By Kristin Collins In late March, our bank account was charged for one entry to the Nike Women’s Marathon. I had submitted my name in the lottery and got in! This would make my 12th marathon and 4th NWM race. The next six and a half months were spent in preparation for the hills of San Francisco! We arrived in San Francisco on Saturday afternoon, stopped briefly at the race expo and then headed to Niketown where four floors of merchandise awaited me. Ahhh…I was in heaven!!!
20,000 people, mostly women, lined up at race start on Sunday, October 18th. More than 15, 000 of them registered for the half marathon with just under 5,000 running/walking in the full. Temperatures at race start were in the low 50’s- perfect conditions for a race! Michael stayed with me near my starting corral offering Gu, Power Bar Gel Blasts, granola bars, water, a little cowbell, and words of encouragement. After a brief meltdown and the usual “what was I thinking??”, I started to get really nervous!! The gun went off at 7:00 and we headed through downtown to the water front and the Embarcadero. Running past the piers and tourist areas, I settled into my pace.
The first small hill greeted runners at the 3 mile mark followed by the uphill entrance to Fort Mason at mile 4. I remembered this area from last year and the hills were still tough! The sound of cowbells took my mind off the hills: Michael had to be around here somewhere. Sure enough, to my left, a bicycle- riding Michael came zooming down the road yelling my name and clanking the cowbell. He was able to stay near me for the majority of the race, ringing that stupid cowbell. I started to welcome the silence of running alone and then the cowbell would ring again.
Next up was the incline from mile 6-10. There was a 295’ elevation gain from mile 6.2-7.2 . Straight back down to under 150’ at mile 8 and then back up to 295’ at mile 9.6. After that, we headed downhill towards the water, passing The Cliffhouse. Clank-Clank goes the cowbell. Taking a left hand turn into Golden Gate Park, miles 11-15 were uphill again…and then back 
down. More cowbell. After leaving Golden Gate Park at mile 16, we took a left onto the Great Highway and headed towards the SF Zoo. The open road meant easier spectator/bicycle access and lots more cowbell. We then made a left on Skyline Drive and headed out for the loop around the lake. Lake Merced was on my right and we had to run around the entire lake before coming back to the Great Highway. This is always the toughest part of the course for me because the hill running starts to take a toll on my legs and I start to get really tired of the cowbell!
down. More cowbell. After leaving Golden Gate Park at mile 16, we took a left onto the Great Highway and headed towards the SF Zoo. The open road meant easier spectator/bicycle access and lots more cowbell. We then made a left on Skyline Drive and headed out for the loop around the lake. Lake Merced was on my right and we had to run around the entire lake before coming back to the Great Highway. This is always the toughest part of the course for me because the hill running starts to take a toll on my legs and I start to get really tired of the cowbell!I had to constantly check my Garmin to make sure my pace wasn’t slipping. I felt like I had a fast leg turnover, but the Garmin didn’t lie- I needed to pick it up!! I started making short term goals for myself- run to the next red light and see how the pace is. Okay, done. Now, run to the street light waaaaayyyy up there. Okay, done. Up next: The Ghiardelli Chocolate Mile- YAY! Usually chocolate sounds good, but for I was tired of the sweet flavors of Gu and Gatorade. My thoughts were to get the chocolate and hand it to Michael so he could enjoy it. After missing the first two volunteers handing out the chocolate bars, there was one last hope- as I grabbed the chocolate out of the hand of the last volunteer, he pulled his hand away before I had a decent grip and I dropped the chocolate bar. Nooooooo!!!! I couldn’t stop to pick it up because it would be too difficult to start running again. Clank-Clank goes the cowbell again.
The wind picked up as I made the final left turn onto The Great Highway. Nothing like running uphill into a head wind with dead legs!! One more uphill to mile 24 and then literally, the last 2.2 miles were all downhill. My legs hurt, my quads really hurt, my calves were cramping up and I was ready to stop running. Two more miles. Michael had gone ahead to the finish line so I was alone. Hang in there. You got this. Don’t stop now. I started to miss the cowbell.
Looking to my right, across the road, a steady stream of runners were still heading out to Lake 
Merced. What a relief to be heading to the finish line. I started focusing on people in front of me to pass and picked them off one by one. The roads started to become more populated with spectators and I drew strength from their encouraging words - “You’ve got this!” “Stay Strong!”, “ Keep Running!” “Way to Go, 4804!”. The crowds became more dense and then suddenly, up ahead was the Finish Line Banner. YESSSSSS!!! Looking at the finish clock, it became reality that I was going to fall short of my marathon goal. I finished in 3:56:14- my fourth sub-four marathon in a row, which for me, is still exciting. Next, I was handed a blue Tiffany’s box by a good looking Fireman wearing a black tuxedo. What a great way to end a race!! Michael and the cowbell were there to give me a big hug at the finish line.
Merced. What a relief to be heading to the finish line. I started focusing on people in front of me to pass and picked them off one by one. The roads started to become more populated with spectators and I drew strength from their encouraging words - “You’ve got this!” “Stay Strong!”, “ Keep Running!” “Way to Go, 4804!”. The crowds became more dense and then suddenly, up ahead was the Finish Line Banner. YESSSSSS!!! Looking at the finish clock, it became reality that I was going to fall short of my marathon goal. I finished in 3:56:14- my fourth sub-four marathon in a row, which for me, is still exciting. Next, I was handed a blue Tiffany’s box by a good looking Fireman wearing a black tuxedo. What a great way to end a race!! Michael and the cowbell were there to give me a big hug at the finish line.
Time for a little recovery and back to training. Up next: The Houston Marathon!!
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