Another big training weekend is in the books, and I’m stoked to be fully recovered from the VMO strain that slowed me down two weeks ago. My VT100 training is on track and the results from my races last weekend are a sign that I’m doing something right… :)
On Saturday, I raced the Black Mountain 7K Summit Run, the second race in the Sun Strides San Diego Trail Run Series. The course was 4 miles -- 2 to the top, 2 back down. I lead the race for the first mile with a split of 8:15 and got to the top in 18 minutes and change. My finishing time was 28:31, which means I got to the bottom of the mountain in 10 minutes (a 5 min/mile pace) that was good enough for 5th place overall and 1st in my age group!
Because of my hard effort on Saturday, my legs were nice and fatigued to start the [OC Marathon|http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1584964] at 6:30am on Sunday where I ran the following splits:
1 7:52
2 7:39
3 7:28
4 7:48
5 7:51
6 7:47
7 7:44
8 7:45
9 7:53
10 8:06
11 7:50
12 8:06
13 7:44
13.1 0:49
1:42-ish split
14 8:06
15 7:56
16 8:08
17 8:05
18 8:06
19 8:08
20 8:19
21 8:02
22 8:13
23 8:12
24 8:10
25 7:45
26 7:17
1:46-ish split
Finish Time: 3:28:55 (PR)
Pace: 7:59
Overall: 78 out of 1337
Men: 66 out of 783
M 25-29: 6 out of 92
Since I approached the race as a training run with no expectations, I was able to relax and run by feel. Although my splits seemed “fast” for a training run, I was comfortable and decided that I would simply slow down when my legs got tired. They never did, so I picked up my pace at the end and was able to finish super strong!
The new marathon course was beautiful, fast and fun so I recommend trying to fit it--or the half marathon--into your race schedule for next season. Stay tuned for my full race review in the next month with more details about the course.
I went to nearby Laguna Beach after the race, waded out into the cold ocean water and spent the rest of the day off my feet relaxing on the beach. My legs are already good to go but my immune system feels heavily taxed. I’ve been here before and trust the process, so I know it’s simply a matter of time before I adapt to the fatigue, recover quicker and continue to get stronger. 
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