Tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday and my annual marathon. I race every Super Bowl Sunday to remind me to stay active on this holiday of inactivity. Winter marathons keep me motivated to train in the dark and damp months. I force myself to run most mornings wearing a headlamp and gloves. This year's race is the Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach. Formerly known as the Pacific Shoreline Marathon a couple of years ago, the marathon's host city has branded itself Surf City, much to the displeasure of Santa Cruz, which has its own surfing heritage. To prove a point, Huntington Beach labels every possible activity Surf City something.
I'm cautiously optimistic about this race, because I emerged relatively healthy from the training. I hope to break 2:50, which would be a PR by three minutes. I use a 12-week program from Runner's World, maxxing out at 55 miles in any week. I averaged about 46 miles a week, and missed only a couple of days because of illness. Last year I reached a maximum of 60 miles a week, and stretched the program out over 14 weeks. I also missed two weeks of training with the flu and averaged two miles less per week than this year.
I was pleasantly surprised how well I performed the race pace workouts that began in early January. The pace was 6:30 per mile, and I was able to do a 4 x 2.5 mile, and 3 x 3 mile. Later I was unable to complete a 2 x 4 mile and a 2 x 3 mile. I rebounded last Saturday with a strong eight mile run at marathon pace, and felt really good about the race tomorrow.
I'll enter the race with two unknowns, which is never a good thing for a marathon. After considering several options, I decided to wear a new pair of my Boston Classic training shoes instead of buying race shoes. I figured that buying shoes for a distance that I only run once a year wasn't worth it, and I didn't feel comfortable wearing my usual race shoes for 26.2 miles. I reduced the weight a bit by cutting the instep portion from the sock liner and using only the forefoot cushion. This leaves me with my orthotics to support the rear of the foot. The other experiment is going with Cliff Shot Blocks, which I haven't used in about year for race fuel. My favorite snacks are Luna Moons because they give me the smallest aftertaste of any race nutritional supplement. Unfortunately the Alameda Bicycle shop where I buy them was out of stock early in the week and I couldn't get back before we left town.
I'm cautiously optimistic about this race, because I emerged relatively healthy from the training. I hope to break 2:50, which would be a PR by three minutes. I use a 12-week program from Runner's World, maxxing out at 55 miles in any week. I averaged about 46 miles a week, and missed only a couple of days because of illness. Last year I reached a maximum of 60 miles a week, and stretched the program out over 14 weeks. I also missed two weeks of training with the flu and averaged two miles less per week than this year.
I was pleasantly surprised how well I performed the race pace workouts that began in early January. The pace was 6:30 per mile, and I was able to do a 4 x 2.5 mile, and 3 x 3 mile. Later I was unable to complete a 2 x 4 mile and a 2 x 3 mile. I rebounded last Saturday with a strong eight mile run at marathon pace, and felt really good about the race tomorrow.
I'll enter the race with two unknowns, which is never a good thing for a marathon. After considering several options, I decided to wear a new pair of my Boston Classic training shoes instead of buying race shoes. I figured that buying shoes for a distance that I only run once a year wasn't worth it, and I didn't feel comfortable wearing my usual race shoes for 26.2 miles. I reduced the weight a bit by cutting the instep portion from the sock liner and using only the forefoot cushion. This leaves me with my orthotics to support the rear of the foot. The other experiment is going with Cliff Shot Blocks, which I haven't used in about year for race fuel. My favorite snacks are Luna Moons because they give me the smallest aftertaste of any race nutritional supplement. Unfortunately the Alameda Bicycle shop where I buy them was out of stock early in the week and I couldn't get back before we left town.
Race prep is generally very good. We're staying at the super nice and expensive Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa, which is just across the street from the race. Maylee went to the expo with me and then played in the beach for a while. The hotel upgraded us to the Governor's Suite, which is so big that we invite Mandy's cousin Yvonne and her family over for dinner. They brought a variety of entrees from the Cheesecake Factory and some cheesecake. Maylee had fun playing with Yvonne and Richard's children, especially Miranda. After the Perez family left, Maylee lost herself in bubbles in the whirlpool bath.
Everyone is fed, clean and relaxed, and we're off to bed.
