I had always wanted to run Siliocn Valley, it is where I was stationed in the Navy nearly my entire career, I loved the bay area. I wanted one of their circuit board medals for my wall for my move to Washington state so I could always remember how much I love San Jose. I stayed in a downtown hotel and was taking medication for gout flairups I was having, so I was not anticipating a good race.
Being I lived around San Jose I should have been smarter at getting to the Start line the next morning. I boarded the downtown train station and saw some runners, so just brainlessly followed them to the start line. Problem was, it was the half marathon start line. Here I was 30 minutes before the race and 15 minutes from the marathon start line and no way to take public transportation and make the starting gun. As luck would have it, a nice older lady dropped off a half runner and was heading back downtown so I begged for a ride, I guess I am trustworthy looking cause she gave me a ride and I made the starting gun.
This was a run around the commercial industry sections of San Jose and fairly flat and quite boring, but I relished every minute. I remember as I neared the finish line someone was excited about their finishing and yelling like a John Wayne western Indian. When I hit the finish line the medal was so heavy it nearly keeled me over, the best medal out there in my eyes. My family greeted me and I limped around quite tired as it was my second marathon in one months time and I had a pain under my left knee for nearly two years after that marathon!
