Surf City 2012

On February 5, 2012 I ran the Surf City Marathon at Huntington Beach with a time of 3:28:38. Signing up for this early season race was my winter training incentive to think about running under these warm blue skies with 70 degree sunshine. I'm also using this ocean run to train for similar beach conditions at my A race, IMCA just 55 days out. Not being an A race, I continued training right up to this event and went out for 18 miles with elevation last weekend. Somewhere along the way, I lost track of treating this as a training race and got caught up with the BQ pace just to see what it feels like. You'll never know what your capable of unless you push your limits and learn from your mistakes. Here is play by play for each mile:

Mile 1 - 3 start along the PCH (7:05, 6:58, 6:54) & I'm running with Matt Stoval running his BQ pace, not my pace.

Mile 4 - 6 is windy through Huntington Beach Central Park (7:16, 6:44, 7:15) so at the 6 mile mark our average is 7:02, going out too fast.

Mile 7 - 12 continues out along the PCH to the turn around point (7:18, 7:27, 7:31, 7:06, 7:20, 7:38) holding the avg of 7:14

Mile 13 - 16 continues back along the PCH to the turn around point (7:15, 7:21, 7:49, 7:55) & on this stretch the 3:10 pace group drops me and I'm dealing with a wicked oncoming stitch in my side.

Mile 17 - 20 continues out along the PCH to the turn around point (8:39, 8:33, 9:00, 9:13) and I'm at my runners low dealing with that wicked cramp. I execute my ultra pace which is something I can revert to all day because of my ultra's, its just a slow marathon pace which I did not want to resort to.

Mile 21 - 26.2 (9:16, 9:05, 9:23, 8:23, 8:56, 9:06 last .2 kick 7:41) with an avg 7:57 for the day.

I actually had my runners high at mile 24 when I was picked up by the 3:25 pacer who I followed mindlessly. Running behind the pacer I made a resolution to myself for more pace work. I was beat up and in tunnel vision finishing this final stretch. The sun was beating down and the single narrow trail was lined with pedestrians and traffic both ways. Following the pacer, I was mentally being pulled behind him. I distinctly recall a drum performance on the side of the trail and the beat of the drum matched the pace of heels I was barely holding on to in front of me. That is the trance, the enlightening moment why I do these events. I will be in search of that moment in my training as I embark on more pace work in the months leading up to my A race. Consistently holding my own pace is where I need to train.

To be honest with ourselves

One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else. We consume too much information that takes away our focus, causes unnecessary stress and makes you procrastinate on your work. The truth is, what really satisfies me is eliminating distractions so I can work on my passion and enjoy the fruits of my labor. When television, the internet & society prevents you from taking action on your passion its time to rethink your priorities. Signing up for my marathon forced me to reckon with my own priorities in order to free my time and clear my mind to work on my passion, running. The thing about running is its a single-task which many find difficult in a multi-task environment. The act of running is far less difficult than the act of saying no to all those other task that prevent you from your run. Yet to improve in running, its the consistency of day in and day out rituals of putting in the work that yields the amazing adaptation results the human body is capable of.

Productive habit #1, Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs. Its is very common after signing up for a marathon to earmark every long run on your calendar, long runs are key. However, when it comes time to execute that schedule, the pressure to follow through will be difficult. Use this mantra when scheduling appointments with yourself to ensure you follow through in making running a priority.

Productive habit #2, Today I will do what others wont, so tomorrow I can do what others can't. Life has its rituals, cycles and routines. Make running part of your daily lifestyle and it will become a part of you.

Productive habit #3, Stop reacting to every distraction in order to follow your passion 100%. Don't be a jack of all trades, master of none. Running takes a single track mind. Cut down your temptations to be distracted too easily. Unsubscribe, give your brain room to focus on running instead. Technology does come with an off button, use it to get off the grid and go for a run.

Its really a game changer when you stop those distractions worrying about what everyone else is doing and redefine success as a battle between YOU and YOURSELF. Write down where you are today, your last race. Next write down where you want to be, your PR. The space between the two is called THE GAP. That is your real competitor, self improvement to believe in yourself & close the gap. The race itself is really just a validation point to see if the gap was closed during your training journey leading up to the race. At the start line tell yourself, every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.