Race Report: Run Oak Island Marathon

On February 17, I ran the Run Oak Island Marathon.  Oak Island is a coastal island in North Carolina.  It’s about 30 miles southwest of Wilmington.

I could’ve flown into Wilmington, but I was able to get better flight times by flying into Myrtle Beach, SC.  From there, I had to drive about 60 miles to get to Oak Island.

Packet pickup was at the St. James Community Center.  When I got there, the parking lot was full, and there was a line outside the building.  After finding a parking spot, I got in line.  When I got into the building, I saw that the line inside was longer.  In all, it took about 30 minutes to pick up my race packet.

After packet pickup, I continuing to my hotel, which was in Southport.  After checking in, I did a strength training workout.  Then I drove to Oak Island to see where the race starts and figure out where I could park.

I had dinner with my friends, Julie and Miles, who drove down from Raleigh.  We went to an Italian restaurant, and I ordered a pizza, which is my usual pre-race meal.  The smallest pizza they had was 12 inches, which is a lot for one person.  I probably should’ve saved a couple of slices for the next day, but I ate the whole thing.  That wasn’t my biggest mistake.  I ordered garlic as one of my toppings, and boy was this pizza loaded with garlic.  I like garlic, but apparently my stomach doesn’t.

I was able to get to sleep within an hour of getting back from dinner.  I slept solidly for five hours, but then I woke up with indigestion.  I had a mild case of heartburn that was enough to keep me from getting back to sleep.

When I eventually got up, I wasn’t too worried about not getting a full night’s sleep.  I got enough sleep to get by.  What concerned me was that I still had indigestion when I started getting ready for the race.

I don’t usually eat much for breakfast before a race.  I questioned whether I should be putting anything in my stomach, but I went ahead and had a cup of tea and a cookie.  That didn’t seem to make things any worse.

The race started at 6:45, but I arrived an hour earlier to make sure I could find a close parking spot.  When I drove to the start area the day before, it wasn’t clear where we were supposed to park.  On race morning, there were volunteers directing us to parking areas that were mostly improvised.  I was directed to an unpaved vacant lot.  They somehow found enough parking for hundreds of cars within a few blocks of the start area.

The temperature was in the low 50s.  For most of the week, rain was in the forecast, but we didn’t get any rain on race day.  I did, however, have to contend with a certain amount of wind.  I’ve come to expect that in coastal races.

I wore a Tyvek jacket to keep warm in the start area.  Ordinarily, I would’ve taken it off just before the race started, but the wind felt cold enough that I kept it on.  I unzipped it in front, so it wouldn’t obstruct my race bib.

Ideally, I wanted to break 3:50, but I didn’t know how much the wind would slow me down.  They had pace groups, but there wasn’t a 3:50 group.  I saw a 3:45 group, so I lined up behind them.  I wasn’t sure how long I would stay with them.

The starting line was near the coast, which is where the wind was strongest.  Shortly after we started running, we turned and ran away from the coast.  Almost immediately, I stopped noticing the wind.

I regretted the decision to start the race with my jacket on.  I knew I would get too hot if I wore it for more than a mile or two.  I didn’t have any trouble keeping up with the 3:45 group, but I didn’t know if I could take my jacket off while running at that pace.

When we finished the first mile, I saw that we were a little bit fast.  I eased up a bit and allowed myself to drift back a bit from the 3:45 group.  That made it easier to take off my jacket and tie it around my waist.

For the next mile, I was keeping pace with the group, but I was always a little bit behind them.  They ran the second mile at the right pace, so I felt comfortable continuing to follow them.

The first time I reached an aid station, I slowed to a walk briefly while drinking a cup of Gatorade.  The pace group didn’t slow down, so I fell farther behind them.  I started running with two other runners who were also trailing the group.  They were talking, and I joined the conversation.

One of the runners was Dexter.  Dexter is a few years older than me and started running at about the same time I did.  We had run a few of the same races.  Dexter was hoping to qualify for Boston, and he wanted to beat the qualifying time by a wide enough margin that he would be sure of getting in.

The other runner was Olivia.  This was Olivia’s first marathon.  Her primary goal was to finish, but she was hoping to break four hours.  Like me, she would’ve started with the 3:50 if they had one.

We all felt the 3:45 group was a little too fast.  Dexter said he wasn’t going to try to catch up to them, but he wanted to keep them in sight.  That’s how I felt too.  I decided to keep running with Dexter and Olivia.

At the second aid station, they didn’t have enough cups ready.  I paused for a few seconds to wait for a volunteer to turn around and get two more cups from the table.  By the time she turned around, there were more runners there, and she handed the cups to them.  I reached around her and grabbed a cup from the table, not knowing if it had water or Gatorade.  It had neither.  If was empty.  I lost several seconds at that aid station and came away with nothing.

It was just past this aid station that the marathon and half marathon separated.  The half marathon went straight, while the marathon route turned.  We would eventually merge together again, but our route was at least a mile longer.

With effort, I managed to catch up to Dexter and Olivia.  The next time we reached an aid station, I slowed down to drink, but Dexter kept going.  After that, I was still running with Olivia, but we never caught up to Dexter again.

By now, we had turned onto a long out and back section that would take us to the Oak Island Lighthouse.  The half marathon runners had rejoined us, but they were now trailing us by more than a mile.  There were mile markers for both races, which was a bit confusing.  I saw a “6” banner, but I knew we had run farther than that.  From my watch, I could see that we were somewhere between seven and eight miles.  It was six for the half marathon.

Running toward the lighthouse, we had a tailwind, but as soon as we passed the lighthouse, we turned around.  Now we had to run into the wind.

Up until now, all our mile times had been in the 8:20s or 8:30s.  Running the same pace going into the wind was much more tiring.  I would’ve been content to slow down a little and just pace for 3:50, but Olivia wasn’t slowing down.  I had to work to keep up with her, but I put in as much effort as necessary.  Off in the distance, I could still see Dexter.  Farther ahead, I could see the 3:45 group, but just barely.

In the first mile after the turnaround, I saw a sign for the ultramarathon detour.  Runners doing the ultramarathon left the road to take a short detour to Caswell Beach and then came back to the road.  This short detour increased their race distance from 26.2 to 26.25 miles.  They call it the world’s shortest ultra.

Our first two miles running into the wind were close to our earlier pace, but then we slowed to the 8:40s.  That didn’t concern me.  We were still going at a fast enough pace to break 3:50.  What did concern me was that I still had to work hard to keep up this pace going into the wind.

A lot of the runners around us were doing the half marathon, but they had not run as far to get here, so they had a slower average pace.  Running in the street, it was easier to get around them.  Eventually, we turned onto a busier street, and we had to run on the sidewalk.  Then it took more effort to pass people.

Olivia was systematically working her way around the slower runners to keep up her pace.  I followed, with effort.

We were somewhere around 12 miles when I passed a slower runner, and he said, “Good job.  Finish strong.”  He was doing the half marathon and evidently thought I was too.  I was a long way from finishing.

By now I recognized where we were.  We were starting to pass buildings that I remembered seeing while driving to the start area.

We were at roughly 13 miles when a runner doing the half marathon asked us how much farther it was.  Olivia said, “halfway.”  I paused for a moment to tell him that we were doing the full marathon.  I didn’t actually know how far it was for him, but I guessed it was a little more than a mile.

At the halfway point, we were on pace to finish in 3:46.  Olivia said her halfway split was a new half marathon PR.  I didn’t want to say anything negative, but I reluctantly commented, “That isn’t generally a good thing in a marathon.”

I didn’t know if I should be concerned about Olivia taking the first half too fast.  I didn’t really know what she’s capable of doing.  I just kept up with her and hoped for the best.

It was somewhere around the 14 mile mark of the marathon that the half marathon runners turned and headed for the finish line, while we kept going straight.

We had been fighting a headwind since the lighthouse.  By now, I realized we would be going into that same wind until we reached the western tip of the island.  That was five more miles.  The good news is that we would have a tailwind in the late miles, so I saw the next five miles as the “make or break” stretch.

In mile 15, we slowed to 8:58.  For the first time in the race, we weren’t keeping up a fast enough pace to breaks 3:50.  We had enough fast miles earlier in the race that we could afford to have a few slower miles, but I didn’t know if we would continue to slow down.

Our next three mile splits were 9:03, 9:06, and 9:10.  We were still keeping up a fast enough pace to break four hours, but 3:50 was slipping away.

By now, I had already made the decision to stay with Olivia for the rest of the race.  I knew from our earlier conversation that her longest training run was 20 miles.  Things can get really difficult in the late miles if you’ve never run that far before.  I was willing to give up on my own time goals, but I was determined to get Olivia to the finish.  Running with someone is always easier than running alone – especially in the late miles of a marathon.

Julie had told me where she and Miles were staying.  I saw the sign for their hotel and started looking for them.  I saw them watching at the next corner, and I waved to them.  I didn’t know if I would see them again along the course, but I knew they would be waiting at the finish line.

The 19 mile mark came just before we turned to get out of the wind.  We slowed to 9:19 in that mile, but we were finally done fighting that wind.  After two quick turns, we had the wind at our backs.  We would have a tailwind most of the way now.

Mile 20 was a little bit faster than mile 19.  In the next mile, Olivia needed to take a walking break while eating a gel and drinking some water.  I was starting to compute what average pace we needed in the remaining miles to be on pace to break four hours.  Even with a walking break, that mile was easily fast enough.

Shortly after mile 22, we turned to start an out-and-back section that would take us across the Swains Cut Bridge.  From talking to other runners, I knew that this was the one big hill on the course.  Actually, it’s two big hills, since we had to run over the bridge twice.

After turning, I saw a bridge, but it didn’t look as big as I expected.  Olivia told me this wasn’t the bridge.  After crossing this smaller bridge, I saw the Swains Cut Bridge.  Yeah, it’s a big hill.

From 15 to 22, I was finding the pace easier.  I sometimes got a few steps ahead of Olivia, but I was careful not to accelerate.  As we started climbing the bridge, I told her I was going to stay behind her and let her decide how she wanted to take the bridge.

We ran the first part of the bridge.  Then we took a walking break.  Then, as the bridge was leveling off, we started running again.  The downhill side of the bridge was easy.

No sooner were we done with the downhill than we reached the turnaround.  We needed to immediately climb the bridge again.  This time, we started walking earlier in the climb.  We resumed running just before the top.

The 23 mile mark was right after the bridge.  Our time in that mile was much slower, but it included the only two hills in the race.  We could break four hours just by running 10-minute miles the rest of the way.

About a block after the bridge, Olivia suddenly started walking.  She had a cramp in one of her quads.  I knew she could break four hours if she could run the rest of the way, but not if she walked.  I asked her if breaking four hours was important to her.  At first, she said she just wanted to finish.

Right on cue, the 4:00 pace leader caught up to us.  I told Olivia, “You can still break four hours, you just need to stay with her,” and I pointed at the 4:00 pacer.  Olivia responded by starting to run again.

The 4:00 pacer helped to encourage Olivia.  She also pointed out that she was two minutes ahead of schedule, so we had room to slow down.  The three of us ran together for about a mile.  Then the pacer told us to go ahead, because she needed to slow down to get back to the right pace, and we were able to go faster.

While we were still running with the 4:00 pacer, I gave Olivia a challenge.  I told her I ran my first marathon in 3:59:39 and she could run her first marathon faster.  She took the challenge.

In mile 25, we sped up to 9:28.  In mile 26, we took a short walking break, but there was no question we would easily break four hours.

When we reached the “26” sign, I could see the finish line arch a couple blocks away.  As we got closer, I started looking for Julie and Miles.  I spotted Julie and waved just in time for her to take this picture.

I finished the race in 3:57:25.  Olivia was right next to me.

I was surprised by the size of the finisher medal.  It’s at least six inches in diameter.  In the upper left corner, there’s a spinner.

As we left the finish line chute, Olivia spotted Dexter.  He qualified for Boston with more than 13 minutes to spare.  There’s no question that’ll get him into next year’s Boston Marathon.

I met Julie and Miles, and we walked over to the BBQ tent.  Every runner’s race bib had two tear-off coupons.  One was for BBQ.  The other was for beer.

Julie and Miles joined me in the beer garden, where we met Dexter.  Later, I spotted Olivia in the beer garden and went over to talk to her and Dexter.

At some point, they looked up our results.  That’s when I discovered I took second place in my age group, even though I wasn’t going all out.  The winner of my age group was so fast, that I couldn’t have won my age group, even with an all-out effort.

The age group awards are patches, but they also have pins on the back, so you can wear it as a pin or sew it on as a patch.

This was my fifth marathon or ultra in North Carolina, bringing me one step closer to completing my fifth round of marathons or ultras in every state.  I just have seven states to go.

Despite my indigestion the night before, I still had pizza for my post-race dinner.  This time I had a smaller pizza, and I didn’t have any toppings that would upset my stomach.

Race statistics:

Distance:  26.2 miles

Time:  3:57:25

Average Pace:  9:03

First Half:  1:52:58

Second Half:  2:04:27

Lifetime Marathons/Ultras:  506

North Carolina Marathons:  5

Race Report: 2024 Surf City Marathon

On February 4, I ran the Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach, CA.  I do this race almost every year.  It’s one of the few races I can do in the winter and know it won’t be freezing cold.

I flew to California on Saturday.  In the past, I’ve sometimes been able to get a direct flight to the Orange County airport.  This year, I had to change planes in Salt Lake City, but I still arrived in the early afternoon.

A few days before my trip, I read about an “atmospheric river” that was bringing heavy rains to the San Francisco area.  By the next day, the same weather pattern was bringing heavy rain as far south as San Diego.  On Thursday, the Pacific Coast Highway was flooded in Huntington Beach.

By Saturday, that storm had passed and things were drying out.  That’s good, because the expo is in a parking lot next to the beach.  Packet pickup and most of the vendors were under large canopies, but some of the vendors were in smaller booths in the parking lot.

After packet pickup, I checked into my hotel.  I stayed at the Doubletree Club in Santa Ana.  This hotel always has a race package that includes race day shuttles, free parking, an early breakfast before the race, and a late checkout.  I didn’t need the late checkout, but I did need transportation to and from the race.  I had a rental car, but I’ve always avoided the hassle of race morning traffic and parking.

After checking into my room, I did a workout in the fitness room.  Then I checked in with Michelle and picked up the wrist band I would need to board the shuttle in the morning.  Michelle is the Director of Sales at Doubletree.  She’s the one who handles everything associated with the race.  She makes sure all the runners are treated like VIPs.  That’s one of the reasons I keep coming back to this hotel.

For dinner, I found a pizzeria in Irvine where I could get a taco pizza.  Then I organized my running clothes and started obsessively checking the forecast.  A second rain storm was expected to arrive on Sunday.  The heaviest rain wouldn’t come until Monday, but I was expecting rain throughout the race.

I did my best to stay on central time.  I went to bed when I would’ve gone to sleep at home, and that made it easier to get up early on Sunday.

Sunday was race day.  When I woke up, I immediately checked the weather forecast.  It wasn’t raining yet, and it looked like the rain might hold off until after the race started.

I was conflicted about what to wear.  The temperature was in the 50s, but I wore tights on the assumption that it would start raining during the race and there might be a cold wind.  I was more willing to risk being overdressed than to risk being underdressed.

The hotel had a continental breakfast that started at 4:30.  I was dressed and downstairs right when breakfast started, so I could get something to eat but also have some time to digest it before the race.

Our bus to the start left the hotel at 5:30.  It took about half an hour to get there.  The race started at 6:30, so I had about half an hour to get ready.  We were dropped off in front of the Hyatt, which is near the start corrals.  I went inside the hotel to use the bathroom.  There’s a pedestrian bridge from the Hyatt to the beach parking lot.  I hurried across the bridge.  Then I started looking for people I know.  Other than the other runners who were on the bus from Doubletree, I didn’t see anyone I knew.  Several of my friends were at the race, but most of them were doing the half marathon, which didn’t start until 7:45.

I used my last race to see what kind of shape I’m in.  I was ready to going all out for a fast time in this race, but I didn’t know how much rain or wind might slow me down.  It seemed like the rain might hold off, and I wasn’t feeling any wind before the race, so I decided to go for it.

The time I need for a Boston qualifier is 3:50.  I ran in the 3:40s several times last fall, but I had yet to do that this year.  Breaking 3:50 seemed like a good place to start.  There was a 3:50 pace group, so I lined up right behind them.

For the first minute or two of the race, I ran right behind the 3:50 group, and the pace felt comfortable.  After a few minutes, however, the pace started to feel tiring.  I suspected they were starting too fast, but I wouldn’t know for sure until I saw my time for the first mile.  I allowed myself to fall behind the group a little, but I tried to stay close to them.

I finished the first mile in 8:09.  That was much too fast.  To be on pace for a 3:50 finish, we needed to average 8:47 per mile.  I was 38 seconds too fast, and I wasn’t even keeping up with the group.  They finished the first mile about three seconds ahead of me.

In the second mile, I tried to run at a pace that felt right.  I fell a little farther behind the pace group, but I was still influenced by their pace.  I was making a half-hearted effort to stay close to them.  That resulted in another fast mile.  It wasn’t as fast as the first mile, but it was still too fast.  This time, I was about 20 seconds faster than my target pace.

After two miles, I was already about a minute ahead of schedule.  I paid less attention to the 3:50 pace group and more attention to how the pace felt.  In that mile, my pace felt more like it would be sustainable for the whole race.

The first few miles were on the Pacific Coast Highway.  Later in the race, we would run several additional miles on the PCH.  The highway has two traffic lanes in each direction, with a median that’s about a lane wide.  Along the PCH, aid station were usually set up in the median.  That meant, I had to move to my left to grab a cub of Gatorade.  The first time I did that, it was right before making the right turn onto Seapoint Street, so the aid station made it difficult to run the shortest path going around the turn.

After turning onto Seapoint Street, we were running away from the coast.  The next seven miles were on an inland loop that would take us to Huntington Beach’s Central Park.

The mile three sign was shortly after that first turn.  When I got there, I was pleased to see I ran a more reasonable pace.  It was still a little faster than my target pace, but it felt sustainable.

In mile four, I continued to relax.  I was trying to ignore the 3:50 group, even though I could still see them.  I relaxed a little too much.  That mile was several seconds too slow.

Overall, I was still well ahead of schedule for a 3:50 finish, but I didn’t want to settle into a slow pace this early in the race.  Now I had the challenge of picking up my effort just enough to get back on the right pace, but without starting to go too fast again.

One of the reasons I often start with a pace group is so I can let them establish the right pace in the early miles.  After a few miles at the right pace, I’m usually good at staying on the same pace.  Where I need help is setting the right pace in the first few miles.  In this race, the 3:50 group didn’t do me any favors.  Their pace was way off base.  I expended extra energy in the first two miles, and I was still on my own to establish the right pace.

The fifth mile ends with a steep downhill section.  In this mile, I couldn’t help but run too fast.  Still, I was surprised how much I sped up.  I ran that mile in 8:05, which was even faster than my first mile.

Through the first five miles, I had one mile that was a little slow, one that was a little fast, one that was much too fast, and two that were crazy fast.  In mile six, I settled into a pace that was a little bit fast, but felt reasonable.  After that, I consistently kept my pace in the 8:30s and 8:40s.

For the next mile or two, we ran through Central Park.  Instead of running on streets, we were mostly running on paved bike paths.  The path wasn’t wide enough for a large group to run together.  I was running by myself, so I didn’t have any difficulty, but I could see the 3:50 pace group spreading out more.  I started to catch up to them, even though I was slowing down.  They slowed down going around the various turns in the park, but as soon as they were back on city streets, they started to speed away from me again.

The eight mile mark is right at the base of a hill.  This was the same hill that we ran down in mile five.  Now we had to go back up.  This is the only hill in the race that I find to be difficult.  After eight miles, I estimated that I was already two minutes ahead of schedule.  I could afford to give some of that back, so I didn’t make any effort to sustain the same pace going up the hill.  I ran at a pace that wasn’t too tiring, even though I could tell I was slowing down.

By the time I reached the top of the hill, I had lost sight of the 3:50 group.  It would be about two miles before I saw them again.

As I approached the nine mile mark, I was curious to know how much I slowed down.  I expected that mile to be slower than nine minutes, but I was hoping it wouldn’t be too much slower.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that I ran it in 8:44.  That was my second slowest mile so far, but it was still three seconds faster than my target pace.

The next mile brought as back out to the PCH on Seapoint Street.  It was in this mile that I got careless.  The front of my right foot caught something sticking up from the pavement, and I immediately tumbled into the street.  I didn’t see what I tripped on, but I knew what it was.

Where there were lines dividing the traffic lanes, there were round reflectors that protruded about half an inch above the pavement.  It’s easy to trip on one if you’re not paying attention.

Whenever I run this race, I try to stay within a lane.  I try to avoid running right on the line between lanes, so I won’t hit a reflector.  Early in the race, I was paying attention to this.  Going through Central Park, I didn’t need to worry about it.  When I got back onto I city streets, I forgot to pay attention to the lanes.

I took the impact on my right side.  The tights I was wearing kept me from getting bad scrapes on my right knee.  My right elbow was bleeding.  That’s the same elbow that got banged up pretty badly when I fell in a race last October.  That elbow was swollen for several weeks.  It’s only been in the last week or two that I could put weight on it again.  I wondered if this was going to put me back to square one.

I got back on my feet quickly, but I had to move over to the side of the road to tie one of my shoes.  As I resumed running, I wasn’t going as fast as before.  Physically, I was OK, but the fall shook me up.  I needed a minute before I was ready to put any effort into resuming my previous pace.

After about a minute, I noticed I was keeping up with the runners around me.  Then I started to pass a few of them.  When I turned back onto the PCH, I knew I was getting close to the 10 mile mark.

I began to accelerate.  I realized I was taking a more rapid cadence.  When I got to the 10 mile sign, I saw that I had run that mile in 8:34, in spite of the time I lost when I fell.

I spotted the 3:50 group in the distance.  They were pretty far ahead of me, but I had to wonder if I would start to catch up to them.  I had run faster than my target pace in every mile but one.  They were going faster, but sooner or later the pace leaders would have to settle into the right pace.  They might even start giving time back.

On the opposite side of the highway, I could see the faster runners starting to come back.  Then I started to see some of the faster pace groups coming back. 

At the beginning of the race, the wind was calm, but the hourly forecast showed the wind picking up throughout the morning.  Now that we were close to the beach, we were more exposed to the wind.  This is where I expected to notice the wind.  I wasn’t feeling it yet, but when I saw some flags, I made note of the wind direction.  It appeared that the wind was blowing across the highway and toward the coast.  If that was the case, we could expect a cross-wind for the rest of the race, which consisted of two long out-and-back back sections by the coast.  The first out-and-back was on the highway.  That would be followed by a longer out-and-back on a paved bike path alongside the beach.

As I continued heading out on the PCH, I eventually saw the 3:30 pace group coming back on the other side.  At this point in the race, they should’ve been about 10 minutes ahead of me.  That meant I was only five minutes away from the turnaround.

After the turnaround, I immediately noticed the wind.  Did the wind suddenly get stronger, or had I misjudged the wind direction?  It wasn’t too strong, but it seemed like there was some wind resistance in this direction.  If there was, that would be bad news, because at least two third of the remaining miles were going to be in this direction.

I picked up my effort, so the wind wouldn’t slow me down.  I continued to log mile splits in the 8:30s and 8:40s.  Amazingly, the 3:50 group was still far enough in front of me that I could barely see them.

At the halfway mark, I was almost two minutes ahead of schedule for a 3:50 finish.  At my current pace, I would come close to 3:46.  I chose not to try for negative splits.  My goal was to run the second half on pace for 3:50, but not necessarily as fast as my first half.

We went slightly uphill as we crossed a bridge over the channel to an inlet.  After the bridge, we continued going uphill, as we approached the intersection with Seapoint Street.

This is second biggest hill on the course, but it’s not as challenging as the one in mile nine.  Instead of conserving my effort, I picked up my effort enough to keep running the same pace going up the hill.

After going through that intersection, I came to an aid station where they were playing “Gangnam Style” by Psy.  They were playing the same song when I ran by in the other direction about two miles into the race.  I could also hear it when I made the turn from Seapoint onto the PCH in mile 10.  Was that a coincidence, or were they playing the same song over and over?  It’s one of my favorite songs to hear during a race, so I’m not complaining.

I can never remember exactly when we leave the PCH to turn onto the bike path.  I was seeing the faster runners on the bike path.  After passing the 15 mile sign, I wondered if I was getting close.  I could see the Huntington Beach pier in the distance, and I knew we turned before we got there.

I thought I was getting close until I saw a running on the bike path who I know is much faster than me.  Then I knew I still had a way to go yet.

At mile 16, I still had a short distance to go.  Then I saw a sign saying “Course Split Ahead.”  I looked at the bike path again, and I saw the 3:50 group on their way out for the second out-and-back.

After making the U-turn onto the bike path, I looked ahead to see if I could see the 3:50 group.  They were too far ahead for me to see them around the various bends and undulations of the bike path.

I no longer noticed the wind.  Either it had suddenly died down, or it was at my back now.  Whenever I had seen a flag, it seemed to be blowing straight out toward the coast.  That was inconsistent with what I was feeling.

I saw a spectator holding a sign that read, “You Look Hot When You’re Sweaty.”  It occurred to me that I felt sweaty for the first time in the race.  I had been wearing gloves since the start of the race, but now it was time to take them off.  By now, I was getting more confident that it wouldn’t rain during the race.  I might have a headwind in the last five miles, but if I got cold hands with five miles to go, I could tough it out.

In my first mile on the bike path, I sped up to 8:25.  That was my fastest mile since mile two.  Was it the change in direction (and the resulting change in the wind), or was I trying a little too hard to catch up to the 3:50 group?

There’s was no question I was catching up to the 3:50 group.  When they were on the highway, they were running side-by-side.  On a bike path with two-way traffic, they were forced to spread out into a long line.  I eventually caught up to the last runner in this line.  Then I passed a couple of them.  I gradually caught up with more of the group.

Most of the aid stations had water and Gatorade, but I came to one on the bike path that just had water.  I skipped that one.  So far, I had only skipped one other aid station.  That was in mile nine, when there were two aid stations in the same mile.

When I caught up to the leaders of the 3:50 group, I wasn’t sure what I would do next.  I would’ve bene content to stay with the group if they were still running at an 8:47 pace or faster, but I had to wonder if they were slowing down now.  I wouldn’t know until I stayed with them for a mile.  Without trying, I moved ahead of them.  I was still running with the same effort, and they weren’t keeping up.  I gradually left them behind.

We eventually passed a parking area for RVs.  Several of them had flags mounted on them.  From the flags, it appeared that the wind was blowing across the bike path at a 45-degree angle.  It was blowing toward the coast, but it was also partially at our backs.  For the first time, the direction of the flags was consistent with what I was feeling.  I still had two miles before the next turnaround.  Those two miles would be easy, but it would be tougher coming back.

There are a few places along the bike path where you have a clear view of runners on both sides of the highway.  You can see two-way traffic on the highway and two-way traffic on the bike path.  It’s weird to see four groups of runners at different points on the course all in the same glance.

As I came within sight of the 20 mile mark, I saw the 3:30 pace group going the other way.  By now, I expected them to be about 15 minutes ahead of me.  I didn’t remember exactly how far it was to the turnaround, but now I realized it would be much closer to 21 than 20.

After the turnaround, the first thing I noticed was where the 3:50 group was.  I was leading them now by the same distance I had been trailing them four miles earlier.

Next, I noticed the wind.  Right after changing direction, I noticed wind resistance.  I would have a headwind for the rest of the race.  On the bright side, there still wasn’t any sign of rain.  Above me, I could see clouds.  Looking farther in any direction, I could see patches of blue sky.

Short after the 21 mile mark, I was passed by a group of four runners.  They were running side-by-side and talking to each other.  They passed me easily, yet they didn’t seem to be putting any effort into it.  For the next few minutes, I challenged myself to keep up with them.  Then I had to let them go.

I picked up my effort as I fought the wind resistance.  My previous four miles were all in the 8:30s.  Mile 22 was also in the 8:30s, but I was working harder now.  Then I felt the wind getting stronger.  With just over four miles to go, it was getting increasingly difficult to keep up the pace.

I passed the RVs with the flags again.  Now they were blowing straight toward me.  There wasn’t any question the wind was getting stronger.  The remaining miles would challenge me.

In mile 23, I slowed to 8:54.  That was my slowest mile so far.  If was only seven seconds slower than my goal pace, but worried that I would continue to slow down.  The wind kept getting stronger.

I passed the aid station with just water again.  I skipped it again.  In the last few miles, I would pass at least one more aid station, but I no longer wanted to stop for anything.  If I slowed down for even a few seconds, I might not get back on pace again.

Somewhere in the next mile, I saw the Huntington Beach pier in the distance.  I knew it was farther away than it looked.  It was at least two miles away, and the finish line was beyond it.

I ran mile 24 in 8:52.  That was a pleasant surprise.  It was still slower than my target pace, but only by five seconds.  I was giving back time, but not in large chunks.  It was more of a slow leak.

The wind kept getting stronger, but I was determined to fight to keep from slowing down.  In mile 25, I brought my pace back down to 8:41.  That gave me hope, but I was getting increasingly tired.

Halfway through the next mile, I left the bike path to merge in with runners on the highway who were finishing the half marathon.  I had at least a few more blocks to get to Main Street and the pier.  Then it would be a few more blocks after that to get to the finish line.  I fought to keep up a fast pace, but the runners around me were all doing the half marathon.  They were going at a slower pace, so I had to be careful not to slow to their pace.

When I passed the pier, I still couldn’t see the finish line, but I knew I was getting close.  My spirits were lifted when I saw than I ran mile 26 in 8:31.  I tried to pour it on in my approach to the finish line, but I was just hanging on.

I finished in 3:46:36.  Remarkably, I was only 16 seconds slower in the second half, even though my two fastest miles were early in the race.

After crossing the finish line, I received another surfboard medal.  I have nine of these now.

There were volunteers handing out water bottles, but I didn’t take one.  I wasn’t that thirsty, and I knew there would be better beverages as I kept moving through the finish area.

I picked up a few post-race snacks and ate them as quickly as I could, so I wouldn’t have too much to carry.  It was tough eating a granola bar with no beverage to wash it down, but I eventually reached the tent with chocolate milk.  Then I was glad I didn’t fill up on water.

My last two stops in the finish area were the beer tent and the results tent.  I didn’t win an age group award, but I had to check.  Then I walked over to the Hyatt.

The first bus back to Doubletree was going to leave at 11:30.  When I reached the lobby of the Hyatt, it was only 10:55.  My hands were getting cold, so I put on my gloves, even though I was indoors.  I waited in the lobby for about 15 minutes.  Then I went outside to see if the bus was already there.  It was.

Waiting on the bus, I felt warmer.  The bus left promptly at 11:30, and we were back at Doubletree by noon.  By the time we got there, my hands were no longer white.

When we entered the lobby of Doubletree, the hotel staff was lined up inside.  They cheered, clapped, and banged on pots and pans.  They do this every year, and they do it for each bus that comes back.  They also gave each of us a bottle of water and one of their signature Doubletree cookies.

The ovation we get when we return to the hotel is another reason I keep coming back to the same hotel.  It never gets old.  It may seem like a small thing, but it makes you feel like a conquering hero, when would otherwise feel cold, tired and depleted.  I talked to a few other runners who always stay at this hotel for the same reason.

By the time I got back to my room, my elbow was swollen.  Believe it or not, this is only half as bad as the swelling after my fall in October.  It remains to be seen how long it will be before I can put weight on it.

Race statistics:

Distance:  26.2 miles

Time:  3:46:36

Average Pace:  8:39

First Half:  1:53:10

Second Half:  1:53:26

Lifetime Marathons/Ultras:  505

Boston Qualifiers:  161