OC Marathon - RunMarathon

Disclosure

If you are just interested in the naked truth, please jump to the bottom section, titled "Final Analysis".

I got a bit of flack for a race report I posted recently where I was describing things like "Hills" and "Heat". Several posters who had done the same race, or knew the race course had a different memory of the race and this is reasonable.

What I am really describing are the aspects of the course and conditions that affected my performance and state of mind. Of course, conditions change through the day, and an early finisher will surely not notice the heat, where someone who ran a longer race, may really suffer. (My Friend who ended up running a 6 Hour Marathon sure suffered today)

Please be kind :)


The Setup

Last year I did the half at OCM. It was at this race that I decided to delete the first part of my planned Triathlon Season to run my First Marathon. I had been kicking the idea around in my head for a bit, but did not actually speak the words "I am going to run a marathon" until about mile 9 of this race. (A very significant point in the race)

I received a notification from the Race Director opening up registration for the 2007 race soon after. I signed up for this race in February as I was training for the LA Marathon.

This race is my 4th marathon in a 12 month period and caps a nice ride on the "Beginner's Improvement curve". As it turned out, I bagged about half of the 2006 Triathlon Season to continue to run marathons. (With no Regret) Up to today, running SF Marathon in July was by far my best experience. I rather like running more difficult and challenging marathons and seem to do better at them.

This course sure does deliver on just about every promise made as a difficult one. Marathon guide is littered with folks that trusted the elevation charts and complained to no end when it turned out to be much worse than they had expected. I had no illusions that this would be an easy stroll. :rolleyes:

I now know that running a marathon can be one of the most satisfying experiences. (Albeit, a huge exercise in delayed gratification) :p ;)

Orange County seems a fitting place for me to run a marathon, since the start line is in the town where I grew up. (Newport Beach) Running this race is like a big homecoming. I saw several friends out on the course and at the finish line and it always seemed to happen just at the right time for me.

Pre-Race

I got up early and drove to the start line at Fashion Island. The race is point to point with a finish in the Irvine Spectrum. Had my normal Pre-Race breakfast of Oatmeal, Peanut Butter Toast and Coffee.

A few folks might remember that I am commonly plagued with the Collywobbles in the latter parts of the Marathon as well as the long run. I now know from experience that it is not what I eat that is causing this. Rather, it is my intestines just rebelling to some aspect of running. (Sometimes, the protest can get pretty ugly)

My plan today was to take Imodium before the race. I have never done this for a race, but did it on enough long runs to know that it would not cause anything weird to happen; and So I also took an Imodium.

When I arrived at the start line, I knew that something was not quite as it should have been. The weather reports were calling for a temp of about 46 degrees at the start and a high of about 65 during the day. I had even packed a Trash bag to wear at the start because 46 degrees is just too darn cold for this California Kid.

The temp was already around 60 degrees and I certainly did not need anything to wear to stay warm. (I was already plenty comfortable)

We had been having Santa Ana Winds over the past few days and they were supposed to be gone today. For those not familiar, Santa Anas are winds that blow in from the inland desert toward the coast. They are usually very dry and hot partly due to where they came from, and partly from the heat of compression and the wind rushes into the valley through the passes.

Having no idea how hot it would get, or if the winds would kick up, I knew I needed to adjust my goals for today. My stated goal was Sub-3:30 and I knew that if I tried to hold that pace through this race, it would not be pretty.

My plan was to take advantage of the early morning conditions and slow up when conditions started to worsen. New Goal: Beat my Personal best of 3:37:55 set at Long Beach back in October. (Seamed Reasonable and the extra 8 minutes would surely help things) I also made a promise to myself to re-evaluate the goal if conditions got really bad.

Race Time

The gun fired right on time and away we went. The race is relatively small, so I line up about 50 yards behind the start line. (I am actually just behind the 3:40 Pace Group)

First mile is a couple of short climbs leading to about a 4 mile rolling decent; some ups and downs but nothing that would slow things down. Pacing was a bit dodgy owing to the fact that the mile markers are nowhere near accurate. I quickly give up trying to control my pace using splits, and instead go for perceived effort. (Something I Trained to do and even tried in a tune-up race)

The next 5 miles are pretty flat overall with some bumps and rollers as we wind through several communities of Irvine. Parts are on a bike/running path that wind around a lake and the course is very pleasant here.

At mile 9, we come to a crossroads. The half Marathon splits off and turns right along the river trail, and the full marathon turns left. The race has been pretty crowded and I rather enjoyed all the peeps around me. (Many are now surging for the finish) As we come to the crossroads, I am the only one in the group turning left :( I’m all alone. Way ahead, I see a couple of peeps, but clearly the half is much better supported than the full.

It was at this point last year, just before the course split, that I decided I really wanted to run a full marathon. Chatting with several peeps doing the full had me hooked. I was almost sad to leave them when the split happened.

This year, I was back and doing the full. But no one was here doing it with me. The course up to this point was very familiar, but of course, from here on out, it was unknown.

We quickly got off of the river trail and out onto surface streets again and headed toward the local foothills. (Not a good thing to be running toward in a marathon to be sure) it is from this point, that the steady, some would say relentless, incline started.

Pretty gradual at first, but got progressively steeper as we hiked out of the valley. At about mile 12, we merged onto the freeway. (A Toll road that was closed for the race) I knew better and stayed on the shoulder to avoid running on the concrete. (Learned my lesson well from Long Beach)

At about this point, I noticed the wind pick up quite a bit. (directly in my face) Here I am, running up hill, essentially alone, into a Santa Ana Wind at barely the halfway point of a Marathon. (Holy Cow, what I am I doing here) I could even see the smoke from a brush fire in the hills. (Santa Anas usually fuel our local fire storms) The Humidity is low, it is getting hot, and I am not going as fast as I want to be.

So, I resigned to just shorten my stride and plod along, knowing that once I got off of this darn freeway, things would be at least a bit better. At this point, a lot of peeps are feeling like packing it in and are dropping way back. (I am passing quite a few folks now) At least I know I am not doing this race alone :)

At mile 16, we get off of the freeway and onto a bike path that winds through another residential section. We are running across the window and the houses are providing some additional protection. At about this point, I start to get that familiar feeling. (The Collywobbles are coming) I can fend it off for a while, and am really hoping the Imodium will do its thing and it will pass.

The real horror of the situation is that along the path, there are no porto-loos. (I really hope I don't have a problem here) No stopping just pick up the pace and charge ahead. What seems to be helping, is every time I start to feel bad, I pick up the pace a bit.

I have not lost much time at all at this point. If I can hold this pace, a 3:30 still seems doable.

At mile 18, we come out onto a road that starts the "Back" portion of the run. There is a pretty steep downhill that lasts for about a mile and will happily trade some of this altitude for some speed. Unfortunately, it is all too brief. We turn the corner and the wind picks up and I know we are on the final climb of the day. (It starts out as a false flat and so many folks are still charging ahead)

Having some local knowledge, I know where the crest of the hill is, and what remained. (A nice steady downhill finish)

At about mile 19, my intestines have had enough of this. The wind is mostly gone, but it is now very hot and dry. My little trick of picking up the pace no longer seams feasible given the current conditions. I try to tough it out, but it is no use, I need to find the loo. (None in sight)

At mile 19, I have to make a stop. Still no Loo in sight and having lost any sense of modesty, I lean up against a wall and try to make it quick. (I am still running mostly alone anyway) It definitely was not pretty. I have only lost about 45 seconds on the mile and I am hopeful this will be enough.

Right at mile 22 there is finally a loo. (One lone Blue Box) I really hope no one is using it. Right as I run up, someone exits and in I go. At this point I want to make good and sure I am done. In past races, I had made the mistake of trying to rush through the stop only to have to stop again a short time later.

Off I go again, and click the lap timer on my watch. (Only dropped 3 minutes on the stop) it is a new mile and my primary focus now is to regain my pace and not let myself stiffen up. In past races, the hard part about porto stops is the getting going again. My Pace usually suffers and I am unable to regain momentum.

Luckily, today, I am able to get the train back on the tracks. I am starting to feel a bit of fatigue but nothing that I cannot deal with mentally. Not long after, we crest the top of the hill and I know that it is all downhill from here.

I want to get going, but my quads are starting to protest a bit. So I settle into a reasonably comfortable pace for the hill and am resigned to just fall into the finish. The hill is almost too steep to really charge without overtaxing the quads and forcing me to slow way down. It is also getting really hot and don't want to fall out before the finish.

At about this point I notice something very curious. My Tech Shirt, shorts and hat are totally dry. I usually sweat quite a bit and am usually soaked by about mile 5 or 6. I have been dousing my quads and head with water, and am quite surprised to be totally dry. (Parched actually) This seems to suggest that the humidity is very low.

Couple of bumps toward the finish as we cross overpasses for both railroad tracks and the freeway. With about a mile to go, I am ready to go. I start really turning on the speed knowing the last part of the course. No one else is in any mood to kick for the finish and I am dropping a lot of people.

Cross the finish, Get my chip and glance at my watch and realize I have done it. (I beat my LBM Time by about 1:15) Not achieving the original goal was more about poor goal setting than poor marathoning. (Especially for the conditions)

Post Race

I get some water and gatorade and take a short walk. A good friend is also running the race and at this point, I realize how hot it is. His goal time is about 5 Hours and I know he is going to really suffer. (It is just after 11:00 and it is just getting worse) I am really hoping that he got sick, or got the weekend wrong or something. (He is going to really be hurting)

I need to get my car (It is at the start) and head home. I am really stinky and I look like a Gypsum Miner. (My clothes are covered in a fine white powder which turns out to be salt from my sweat) Still cannot believe I am totally dry at this point.

After a Nap, some good Hydration and refueling, I feel good. I have very little "Post-Race Misery". Just a bit of stiffness in my quads and Calves. (Surely from running hills) My Hammies are suprisingly quiet.

Final Analysis

Watch Time: 3:36:37
Chip Time: 3:36:39

A Personal Best of 1:17
Fastest Mile: 7:15 (My Last Mile)

Overall: 107 Out of 1169
AG: 22 Out of 134

1st Half: 1:43:45
2nd Half: 1:52:54

Highest Point: ~600 Ft (Above Sea Level)
Lowest Point: ~60 Ft (Above Sea Level)

Temp @7:30AM: 62 Degrees
Temp @11:00AM: 76 Degrees
Humidity: 12%
Wind: NE 15-20 MPH

Weight Lost: 8.2 Pounds (4.7% of Body Weight)

I have no idea what the climbs add up to; GMap Blew up one me twice while trying to map the course. I also did not include individual mile splits simply because many of them are just wrong. many of the mile markers seem to have been placed by convenience rather than accuracy. (I am comfortable with the last 1.1 Mile timing above because I drove it in my car yesterday while doing a little recon of the course)

Conlcusion

I am absolutely tickled with the results :D Just comparing finish times does not properly account for the fact that the Long Beach Marathon is as flat as a running track. (More Boring than running on a Track and only slightly less boring than on a treadmill) This race could easily have become a total disaster. Had this not been my 4th marathon, it surely could have been very bad. (I suspect it was not a fun day for a great many peeps out there today)

I ran a challenging course in less than optimal conditions and feel like I did really well at managing pace, running hills and wind, dealing with the unexpected, and finished strong. I rate this marathon right up there with San Francisco as the best open running races I have done to date. I really do like running tougher races; The finish is just so much more satisfying.

I checked my friend's results and he ended up finishing in just over 6 hours. (I feel really bad for him) His race sounds pretty darn miserable. The heat and wind surely were a lot worse as the day wore on. I need to call him and see how he is doing :( :( :(

My plan now is to take a bit of a break from Marathoning and focus on Triathlons. I have 2 Half Ironman Races scheduled in the Spring and hope to do 1 or 2 more later in the season. I am clearly at the flattened end of the "beginner's Improvement Curve" and doing a Marathon every 12 weeks will likely not yield good results going forward anyway.

I am hoping to do CIM in December as my next race and focus getting faster through the year. My plan is to get faster at the shorter distance first while maintaining my endurance. My guess is that it will just take more time and effort to work up to another big BR.

Many Thanks

Thanks to the Marathon Peeps (Way too many to simply name) for teaching me how to train for and to run a marathon :)

Nothing Much.

Still need to figure out how to deal with the Collywobbles...

Hydrate and walk for a bit.


Heat, Wind, Low Humidity.


This is a very good smallish race in SoCal. If you get skunked out of PacShore and are looking for a challenging course with good support, consider this one.

Be warned, the Course Profile is only accurate at the Mile Markers and does not accurately represent hills and elevations on the course. The peak is just before Mile 23.