Expo and Packet pickup took place on Saturday. Jen and I slept in till around 8:30 or 9:00, and after a nice big breakfast we headed over to the Big Sur expo. I was very impressed with the vendor selection. They had an entire Asic's area (which I just loved). I didn't really buy much except for a pair of socks, but none the less I loved looking at all the new cool gear. I also got to chat with the Polar guys about new Tri watches that will be out on the market for next season. Sounds like some really neat stuff.


So after the expo yesterday we headed back to the hotel for a quick 20 minute jog and threw in a couple hard 20 second bursts just to loosen up the legs. Afterwards we headed back down to Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey for lunch. After lunch we found a nice bench near the shore and relaxed for about 30 minutes. It was really cool because there sea lions swimming all over the place.


After we left the wharf, it was time for our afternoon nap. I really think that rest the day before a big race is key to having your best day. I must of slept for a good 2 hours, before it was time for dinner. We drove to Carmel and found this quaint little Italian restaurant. Both Jen and I had pasta and it was really yummy! That about summed up Saturday. We slept, ate, slept, ate, and slept some more.

Now for Marathon Sunday!!! The morning started off super early at 3:30 AM. We had to be downtown by 4:00 AM in order to catch the buses to the starting line. There were massive crowds and it took about 20 minutes before we even got to board. Once we were on the bus, we had a 30 mile trek to the starting line.


Race morning went really quick. Jen and I got in our last 100 calories the hour before the race, and our last sip of Gatorade.


Now for the race......we'll actually you're going to have to wait to get the full race report, but here's a little taste of how my day went.

First off, I came through the 10K in sub 38:00, ran a 1:26 first half, and finished in 18th place overall (3rd AG 25-29) with a time of 2:55:59......not to mention I PR'ed by 9 minutes!!!!

I felt good through out the entire race, and was happy with my time given how touch the course is. The hilly, treacherous Big Sur Marathon, with its 560-foot climb at Hurricane Point, is considered one of the hardest marathons in North America, and I thought it was a piece of cake! That just makes me think that I'm in pretty good shape right now, and I'll even be better shape come June and July!

Here's me after the race!

The massive crowds gather at the awards ceremony.


That's me in the middle. :)

A hard days work pays off!