Last weekend, i completed the Surf City Marathon in 4:46:44.
I have mixed feelings about my performance. On one hand i feel bad because i didn't break 4:30 (after coming really close the last time), but on the other, i'm happy to have even finished.
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Not the naked guy, the one in the gray shirt.
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Since my training runs are usually done at 50-60 degrees in the Central Valley's roughly 30% humidity, i suppose those are my "optimal running conditions." The Surf City Marathon is USUALLY run in the Spring, which probably approximates at least that temperature. The pandemic's bumping it off into the summer changed that considerably; in fact, an email was sent by the race organizers a few days prior, warning runners about the relative heat/humidity, and to not attempt to run a PR.
Anyway, race day temperature started at around 68 and ultimately ended up at least 10 degrees warmer. The humidity was close to 100%, and there was NO SHADE. Seventy-eight degrees doesn't sound too warm, but take away shade and evaporative cooling, and it is by no means a walk in the park.
I knew it was going to be a bad race when i started sweating somewhere close to mile 2, since that usually only starts around miles 4-5. To preempt any possible bad outcome, i started hydrating more than usual: sucking a little bit more than my cursory gulp from my Camelbak every mile AND drinking at every aid station. Despite all this hydration, i never once felt the need to use a porta-potty. I think everyone else felt the same way - there were toilets aplenty along the course, but i never saw a line build up anywhere. So no one was peeing, but we were all sweating buckets. If it had been a few degrees warmer, i wonder if we would have had some collapses. In all honesty, i really shouldn't complain; i almost ran Tokyo last year, and i'm sure it was warmer and wetter.
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| Mugging for the camera while suffering Photo credit: Finisherpix |
As far as race prep strategy, i changed things up this time around. On the general principle that my overarching goal is to continue running marathons into my geriatric years, but not necessarily to run FAST or even to break my previous PR, i eschewed the traditional taper and ran a 20 miler within a week of the race. The thought being that the taper is designed to maximize one's performance for ONE upcoming event, not to continue building strength for the long term. Of course i could be completely off-base on this, but then again i'm just a lung doctor. Empirically, while i finished slower than i was hoping (perhaps through no fault of mine), i didn't end up as sore as expected after the race.
Going back to my performance: considering that i didn't train the way i was supposed to, and that the conditions were suboptimal... 4:46 and change is acceptable.
RACE NOTES:
1. There was an unremarkable expo at the packet pickup. There was a shirt, but no swag. I was in and out in about 15 minutes.
2. It wasn't difficult to get to the starting line on the day of the race. The race FAQs spelled out where exactly to go, and it only took me about 10 minutes to walk the half mile (or so) from where Gianina dropped me off. I really considered staying at the race hotel, which is steps from the start. However staying in Irvine was no big deal and presented only a 20-minute drive.
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| Photo credit: Gianina Chong |
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| Close to the start |
3. Even though there were only a little over 1000 runners, it felt like more. I think the half marathoners started running about an hour after the marathoners, and since there was a lot of overlap between the routes, it could feel pretty crowded at times (albeit never New York or Chicago levels of crowded). In addition, the last nine miles were basically an out and back on a sidewalk by the beach, with the narrowest segment being about ten feet across for a mile. The only racers on that part were the marathoners, but there were a fair amount of walkers and bikers.
4. The course, billed as being gorgeous and adjacent to the beach, is really pretty meh. The first third runs inland. The remainder of the course is run partly on the Pacific Coast Highway and partly on that little sidewalk mentioned above. There was some haze on the horizon, limiting the view of the ocean, and there were freighters all over the place. Not nearly as nice (not even close) to Big Sur. I also detected some unpleasant odors the closer we got to the beach. One was of rotting garbage or organic matter, another smelled like aquarium water (probably ammonia or urea).
5. There was lots of food and liquids past the finish line. There are also some tents set up for running clubs, one of which i approached and managed to snag a (members-only?) cup of Coke from. There was ample parking close by, and i only needed to walk another half mile to where Gianina parked the car.
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| Photo credit: Gianina Chong |
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| Photo credit: Gianina Chong |
An aside: the underappreciated perk of running a race in Southern California... is the proximity of Jollibees. Nothing like a bucket of Chickenjoy for the post-race refuel.
That's it for the not-so-great marathon number 8. Weather aside, i wasn't really pleased with the course. Unless it was the only race that fit in with my schedule, i would NOT run it again.
I wonder if my non-traditional taper will be an effective approach. Let's see if it improves my performance on a course i've already run: Napa.
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