Long Beach 2011 Half Marathon

I (mostly) ran the Long Beach Half Marathon last Sunday, October 9, 2011. The course is very scenic, as it starts downtown and hugs the Pacific Ocean throughout. The run starts by the convention center and Shoreline Village, crosses the Queensway Bridge to the Harbor Plaza and back, and then continues along the bike and pedestrian path that runs from the Long Beach Marina to the Peninsula. You then make your way to Ocean Blvd and finish back on Shoreline Drive. There were an estimated 25,000 runners / walkers and cyclists that participated in either the 5k, 1/2 or full marathon and bike ride.

It was my second time doing it and I must say, it was not the terrible experience that I anticipated. I am not a natural runner so I find it hard to train for these events. I'm obviously training to finish, not to "win" or place in any certain spot. However, I did find the training to be enjoyable, as I spent a lot of time running along the beach with my family. I was a bit more diligent about preparing for this run so I had a goal in mind. I wanted to finish under 2 1/2 hours (I know - slooooow).

My wife and I woke up a bit late, so we rushed to downtown and made it to the starting line a few minutes after the first wave of runners had already begun. Long Beach uses a wave system based on projected times. We should have run with wave 4 or 5, but we were already hot from running from the parking structure to the start line so we jumped in with wave 2.

My run started well enough, as mile 1 came surprisingly fast. We weaved along the course and before I knew it, mile 5 had come. I felt great! I looked at my stopwatch and was right on schedule. No problem... so I thought.

Miles 5 – 9 were uneventful. However, I began to have problems at mile 10. My right calf started to cramp so I had to walk a bit. I looked at my stopwatch and I was actually ahead of schedule, so I took it easy, alternating between a fast walk and slow jogging. I looked at my stop watch at mile 11 and it read 2:08. I was now behind schedule, but I had 22 minutes to finish within my goal. I can run a sub 8-minute mile when I push it, so I still had a glimmer of hope. I picked up the pace and had to stop immediately; now my left calf cramped up. I limped along and tried to stretch out. I walked for a few minutes and tried to go again to no avail. Both calves were gone.

At this point I knew I was not going to make the 2:30 goal I had in mind. I tried to run one more time but could not, so I called it a day and walked the rest of the way. I ended up with a time of 2:51. I was very disappointed and frustrated because I was not sore at all, had no pain anywhere and was not winded a bit. Walking felt fine; running led to an immediate protest from my calves.

I'm now eying the Los Angeles 1/2 Marathon in January, 2012. Again, I will aim to finish under 2:30 and this time, I am confident that I will finish strong. I now know what to do :)