Now, I'm an East Coast runner, so running south with the ocean on the right just seems wrong, but Carlsbad is an awfully nice place to look for a sunrise that never appears over the water. I signed up because I have family in the area, none of whom have ever seen me race. I was excited because my sister, who is a steady 3-4 mile runner decided to use my visit an motivation to train for the 1/2 marathon.
Logistically, for a destination race, the organizers did a good job. Sign up was simple enough and packet pick-up, which also doubled as the finish line the next day, was relatively easy. The expo was nothing special. Yet, what is a special expo? The shuttle process from the host hotels could have been clearer with more signage, but hey, I got to the start line and home from the finish, so all good.
So, the race, which I ran alone because my sister got pneumonia, or some such excuse. Because it's California and, I guess hot and crowded, the marathon started really early, 6:15am. This was only tolerable due to the fact that I was still on East Coast time. It became slightly less tolerable when police couldn't clear the course on time and we stood around until 6:30am before starting the race. It's actually quite chilly at 6:15 in the morning.
Before the gun, let me back up for some perspective on my goals and race strategy as it colors the rest of the story. Being the ripe old age of 48, I had qualified for Boston with a 3:23 race the previous fall at the Marine Corps Marathon, so I wasn't really committed to a particular pace or time as much as just going out however I felt and seeing what happened. I knew I had family cheering me on at miles 14, 16 and 20, so as long as I was upright and smiling then the rest was gravy. I also knew there was a killer hill at mile 8 that I would have to contend with.
The gun finally went off and we headed off through some rolling hills in and around Carlsbad. I almost always wear headphones--some Bluetooth wireless ones--and listen to music since I almost never maintain a fixed pace and tend to end up running solo a lot of the time. Also, it was 6:30 in the morning, so, you know, tired. After 16 marathons, you would think I would know better than to go out "too fast", but honestly I have tried the "hold back early" or the "run the first mile slow" or the "negative splits are your friend" philosophies and have always found that the "run how you feel" method works for me. And I felt good during the early miles.
I latched on with the 3:10 pace group even though there was no way on God's green Earth that was going to last. Still, as we left the rolling hills of Carlsbad (miles 1-2) and headed onto the Pacific Coast Highway, I was running easy and fast listening to the pacer call out the mile splits in between the "Hits of the 70s" (Turn the Beat Around, Night Fever). Miles 2-5 along the highway are pretty flat, even a bit downhill, which, of course means a little uphill when they happen to be miles 20-23 on the way back. I was hoping my brother-in-law, who is a lawyer and doesn't sleep, would be out early to cheer me on at mile 5, as we headed inland towards the hill from Hell.
He came through and I let the 3:10ers go to pull over for a quick high five and some witty early morning banter (at least my recollection is that it was witty). There are three hills on this course to be aware of and prepare for. The one that starts at mile 8 is by far the longest and highest, but maybe not the most difficult. Having let the 3:10 group go, I kept them in my sights and just tried to keep a reasonable pace going up figuring I could make up some time going back down. This strategy turned out to be sound. The hill is about a mile long, steep and draining. Know it ahead of time. It is what it is.
On the plus side, going back down is fast... I believe my pace going up was about 8:00-8:15/mile and sub 7:00/mile coming back down. By the time I was back to the Coast Highway around miles 13-14, I was almost even with the 3:10 pace group again, but I let them go for good, as this was my chance to see the full family cheering squad and introduce a little sanity into the pacing. This race is great for spectators in that you can see your racer 5-6 times without have to move more than a few hundred feet.
I said farewell to the family and headed back out onto the PCH now joined by herds of 1/2 marathon runners who all looked refreshed as they jogged along at their miles 4-5. The second hill looks innocent enough from a distance, but at its top is mile 16 and the 1/2 marathon turnaround, so there's a psychological kick in the gut as two thirds of the runners hang a left and head for home, while you keep on running off into the distance. It's only two miles to the full marathon turnaround, but it feels longer and the last big hill is the one at mile 18 just when most runners, myself included, are starting to fade. I had to walk a few steps after cresting the hill just to catch my breath and swear at my lameness before heading back down and running for home.
I should note that the crowds are really terrific, especially miles 20-26, when the marathons and 1/2 marathon merge. Now, you'll recall my standard for success being upright and smiling for the family at miles 14,16 and 20. So, big success at 14 and 16--not so much at 20. Whether it was the hills or the early pace, I was cooked by mile 20 and could tell it was just going to be a slog to get to the finish, yet I wanted to look strong when I passed everyone at around 20.5. So, I jacked up the pace slightly, sucked it up, and ran head high with a quick wave as I went by. About 200 yards down the road I had to pull over sucking wind and near tears. If you've run marathons, you know that your emotions get very raw especially late in the race. Family being there, pushing the pace--it all caught up to me at once.
Fortunately, I didn't go fetal and got back onto the road quickly. A 3:25 Boston qualifying time was still a possibility. As I suspected, the run back into Carlsbad was a gradual uphill that felt steeper than it was because of the miles. I did recall that the last 1/2 mile to the finish was downhill, though. What I had blocked was the fact that in town there are a series of rolling hills. They got me and I had to let 3:25 go. When I turned the corner into the mall parking lot where the finish line was, I could see the clock already at 3:25. Finish time 3:25:56 (7:52/mile).
A good run, a beautiful location, hilly.
Recommend.
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