Well, I did it. I ran one of the best, fastest, most organized marathons in the U.S. — the CIM (California International Marathon).
After being injured for 2 1/2 years and running my last marathon more than three years ago with a torn hamstring, I wanted a good experience. I wasn’t going to mess around with a sub-par marathon. I heard only good things about CIM (which Google calls the CIM Marathon to distinguish it from an investment company), so as soon as I was given the green light to run again, I signed up.
Unfortunately, I did not have a good race at the CIM — but it was not due to any factors of the marathon itself. My legs just didn’t have a good day.
My training had me fit to run a sub-2:50 that day. But my legs locked up at mile 16, and I ran a 2:58. While I was borderline devastated (let’s have some perspective here), I am also happy to be running again after being injured for almost three years.
There are always silver linings in a marathon and lessons to be learned.
CIM is a fast course if you run smart.
Even though I did not have a good day, many people did. And that’s because the CIM is one of the best and fastest marathons in the U.S. you can run. And I want to set you up for success on race day. Why?
Because even though the CIM is an amazing race, there is a lot of room for error if you plan to just show up and run. It is a course you need to race smart. Calculated. This is not a race to get into the “flow” and run. Your head must stay in the game. Don’t get carried away.
Plus, with more than 9,000 runners showing up on race day, you need to know the logistics well ahead of time.
Read the rest of Whitney Heins’ CIM article.
Whitney Heins is the founder of The Mother Runners (https://www.themotherrunners.com), a resource for moms who run and the host of The Passionate Runner Podcast. Whitney lives in Knoxville, Tenn., and is a wife and mother of two, a former TV news journalist, a VDOT-O2 certified run coach, and a 2:56 marathoner. Her insights and The Mother Runners have been featured in Runner’s World, Nike, The Huffington Post, US News & World Report, and more. Whitney has her eyes on qualifying for the 2024 Olympic Trials marathon.
