I had two main events this month squeezed between training for SOMA 70.3 in October. For Marcus' 50th birthday, we traveled to Malibu for the Olympic International Triathlon, instead of the SD Classic Olympic. We train a lot around the SD Classic route so Malibu was a nice change and included an ocean entry, riding up the Pacific Coast Hwy 1 with gorgeous views, and running down HWY 1 with the ocean breeze keeping us cool.
There are not "inexpensive" places to stay nearby so we opted for a 20 mile drive at the Marriott. The good news is that they called us and said we had been moved another 10 miles further away due to construction! Sounds horrible but it actually meant staying at Thousand Oaks Marriott for FREE and they gave us $100! We had great restaurants within walking distance and found the best gelato EVER at a nearby mall. We had to get up really early anyway because parking was limited so the extra mileage wasn't a big deal. I was in the last wave with a very long wait so I wasn't too happy that we arrived at some awful dark hour but at least we were some of the first ones to rack our bikes! There was virtually no expo for the Olympic racers because all the hoopla started after our race so the sprinters on Sunday would get all the attention. There was a special celebrity division in the Sprint race for about 20 celebrities like Jillian Michaels and John Cryer from 2 1/2 Men but we didn't stick around for another day to watch their race. I enjoyed the course tremendously but a few things could have been improved. I think the volunteers on the bike course needed to know their importance. There were not many signs so if there is a U turn coming up or turn off..SPEAK UP!! I missed the last turn off and had to circle back against traffic to get back. The volunteers were just standing there chatting it up when I whizzed on by! Also the announcer at the pre-course talk that everyone was required to listen before start NEVER mentioned two no pass zones on the bike route. Thankfully I had studied the bike course. All of a sudden I'm passing when I see the sign...whoops...
The ocean entry was easier than La Jolla Shores. It was super calm but we did swim up stream and as usual, I went a little long by 100 meters. It was a nice idea to have water sprayers after the ocean entry but it was more mist than anything so it didn't help at all. My swim was also slow because the last wave got the worst deep chopped up sand to run up the beach to the bikes My left foot toes aren't flexible so this was a bit painful for me and the sand run seemed forever.
Since my swim was a bit slow, I really pushed hard on the bike. I noticed the best thing about being in the last wave of swimmers is recognizing how many bikers I passed that swam faster than me. I started picking off all the 40 and over women as I rode those hills with all I could give. It was so nice that other women were cheering me on as I passed them. I went from 19th/25 on the swim to 6th place after the bike! But...they always catch me on the run! I didn't push too hard on the run. It was gorgeous and I really enjoyed the sea breeze. I have been feeling pretty tight in my foot and arch and so it's been a bit uncomfortable to push speed on my run. However, I was happy with my 10th place finish for the day. I have to give my compliments to the finish line food. There were bars, muffins, and bowls of cut up fruit which was really refreshing! We loved the medals, shirts, and hats as well. I would definitely recommend it.
So for my 50th celebration, we flew to Half Moon Bay which is 20 miles south of San Francisco. I also worked in 3 physical therapy sessions to loosen scar tissue in my foot and it felt much better during this race. This was my 2nd full marathon and Marcus ran the half hoping for a PR. This is the race's 3rd year. I picked it for the weather and the course. As I showed last month, the 1/2 is flat but the full is 6 miles of hills at the beginning. I was trying to make 4:50 to 5:00 by practicing 5/1 Galloway after the first 13 miles. I wanted to have a fast recovery so I didn't stop my SOMA training so I felt the 1 minute walks were more important than speed. Well, there were 2 sharp hills at the beginning...and they flipped the course so 6 miles of hills were at the end. I was not prepared for the sharp rollers. Had I realized the course had changed, I would have run to mile 19 and then given myself more time on the hills at the end. I also would have run up and down Iron Mountain for quad work! Alas, my quads are shot and my SOMA training is disrupted for some recovery time. Looks I'll be in some pain this week trying to keep up with plan since the race is in 3 weeks. I was also disappointed that the expo was merely a bib pickup and they had run out of shirts! They also ran out of coconut water at the end of the race and I was lucky that Marcus found the last one for me. Since the race was sold out, I don't understand these problems. There was another hour of runners still arriving! I can agree the scenery is beautiful but it's not heavenly to run the last 6 miles through MTB trails and sharp rolling hills. Thankfully the weather was absolutely perfect which I guess was shocking because the first year, it rained and the 2nd year, it was totally fogged in! The website bragged about this being the perfect time of the year in Half Moon Bay. I guess we were lucky.
Many of the dirt trails were hard cracked clay just waiting for a turned ankle. It totally slows your cadence due to the fear of falling with an injury. This is a picture of some of the dirt paths that were not too bad unless you were trying to pass someone.
Well in the end, I calf cramped running down the last hill into the home stretch and had to hop around before I could continue. At 26.22 my watch said 4:59, but I officially crossed the finish line at 26.38 and 5:01. I still wish I had understood the course a little better but I'm not sure that would have helped the lactic acid build up in my thighs over the last 6 miles. I really felt great until mile 20 and I hope enough complain so they change the course back to the previous year's route. I hope to have a better result when we both run the Mountains to Beaches Marathon in May. This course is a gradual decline from Ojai to Ventura Beach. I'm on the fence to recommend the HMBIM race. There are a lot of risks involved with weather, terrain, and traffic. Reasonably priced hotels are at least 30 minutes into San Mateo. However the location is really quaint and pretty. Well, it was a good month of training overall and I'm glad to have another full marathon under my belt. I still have a lot to learn on pacing for 26 miles! I'm ok with landing 10/21 finishers in my age group! Maybe others had a surprise with the last 6 miles too!
The ocean entry was easier than La Jolla Shores. It was super calm but we did swim up stream and as usual, I went a little long by 100 meters. It was a nice idea to have water sprayers after the ocean entry but it was more mist than anything so it didn't help at all. My swim was also slow because the last wave got the worst deep chopped up sand to run up the beach to the bikes My left foot toes aren't flexible so this was a bit painful for me and the sand run seemed forever.
So for my 50th celebration, we flew to Half Moon Bay which is 20 miles south of San Francisco. I also worked in 3 physical therapy sessions to loosen scar tissue in my foot and it felt much better during this race. This was my 2nd full marathon and Marcus ran the half hoping for a PR. This is the race's 3rd year. I picked it for the weather and the course. As I showed last month, the 1/2 is flat but the full is 6 miles of hills at the beginning. I was trying to make 4:50 to 5:00 by practicing 5/1 Galloway after the first 13 miles. I wanted to have a fast recovery so I didn't stop my SOMA training so I felt the 1 minute walks were more important than speed. Well, there were 2 sharp hills at the beginning...and they flipped the course so 6 miles of hills were at the end. I was not prepared for the sharp rollers. Had I realized the course had changed, I would have run to mile 19 and then given myself more time on the hills at the end. I also would have run up and down Iron Mountain for quad work! Alas, my quads are shot and my SOMA training is disrupted for some recovery time. Looks I'll be in some pain this week trying to keep up with plan since the race is in 3 weeks. I was also disappointed that the expo was merely a bib pickup and they had run out of shirts! They also ran out of coconut water at the end of the race and I was lucky that Marcus found the last one for me. Since the race was sold out, I don't understand these problems. There was another hour of runners still arriving! I can agree the scenery is beautiful but it's not heavenly to run the last 6 miles through MTB trails and sharp rolling hills. Thankfully the weather was absolutely perfect which I guess was shocking because the first year, it rained and the 2nd year, it was totally fogged in! The website bragged about this being the perfect time of the year in Half Moon Bay. I guess we were lucky.
