I went to the expo after work. I parked for free at the TeWinkle Park on Arlington Dr over by the baseball/softball fields and walked over. It's $7 if want to park on the fairgrounds. After picking up my bib and race shirt, I went through the expo. There wasn't much in terms of samples being passed out. However there were deals on race registrations, so I ended up registering for the Surf City Marathon for $99. That's a pretty good deal for that race. They gave me a tote bag, a sticker, a couple of beer koozies, and a surfboard key chain. Those people at the booth have seen me quite often at race expos so they really hooked me up with their giveaways.
Expo haul
Front
Back
Saturday 5/2
I met up with my friend for lunch. First I stopped by work to pick up my bananas that I had forgotten to take home on Friday. My friend wanted me to try out this sub sandwich shop in Costa Mesa called Lil' Pickle. They're supposed to have really good sub sandwiches. I'm not sure what the hype is, but I thought it was just average. I will give it that I would probably come here over going to a Subway or a Quiznos. The ingredients were good, but I really didn't like their bread. Each sandwich came with a pickle. I tried two different sandwiches (Regular No. 8 Big Beefer Roast Beef and Regular No. 7 Famous Sub). They were both decent, but nothing spectacular.
Regular No. 8 Big Beefer Roast Beef
Regular No. 7 Famous Sub
Every now and then, I like to show my support for our veterans during a marathon. So I laid out my running clothes for tomorrow's race. I also remembered that there was a Team RWB aid station last year.
Flat runner
Sunday 5/3
The full marathon started at 5:30 am. So I got to the starting area at Fashion Island pretty early at about 4 something. I parked in the same lot as last year in front of Muldoon's Irish Pub. Per the instructions, I got to the lot by driving up Avocado Ave from PCH then turning into the lot from Civic Center Dr. I then grabbed my stuff and walked over to the Marriott Hotel which was pretty much right next to the starting line. I met up with my friend inside the Hotel. We passed the time by talking a bit about our race plans. We used the restroom before heading out to the starting corral. I bumped into a bunch of my fellow Marathon Maniacs on the way out.
Start corral
I ran the first 10k mostly with the 3:40 pace group. It was pretty cool to start running just as the new day is dawning. The weather was still pretty cool, so it was nice to push the pace a bit. The course had rollers, so I just ran with a perceived even effort. After reaching the mile 7 marker, I slowed down to about a 9 minute per mile pace. I cruised into the halfway point at 1:52:25.
1: 8:17
2: 8:00
3: 8:00
4: 8:24
5: 7:57
6: 8:18
7: 8:02
8: 9:20
9: 8:52
10: 9:13
11-12: 17:57 (8:58)
13: 8:56
From there, I started taking a 1 minute walk break whenever I reached a new mile marker. I started to feel tired while crossing the bridge over Bristol Ave. After leaving South Coast Plaza, I was really fatigued while jogging through Segerstrom High School at mile 18. My legs felt like they were filled with lead and I was starting to deal with good 'ol cramps. I then used the next mile to try and recover. There was a climb up to mile 20 where the Team RWB was manning an aid station. It was pretty cool to see George Washington (I think) on a bike before turning onto the Santa Ana River Trail. The next few miles were somewhat okay, but then it was getting warm and there were some significant inclines as we wound through some residential streets. My coworker passed me as we were running beside the golf course. I tried to keep him in sight but he slowly faded into the horizon. I tried to run most of the final mile, but I also didn't want the legs to lock up. It was cool to run past the music at The Hangar and all of the people there cheering. I didn't get too excited as I knew from last year that it was still about a quarter of a mile to go.
I think it was George Washington crossing the Santa Ana River on a mountain bike :)
14: 10:00
15: 10:32
16: 10:44
17: 11:36
18: 12:29
19: 15:02
20: 11:13
21: 12:17
22: 12:51
23: 13:22
24: 13:41
25: 13:59
26: 11:19
26.2: 1:47
Finish: 4:32:12
My left foot was pretty sore going into this race, but I thought I had a good chance to finish around 4:15 - 4:20. I was right on track until leg cramps hit me at miles 18-19. I recovered but I dealt with some more leg cramps from mile 23 to the finish line. I'm sure the awesome Southern California weather had something to do with the cramps.
My legs were pretty cramped up as soon as I crossed the finish line and stopped. Man, did it get warm out there! I made my way through the finisher chute grabbing some post race snacks and drinks. They gave us a plastic bag to carry the goodies. As I got out of the secured area, I stopped by the Erdinger booth and picked up an alcohol free beer. I was pretty pooped, so I sat down to drink the beer. After I was a bit more recovered, I went to go pick up the Double Dare dog tag and the Beach Cities Challenge clam shell medal. I then made my way over to The Hangar where I had run by earlier. They had a band playing some loud music. I got my free alcoholic beer and joined my friends in cheering on my fellow runners as they neared the finish line.
Medals and stuff
Post race music
I almost forgot to be on the lookout for my friend. Fortunately, I was able to catch a glimpse of him while I was getting another beer. That would not be good to miss him since he is my ride back to my car.
Dan and I at the finish
Before giving me a ride back to my car, my friend and I had our traditional post race lunch at the nearby Habit over on Adams Ave. I got my usual meal, the Double Char with cheese and raw onions. I got the green bean tempura instead of fries this time. For my drink I had the strawberry limeade. Man, this meal really hit the spot after completing a rather grueling marathon!
The Habit!
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