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Catalina Island Eco-Marathon - RunMarathon


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Avalon, Catalina Island, California
United States
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 7h 22m 17s
Overall Rank = 236/267
Age Group = 50-54
Age Group Rank = 15/17
Pre-race routine:

Well.... Better late than never for this race report.. Between work, vacation, and my inconsistent internet connection, I decided to get it done.

The boat ride over was nice and smooth on Friday afternoon. The Atwater Hotel is very runner-friendly by allowing for a one-night stay for $75. The room was fine; color TV with cable, queen-sized bed and small but adequate bathroom. A coffee pot with your typical instant coffee attached to the wall in the bathroom. I needed something "good" to eat Friday night, so I chose for my carbo-loading, a cheese quesadilla with a cold Bud Light. To build up my glycogen storages I chose two scoops of Big Oloaf's Ice Cream. Off to bed at about 9PM..
Event warmup:

The race warm-up consisted of a half mile walk to the starting line. The race started pretty much on-time at 8, while a few "late arrivals" were taxied up on golf carts from the ferry that had docked only a few minutes before.. Not training for this race, I knew I was in for a looooong day..
Run
  • 7h 22m 17s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 16m 53s  min/mile
Comments:

OMG... The race started uphill, to the degree that I had to walk much of the first three miles.. Well, it took me an hour to do 4 miles so that was an eye-opener.. I started getting warm and I was using the water buckets after the first aide station. There were still runners around me but not many.. I caught up with Bob Babbitt of Competitor Magazine at about mile 5 and we chatted a bit. He took my pic to show people I really did get up there and off we went. I tried to stay with him but by mile 8 he was gone. I chatted with a few people along the way but suffering by mile 10, no one wanted to stay with someone going so slow. No S**T..
I seriously questioned myself to the tune of WTF am I doing here, just after mile 10. Thank God for my iPod; without it I would have never survived. Mile 13 got hairy for me as I tried to "dead-man shuffle" thru a pebbly, dry wash, when it dawned on me that my left ankle was hanging in there.. Uh, never think about a problem area of your body when racing. About 30 seconds later, I turned that ankle. Half way thru a race in the middle of nowhere, with no cell service and no one in front of me or behind me at that time, all I could do was walk. It didn't matter as I was doing a hell of a lot of walking by that time anyway. Ankle felt OK so I tried it out and hit the road and after a few hundred yards, right into a nice uphill section.. Mile 14 was literally at the bottom of a steep, shale-like hill that had a warning sign posted "Caution: steep and loose next 1/4 mile" No S**T!
Back on solid ground for the next 3 miles and surprised that some people actually caught up with me at the aide station. That aide station was almost out of water with a few snacks left. I took some water to dump on me and I was off. Stayed with a few ladies who were helping one of their buddies get thru here first 26.2 and she was doing great. Much better shape than me.. About 8 of us were together when climbing "The Catalina Crush" at mile 19, and I do mean climbed.. I was hurting all over and I was side-stepping to get up that thing. At the top were volunteers giving out well-deserved kudos as we made our way to the aide-station at the bottom of a small bluff. This was the only one I can remember having a port-a-potty and I didn't even need to use it.. No S**T..
By this time, my sports drink was worthless as it was making me so thirsty, that I bailed on it and went to water in my big bottle and in both 8oz bottles I had in side pouches. I was concerned at this point that I was getting more dehydrated than I thought, as I had only peed twice so far.. I had gone thru both packets of my pre-mixed drink powder and taken on water at every aide station. I had taken a few Endurolytes before the race started but lost them during the race. Took some Thermolytes at one of the aide stations but not sure that was going to be enough. Back on more even terrain and rolling fire roads before coming to mile 23. I stopped at that aide station and the volunteers said "all downhill from here".. No S**T...
Not sure who the psycho was who designed that last 3 miles, but the only way down was on foot, maybe horseback, and on a mountain bike if you had enuf “hair” to do it. Just steep enuf that you couldn’t walk at a leisurely pace, if you couldn’t shuffle-step or run down. My whole lower body hurt; quads, hamstrings, calves, shins, toes, that I almost face-planted three times.. The view was beautiful and by mile 24, I could see the ferry I WAS scheduled for, heading out of Catalina and for the mainland. All I could do was wave and hope I could make it to the finish before the 8 hour time limit passed. I then heard someone say, “on your left” so I stepped aside so a guy could run by, followed by a grinning woman not a day under 60.. “Thanks and see you at the finish” was her parting comment as she shuffled by. I was shocked for just long enuf for her to get by me before I could “hip check” her over the edge to get her on her way just a touch sooner.. At mile 25.5, you came back on to the paved road near the golf course and on your way to the finish line. I stopped for a second at the last aide station for a quick drink. I looked up to see a woman, maybe in her 60’s, who was a Legacy runner (wearing a green bib and one who has done every race since 2006), headed my way. I told the woman and her son, “thank you but I gotta go” as there was no way that legacy runner was going to pass me. The finish was just around the bend by the golf course and the school so I had about 3/10 to go, or so I thought. Pedal to the metal and feet to the pavement, dragging my tongue along the way, I was desperately looking for the finish line. A couple of blocks past I yelled out to no one in particular, “Where’s the finish line?” A kind soul in a golf cart yelled back, “it’s in town!” No S**T!
So, I turned and burned with what I had left, thinking my heart is gonna explode, and trying so hard NOT to turn around to see if that woman was gaining on me. I had about 4 blocks to go and could barely see the finish line. I stayed focused and figured I could pick the asphalt out of my tongue after I got it un-stuck from the roof of my mouth, AFTER I crossed the finish line. With the encouraging clapping from about 5 people still hanging around this late in the day, I put on my best finish line surge and with a thumbs up, crossed the finish line in 7:22:14.. I am surprised I didn’t puke after I finished. I shook a few hands and had a couple of pictures taken with the well-deserved buffalo head shaped finisher’s medal. Oh yeah, that woman who was stalking me the last ¾ mile stretch, came in about a minute after I did.. WOO HOO for the finish line stretch “kick”.. Bob spotted me sitting on a bench and came over to congratulate me... That was nice of him.. He didn't stay long as I stunk.

What would you do differently?:

uh, train for a trail 26.2 if I do another one. I did the best I could given the shape I was in..
Post race
Warm down:

walking back to the hotel and up the 22 stairs to the 2nd floor so I could take a shower and change. And, another cheese quesadilla with a cold Bud Light.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I didn't expect to go fast.. I just wanted to finish "legal"..

Event comments:

This was an ass-kicking trail 26.2 that I would recommend to anyone who really wants a challenge. I would highly recommend that hill training be involved in race preparation, to avoid feeling like you were run over by a truck. I hurt so bad by Monday, that I could barely walk to the bathroom to pee. I felt worse after this race than I did my Ironman. It took more than a week to recover. Yeah, I know, I deserved it for not properly training. This is SO true... The volunteers were wonderful as always, and I made it a point to thank them as I passed thru the aide stations. Without them, we don't race.. I don't know if I will ever do this again... Those interested can go to the link below and view the photo album from the race..

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/photos/photo-thumbnail...




Last updated: 2010-04-18 12:00 AM
Running
07:22:17 | 26.2 miles | 16m 53s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/17
Overall: 0/267
Performance: Good
My average heart rate was 158 and I hit 180 for my max.. Those hills were brutal..
Course: To borrow a brief course description from their web site: "The Catalina Eco Marathon is a trail marathon that traverses the inner the roads and trails of the interior of Catalina Island. Participants are encouraged to bring their own water bottles, gels and other nutritional support for use between support stations. Support Stations will have water, Gatorade, candy, salt and other supplies for your use and nutrition. There will be 11 stations out on the course, plus the post-race food at the finish line. Water stations will be positioned approximately every 2 to 3 miles". This was not quite a complete description..... At times the distances between those aide stations felt like a 10K!
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2010-12-29 11:48 PM

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Veteran
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Ironman Arizona via Surf City, USA
Subject: Catalina Island Eco-Marathon


2010-12-29 11:57 PM
in reply to: #3267417

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Melon Presser
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Subject: RE: Catalina Island Eco-Marathon
HARDCORE!!!!! You crazy lady. Super congrats on toughing out a ridiculously difficult race.

I approve of ice cream as pre-race glycogen topping.

And you were even hard-core in recovery--I dunno that I woulda bothered to walk to the bathroom to pee
2010-12-30 6:40 PM
in reply to: #3267417

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Veteran
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Orange County, CA
Subject: RE: Catalina Island Eco-Marathon
Congratulations! Sounds like a memorable trail marathon (even if not for all the right reasons)!!
2010-12-31 11:00 PM
in reply to: #3267417

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Veteran
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Ironman Arizona via Surf City, USA
Subject: RE: Catalina Island Eco-Marathon

it was interesting.......

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