Tuesday, February 8, 2022

I Got Some Good News Regarding My Back

Since November, I’ve had intermittent discomfort in my lower back.  I first noticed it on the morning of the Philadelphia Marathon, and it was much worse the next day.  It’s been gradually improving, but I have occasional flare-ups.  The worst was after a day in late December when I was shoveling some dense snow off our driveway.  I had another flare-up yesterday, after running the Surf City Marathon on Sunday.

The discomfort is always in the same places.  It’s either just to the right of my spine, or near my right hip.  It felt similar to symptoms I had last May when I had a disc protrusion.  I assumed I had a similar injury this time.

It’s tough to get a doctor appointment around the holidays, so I decided to see if it would heal on its own.  If not, I could mention it to my doctor when I went in for my annual physical.  That was today.

My doctor diagnosed a strain of the lumbar paraspinous muscle, which goes down the right side of my back.  He didn’t find anything wrong with my spine.  That’s really good news.  My worst fear was a herniated disc.  That’s an injury that could’ve forced me to stop running for months.  This is an injury that should heal with medication, heat, and some exercises.  I’ll need to take it easy for a couple days, but I should be able to resume training later this week.

In other news, I learned this morning that the George Washington’s Birthday Marathon was cancelled.  That race was scheduled to take place on February 20, which is much too soon for me to be racing again.  I was actually relieved when I read about the cancellation, especially after learning that the organizers are refunding everyone’s entry fees.  That’ll give me extra recovery time before my next race.

Sometimes bad news is good news.

Sunday, February 6, 2022

Race Report: 2022 Surf City Marathon

On February 6, I ran the Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach, CA.  I’ve done this race several times.  It’s one of the few winter races where I can count on comfortable temperatures for running.

I usually fly into LAX, but last time I had a bad experience picking up my rental car there.  This time, I flew into the John Wayne airport in Orange County.  There weren’t any flights on Saturday that would get me there in time for packet pickup.  On Friday, by contrast, I could get a late morning flight.  I had this view from the airplane as we approached the airport.

I arrived just before noon, so I went straight to lunch from the airport.  After lunch, I checked into my hotel.  I stayed at the Doubletree Club in Santa Ana, which is just a few miles from the airport.  I’ve stayed at this hotel several times.  They have a race package that includes free parking plus race day transportation.  In my experience, they also treat all the runners like VIPs.  I would recommend this hotel to anyone doing this race.

Next, I went to Huntington Beach to pick up my race packet.  As usual, packet pickup was in a large tent set up in the beach parking lot.  This year, most of the merchandise vendors were set up in the parking lot just outside of the big tent.  In the past, I always bumped into people I knew.  This year, however, I went a day earlier.  Most people traveling for the race probably picked up their race packets on Saturday.


My hotel had an outdoor pool and hot tub.  It was a warm enough day that I decided to spend part of the afternoon relaxing in the hot tub.  I was able to massage my lower back by positioning myself in front of one of the jets.

There’s a neighborhood in Costa Mesa called SoBeCa.  It was originally an entertainment and cultural arts district, but there are also restaurants and breweries there.  I never realized Orange County had so many breweries.  There were four just in the SoBeCa district.

SoBeCa is about two and a half miles from my hotel.  It was a pleasant day, so I decided to walk there and back.  Besides eating dinner and sampling some beers, I got in five miles of walking.

I spent Saturday morning relaxing at the hotel and doing a few exercises in the fitness center.  Then I drove back to Huntington Beach, where I had lunch and visited the expo again.  I already had my race packet, but I wanted to hang around to look for people I know.  While I was there, they were having a classic VW bus show.




When I got back to the hotel, I took another dip in the hot tub.  I also stopped by the marathon desk to get a wristband for the race shuttle.  It was included in my room rate, but I had to sign up for it.

For dinner, I once again took advantage of the nice weather and walked to a restaurant that was two and a half miles away.

On the morning of the race, the hotel had a continental breakfast for the runners, starting at 4:30.  I got up at 4:00 so I could be ready.  Getting up early on the west coast is much easier than getting up early on the east coast.

Our bus to the start left the hotel at 5:30.  The bus ride took about 30 minutes.  We were dropped off in front of the Hyatt Regency.  Most of the runners walked around the block to get to the start corrals.  I went through the hotel, so I could stop to use a bathroom in the lobby.  Then I made my way through the hotel to a pedestrian bridge leading to the beach.  I got there just in time for a group picture.

The temperature was in the upper 40s, but I expected it to warm up to 70 by the time I finished.  The afternoon high was forecast to be 81 degrees, making it the warmest day of the weekend.  I dressed for the warmer temperatures, knowing my legs would be cold in the early miles.

I ran my last marathon in 4:06:57.  That was on a course that had several miles of dirt road, and I felt like the soft footing was slowing me down at times.  This course is almost entirely paved.  Here, I thought I would be closer to four hours if I had a good race.  With that in mind, I looked for the 4:00 pace group and lined up near them.

I don’t like running in the middle of a pace group, because I often feel like I’m boxed in.  I chose instead to run just in front of the group.  That gave me plenty of run to find my own stride, but there was the danger that I might get too far ahead of them.  That’s exactly what happened.  By the end of the first mile, I found myself right behind the 3:50 pace group.

There was a cold breeze, and my hands were cold, even though I was wearing gloves.  When I’m cold, I have trouble relaxing, so I tend to start faster than I should.  For the time being, I was comfortable running behind the 3:50 group, but I wasn’t going to pass them.  If I felt boxed in, I had to slow down and stay behind them.

I continued to run behind the 3:50 group until we reached the first turn, which was between two and three miles.  There was an aid station just before the turn.  That caught me off guard, because the tables were on our left, but I had already moved to the right in anticipation of the right turn onto Seapoint Street.  I chose to skip that aid station, but I knew it would be important to drink at all the others.  I was cold in the early miles, but it was going to get hot later.

It was near that aid station that I heard music for the first time.  There was a sound system playing “Gangnam Style.”  That’s not surf music, but it’s an energetic song that always gets me pumped up.

For the next few miles, I continued to run near the 3:50 group.  At times, the pace felt fast, and I dropped back a little.  Other times, the pace felt easier and I caught up to them again.

In the fifth mile, we went down a hill.  By the bottom of the hill, one of the 4:00 pacers caught up to us.  That shocked me.  We had been averaging 8:36 per mile.  To run a 3:50 hour marathon, you need to average 8:45, so we were starting kind of fast.  To run a four hour marathon, you only need to average 9:09.  That 4:00 pacer was going ridiculously fast.  That’s no way to lead a pace group.

In the next mile, we entered Huntington Central Park.  The next two miles had lots of turns.  At times we were on a narrow path.  I sometimes had to slow down a little to stay behind the group.  At other times, the pace leaders would pull away, and I’d find myself working harder to keep up.

I really shouldn’t have stayed with the group once the pace started taking more effort.  The longer I stayed with them, the more tempted I was to try to keep up that pace for the whole race.  It was optimistic, to say the least, but 3:50 happens to be the time I need for a Boston qualifier.  That’s something I’ll shoot for any time it seems possible.

While we were in the park, we passed a high school band that was performing for us.  They set up in the same spot every year.

After leaving the park, we ran back up the same hill we ran down a few miles earlier.  This race is mostly flat, but this is a hill that I always find tiring.  It seemed like the 3:50 pacers were taking the hill without slowing down.  As I followed them up the hill, I found myself really huffing and puffing.

There was an aid station at the top of the hill, and I took my time having a drink.  I fell behind the group, but over the next mile I gradually caught my breath.  By the nine mile mark, I had caught up to the group again.

Just before the 10 mile mark, we finished the inland portion of the course and turned back onto the Pacific Coast Highway.  The rest of the race consisted of two out-and-backs.  First, we would run out-and-back along the highway.  Then we would do another out-and-back on a bike path between the highway and the beach.  This is a race where it’s easy to spot your friends.

It was about two and a half miles to the turnaround of the first out-and-back.  As I started this section, I finally felt warm enough to take off my gloves.  Within a few miles, I would start feeling hot.

At first, I was keeping up with the group, but it was taking more effort.  By the time we reached the turn, I was losing contact with them.  The halfway mark was about half a mile after the turnaround.  By the time I got there I had lost contact with the 3:50 group, yet I was actually on pace to finish in 3:48.

Now that I was on my own, I had to start paying more attention to my pace.  I read my time at each mile marker.  I was still keeping up the pace I needed for a 3:50 finish, but it got more difficult with each mile.  I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to sustain the pace for the rest of the race.  I probably shouldn’t have tried.

I was starting to experience other problems besides find the pace more difficult.  Shortly after the turnaround, I started to notice some chafing.  I was sweating enough that my clothes were getting salty.  As they rubbed against my skin, a few sore spots started to sting.  I neglected to put Aquaphor on my legs before the race, so it wasn’t surprising that I had chafing there.  I also had chafing in areas that have never been a problem before.

Around 15 miles, I started to feel some rumbles in my intestines.  I had an unsettled digestive system since getting up.  I thought I got it all out of my system before the race, but I started to wonder if I could make it through the race without a bathroom stop.

I fought to stay on pace until we turned onto the bike path.  Before I got to the turn, I saw the 3:50 group on the bike path.  I did a time check and determined they were ahead of me by about 1:40.  I already knew I wasn’t going to catch them, but now I knew how far back I was.

As I made the U-turn onto the bike path, the wheels came off.  I immediately realized I couldn’t sustain my pace any longer.  I waited too long to back off.  Now I was going to slow down dramatically.

I was no longer keeping up with anyone around me.  I had to retreat into my comfort zone and find a pace that would be sustainable for the next 10 miles.  My new goal was to break four hours.  It’s a goal I could no longer take for granted.

The out-and-back on the bike path is longer than the out-and-back on the highway.  It’s almost five miles each way.  I’ve run this course enough times to know how long it feels when you’re fighting to sustain an ambitious pace.  It feels even longer when you’ve blown up, and you’re struggling just to finish.  The rest of the race was unpleasant, but I had only myself to blame.  I had no business trying to pace for 3:50.  I realized that several miles earlier, but I didn’t have the sense to back off.

At 17 miles, I got my first time-check since slowing down.  That mile was 9:03.  That was easily fast enough to keep me on pace for four hours, but I didn’t know how much more I would slow down.

There are several public bathrooms along the beach.  I reached one just as someone was leaving the bathroom.  I was tempted to stop, but I was afraid my legs would be too stiff when I resumed running.  I decided to hold out as long as I could.  The longer I held my current pace, the more likely I was to finish in four hours.

Miles 18 and 19 took 9:28 and 9:27 respectively.  I didn’t know exactly what pace I needed the rest of the way, but I knew that was still fast enough.

There was a band set up alongside the highway.  The bike path passed close enough that I could hear the music.  The first time I went by, they were playing an instrumental version of “Music to Watch Girls By.”  I used to have that on a 45.  It’s one of my favorite instrumentals from the late 60s.

I was putting more effort into keeping up with the runners around me, but I continued to slow down.  Mile 20 took 9:42.  At first, I was too tired to do the mental arithmetic and figure out what pace I needed the rest of the way.  Then I realized I still had more than 63 minutes before the four-hour mark.  With 6.2 miles to go, I only needed to average 10 minutes per mile.  I was still doing that.

In the next mile, my friend Stefanie passed me.  She started slow and was running negative splits.  I started too fast and was on my way to positive splits.  At this point in the race, I couldn’t keep up with her.

Just before the turnaround, I saw the 21 mile sign.  I looked at my watch, but the time didn’t seem possible.  I suspect the sign was facing the wrong way.  We weren’t supposed to reach 21 miles until after the turn.

Just after making the turn, I saw one of the 4:00 pace leaders.  It’s the same one who briefly caught up to the 3:50 group earlier in the race.  I knew I would have to work to keep my time under four hours, but I was still ahead of that pace.  This guy shouldn’t have been catching up to me this soon.  He was still going too fast.

Physically, I was just barely hanging on, but I got a psychological lift from knowing I was finally on the way back toward the finish.  I still had five miles to go, but I was headed in the right direction now.

At mile 22 my time made more sense.  In the previous two miles, I averaged 9:45.  Those were the last two miles that were faster than 10 minutes.  Mile 23 took exactly 10 minutes.  At first that was demoralizing, but then I realized I now only needed to average about 10:30 per mile.

I started to notice some discomfort in my right knee.  That knee has been a problem for a year and a half.  It’s healed sufficiently that I can do training runs, but a marathon can still make me notice it.  It usually feels fine within 24 hours.

The good news is that I never noticed any discomfort in my lower back.  It was bothering me both Friday and Saturday, even though I didn’t do anything to aggravate it.  On the day I subjected my back to the impact of 26.2 miles of running, it felt OK.  Go figure.

When I went past the band again, they were playing “Pipeline.”  At a race called Surf City, you expect to hear some surf music.  Hearing that lifted my spirits.

Mile 24 took 10:11.  I was getting slower with each mile, but the pace I needed to average the rest of the way was also getting slower.  The only thing that would keep me from breaking four hours was a bathroom stop.  I had to hold out until after the race.

It was right at 24 miles that the 4:00 pacer passed me.  I was surprised it took that long for him to catch me.  He was right behind me at the turn, and I was slowing down.  I suspect he realized he was going too fast and now he was giving time back time by taking walking breaks.  It’s worth noting that there weren’t any other runners with him.  He lost his whole group by going too fast earlier.

I looked ahead across the beach and saw the Huntington Beach Pier.  The finish line is only a few blocks past the pier.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that the pier was much farther away than it appeared to be.  It looked like it was only about six blocks away.  In fact, it was almost two miles away.

I held the same pace in mile 25 as I did in mile 24.  I now had more than 13 minutes to finish the last 1.2 miles.  I fought to keep from slowing down.

In the last mile, we returned to the Pacific Coast Highway.  I started to feel more rumbles in my intestines.  Maintaining my pace was no longer my biggest concern.  I was more worried about making it to the finish before needed a bathroom stop.

As I passed the pier, I came within sight of the 26 mile sign.  Then I spotted the finish line.  I kept pushing and finished in 3:58:35.  I ran positive splits by more than 10 minutes.  That’s what I get for starting at a pace that never seemed sustainable.

Before the race, I would have been happy to finish within four hours.  I did it the hard way, but I still broke four, despite poor pacing.

This race always has cool finisher medals.  They’re a little different each year, but it’s usually a surfboard.

They always have lots of food and beverages in the finish area.  I knew I was dehydrated, so I grabbed a bottle of water and started drinking.  I also picked up a banana which I ate immediate, and an energy bar which I saved for later.  There were other snacks, but that was all I needed.

When I got through the finisher chute, I went straight to the port-o-potties for a long overdue bathroom break.  They had washing stations, so I was able to use a damp paper towel to wipe areas that were chafing.

I waited in a long line for the ID check to get my wrist band for the beer garden.  Each runner got one free beer or seltzer.  I opted for a Longboard Lager.  Aside from being the best beer they had, it was also the most appropriate.

I stopped at the results tent to find out my official time, and then I made my way to the Hyatt to wait for a bus back to Doubletree.  They had two pickup times.  The first one was at 11:30.  If I missed that, I would have to wait until 12:45.  I kept an eye on the time and made sure I caught the 11:30 bus.

When we got back to the hotel, the staff was lined up in the lobby to give us an ovation.  They were making noise by banging pots and pans.  They do this every year.  I know what to expect, but I love seeing the reaction of runners who have never stayed here before.

In the lobby they had water bottles and Doubletree cookies for us.  When I got back to my room, I found a surprise.  The Director of Sales left this tin of Doubletree cookies in my room.  I don’t know if she did that for everyone or if I got special consideration because I’ve stayed here six times.

I took a quick shower to rinse off the sweat and then went outside to soak in the hot tub.  On Friday and Saturday, I was the only one in the pool area.  Sunday was a warmer day, and a few other runners had the same idea.  After about 20 minutes in the hot tub, I took another shower to rinse off the chlorine.

A few things about the race weekend felt different this year.  There wasn’t a big group dinner the night before the race.  There wasn’t a “beer & bacon station” set up by spectators along the bike path.  The last thing that felt different was after the race.  This race is usually held on the first Sunday in February.  In the past, that was always Super Bowl Sunday.  Watching the game in the hotel lounge was a post-race tradition.  This year, the NFL added an extra week to the season.  As a result, the Super Bowl won’t be played until next weekend.  I missed being able to watch the game while recovering from the race.


Race Statistics
Distance:  26.2 miles
Time:  3:58:35
Average Pace:  9:06
Lifetime Marathons/Ultras:  449