Race Report: Surf City Half Marathon 2012

My race goals for 2012 were to start off the first 3 months focusing on improving speed and doing road races. The rest of the year would be dedicated to trail/ultra races. Sounded good on paper but it quickly got to the point where I was sick of the pounding of the man-made stuff and longed for only the steeps and dirt of the Santa Monica Mountains + beyond. With entries for road races for Jan-Mar already paid however (and they were pricey), I had little choice but to follow through. Oh well.

So here we were, Super Bowl Sunday and I was to run the 1st race I ever participated in back in 2007 (then called Pacific Shoreline). Was I looking forward to it? Not really. Was I going to run a hard and honest race despite a lack of focused training for these kinds of races? Absolutely. 

I got up at 5am grumbling and groggy from a full day the day prior. It was work, a baby shower in the valley, a screening of Unbreakable in Santa Monica then my mom's birthday dinner in Koreatown. Eventually hit the sack around midnight. My drive down to Huntington Beach was serene although I found myself stealing glances towards the east of the San Gabriel Mountain range and the sun that was rising behind it.

Tony K, JB Benna, Scott Mills, Jimmy Dean.

Thanks to my friend Danica, I procured a spot not too far from the start/finish. We met up and made the walk down together before I hopped into Corral 1. National anthem done and at about 7:45am, the half marathoners were off. 

I did my very best to not get caught up in the sea of fast starters and be diligent about not taking off too quickly. Almost off the bat, I felt a curious tightness in my inner right calf and had difficulty getting into a comfortable breathing vs. stride rate. In fact, I wouldn't feel "comfortable" for a long time into the race.

Mile 1 - 7:02
Mile 2 - 7:08
Mile 3 - 7:12

The course itself is pretty flat and fast. There comes a point after about mile 3 when you encounter a minor hill but it's something most trail runners would laugh at. While I wasn't laughing, I did ease up to keep my heart rate and breathing steady.

How is that thing in yellow beating me??

There are two long out-and-backs for the 1/2 so it was a welcomed distraction to keep my eyes on the other side of the course to see if I could recognize and cheer on fellow runners and friends. On the first I spotted my gal Lori and then shortly after saw Emil and Shacky, all 3 of whom were running the full.

Mile 4 - 7:25
Mile 5 - 7:12

Once we rounded out of the hills and neighborhood of the first few miles, the course spills back out onto the main stretch of Pacific Coast Highway. I was starting to warm up and feel better as the miles progressed but still had difficulty finding that sweet spot.

Leg muscles bitch. What. 

Nothing worth noting about the next few miles as it is basically one long out-and-back on PCH with coastline and lagoon views. So instead, my gaze was either to the other side of the course or directly 5 or so yards in front of me. Around the 7 mile mark, I took in my one and only gel. Rest of the time, I was either drinking water from the aid stations or a nasty concoction called "Vita-Lyte" (gross). Calf was still tight and I was getting a hot spot on the inside of my left foot. Great.

Mile 6 - 7:18
Mile 7 - 7:20
Mile 8 - 7:23
Mile 9 - 7:20
Mile 10 - 7:25

With about 5K remaining, I was just ready to be done. However, I knew I didn't have it in me to sprint it in yet. Crowds were getting larger and larger as I approached the finish but despite that long stretch of road, it was still nowhere in sight. As tired as I felt, I at least took some comfort in that I wasn't one of those poor souls who were running the marathon that had to veer right about a mile away from home.

Mile 11 - 7:24
Mile 12 - 7:09

Mouth Breather.

With about a mile left, I finally decided to expend whatever energy I had left and give it a go. While I made a conscious effort to not look at my watch during the race other than at the mile splits, I finally decided to sneak a peek at my overall time with about a 1/4 mile left. It read something like 1:33:30. Shit, I couldn't believe I was only about a minute or so off of my 1/2 marathon PR. I was in an all-out sprint at that point (for me anyway).

Mile 13 - 6:54
Mile 13.15 - 6:01

Watch clicked as I crossed the finish line. Final time = 1:34:57.

Chick'd + Utility Belt'd. 

About 20-30 seconds off my PR. Drats. Oh well, given how low my expectations were, I'll definitely take it!

As I made my way out of the finish chute, I decided to tack on some cooldown miles and ran back up the course. I saw Lori again and ran with her for a few seconds but she was hauling at that point so I decided to back off. After a couple of miles, I ran back to the finish, met up with Danica again (who ran a solid race herself) and grabbed some post-race iced coffee before saying goodbye.

Good times, great weather and my last road race before the LA Marathon next month. Bring it.