Monday, February 6, 2012

Surf City Half Marathon race recap. Beach Cities Challenge done!

Yesterday I ran my 7th Half Marathon in beautiful Huntington Beach: Surf City Half Marathon.  What a beautiful town! I loved it.  I cannot believe I had never been there before. 

Friday we had THE birthday...more on that tomorrow.
Saturday morning we had Will's basketball game first and then we headed to the Expo for the race.

The Expo was right on the beach.  We were lucky and found a parking on PCH.  I was supposed to meet Patrick there...but someone needed his beauty rest and fell asleep :(

Doing the race Expo with the boys is not the greatest so I didn't stop to check all the vendors and I skipped all the free samplers of stuff that I don't care about anyway.  I got my bib and shirt and a really nice bag.  I love the shirt, on the back at the bottom it says Run Surf City.  I think I would actually wear this one..much nicer than the horrible one I got at the Disney Half Marathon! 


Took a few pictures at the Expo hoping that Patrick would show up (I had no clue he was dreaming of his next triathlon at the time).






 This me texting Patrick one last time...

After that we drove to where Bill would try to meet me on the course so that he could figure out where to park, we were lucky to have had great advices from Patrick for that.  Once we had a good plan for that and also a meeting spot for after the race,  we headed to the hotel and I tried to take it easy until race time.  It is not ideal to sleep in a hotel the night before a race.  Once again I got very little sleep because I slept with my 6 yrs old son and he kept hitting me ALL night.  My sinus were still completely plugged when I went to bed, things were not looking up in that area :(

I got up at 5:30 am.  As soon as my right foot hit the floor I felt the pain from plantar fasciitis...I may have said all the curse words I know in French right then.  I stretch it right away hoping it would calm down a bit.  I got ready and took to shuttle to the race.  The hotel where we were staying was super organized for shuttle and they offered a complete breakfast for all the guests from the Race.  I got to the race around 7 am.  The line for the porta potty was so long I thought I would miss my wave.  I made it to the start right on time.  I thought the start would be crazy like in Long Beach but no.  It went really smooth even with some walkers lining up next to the 2:00 pacer! 

Right from the start I had 3 things against me:
1. Sinus plugged and massive headache because of it.
2. Plantar Fasciitis flare up
3. The freaking sun was out at the very beginning of the race.

Really all I wanted is to be able to run that race and complete the Beach Cities Challenge and I remember thinking just that as I crossed the starting line.  It was hard to breath and I could feel mild pain on my foot at each step.  First 6 miles went OK, I had good pace, if I had kept it I would have had an easy PR.  Bill was supposed to be at mile 4 but when I got there they were not there...I thought he had a hard time finding a parking and he missed me.  The course turns around between mile 4 and 5 and in the turn there they were! I was so happy to see them and that I was still doing good enough to run so no walking in front of my sons!!!

See me waving at them to get their attention?!!






 Here I am telling the boys to be good for dad!!

After that, the course headed back to PCH..it is hard to beat that view of the ocean.   Around mile 6 I saw Patrick who was at mile 10 coming down the other side of the course.  I yelled his name but he is too speedy, he did not hear me!!!  Mile 7 my foot was starting to hurt more and I had more difficulties breathing.   I was also pretty hot.  I could not believe people were in long pants and long sleeves.  My plan was to drink small sips of water often.  It worked for a while but when it got to a point where I needed to drink more my stomach went in rebellion.  Every time I tried to speed up a little I could feel the water coming back up.  This really sucks and it is so frustrating.  My legs were OK and I wanted to try to go faster but I was not able to.   The volunteers were great at all the stations, they had plenty of them also.  This race is very well organized.

The last few miles were not great for me.  I knew I had lost any chance of having a PR long before the end.  I wanted to finish the best that I could and that is what I did.  I kept thinking "No giving up, the BIG medal is at the end of this!"  I saw the kids and Bill right before the finish line, that was nice!  The crowd was fantastic there; a lot of people were lined up at the end.





I loved that race.  The course is beautiful, it is mostly flat.  Nice weather for hanging out but for running I prefer the clouds over the sun. 

I am dissapointed in my time.  I wanted to do well at that race and I did not.


After the race I had to make a stop to the Expo to pick up my Beach Cities Challenge Medal. Now THAT is a Medal! By far the nicest one I have now.  It is huge and super heavy.  Even though I am dissapointed with my race, I am very proud that I have completed the Challenge. 




Back of the medal
Tomorrow I will announce the winner of my book giveaway!

 



31 comments:

Tricia said...

congrats on completing the challenge

bobbi said...

that is one BIG medal! congrats on completing the challenge!

BabyWeightMyFatAss said...

omg! I want that medal!!
Congratsss!!
Girl!! You need to learn the love of KT TAPE!!! It will make PF so much better!! Not that we should love living with it but KT TAPE will make it better!!

Boston Bound Brunette said...

Congratulations! I wish I could have been there! The BCC medal is so nice and it's huge!! I can't wait to get mine soon! The boys are so cute!!

Kate Geisen said...

Holy cow, that medal is HUGE.

I LOVE the picture of you and the boys on that surfboard. :)

I'm sorry your race time wasn't what you wanted. I know that's so frustrating. Every race you do is hopefully getting you closer to figuring out your nutrition/hydration issues, and meanwhile your body is getting stronger and stronger.

Unknown said...

I like your medal(s), but I love that bag you got at the expo, so cute.

I'm so sorry this race wasn't a PR. Dang.

Your husband is such a good sport and great photographer. You always have lots of pictures of you running. Lucky.

Pam @ herbieontherun.com said...

It's so aggravating when our bodies won't cooperate and let us do what we want to do!

Congratulations, anyway, on completing the challenge. That's a sweet medal!

Jill said...

Oh girl, I am so sorry your race didn't go better - we all have those sometimes unfortunately but you achieved an amazing feat by accomplishing all those races and receiving that big-ass surfboard medal - that is so cool and I am so very proud of you!! Keep the faith!!!

XLMIC said...

I am convinced that Patrick is a bot. But since you saw him (are you sure it was him? or that it was a real person?), perhaps I need to not be convinced of that anymore...lol.

You worked HARD for that big, honkin' medal, girl! Congrats on finishing the Beach Cities Challenge :)

Unknown said...

So sorry the race was challenging but I'm so super jealous of that gorgeous huge medal!! It's awesome and congrats on another half under your belt!

Patrick Mahoney said...

Ask XL, I'm a total in-person flake. I rode in the morning, came home to rest a minute and then *boom* I was out. Sorry.

Hope you had a good time in my town...

Neon Blonde Runner said...

CONGRATS on completing the challenge! So excited for you. And you've got an awesome medal to show for it.

Sorry that your plantar fasciatis is acting up...I hope it feels better very soon!

Michael said...

That's an awesome medal!!! So jealous. Sorry the race didn't go as well as you had hoped, but you still got it done.

BTW, I am signing up for the Disney Land half today. My sister is going to run with me...but if you decide to do it I would love to meet you while I'm there. The race is almost sold out.

abbi said...

Congrats on completing the challenge. Too bad you weren't happy with your time, but we all have days like that, sounds like it was a good course!

Big Daddy Diesel said...

Congrats on the race and that medal is awesome

Teamarcia said...

That looks like a great race and wow holy bling. Way to stick it out and finish on a day that wasn't your best. BTDT. Not fun I know, you're a trooper though and the next one will be better.

Jenn said...

Man, you always post the best pictures!!

First of all, super congrats on the race and the fancy fancy medal. We all have races that just don't go as planned and it's frustrating as all get out but it's part of the game. For every bad race there will be 2 good ones! (I made that up but it sounds good-ha!) Really though, just a little while back the thought of even completing a HM was but a pipedream. Now, each one you complete is another practice test and learning lesson. It will all come together for you with body, nutrition, mind and your legs will cooperate and you will have a race that makes it ALL worth while soon!! Great job Caroline!

I sure know how it is sleeping in a hotel room with a small boy....

Carla said...

Congrats! You did awesome! The shot of you at the finish line shows off your quads.

I thought about doing that race this year, as my parents used to live in HB, but maybe next year. Looks like a good one.

And what's with the walkers lining up with the 2:00 pacer? I've seen that too and it's annoying and dangerous.

The Unexpected Runner said...

Felicitations!!!! What a great medal & a pretty race! Not every race is a PR & sometimes it is victory to just finish happy & upright!

Tricia said...

I'm thinking the swag bag was awesome!! I'd run the race for that alone. Congrats on completing challenge - that medal is huge! Sorry you didn't have the day you hoped time wise. The course sounds lovely though -- another SoCal one to put on my list!

J. L. said...

Congrats! Sorry about it not being the race you wanted. You are amazing for pulling through. And I love how supportive your family is. Too bad Patrick overslept Enjoy some down time :)

sugarmagnolia70 said...

Congratulations! I can't wait to get my BIG medal in May. You did great!

Denise said...

Yay for finishing the Challenge! Boo for not running the time you wanted. I've had a few halfs like that lately, but I also got redemption in subsequent races.

Now its time to get rid of that darned PF and your heartburn issues figured out.

Terzah said...

Congrats on completing the challenge and netting that HUGE medal. That PR is out there--you had a lot against you this day--but next time it will all come together!

Darlene said...

Here's a quote for you: "I made a pact with myself to never complain about an event I've successfully finished. No matter what my finish time or pace, I will cross the line with a pocket full of gratitude. Records are meant to be broken, but those moments are far and few between. Every adventure offers an opportunity to evolve, explore, and celebrate life. And that is the gift that keeps on giving." Jenny Hadfield

Black Knight said...

Congrats on completing the challenge.
The running pictures are wonderful.
Nice medals.

robinbb said...

Congrats. I love those medals, I want one!!!

Christine said...

Congrats!!! No worry about not PR'ing.Next time, I'm sure!! The medal is HUGE - love it :)

Kerrie said...

Hey, you got yourself an awesome medal! Be proud of yourself!

Spartan ab workout said...

I love those pics, it was great race event. Congratulations to all the participants for a great job well done and looking forward always for more updates. Thanks for sharing !

Anonymous said...

Hi Caroline,
My name is Jane and I'm with Dwellable.
I was looking for blogs about Surf City to share on our site and I came across your post...If you're open to it, shoot me an email at jane(at)dwellable(dot)com.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Jane