This race was my pre California International Marathon(CIM) test. My goal was to race at near marathon pace to see how I would feel after 20 miles to see if Boston qualifying is an option (3:15 time, 7:26 pace). I was a little nervous about this race, last year I just couldn't hold my pace and wound up way off the mark for Boston. I have a tendency to go out too fast and fade at the end on my long runs. With a half marathon PR two weeks ago at a 7:11 pace I was confident I could race a 7:26 pace and feel fine at the end. The big question and cause for concern was could I hold myself to a 7:26 pace by myself for the whole 20 miles?

Good news/bad news.
I finished 18 minutes faster than last year and had an average pace of 7:20. Finished 23 overall and 9th in my age group. All good news and certainly validates all the training I've put in for CIM. But I didn't walk away from this race feeling like finishing CIM in 3:15 is in the bank. The last two miles felt like a struggle and definetly left me wondering whether or not I will be able to hold that pace for 6 more miles. On the plus side I feel that I ran a smart race I watched my pace the whole way and kept myself from going faster than I needed to. I guess we'll see December 7th!

Nothing I followed my race plan. I drank at every aid station and a little in between when I felt like I needed it. I never felt like I was under hydrated. I had a gu at every 4 miles so that my legs wouldn't start to feel like blocks, which seemed to work.

Walked around for quite a while. Drank a red bull, ate the pasta meal they provided and lots of water.


Nothing that I can think of. I ran a good smart race and I don't think I should have gone faster considering my marathon goals.