Peter Sherman's Staging Area

This was my first marathon ever so didn’t know quite what to expect, but had chosen Napa due to all the reviews that said it was “great for first timers” and had “gently rolling hills.” Haha, I beg to differ. 🙂

The hills might not have been severely steep incline, but they were consistent and relentless for the first half and really, to mile 20 (which was at the end of an almost two mile long uphill). The fact that the downhill stretches were longer than the uphill really put the quads to the test, which is something to keep in mind!

I was shooting for 3:30 and the excellent pacers kept us right on schedule, but at about mile 17 I started to fall behind them a bit and sensed that I didn’t have that time in me for the day. I kept them in view and was still in good position to break 3:35 for BQ to mile 24, but each mile was slower than the last, andthe wall finally crashed down on me for the final three miles. I staggered in, pushing myself to at least keep running for that final brutal stretch — and overall feel great to have finished with a solid time and learned a LOT along the way. My greeter at the finish line was awesome, because I was definitely a bit wobbly and she kept me upright and guided me safely to post race food and water.

In retrospect, I would advise people that despite the “net downhill” rating, they prepare by doing lots of hill training, with an emphasis on uneven surfaces, because much of the roadway slants off to the side (for drainage) and you are seldom running on a truly level surface.

All that said, I had a great time and was grateful that the weather turned out to be as cooperative as could have been hoped given the predictions of rain.