Surf City USA Marathon - RunMarathon

From the start, I found myself keeping a comfortable 9:00-9:30 pace. I ran with the 4:20 pace group for a while. I was hopelessly optimistic. The course turned in from PCH to Huntington Central Park which, as promised on the race website, was well-staffed with enthusiastic youngsters handing out water and shouting words of encouragement (my favorite: "Thanks for running our city's marathon!") The scenery was nice, and my legs were still fresh, which made this one of the most enjoyable segments of the race.
On the way out of the park, the marathon course merged with the half marathon course, which continued north on PCH past the Bolsa Chica wetlands. At the turnaround point (near mile 13), I began to feel fatigued. We were now running into the sun, which had a greater impact than i would have expected. I should have worn a visor or sunglasses. Anyway, the distance was taking its toll and I took my first walk break during mile 14.
At mile 16, the marathon course separated from the half marathon course, which continued along PCH to the finish line less than a mile away. We ran north on the beachfront multi-use path, which parallels PCH from the beach. My run-walk ratio gradually shifted to the right until I could barely go 1/4-mile without taking a walk break. My fluid intake surged. I remember seeing the 5:00 pace group (led by an elderly gentleman) heading north after I had hit the turnaround and was running south, and thinking I might be able to fend them off and come in under 5 hours.
The 5:00 pace group ate me alive a couple miles later. Every muscle in both legs was burning, and my right Achilles tendon was sore again. While I would have liked to finish in a respectable time, I had really set out to complete the race before the medals and post-race food were gone. In this I succeeded. The finish was not glorious, but it was satisfying.

Stick to the training regimen- I missed two of my long runs early in the 16-week training cycle. More importantly, I missed the first 2 of the final 3 weeks of training while I was on vacation.
Listen to my body during long training runs- I've had minor pain in my right achilles during long runs in the past, but only recently did I see a podiatrist about it. I should have addressed this months ago.
Assuming everything stays healthy, try a more aggressive training plan- this one only had me running 3 days per week (easy, speedwork/tempo, and long). Having more mileage under my belt may have better prepared me for the later miles.

Hobbled through the finishers chute, drank lots of water, ate some fig newtons. Sat with the fiancee for a little while, rolled my muscles again, and reflected on the unfortunate runner we had seen with great streaks of red trailing from the nipple regions on his white shirt all the way down. Walked back to the car, sat in traffic trying to get out of HB, then stopped in to BJs for beer, spinach and artichoke dip, and pizza.


Great job by the organizers- everything went off without a hitch. Plenty of Porta-Johns near the starting line, race started right on time, very well-supported course with lots of drink stations. The volunteers were plentiful and enthusiastic. The course was mainly flat, which was great for a 1st marathon, and although at times not exactly picturesque, it was an enjoyable place to run and the weather was perfect.