wow where do i even start? such an amazing weekend, i can’t believe it’s over already. in typical aron style, a verrry long race report is below in an attempt to try to remember all the details of this awesome weekend. here we go!
friday:
after the whole week of giddy anticipation we were finally heading to san diego! after a yummy breakfast with tara and maritza, we hopped and bart and met up with kristin and julianne along the way to san francisco airport. we were all so excited and there was lots of squealing, screaming, talking and laughing the whole way. we made it to the airport and on the plane very easily and before we knew it we were in san diego!
we made it to our hotel which was so perfect. 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom suite with a living room and a full kitchen, it was like our own little apartment! we got settled and then tragedy struck: my iphone crashed and would not turn on. we tried everything, but it just kept saying connect to itunes. sadly my itunes was very far away and going without my iphone for the weekend was not an option. we found an apple store and after a couple detours, finally made it to the mall to get my phone fixed. we had plans to go to the grocery store, go to dinner and hit the town, which were all being delayed by my sad little phone. they got it to turn back on but it had nothing left in it 
all my data was lost. since it was late, we decided to eat at the mall and ended up having a delicious dinner. we made it back home to get all dolled up to hit the town where we went to a new wine bar that was totally awesome. we made it back home by midnight so we could get a decent nights sleep that night.
saturday:
after confiscating all the peanut butter and english muffins from the hotel breakfast for our race day breakfast the next day, we started getting ready and headed to the expo. we got there early in order to get our packets, get corrals changed and walk around before we were supposed to meet up with a big group of bloggers and tweeps. i picked up my bib which was the best number EVER! 10,000! seriously, how did i get that? we walked around and ended up all buying the hot pink recover socks (comparison review against the oxy socks coming soon!) we then headed over to the meet up. it was SO awesome to finally meet so many of these people in real life! i was just a happy girl chatting away with everyone. i loved getting to talk to all of them and wish i had more time to get to know every one of them.
SO many bloggers!
the rohos + chicrunner
me and my twin?
not so much in person
LOTS of bloggers!
best bib number ever
sunday
the alarm went off at 3:15 and we were up immediately. they may have been a few squeals of “its race day” going through our hotel. i brewed some coffee and kristin got the toast going while we were all getting ready. we bumped some music and all just got pumped and were ready to go catch the shuttle early. all through this and this whole weekend i was feeling weirdly calm about it all. i think i didn’t fully realize that i was actually running another full marathon. after some bus issues we finally got on our bus and were at the start line by 5:30 for the 6:30 start.
there were people everywhere! this was by far the biggest race i have run. we were waiting in line at the porta potty and who do we see? alisa, danica and kristen. really? out of all the porta potties and all the 20,000+ people we run into them right off the bat! it was awesome and we were hoping to meet up with danica in our corral. after another trip and the baggage drop off we were headed to our corral to get running!
race:
i had decided to use salt tablets, gu and plain water for this race. it had been cloudy and damp the entire weekend, but pretty muggy and i could definitely tell it was humid that morning. i took a salt tablet and a gu while we waited and proceeded to get gu ALL over myself… my hands, my shorts, my water bottle were all covered in a sticky mess. nice. all the roho’s were together and we all got to cross the start line at the same time!
i really had no idea what i wanted to do this race or what to expect from my body. after eugene i really considered trying to do another BQ attempt at san diego. i knew this wasn’t necessarily the smarted thing to do for me, but i will admit i was in the back of my mind. as the weeks have passed since eugene, so did this idea and i was realllllly looking forward to not having any pressure on myself with no firm goals. i wanted to have fun! i figured that when i started running i would knew what i would want to do pretty quickly and i was right.
we all split up pretty quick and kristin and i were running together. not even a half mile into it danica pulls up along side us and joins us. we talked about their goals and i was making sure to try to keep the pace easy the first couple miles. i know what it feels like to start off too fast, so i was trying to help them keep it slower just for a couple miles at least. with all the people it wasn’t too hard, but there were a couple downhills early we had to hold back on. i knew by mile 1 that today was not going to be any sort of PR/BQ attempt, which i pretty much knew going into it. i was going to be out there to do whatever i could to help my friends out and really just have a good time. we cruised along and chatted and observed lots of interesting people around us.
10k: 57:10/9:12 avg pace
i was already hot and it was really humid out. i was sweating a ton, so i was making sure to be drinking enough water from the get go. we were all taking gu’s every 4 miles, and we just continued on. the course winds through downtown san diego for the first 7ish miles, and then you get on a freeway for a few miles. miles 7-10 are one straight incline. i could feel it and it slowed us down a bit. it was also extremely slanted from being a freeway which did not feel great on the ankles and knees. stuart had given us some great advice on twitter the days before to “stay to the left” so that’s what we did. it was much better on that side but there were still parts that just sucked from the slant + incline. we grabbed water bottles at one of the stops to refill our fuel belts since we had already drank all the water and did some pretty awesome maneuvering filling them up while running. around mile 10 kristin wanted to speed up, so i stayed with danica who wasn’t feeling too hot. once we hit the downhill after mile 10 things were getting better but then we had to make a couple stops for her along the way. she has a great race report up already if you want to read about her adventures
13.1 mile: 2:02:56/9:23 avg pace
we kept on running along and we chatted most of the time. i had so much fun getting to know her and i really enjoyed running with my “twin” was we have called each many times before meeting in real life. we continued on and she re-evaluated some goals due to her issues and we just kept going. i think around mile 16 we ran into tara who was having her own set of issues and we picked her up in our crew and ran together for a while. the course was getting pretty boring at the point so i was enjoying having the girls to run with and also enjoying all the people watching that i don’t really do in a marathon i am racing. somewhere in here we lost danica and then zig zagged with her for a bit.
tara and i just continued to run along. we walked through water stops and i was chugging the water like crazy. somewhere around mile 18/20 they were handing out otter pops which was seriously the best thing ever. we took them happily and continued on our way while eating otter pops. somewhere in here too i had a tap on my shoulder and it was my friend from high school who was there running her first marathon! i was so excited to see her and she joined us for a majority of the rest of the race. we think we all got some cute pics from the race photographers, so i will be sure to post them.
around mile 20 i saw a guy get down on one knee and propose to his girlfriend mid race. i got goosebumps all over and teary eyes, it was seriously so sweet. we all cheered and she screamed!
21 mile: 3:26:58/9:51 avg pace
i was still feeling pretty good, i mean don’t get me wrong i was tired, but i was more concentrated on making sure my friends were doing ok. as the miles ticked off i would say “only 4 more miles, that’s nothing”. as we got to mile 24 i told tara “its just a run to the stoplight and back”, i just was doing anything i could think of to try to make it easier. if they sped up a little, i would try to speed up a little more, just trying to push them a tiny bit to the finish. i know watching someone’s feet in front of me and not focusing on my pace helps me, so i just tried my best to do anything i could think of. they were both doing so great and were so strong heading to the late miles.
finally the last mile was there and i just kept tara right there next to me, i wasn’t crossing that finish line without her! i knew with one mile to go we could keep it under 4:20 and i told her that we had it. we picked it up and crossed the finish line together and i was SO happy. marathon #4 was done!
final stats:
26.2 miles/4:19:26/9:54 avg
overall: 4292/13291
gender: 1365/6463
age group: 405/1630
we walked around and found my friend, kristin and eventually danica and the rest of the roho crew. everyone had such a great day and had some amazing PR’s. there will be some awesome reports coming. we met up with family and friends and then had to rush back to get checked out, eat and get to the airport. its pretty much been a whirl wind trip and i can’t believe it’s already over.
i really had one of the most memorable races to date and have just been grinning this entire day, along with walking with the normal post marathon limp. i got to run with so many of my awesome friends and tried my best to help them in any way i could. i know what it’s like to have to push through when it’s not your day, and i know that takes more guts then having a great perfect race (hehe the things you learn and realize as time passes).
i am SO SO proud of all my friends today and i really truly could not be happier. i think today was one of the most rewarding marathons for me by far and has really given me so much perspective on every single one of my previous marathons. i really think everyone should run a race for fun, without a goal time and just to enjoy it. it gives you a whole different outlook on it.
i really reflected on each of my marathons sometime during the race today and just have a whole new outlook. i was always proud of my first marathon time at SFM, but looking back i kind of am in shock. i wish i would have realized it more back then what a great race i ran, especially for the first time around on a crazy course. i also look back on CIM and am so incredibly proud of that race. i remember feeling those feelings of disappointment a few days later and i just really am now realizing what i did. and of course eugene, i know i gave it a great effort on a day that wasn’t my day at all and seeing so much of that out on the course today, i know i did a really great job with what i had. i have also been using some of the same words of encouragement, wisdom and advice that i received from that race for friends today. sometimes you just need some time to gain a little perspective on things.
it’s so funny what each marathon can do for you. i really didn’t know going into this one how much i would really get out of it. it’s not all about PR’s and BQ’s all the time, there is so much more going on out there over 26.2 miles.
i also have to say it again, that i just love my girls and am so blessed to know them and have them in my life. we had the best weekend and i am sad it’s over so fast. i know we will have so many more fun memories coming up, including tomorrow where we will be getting post-race massages and having lunch to recap the weekend a day later.
so marathon #4 in the books and you know what that means… time to plan #5! i will be announcing soon what will be coming up next
CONGRATS to ALL the amazing marathoners out there this weekend.
You rock Aron!
It looks like you had a blast and were able to be with tons of friends! So fun!!!
Great job girl!
You’re so right, it’s not all about PRs and BQs. Sometimes, a run with a friend is better than a PR alone – for you and for them. Congrats. Sounds like a killer good time.
Glad you had fun. Sounds like an incredible weekend! Have a great relaxing day with massages and the girls! Ana-Maria
awww sounds like so much fun!! proposal on the course too.This was great to read, thanks!
Great report. I had fun reading your san Fran report that you linked to. Can’t wait to hear what number 5 is…why not try the NE and do Hartford…
You rock!
What a fantastic report, Aron! I’m so glad you enjoyed you decided to take it easy on yourself and enjoyed the company of the ROHOs in running this marathon. Yes, running a marathon for fun, with friends, is an entirely a different experience than racing one alone for time. You are so fortunate to have a strong support group around you that I think you’d miss out if time goals are all you’re shooting for everytime you sign up for one of these things. It’s so very cool how you were able to cross the finish line with tara. Everyone should have that experience once every so often! Your race report was such a treasure to start off the work week. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome report Aron. I think you make a very good point when you say the marathon isn’t always about a PR or BQ. Glad you had so much fun. I am sure you will take away many great memories from this weekend.
So, how do you like the salt tablets?
great race report, sounds like a very fun race event that you really got to enjoy with some good friends…that’s so much more fun than trying to achieve a certain time goal…
Sounds like a great time with friends. Number five will be the best yet!!
LOVE the pics
And yes – that’s the BEST bib number!
CONGRATULATIONS!
Is that bib number for real?!?!? Awesome!!
Nicely done. Great photos. Glad you had a good time.
congrats on a GREAT marathon! loved the recap and I cant believe your bib number…crazy!
What a great race report. Running a marathon with a group of wonderful friends just might be better than any PR or BQ. Congratulations!!
What a great report. I’m sure the girls you stuck with are just as happy to have you as a friend. Congrats on a great race!!
Great report! Sounds like it was a lot of fun, and congrats on completing marathon #4!
Congtrats on a great race! Sounds like it was a blast!
Great race report as always. Sounds like so much fun and you walked away with some great perspectives. Your such a great friend and I’m sure those girls feel the same about you as you about them.
Can’t wait to hear about new plans.
Great job! You’re right, there’s a lot you can personally gain from just getting out there for 26.2. Congrats!
Great job!
It’s sometimes nice to approach a race without preconceived notions. Less stress and more enjoyment!
You’re very lucky to have such an amazing support team. Send a few to CO, please!
~carpeviam
Aww, I love this post. Sometimes it’s more than about times and PRs for sure, you are definitely right. The experience is SO MUCH MORE! And to be able to share that with your girlfriends? AWESOME.
CONGRATS Aron! I *heart* running races with friends. Hands down better than a PR any day. Sounds like you had a fantastic time with the crew ;D ;D
I LOVED reading this report- GREAT JOB!!!
It looks like you and the girls all had a fantastic time…I was smiling as I read along. Blogger meetups sound like an awesome time
Incredible race. So nice that you were such a support to those around you and sounds like this made the race very mentally/emotionally fulfulling. You are SO right – it is not always about the BQ or PR – you ran this race cause you love running and being with your girl runners. Great job. Loved reading it.
What an amazing marathon experience. You are a good friend and it sounds like you all had a blast, sometimes that is way more fun than a PR
Congrats on No. 4, you are amazing!!
Great race report! You had the kind of race that I wish I had. My splits were a couple of minutes ahead of yours each time– slowing at the same rate. If I had had a friend like you with me, I would have enjoyed myself more.
I am bummed that I didn’t meet up at the expo with everyone. I am a relatively new reader to most of you all, but it would have been fun. I had my family with me and I was pressing my luck with attention spans anyway…
Thanks for the great race report!
I like long race reports too cause then you make sure you write down all the good stuff…thats why I used to keep a journal..now I just post it so everyone can read it!!
Great job on finishing another marathon! Sometimes the fun races/marathons work well to get us back into the running spirit!
Reading all that just makes me long for some girlfriends like the ROHOs! What a perfect weekend with the cool hotel and such amazing camaraderie on the course. Wow.
That is a really great perspective about the MArathon. I haven not run a Marathon but will the end of this month. I am ultra competitive and would love love to BQ…but reading this maybe I should just enjoy it?? Who knows. Anyway, congrats, you look beautiful! Can’t wait for more photos. WIll have to chat with you more about the BIG RACE, the Rock’N'Roll in Seattle will be 25,000 people UGH.
Oh my gosh, what an incredible weekend! I am so glad you had such an amazing experience in San Diego. You made some really wonderful points about marathoning–thanks for sharing that with us!
Congratulations to you! What a great attitude, and I can’t wait to hear what’s in store for you next. I can’t believe you’re already planning #5.
Congrats Aron! Awesome report
Sounds like an absolutely incredible weekend. You are all so lucky to have each other.
Aron, it was soooo wonderful meeting you!! I wish I lived closer so I could run with you ladies, I know you will get the BQ time:) You are just so sweet and beautiful, am so excited for your next race!!!
Sounds like you had lots of fun. How cool to meet bloggers!
Excellent report, Aron! Thanks for sharing all the details – I felt like I was right there with you.
Congrats on Marathon # 4!!!
I could have used you at my marathon. I’m sure the other girls appreciated it. I’m glad you had fun.
Honestly, this was one of the best marathon write ups I’ve ever read. I’m so thrilled that you were able to run with friends and other women together. That’s amazing.
All of you in your group are special and I admire all of you for being true friends.
Thanks for sharing.
*CHEERS*
congrats on another marathon! running 26.2 is ALWAYS a huge accomplishment. cant wait to hear what the next race will be – maybe it should be CIM with me!
What an amazing write up!! You and your friends sound amazing and it sounds like you were an awesome support for them
Congrats on number 4!
Sounds like you had an awesome race!! That’s so cool that you were able to meet up with all the bloggers/tweeps…. I’m jealous I wasn’t there! Congrats
fantastic!! congrats, aron! that must have been so cool to run with so many bloggers. i’m sure you gave eachother a lot of inspiration. great job!
Great race report and sounds like you had an incredible day and wknd!! So nice you got to meet all those bloggers, too!
I am so happy we got to share this experience together and am so grateful to have you in my life too!
I am so happy that this race gave something to you…it’s completely true. There is so much that goes on across 26.2. Can’t wait to see rock #5! Love ya!
What a memorable race! Thanks for the report and congratulations!
what a great-sounding race! YAY!
That was s great report Aron. Still not a bad time at all – 4:19.
A. That’s why I don’t like Gu’s. Super messy and sticky and who wants to waste their water cleaning off their hands, right??
B. Trail runs never have “boring” parts.
Congrats on #4, and bib 10000 is awesome! Meeting all those bloggers must have been a lot of fun, and you have an amazing group of ladies supporting you… nothing better than that.
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this marathon was so much more than a marathon!!!!!!!!! jam-packed with people and people and people…………………..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love that everyone is in everyone’s blogs and pictures, it’s like a big happy fuzzy feeling
CONGRATS!!! you had a great race and WOW suddenly you have run 4 marathons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! can’t wait to hear your plans!!!! hehehe
What a fun weekend and awesome race! Way to help out your girls. You are lucky to have such a big group of fun girls to run with. Enjoy the massage!
Congratulations! Sounds like you had a great time.
So glad you had a great race with all those awesome girls!! Nice work
BUT – if some dude proposed to me mid race, can I deduct that time off my total?
I am forever in debt to you for running with me for that long especially with all my stupid stops! We will work on that. ha ha
So glad we got to meet and hang out! I love all you girls and I laughed at loud at someone calling me the kooho! ha ha ha ha!
Way to go!
I’m running for fun most of the time, and agree it’s a great way to really absorb what’s going on!
Congratulations on #4! It’s very cool that you were able to help the others get through their races like that. Recover well and I can’t wait to hear about what’s next for you.
yay! you are soooo awesome! great race! (wow so many exclamation points! ha)
Way to go! I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. That’s what these races are all about, right?
Congrats again.
That race report made me all smiley too! This weekend was my first road trip with runner girls, and it was FANTASTIC. I need my own little ROHO crew to do all my races.
)
So awesome!!! What a great day and weekend. Sounds and looks like you all had a blast. Woo hoo!!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!! And do let us know ASAP what’s up next for you
You are so right Aron! It’s not all about PRs it’s totally the experience. It was amazing for me to have so many people in town this time aroundseeing you guys as I rounded toward the finish totally gave me a boost though I was so on the verge of tears!
It is so awesome you were with Tara for the finish! What a great running buddy!
Can’t wait to hear about #5!!!!
PS While I like the heat the humidity killed me!!!!
Congrats! Glad you had such a good time with the race, with all the ROHO’s and meeting up with bloggers. Sounds like a ton of fun!
Rock n roll indeed! What an aweome race and report.
I think races are all about fun, friends and memorable experiences as well as running. Glad you all had a blast!
What a great friend you are!
Awesome recap! You are such a great friend. It sounds like you had a great time
Congrats to all of you!
Great race, and what a special marathon, running with friends is the best! Congrats again on marathon 4!
You ROCK! I hope someday I can run with you too!!
Great race! You are so inspiring and so sweet for trying to help everyone!
Congrats on marathon #4! Whats next???
XO
Awesome job! Congratulations!
I totally think that every now and then NOT running a marathon for time is totally good for the soul
Awesome race report! It looks like a great time with the ROHO ladies!
Congrats Aron!!
I’m so glad you had a blast in San Diego! It would be totally awesome to run with a bunch of friends.
Have you thought about being a pacer? You could motivate all sorts of people!
Can’t wait to hear about plans for #5!
I will forever credit you for my sub 4 hour time. I still can’t believe it. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for providing such good support, help and friendship.
I love you girls more than anything and I’m so excited for our next adventure.
xoxo – Kristin
congrats! another marathon in the books, always a big accomplishment no matter how fast or ‘slow’.
you had such a blast at this race, i think it’ll be your favorite for quite some time and maybe even beat out your future bq race 
sounds like a really awesome weekend – i’m jealous!
i do have to say, if my bf proposed to me during mile 20 i would probably slap him
not exactly my most photogenic moment and i’d probably want to get the darn thing over with lol. but it does make for a cute story…
Hugs and congratulations, Aron!!!
Congrats on an awesome race! I’m glad you had such a blast. I’m off to read everyone else’s race report!
It was great meeting you! I can’t believe you saw someone propose on the course! What a wonderful idea and great inspiration for the last 6.2 miles
Congrats! I wish I could see a video of you pouring the water into your belts while running!
Hee hee. I’ve always wondered how hard that would be.
I can’t wait to have a few marathons under my belt to reflect on. You’re inspiring!
Aron I’ve been following you all on FB and it just looks like you had a fantastic time – the whole time! Way to go on really enjoying the marathon wiht your friends and just soaking it all up – I can’t tell you how great it is to read this after your disappointing experience in Eugene. Girl – you’ve got your mojo back and it’s wonderful to see that!
I can’t thank you enough for sticking by my side until the end!!!! It was beyond amazing to cross the finish line with you! You were my saving grace on Sunday and you pushed me to get under 4:20! I had given up on myself and was ready to jump in the ocean and get eaten by a whale!!! lol THANK YOU so much from the bottom of my heart!!!! You’re my go to girl for all my training questions and I love getting to know you better everyday! ♥ xoxoxox
Congratulations on your race Aron, it sounds like an amazing experience! Having the chance to do the race with friends like that sounds like an opportunity that is too good to pass up. I’m glad you had a great weekend out there. It sounds like an amazing time!
And awesome bib number by the way!
What a fun race and race report! I love all the thoughts you included with your experience. Truly, there is SO MUCH more to running marathons than PRs and BQs. I'm glad you were able to get some good introspection during the race while also having a blast with your friends. San Diego is one of my favorite places and I wish I could have been one of the many bloggers you met up with there.
Congrats on #4!!!
You rock! What an awesome friend and runner you are! SD did go by in a flash! I enjoy the whole weekend, but by Monday I couldn't believe it was over!
The freeway ramp we ran up really killed me! That angle tore up a tendon in my left ankle – which made the last few miles a bit unbearable! I hope next year they may be able to switch up the course so that we don't have to tackle that again!
Congrats on #4! Great race report, and can't wait to hear about your next one!
Great run! I so wish I didn't have to miss my marathon this spring.
ok just made it back from SD so I'm catching up on reports. way to go on being great support for your friends!! i was so happy to finally meet you girls!
I'm FINALLY catching up on my reader, and I was so excited to read this today! I'm glad you had a fantastic time. It sounds like I need to recruit you to come run a marathon with me sometime, haha! I'm really glad that you had a great day and a great weekend. It also sounds like one of these days I've got to get myself out there and meet up with all you lovely CA runners!