Stay at home Rog, stay at home!
It looks inviting... a 13.1 on a dead flat, dead-straight course (well 9 miles of it), in Southern California in November. Someone forgot to tell me that the humidity can be nearly 100% and the sun, when it comes out, very fierce.
We waited 30 minutes before we were able to start... the Coronado police would not 'release the course' to the organisers, and what was a chill, very foggy morning started to warm up. Instead of starting at 7:20am (yes really), we got off at 7:50am, with the sun just burning off the fog. What was 'cold clammy' quickly turned into 'hot clammy'. So I decided to run conservatively, and start at around 6:20 pace. Fell in with a lad from up-the-coast (Los Angeles I think) from the Navy, and felt quite comfortable for 5 miles (32:04), just a bit off the pace, but good.
My friend pushed on at a feeding station, and I could not respond, so gradually felt myself flagging without the help of a 'pacer'! Basically that was the story of the race. Each mile was slower than the last... 10 in 66:39... and the last 3k in 22:31 (I go faster in marathons).
Actually all this is a blind... the real problem for me was that this was a 'race to far'. After the 6k SEAA relays in September, my training has gone to pot, and worse, my achillies on both legs have been VERY sore. With that I found I was not able to get up on my toes and push... the achilles 'screamed' at me every time I tried to do so.
Anyhow, finished in an all-time personal worse of 1:29:11, 2nd Vet/60... but...
Funny, at the (chaotic) prizegiving, my time was announced as 1:27:04. I don't believe it even if we were wearing timing chips. The winner completed in 1:14-odd, but again at the prizegiving the Vet/50 1st place was announced as 1:08!!!! So what the actual times were is anyone's guess.
Help, I need a rest, and my face resembles a beetroot.
Mandy's parents (Chuck and Beverley) were a wonderful support... I will treasure Chuck's "Pip pip, old chap" when I saw him at the 11 mile marker.
All the best for now,
Roger
San Diego, off to new Zealand on Thursday!
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