drove us down that street several decades ago.

Lombard St

Sunday 7/23
I got up early to get ready for the walk over to the starting line at Market St and Embarcadero. I headed east on Bay St until I hit Embarcadero where I turned right. From looking at the map, it looked like a long way to walk, but I was there before I knew it. Just as I was about to reach the UPS gear check area, I recognized Sam L. putting in some extra miles before the race. He had been sidelined with an injury for a while so I haven't seen him at a race in a long time.

I arrived at gear check about 10 minutes before 5 am. The UPS trucks were nowhere in sight. I sat down and waited a bit, but it started to get crowded. I went over to the use the portapotty and came back hoping that the trucks would be there. Unfortunately they weren't. I'm guessing they were stuck in traffic somewhere. The volunteers started collecting the bags into a huge pile. After I dropped off my bag, I jogged over to the wave 3 starting corral. They had one person control the flow of runners, so that the ones checking bibs would not be overwhelmed. However he was a mean fellow. I thought he was going to tackle some of the runners that tried to sneak past him!

Gear check

Once I got inside, I made my way to the front of the wave to see if I could find my friend. Eventually she found me since my hair/visor combo was pretty recognizable.

Starting line

Things started off feeling pretty good. I held back and ran the first few miles at a pretty comfortable pace. I made sure not to go out too hard and to save something for the climb up to the Golden Gate Bridge. I was still feeling pretty good as I crossed the bridge. However once I got to the other side, I started feeling exhausted. It was extra foggy on the bridge this year which created too much condensation on my glasses. I was unable to spot any familiar faces while crossing the bridge. I bumped into my friend, Dexter, as I was just about to get off of the bridge. By then, my energy level was pretty low and I was reduced to a walk at the next climb. My left ankle was getting sore and I just didn't have the endurance yet to power through those unrelenting hills. After a series of rollers, I made it into Golden Gate Park where it would be about a 6 mile romp through the park. Shortly after entering the park, I crossed the halfway point at 2:18:58.

The tendinitis in my left ankle was giving me all sorts of problems. It was causing issues with my left foot, hamstring, and butt. Whenever it was becoming a little bit too much, I would pull over to the side and take a walk break. In the park, the marathoners were mixed in with the folks running the 2nd half marathon. During my many walk breaks, I came across some great costumes including a guy dressed up as shark! It must have been really hot running in that! I also got a picture of a sign from one of my favorite Disney movies, Up.

Shark!

Adventure is out there!

At about mile 19, just after exiting Golden Gate Park, I pulled into the McDonald's and ordered 2 hash browns. The first one tasted really good as it was a good break from eating gels and Shot Bloks. I almost barfed when I tried to eat the second one a little bit too fast while jogging.

Hash brown break

During about the final 10k, the Garmin had a low battery warning message that blocked the time on the watch. Besides the big downhills at miles 21 and 22, I knew I was going pretty slow, so it was probably a good thing to not know exactly how slow I was going. The leg cramps kept creeping into my legs which prevented me from doing any sustained running even though I knew that the finish line was near with the AT&T Park in sight. While running past the ballpark, I asked some of the "fans" going to the game which team they were playing against. Most of them didn't know. Finally someone told me that they were playing against the Padres. The Padres ended up beating them 5 to 2. #OddYear #GiantsSuck #LetsGoDodgers :)

Finish line

Finish: 5:42:00
Click here for my Garmin data.

Well, speaking of suck... that was my slowest SF Marathon in 7 tries. The goal for today was to just get it done within the time limit. Taking time off to rest some injuries really took a toll on the endurance. Man, I was cutting it close with the watch! When I charged the Garmin at work on Tuesday, I saw that the battery had gone all the way down to 2%. If I had taken any longer out there, it might have shut off.

After getting my finisher medal, I made my way through the finisher chute, grabbing post race snacks and drinks. Then along the way to the UPS gear bag trucks, I stopped at the challenge tents to pick up my 40 for 40 challenge medal. It wasn't really much of a challenge. In order to qualify, you just have to run a total of 40 SF race miles in the past 40 years of the race's existence. The volunteers were really on top of things. They had my bag ready for me as I walked up to the truck. After putting my stuff into the bag, I sat down and drank some of the Muscle Milk before making the trek back to my hotel.

Finisher medal side 1

Finisher medal side 2

Post race Muscle Milk

40 for 40 Challenge medal

Back at my room, I showered and lounged around until about 5 pm. I went out to get dinner at Scoma's Restaurant. The first few steps felt pretty horrible for my left ankle, but then it started feeling pretty good. I found a seat at the bar. The bartender was cool and was really into making his drinks. It's always good to see someone enjoy their job. I ordered an iced tea and their Lazy Man's Cioppino. The cioppino was really good. The seafood was better here compared to Tadich.

Scoma's

Lazy Man's Cioppino

Monday 7/24
Even though check-out time was at 12 pm, I still woke up pretty early since I'm usually up by 5 am every day. I packed up my stuff, got ready, relaxed, and eventually checked out at about 11 am. I dropped off the keys at the front desk and made my way over to the Embarcadero. I was going to meet up with my friend to have lunch at Hillstone. Since it was still pretty earlier, I walked over to Alcatraz Landing to check things out. Out of all the times that I've visited San Francisco, never once have I visited The Rock. I think I'll do that next year.

Alcatraz

I still had some time to pass so I found a bench to sit down while I waited for my friend. I haven't been to a Houston's in a while, so I don't remember when they made the name change to Hillstone. Once we were seated, I ordered an iced tea and looked over the menu. Lately I've been trying to be better with my food choices. No more alcohol and as little red meat as possible. I wanted to keep the inflammation down especially after running a marathon and hopefully get rid of the tendinitis that I have dealing with for quite some time. I ordered their pan-roasted salmon. The menu description said that it came with something green. I thought that was funny to put in the menu. Most places usually say seasonal vegetables. That something green was bok choy. The salmon was pretty plain, but it was cooked just the way I liked it with the middle not fully cooked.

Hillstone

Pan roasted salmon with bok choy

After lunch, I walked over to the Metreon to watch a movie at the AMC Metreon 16. Along the way there, a fellow participant in the San Francisco Marathon started talking to me about the race since he saw me wearing the race shirt. I think it's pretty cool that such an event would allow fellow strangers to talk to each other no matter how we did in the race. He didn't tell me his finishing time, but I'm guessing he finished in probably half the time that it took me to finish. Once I got to the Metreon, I looked at the ticket kiosk to see which movie I could see. Originally I wanted to watch Spider-Man: Homecoming or War for the Planet of the Apes. The show times for those 2 movies wouldn't work since I still needed to take the BART to the airport to catch my flight home. So I ended up watching Dunkirk. I'm not sure why Hollywood and the critics are touting this movie as a masterpiece or even Oscar worthy. The movie was short and little was done to introduce any of the characters to the audience. The soundtrack was incredibly annoying as it repeatedly attempted to manipulate the viewer's emotions when an impending attack was about to happen. I would much rather watch and experience the movie without the added soundtrack as the film itself was indeed well shot as it makes you feel as if you were actually there. For me it was not a must-see movie by a long shot as it felt like a half-baked movie.

After the movie, I walked over to Powell St Station to catch the BART over to the airport. Fortunately this time, the car that I was in did not smell like crap. It was a pretty uneventful Southwest flight home to John Wayne airport. Just the way I like it. There was no bird striking one of the engines this year. Also I much prefer flying in and out of this airport than LAX.