Just using this as my weekly training run for California 70.3, not looking to set a PR or be sore afterwards, just run it easy. Goal was still to go sub 1:00, since the last 10K in Oct 2010 I ran "easy" and went 1:02 :(

Plus I had been running more this week, and had ridden 58 plus a 3 mile brick Saturday. I wasn't exactly going in with "fresh legs."

Wendy dropped me off at the gym, used the facilities for the usual pre race "activities," met up with Mike Chris and Renata at the start. Met Campbell in the crowd. Started in the usual midpack, HUGE crowd of nearly 4,000 people including bandits.

Started out very easy, which is impossible to do otherwise unless you are at the front, it's so crowded the first mile is nearly 11 minute pace. Things clear up a bit, but not really. The little rises that I thought were "hills" the first time I ran this didn't really bother me. I was running easy with Campbell, Mike running a bit behind with his sister in law. We were chatting through most of it, usually on my runs it's talk or run, not both, so it was a nice distraction, and a good way to keep the pace down

Lots of pace booty as well to distract one if one wanted.

Campbell is very fast, but hasn't run much lately. He said it was good to run with me to pace him "down." In the end it was good to run with him to pace me "up."

Took splits with my watch. First mile was 10:45. Didn't let that affect the goal of making it a training run. Second mile was 9:54. Felt like a bit faster, but can't trust those mile markers. Proven on mile 3, which was 10:16. No way. Funny, about 2-300 yards before the mile 3 marker, a bunch of garmins started beeping. Further evidence of misplacement on mile 4, which was 8:11. No way the other way. There was a running pace clock at each mile, though, and where the first mile was somewhere 12:40 something, mile 4 was 40 something. So we made up time.

Missed the mile 5 marker entirely, since they had changed the course a bit. Unfortunately, wasn't a run all along the beach due to construction, so mile 5 was in some strange place. Short downhill, then the big uphill at the pier. Tough at that point of a 10K, but just shuffle up the hill with a fast cadence. Recover at the top. usually it's all downhill from there, but a little twist added some unexpected distance and a short rise right before the end.

The last 2.2 was a 19:20 split.

On the downhill realized I had 4 minutes to break 1:00, hoping I could do it, but never really broke into a sprint, just kept a steady pace, not slowing down. Made it easily.

Nothing about this race felt difficult, I never pushed too hard, never felt like oh my god I want to stop. Did a good job maintaining focus and gradually getting faster.

I am still not, and never will be fast, but I was pleased with the race. Still worried about going 13.1 in a few weeks, and amazed that I held near this pace for 13.1 at one point. More pleased when I realize that, with the 10:45 first mile, the 5.2 was run at a 9:10 pace, and the final 2.2 was run at an 8:47 pace. OK, so those are not training paces for me.... Hard to hold back in a race.

Not sore afterwards, a bit tired but nothing like prior hard 10Ks, which was my goal. Walked back to the gym and swam for about 1/2 hour.

Good race. Had to walk it last year due to injury, just happy to be able to participate.