“Men Wanted” “The undersigned wishes to hire ten or a dozen men, familiar with the management of horses, as hostlers, or riders on the Overland Express Route via Salt Lake City. Wages $50 per month and found.” – Ad in Sacramento Union, March 19, 1860.

Maybe our modern day Sacramento Bee newspaper ad should have read this way: “Runners wanted! The undersigned wishes to complete 26.2 miles by running on both sides of the river and be familiar with the management of steady feet, controlled breathing and pace, as well as muscle fatigue, body aches, anger, and lots of swearing from miles 18 and on. Wages $0 per month and a huge shiny medal at the end.”

I first heard about Pony Express, the new marathon galloping in town May 2016 at last year’s Expo for the California International Marathon. At the time, I was so overwhelmed and focused on completing my very first marathon that I just obliterated the amazing offer to run this historic marathon for about $80, if I had signed up at the Expo, but here is what I found out later about this new marathon that I did not think I would run.

A few historic facts about Pony Express as outlined on the National Park Service website https://www.nps.gov/poex/learn/historyculture/index.htm:

Pony Express was in operation for only 18 months between April 1860 and October 1861, but it became synonymous with the Old West.

More than 1,800 miles in 10 days! California the Pony Express could deliver a letter faster than before from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento!

On June 16, 1860, about ten weeks after the Pony Express began operations, Congress authorized the building of a transcontinental telegraph line to connect the Missouri River and the Pacific Coast.

The passage of the bill resulted in the incorporation of the Overland Telegraph Company of California and the Pacific Telegraph Company of Nebraska.

November 7, 1860: Pony Express riders carried word of Abraham Lincoln’s election as President from Fort Kearney, Nebraska to Placerville, California in a record 5 days. This was considered one of the most significant accomplishments by the Pony Express.

On October 26, 1861 the Pony Express was officially terminated.

Most of the original trail has been destroyed by time or human activities. Short fragments of the trail can be seen only in Utah and California. However, approximately 120 historic sites may be available to the public, including 50 existing Pony Express stations or ruins.

After having completed the CIM, my first marathon in 4:13:21, I decided to train the whole winter to get stronger and faster for my first ultra marathon Folsom Gold Rush 50K for which I had signed up right after the CIM while on runner’s high- ha!ha! I also ran Super Sunday Run, ZooZoom, and American River Parkway 5Ks and placed first and second in my age group, so I decided to test myself by signing up to run the inaugural marathon in Sacramento, http://ponyexpressmarathon.com/runner-info/registration-information/marathon/ Pony Express on May 1.

My goal for this year was to run a 50K trail run, Folsom Gold Rush on May 14 and the California International Marathon in December to try to qualify for Boston. Yet, at the encouragement of a few good runner friends, I thought it was a good idea to try to qualify for Boston by running the Pony Express that was hosted by the Rotary Club of Sacramento and benefited Courage Worldwide and Alpha K9. It also promised a flat and fast USATF-certified course that started and finished on Capitol Mall and ran along both shores of the Sacramento River. It hit many points of interests in our beautiful Sacramento, such as Old Sacramento, Tower Bridge, Raley Field, and Land Park.

My main goals for my second marathon: to beat my last year’s time and set a new PR (personal record), try to qualify for Boston, which I knew would be challenging, but doable, to use this marathon as a benchmark for my CIM, and last, but not least, to use this as training for my 50K. With my plan to run Pony Express, I felt I was scoring on many levels.

The week of the marathon

I ran lightly two days that week and prepared myself physically and mentally. I visualized myself running smoothly and efficiently in the low 8s per mile, which I needed to qualify for Boston. I also slept well, ate my carbs, brown rice spaghetti with vegetables, fruit, and hydrated well.

The day before the marathon

I went to pick up my bib number and spent time at the Expo. As opposed to the CIM (California International Marathon), the Expo was quite small, but had some nice booths and vendors. I even bought myself a crafted neck cooler from Artful panache that contained tiny, non-toxic, water-absorbing polymer crystals. The crystals can go from dry to wet hundreds of times and will last for years.

START LINE

After a good night rest, (I am blessed to sleep very well the night before big events) the morning of the event, Catalin, my sweet husband, dropped me off at the start line on Capitol Mall and 6th Street. We arrived at 6:20 a.m. We stayed in the car a little longer and chatted. It was pretty quiet around there, which felt so different from the CIM. Last year when I ran CIM on December 6th, the event felt like an ocean with towering waves crashing against the shores of inactivity. The excitement from the CIM was definitely absent. I acquiesced the stillness of that May 1st cool morning right before the start, but knew that we would have some noise, cheering, and hopefully some more excitement as we got closer to our 7 a.m. start time. I went to the restroom – always a good idea before races. I also wanted to find some of my CIM runner friends, so I kissed my husband good-bye and told him that I would see him and the kids at the finish line.

To my great delight, I came across my friends Jennifer, John, and Robert who were all doing the half marathon, as the Pony Express had four events: marathon, relay, half marathon, and Running for Rhet 5K kids’ run. We took pictures together.
I promised to post them on our Run4Ever Facebook page that I had created after we finished our CIM training so that we would keep in touch and continue to run together whenever we could. We wished one another good luck. My friends also told me to go for my BQ (Boston qualifier time), which needed to be 3:45 minutes based on my age, but I needed to run it in 3:40 minutes to be accepted. They told me that I could do it! I smiled and looked down at my shoes, as if checking for growing wings. I believed in myself and having others believe in me was huge, too.

There were about 8 minutes before the start, so I proceeded to find my pacers, two gentlemen who promised to take us to the finish line in 3:38 minutes, which was my plan, too. They both seemed nice and experienced, but one of them kept fiddling with his watch, which got me a little nervous. The start happened about 5 minutes later than 7 a.m., as the organizers kept talking, which also got me a little antsy. Two men on their horses led the way, reenacting the original Pony Express. This placed me back into history and made me feel grateful to be running this marathon healthy and happy. I started strong, running with joy and a huge smile on my face. Our pace group was small and cozy with one more woman and a guy who was running his first marathon. After going over the Tower Bridge, we had a little more room to run and keep a steady pace of 8:16 per mile. I felt downright elated from the start. I kept talking about the Boston qualifier and how I had my mind set on it that day. The pacers and the other two runners were super encouraging (maybe too encouraging- ha!ha!). I felt in control of my pace, breathing, thoughts, and the running universe. We ran by the river, admiring the stillness of the water and its smooth flow that matched our even pace. The morning was as quiet as the marathon. Hardly any spectators and cheerleaders on the course, as not many people even knew this marathon was happening. The temperature in the low 70s was pleasant at first. Half-way into our marathon, it got into the 80s, making it hard to keep our pace.

During the marathon

Around mile 10, I felt invincible. “Keeping this pace is easy,” I said to myself. “I can do this and make it to Boston,” I continued. Never a good idea to let your mind race, or feel overconfident. At mile 11, my amazing Trail Mix friends greeted me with loud cheering and “Go Carmen.” They worked that aid station as volunteers, best ones in the event! And, yes! I am biased! I was finally able to eat real food, which I like the best during my runs. I grabbed four slices of oranges and pretzel sticks and gobbled them up. I was looking strong. My friends’ cheers propelled me with renewed energy and enthusiasm. I kept going strong till half point.

Around mile 15, I lost our pacers. They continued to run with their 3:38 min. sign up like a torch of torture, a reminder that steadiness and humility are more valuable in life than short-lived speed and overconfidence (one of my favorite lesson from this marathon!).

Around mile 18, as we came back over the Tower Bridge, I got mixed up with the kids doing their 5K race. I did not see any signs for our marathon route and ended up crossing the finish line with the 5K runners. I realized that I got lost. I kept asking people until finally someone pointed to the right side of the bridge, where I needed to make a right. I was demoralized and upset on myself for being ME: not always paying attention and having my head in the clouds, dreaming of Boston, philosophizing, or writing poems in my head. At that point, I realized that I had missed my chance to make it to Boston, as I got detoured by .7 miles, or about a good 6 minutes. Yet deep down, I knew I would have a nice PR at the end. I had to keep going and forgive myself for getting lost. The course was well-marked overall. However, at that crucial point when runners from different races mingled, I felt they had no volunteers to direct us and make sure we did not miss making that right turn, but then, I don’t like to point fingers. I needed to take responsibility for my own mistake. My feet felt heavy. My heart sank in resignation. My mind continued to chatter about irrelevant things. However, after being back on track and on the course, I needed to pull the reins of my being and regain control. I started to run steadily again and focused on finding equanimity and serenity inside my heart, mind, and soul. I had to chase a different goal: a big PR from last year’s marathon. Life was still good and my getting lost was not the end of the world. It could always be worse, one of my favorite things to say in life, as cheesy as it sounds.

Around mile 22, I got another small joy and victory seeing my friend Ashley, one of our CIM runner friends who cheered loudly for me as I ran through quiet Land Park neighborhood. Most of its residents did not know about the marathon, for it was barely advertised. I already got over being upset for running such a quiet marathon with almost no cheering, so I decided to withdraw in my Zen universe: my strong mind. I had to pull some strings to finish strong.

After mile 23, I decided to leave any worries behind and run one mile at a time. I started to run in the 9s at mile 18 and continued that way till the finish line. My gluteal muscles were a little sore, but my knees were strong, so I kept running and looking forward to see my family and friends at the finish line. As I crossed Broadway Blvd., I got closer to the Capitol and 10th St., where the finish line was. I started to pick up my pace, realizing that I would finish in 4 hours! As I made a left to run towards the finish line, I saw my family! Sophia peeled away from my husband and ran next to me holding hands towards the finish line. She wore her white dress shoes, not her tennis shoes, but she kicked her legs high with delight, joy, and great pride to see her mom finish her second marathon. All my troubles had drifted away like summer clouds. I laughed and smiled as we ran together. This was definitely the most favorite and cherished moment of the marathon!

Crossing the Finish Line

Our son Alex was running on the sidewalk and took tons of pictures of me crossing the finish line. He has been an amazing race photographer in many of my races. I kept waving and smiling at him with great joy and gratitude. I also saw my husband hurry towards the finish line, as I seriously picked up my pace and crossed the finish line in 4:00:11. I finished second in my age group, which I never expected! This was my pleasant surprise of the marathon.

What a great marathon and PR! I did it! Boston will have to wait till I will run the CIM this December. I lost and found myself during my second marathon. I made my own history of humility, serenity, composure, determination, strength, and inner peace. Pony-up, Sacramento! Kick up those hooves!

For more information on running, or real estate, please contact me here, or e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com.