Sometimes, I choose a race because of its proximity to a destination that Deb and I have been meaning to visit. That was the case with the Shoreline Marathon. This race is held on the Pacific Coast Highway, near Ventura, CA. We used this as a hopping off point for a trip to Solvang.
We originally planned
this trip for May, and I was going to run the Seaside Marathon, but that race was
rescheduled. The Palisades Fire caused a
large cycling event to be rescheduled.
The new date they chose conflicted with the Seaside Marathon. That forced the Seaside Marathon to be
rescheduled for two weeks later. The new
date, unfortunately, conflicted with the FANS 24-Hour Race.
I had the option of doing
another race sponsored by the same organizers.
The Shoreline Marathon was the only one I could fit into my schedule
this year. The timing wasn’t ideal. Solvang is more crowded in July, and it’s hotter
now than it would’ve been in May.
Saturday, July 12
We flew to Los Angeles
Friday morning and drove to Oxnard. Traffic
was heavy, so the drive took longer than we expected. When we got to Oxnard, we went straight to
packet pickup, which was in a gym in a shopping mall. The race packet included both a T-shirt and a
jacket. It’s always nice to get a
jacket.
Since we were already at
a mall, we had a fast-food lunch after packet pickup.
After lunch, we went to
our hotel to check in. There weren’t
any rooms ready, so we went shopping while we waited. Deb likes shopping at thrift stores, and we
found three goods ones in Oxnard.
After checking into our
room, we each did a workout. Then we
went out for an early dinner.
I was able to get to
sleep shortly after dinner, in part because my body was still on central
time. I slept for eight hours, which may
be a personal best for the night before a marathon.
Sunday, July 13
The race started at
Solimar Beach. There wasn’t enough
parking at the start for 900 runners, so we had to park at a school in Ventura
and take a shuttle from there. The race
didn’t start until 7:00, but I got to the start area by 6:15. They had a gear check, but I didn’t want to
bother with that. To stay warm in the
start area, I wore a jacket and gloves, and I wrapped a heat sheet around my
legs.
The temperature at the
start was about 60 degrees. All of my
recent training has been in summer heat.
When you get used to 90s, 60 feels really nice. Before the race, I felt some light
drizzle. Two minutes before the race, I
tied my jacket around my waist. I kept
my gloves on.
The course was three laps
of an out-and-back route along the PCH. This
is the sort of race that’s ideal for running a fast time. I haven’t done any recent training at a fast
pace, so I didn’t know how fast I could run.
I also didn’t know how my lower back would feel. For the last two weeks, I’ve been going at a
slow pace, taking short strides, and trying to stay low to the ground to
minimize impact. To run at a faster
pace, I would need to open up my stride.
On Thursday, my doctor
gave me the green light to run harder, if it felt OK. Later that day, I tested the waters by
gradually picking up the pace during a training run. By the last mile of my run, I was going
faster than my race pace. That felt OK,
but I still didn’t know how it would feel to run that hard for a distance as
long as a marathon. I just had to test
the waters and see how I felt.
Before the race, I was
talking to a runner who has done this race before. He said it was fairly flat, but there was one
small rise and fall.
Another runner asked me
what my goal was. At first, I said,
“Ideally, 3:50, but I don’t know if I’m up to it.” Then, I said, “Maybe four hours.” Finally, I added, “Maybe more than four
hours.” I really wasn’t all that
confident.
In the first mile, I
accelerated until I reached a pace that felt fast, but not too tiring. I didn’t know how fast I was going until I
finished the first mile. It was 8:19. To run a Boston qualifier (3:50), I needed to
average 8:45, so I was starting too fast.
I was surprised how easy that pace felt.
Looking across the
highway, I could see that the hills were shrouded in fog. The fog wasn’t as apparent at ground level,
but it was there. I always felt a fine
mist, but I don’t think it was rain. It
felt like light drizzle, but it was probably just the fog.
In the next mile, I eased
up a bit, but before long, I was going fast again. That mile was only a few seconds slower than
the first one. I felt OK, but experience
told me my pace wouldn’t be sustainable.
Besides the marathon,
there was also a half marathon, a 10K, and a 5K. Each race had a different start time and a
different turnaround point. There were
four aid stations along the route, but they weren’t evenly spaced. Three of the four were at different
turnaround points.
There were tall banners
marking each of the four turnaround points.
The banners were color-coded to match the colors of our race bibs. I saw an aid station at the 5K turnaround,
but I decided to skip that one. There
were enough aid stations that drinking at all of them would be excessive. I skipped this aid station and waited for the
one at the 10K turnaround.
As I started the third
mile, I could see that the road ahead of me was slightly uphill. It was a long hill, but it was gradual enough
that it didn’t force me to slow down.
Mile three was only two seconds slower than mile two. I was still going about 20 seconds faster
than the pace I needed for a BQ.
This was a cupless
race. There weren’t any cups at the aid
stations. If you carried a cup or bottle
with you, you could fill it at an aid station. The aid stations had dispensers for water or
Gatorade. We were asked not to touch the
nozzles. To fill your cup, you hold it
under the nozzle and then step on a pedal at ground level. We were advised before the race that the flow
rate was 10 oz. per second, so you had to be careful not to overfill your cup.
I had a reusable cup that
was clipped to one of the zippers on my fanny pack. When I saw the aid station at the 10K
turnaround, I started getting ready.
First, I took off my gloves and stuffed them in my fanny pack. I had warmed up enough that I no longer
needed them. Next, I unclipped my cup
and held it in my hand.
When I reached the aid
station, I saw several water dispensers and two Gatorade dispensers. I held my cup under the nozzle of one of the
Gatorade dispensers, and I stepped on the pedal. Only a few drops came out. I tried again with the same result. Apparently, that one was already empty. I went to the other Gatorade dispenser, and
that one worked as expected.
I had to pause long
enough to drink my Gatorade before I could clip it to my fanny pack again. As I resumed running, I knew that stop cost
me a lot of time. I realized at this
point I would need to minimize my stops.
Conditions were cool enough that I could easily go three or four miles
between stops.
The runner who said there
was only one rise and fall was wrong.
There were two. He was doing the
half marathon, and the second small rise was just past the half marathon turnaround
point.
Because of my long pause
at the aid station, mile four was much slower than the first three. It was still four seconds faster than my
target pace, however.
As I reached the top of
the second small rise, I could see the turnaround point. I ran around a pair of cones and started to
head back.
Coastal races always have
the potential to be windy. Now that I
was on my way back, it was obvious that wind wasn’t going to be an
obstacle. There was a light breeze
coming in off the coast. It kept me
cool, but I never had to run into the wind.
For the next two miles,
my average pace was about 8:30. That’s
not as fast as my first few miles, but it was still faster than my target pace
of 8:45.
The half marathon started
15 minutes after the marathon. By the
time I made it back to the half marathon turnaround, many those runners had
reached the turn. We were all running on
the shoulder of the highway. It was a
wide shoulder, but now there was two-way traffic, and the runners from the two
races were going at different speeds.
I decided to skip the aid
station at the 10K turnaround and press on until I reached the 5K
turnaround. I was worried that mile
would be slow, so I picked up my effort.
Shortly after passing the
10K turnaround, I saw a group of five fast runners wearing green race
bibs. This was the lead pack of the 10K
race. Before long, they had made the
turn. Then that same group of five raced
past me. Now, there were runners from
three races, all going at different speeds.
I stopped to drink when I
got to the aid station at the 5K turnaround.
That stop went smoothly, but it still took several seconds. I worked hard enough in that mile that I kept
my pace under 8:45, despite stopping at the aid station.
Now the course was
getting crowded. The 5K race was also in
progress, so there was two-way traffic from four different races. Thankfully, that didn’t last for too long.
I was able to pick up my
pace again as I neared the end of my first lap.
Our route was S-shaped, so you could never see very far as you went
around a bend. I had to get within about
a quarter mile before I could see the finish line. Runners doing the 5K or 10K ran under an arch
and across the line. Those of doing the
marathon or half marathon turned around right in front of the finish line to
head out for the next lap.
At I finished my first
lap, I was on pace to finish in about 3:45.
I knew I would probably slow down, but I tried hard to keep up the same
pace as I started my second lap.
I still saw 5K and 10K
runners finishing their laps, but the only runners heading back out were the
marathon and half marathon runners. I
couldn’t tell which runners were in which race.
The half marathon started later, but they had a shorter lap. I wasn’t sure if their average pace was
faster or slower. The runners ahead of
me weren’t all going at the same pace, but their pace was similar enough that
it wasn’t obvious who was who. To stay
on a consistent pace, I had to ignore them all and just run at my own pace.
In my second lap, I once
again skipped the aid station at the 5K turnaround. When I reached the aid station at the 10K
turnaround, I saw that there was only one Gatorade dispenser. They had removed the one that was empty.
By now, I had established
a consistent pattern. I was only going
to stop to drink twice per lap. Going
out, I stopped at the 10K turnaround.
Coming back, I would stop at the 5K turnaround.
I kept up a reasonably
consistent pace in the first half of my second lap. When I reached the turnaround, I was still on
pace to finish in 3:45.
Coming back, I began to
slow down. For the first time, I had a
mile that was slower than 8:45. I could
afford that. My goal was still 3:50. After running faster in the first half, I
could afford to slow down a little in the second half. I didn’t want to slow down, but I really only
needed to average 8:55 per mile now.
My left hamstring started
to feel a little sore. Then it occurred
to me that it actually felt tight more than it felt sore. The fog and the cool breeze combined to keep
my legs cold, so my muscles were more prone to getting tight. I had to be careful not to pull a
hamstring. I wouldn’t deliberately slow
down, but I had to be mindful not to have any strong accelerations. I had to keep my effort steady.
The next mile was
slightly downhill. That allowed me to
pick up my pace, in spite of stopping to drink at an aid station. Overall, however, I wasn’t quite keeping up
the pace I had in the first half of the race.
My second lap was slower than my first lap, but it was still faster than
the pace I needed for a BQ.
The half marathon was
only two laps. As I started my third
lap, the only runners in front of me were runners starting their last lap of
the marathon. Now, I could compare my
pace to theirs. That helped.
Our route took us by a
couple of beaches. People walking to and
from the beaches sometimes tracked sand onto the road. Over time, a few grains of sand made their
way into my shoes. I could feel them
under my big toe. That made every step
painful, but I had to tune that out.
For the rest of the race,
I was constantly recomputing the average pace I needed the rest of the way to
break 3:50. With two laps to go, I
needed to average about 9:05 per mile.
My slowest mile so far was 8:51.
I was pretty confident I would break 3:50. I just didn’t know if I would do it by a
comfortable margin.
I saw a runner in front
of me who was wearing black shorts. I
tried to see if I could reel him in. It
took a long time, but I started to close the gap. I passed him before the 19-mile sign. Then I looked ahead to see who else I could
chase. I could see runners coming toward
me, but I couldn’t see the next runner ahead of me. They were far enough in front that they had
disappeared around the next bend.
When I got to the aid
station at the 10K turnaround, they no longer had any Gatorade. I had to settle for water. When I finished that mile, my pace for that
mile was 8:52. That was my slowest mile
so far. I reminded myself that it was
slightly uphill, and it included a stop at an aid station. In spite of that, I was disappointed.
I was halfway through the
next mile before it occurred to me that I had run my last mile 20 seconds
faster than the pace I needed at this point.
I was still disappointed. Then it
occurred to me that beating my revised target time by 20 seconds meant that the
pace I needed over the final five miles was now 9:16.
I reached the turnaround
for the last time. There was an aid
station at the turnaround, and I passed a runner who stopped to drink. Then I passed two runners who were starting
to walk.
I had expected the fog to
eventually lift, but it was still there.
It may have warmed up by two or three degrees, but the conditions were
remarkable similar to when we started.
In my second lap, my left
hamstring felt tight. Now, my right
hamstring also felt tight. If anything,
it felt tighter. I didn’t want to pull a
hamstring, and that may have caused me to subconsciously hold back in the late
miles. I sped up slightly in mile 22,
but I slowed down in miles 23 and 24.
Mile 24 was the first one that was slower than nine minutes.
Knowing that the aid
station at the 5K turnaround was out of Gatorade, I decided to drink at the 10K
turnaround instead. Now, this aid
station was also out of Gatorade. For
the second time, I had to settle for water.
With only 5K to go, it probably didn’t make that much difference.
During mile 25, I caught
up to a runner who was still in her second lap.
She was walking, and she still had about 10 miles to go. I felt bad for her.
When I reached the
25-mile sign, I did a time check. To
break 3:50, I needed to run the last 1.2 miles in 12:49 or better. When I saw the “1” sign, I realized it now effectively
meant one mile to go, so I did another time check. With a strong enough finish, I could break
3:48. I made that my goal in the final
mile.
In the last mile, a
runner sped past me. It was the same
runner I had passed at the turnaround. I
told him to finish strong. He said, “Yes,
sir. You too.” I tried to finish strong, but I couldn’t come
close to matching his speed. I lost
sight of him long before I could see the finish line.
There were mile markers
for every mile. The mile markers we
reached in other laps were no longer relevant, but they were still useful. When I saw the 18-mile sign, I knew I had
about half a mile to go. The finish line
was still around a bend, so I couldn’t see it yet.
I finished the race in
3:47:45. I ran positive splits by about
three minutes, but I expected that. I
knew my early pace wasn’t sustainable.
The important thing is that I didn’t blow up. I slowed down some, but I was able to limit the
damage.
My time was four and a
half hours faster than my time in the Native Jackal Trail Marathon. How often do you improve by that much from
one race to the next? Obviously cooler
weather and an easier course make a big difference.
After crossing the line,
I received my finisher medal. Then I
started looking for the post-race food.
Post-race food included
tacos and beer from a local brewery. In
the distance, I could see a school bus.
I wanted to board the next bus, but I needed to finish my tacos first. By the time I was done eating, that bus had
left. I needed to wait for the next
one. While I waited, I made a bathroom
stop.
I was getting cold, so I
put on my jacket. Between the moisture
in the air and my own sweat, my jacket felt like a wet rag. I needed something to keep warm, so I put it
on anyway. Then I waited for the next
bus.
I heard an announcement
that they were about to start the awards ceremony. It occurred to me that I might have placed in
my age group, but I didn’t want to wait any longer. I was cold, and I wanted to be on the next
bus. Later in the day, I learned that I
placed second in the 60-69 age group.
There are awards for the top three.
I won something, but I’m not sure what.
I don’t know if they’ll mail it to me.
I don’t regret my decision to leave when I did.
I felt comfortable enough
on the bus, but when I got off the bus, I felt some soreness in my lower
back. It never bothered me during the
race, but 15 minutes sitting in a school bus was too much.
I had learned at packet
pickup that we could go back to that same gym after the race to use their
recovery facilities. Among other things,
they had cryo chambers and compression sleeves.
I chose to go straight to the hotel instead. We had a tub with whirlpool jets.
Just taking a hot bath
worked wonders for the tight muscles in my legs. The jets didn’t do anything more for my legs,
but I was able to position myself to use one of the jets to massage my lower
back. That helped.
While I was running the
race, Deb was able to enjoy the breakfast at the hotel. When I got back, I found that she had saved a
chocolate muffin and some watermelon for me.
Having already had post-race tacos, that was all I needed for
lunch. Deb’s lunch consisted of
leftovers from our dinner the night before.
It was a huge meal.
When I was sufficiently
recovered, we went shopping to get some food for Deb’s dinner. We loved the restaurant we went to on
Saturday, and we had been planning to go back.
Unfortunately, Deb had an upset stomach.
We went to Whole Foods to get something that wouldn’t upset her
stomach. I ended up going to dinner by
myself. I celebrated my BQ with a BBQ
chicken pizza.
Monday, July 14
On Sunday, we drove to
Solvang. Along the way, we stopped at
Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara.
We arrived in Solvang
before noon, but we couldn’t check into our hotel until 2:45. In the meantime, we started exploring the
town.
Solvang is a town that
was settled by Danish immigrants. In
1949, they rebuilt the business district in a Danish architectural style. Today, it’s a tourist destination, featuring
Danish food, gift shops, and museums. I
have some Danish ancestry, and Deb and I have previously enjoyed visits to
towns that resemble German or Dutch villages.
We had lunch in a Danish
restaurant that was recommended by our hotel.
Then we explored the shops until it started getting too hot to be
walking up and down the street. To get out
of the sun, we visited the Hans Christian Andersen Museum. Then we took a trolley tour of the town.
After our tour, we were
able to check into our room. Then we
explored more of the shops. The shops
all close at 5:00, so we shopped as long as we could and then had an early
dinner.
Tuesday, July 15
We were up before
anything is open. We had picked up some
pastries the day before so we could have something to tide us over until
restaurants were open for breakfast.
The buildings in the
business district and the trees in the park get lit up at night. We were up early enough to see them before
there was too much ambient light.
Before breakfast, we
strolled down Mission Street. At one end
of the business district, there’s a fountain with a half size replica of the
Little Mermaid statue. The original is
in Copenhagen.
At the other end of
Mission Street, there’s a large wooden troll inside the California Nature Art
Museum.
Most of the shops weren’t
open yet, so after breakfast we drove to a farm called Ostrichland. They have ostriches and emus, and you can
feed them.
We spent the rest of the
day exploring the rest of the shops in Solvang.
As usual, we had an early dinner and went to bed early.
Wednesday, July 16
For most of this trip, I
slept well. The last night was the
exception. I woke up at midnight and
never got back to sleep. That made a long
travel day even longer.
As soon as there was
light, we left for the long drive back to LA.
We didn’t know what the traffic would be like, so we wanted to give
ourselves as much time as possible. Our
flight wasn’t until 1:30, but we had to return our rental car by 10:00. That gave us time to have lunch at the
airport before flying home.
We were originally scheduled to get home at 7:00 PM. After we got to the airport, we found out our flight was going to be delayed. We ended up getting home closer to 8:00. I leave tomorrow for a series of
races in St. Cloud, MN, so I’ll only have half a day to unpack from this trip and
pack for the next one.
I'm glad I was able to run a fast time in this race, because all of my other summer marathons will be slow.
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