Surf's Up!!

I guess it's taken me 4 months to let the experience sink in before I blog about my last marathon! Or maybe I've been sitting on my hands for so long, they're too numb to type :-) I know what it is - I needed my blogging mojo back and it took a kind comment from a Team Asha 2010 runner (who found my first race report inspiring!) to get the juices flowing again...

Anyways, here's a brief chronicle of my experience at the Surf City Marathon on Feb 7, 2010 in beautiful Huntington Beach, CA.

Given that it was only an hour away, many of us flew in on Saturday morning. Of course it was a veritable party on the plane (what with 30+ Asha runners) on it. It's amazing we didn't get kicked off the plane :-)

Anyway, we arrived in Orange County and headed straight to the hotel. Our excellent travel co-ord Sahana had continued her awesome work even during the off-season and made superb arrangements (hotel, shuttle etc.). We took the shuttle to the expo (after a quick bite to eat) and picked up our bib, T-Shirt and spent some time strolling around. The weather had been cloudy and it started to pour when we were at the expo (and the tents started leaking water). We were hoping it did not continue - else, I would be running yet another marathon in the rain (quickly cementing my reputation as the Michael Schumacher of marathon running (obscure Formula 1 reference :-)). We waited till the downpour stopped and took the shuttle back to the hotel. After a little bit of rest, we gathered for the carbo load dinner (in the hotel). Coach Raman gave us some excellent pre-pace tips and we headed up for an early night. Since my roommate Satish could not make it due to illness, I had the room all to myself (and of course my pal Mr.Philips (the TV :-))).

Woke up after a nice peaceful night and got dressed (bib, chip etc. had been ready since the previous night - signs of all the coaching from the Asha coaches over the years). Looked outside to see it was sunny and pretty warm too - great start to the day! Had a quick bite to eat and then headed downstairs to take the shuttle to the start.

Of course, it was too good to last :-) Barely had the smile set in (owing to the great weather) when the shuttle was delayed by 30 minutes. We eventually (after much stressing out) reached the start about 15 minutes before the full marathon start! (the folks running the half were pretty relaxed as their start was later). Tried to get a porta potty stop in but ran out of time. Got to the start and was ready to go!

The good thing with Spring marathons is that I have no time goals (ergo, no pressure). I had decided to keep a good pace in the beginning and see where I ended up. The gun went off, and there we went! The course was pretty scenic with some great ocean views. I was keeping a consistent 8:50 - 9 min pace and was chugging along pretty merrily. At around Mile 6-7 a blur whizzed past and I realized it was Coach Raman - he was going great guns!

Reached the halfway point in around 1:57 and was debating what I should do for the 2nd half. Got to mile 14 and saw a guy hunched over on the side. Stopped to ask him if he was feeling ok and needed medical assistance. He replied that he was from Wisconsin and was running his first marathon and had gone out too fast (1:54 for the 1st half!). He was out of gas and wanted to quit. I talked him into trying to shuffle along. So we started doing the Surf City shuffle (at 11-12 mins a mile). A stop for some electrolytes, Gu, and other replenishment seemed to rejuvenate him and we kept going along. I kept talking to him and egging him along as we passed miles 18,20, and finally 24. By now, it was getting pretty hot and the sun was beating down.We passed mile 24 and he said he would walk the rest of the way and asked me to go along. I offered to stick around but he said he would be fine.

So, I took off at mile 24 or so. After a little bit, I passed Coach Raman who was walking. I stopped to ask him if he was ok and he said he had tweaked his knee and was playing it safe. I also passed Mona going in the other direction (it was an out and back section of the course) - she looked ok but had slowed down (a bad stomach as I found out later). Passed miles 25 and saw that if I put in a good last mile, I could still break 10 mins/mile for the race (hey - need to adjust goals right?!). So, picked up the pace and crossed the finish line in 4:21!

Picked up my medal (shaped like a mini-surfboard - NICE) and waited at the finish to ensure my new buddy Stevo finished! Was really glad to see him walk across the line about 20 minutes or so later. Had also seen Coach Raman finish in the meanwhile and that was a relief. Went to pick up the post-race goodies and then waited for the rest to show up.

Got the gang together (well most of it) - several half marathoners had set PRs - awesome work folks! Went to wait for the shuttle back to the hotel. There was quite a crowd and it was a while before we got a bus ride back.

On arriving at the hotel, took a quick shower and immediately headed out to a restaurant for a quick lunch. Then rushed back to take the shuttle back to the airport as we had an early evening flight back.

All in all, it was a great experience. This race was probably the most fulfilling race I have run - helping another runner finish (especially his first) was extremely gratifying and I was even more thrilled that when I set my PR.

And to top it off, I was now 2/3rds of the way to the California Dreaming Medal and Jacket (run and finish SF, Long Beach, Surf City). Saw Coach Raman pick it up his and I must say, it looked pretty spiffy! Definitely a good race with a nice pretty course, great weather (thankfully), and a good cheerful crowd (lots of surfer dudes and dudettes too!).

As they say in LA - 'Dude - Surf's Up!!!'