So if you happened to read my last blog post, Orange Curtain 50K Preview, you would know that I approached the race as a “tune-up,” and the plan was to practice maintaining a conservative pace from start to finish blah, blah, blah… I lied.
I took a risk this weekend in the OC50K and ran sub 8-minute miles to start the 31-mile race. I’m not sure what came over me or what I was thinking. Maybe I was caught up in the energy from toeing the line with running greats like Akos Konya, Eric Clifton and Guillermo Medina. Or perhaps I actually thought I was going to be faster in the third marathon plus distance event I’ve raced in 28 days.
In the spirit of pushing my limits, I threw the hammer down as a test to see how far I could last. Since my pace varied from the fast start and tapered off to a slow finish, my average race pace of 8:37 was actually a little faster than my goal pace of 8:40. This translated to a 4:27 finish; good for 7th place overall and 2nd in my age group.
This is more than an hour and 15 minutes faster than my previous personal record for the distance, and I’m excited to have set this benchmark. I’m even more motivated knowing that I still have so much to learn.
John W. Holt Jr. said it best in his book, Celebrate Your Mistakes:
"If you're not making mistakes, you're not taking risks, and that means you're not going anywhere. The key is to make errors faster than the competition, so you have more chances to learn and win."
The next SoCal Ultra Series race on my calendar is the Leona Divide 50 Mile Run in late April. This means that in March, my focus will shift to increasing my weekly mileage and incorporate more trail running in an effort to simulate the rugged course. I have a couple fun trips planned next month too, so be sure to check back soon.
!Toby_OC50K.jpg!
This weekend I’m racing the Orange Curtain 50K in Cerritos, CA. It’s the first of six ultra marathons on my race schedule from the 2009 SoCal Ultra Grand Prix Series.
I am approaching this particular race more as a tune-up to continue my focus on pace and consistency. The out-and-back course starts adjacent to Liberty Park and travels south for 5K along a flat, paved bike path. There’s an aid station set up at the southern turnaround. Then the course retraces the path back to the north for 5K to the start/finish turnaround aid station and repeats 5 times. Here’s the course.
This will be my third race in less than a month and I have experienced immune system fatigue while my body adapts to the stress. Biomechanically, I am already running faster than last year. Following proper recovery from the OC50K, it will be time to up the mileage by re-introducing run-commuting during the week and long trail runs on the weekends.
On Sunday, the Amgen Tour of California rolls into town for the final stage ending in downtown Escondido. I'm going to sleep in Sunday morning to get as much rest as possible after my race and then hit up Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens for lunch before heading to the finish line to watch the action. My friends and I have been following the tour all week, and the entire San Diego endurance community is stoked that an entire stage was added to the race this year so it finishes here!
+From Sunday at La Jolla Cove+
Last weekend I ran the beautiful Sedona Marathon with my brother. Racing together has been in the works for a long time. Our schedules finally aligned, and we met in Arizona to take on a very challenging marathon course together (or at least until the very end).
The race start and finish area was staged at the Sedona Cultural Park, which provided panoramic views of Cockscomb, Chimney Rock and Coffee Pot Rock. The Red Rocks were glowing as the sun rose from the east, while we made our final preparations before the race. This is when I crossed paths with San Diego native, Nick Hollon, a freshman at Northern Arizona University who made the drive down from Flagstaff that morning for the race.
My brother and I started the race with a comfortable sub 8-minute mile pace, and we both noted that the 4,500 feet of elevation resulted in an heart rate of about 10 bpm higher than at sea level, where we both live and train. The out and back course changed from pavement to dirt road near mile 7 when we entered The Coconino National Forest.
Here were our splits for the first half:
1 00:07:58
2 00:07:25
3 00:07:55
4 00:07:36
5 00:07:33
6 00:07:40
7 00:08:03
8 00:07:31
9 00:07:31
10 00:07:59
11 00:07:43
12 00:07:18
13 00:07:39
1:40:45 half marathon split
We were less than 2 miles out from the turn-around when the race leader passed us going back the other direction so I began counting the runners going by and at the turn around point we were in 21st and 22nd place.
Despite the hills we climbed on the 13 miles out, my brother and I agree that the return trip was way harder. Check out the elevation profile below and the spikes (yes, walking) in my pace. (aka mile 23).
During the final 5K of the race, my pacing was off from the climbs so my brother pulled away to finish in 3:37: 49, 21st overall and 4th in his age group. He rocked it and finished strong after 4 solid months of training in the cold climates back east. I finished next in 3:39:32 for 22nd overall and 4th in my age group.
Here were my splits for the second half:
14 00:07:54
15 00:08:26
16 00:08:31
17 00:08:19
18 00:08:11
19 00:08:56
20 00:09:27
21 00:08:41
22 00:09:19
23 00:11:32
24 00:09:33
25 00:08:51
26 00:09:42
It’s hard to explain the silent understanding my brother and I had as we ran together—he would pull ahead on the climbs and I would go ahead on the downhill only to regain our pace together again on the flats. We had such good energy flowing and being surrounded by the majestic beauty of the Red Rocks added an exciting element to the experience.
I’m currently focused on recovery so I can make my 2009 Southern California Ultra Series debut on 2/21 at the Orange Curtain 50K and keep working on my consistency. This incredibly flat (aka boring) course features a 5K out-and-back on paved bike paths which will enable me to closely track my splits and build a strong foundation before a significant increase in mileage in the months ahead.
Thanks to all of you out there for the encouraging comments and emails during my trip to Sedona for the race. It feels good to know people besides just my Mom are reading about my shenanigans ;) If you want to keep up with my updates, check me out on Twitter @TobyGuillette. Or subscribe to my RSS feed to receive auto-updates (if you haven’t already) on my latest posts.
This weekend I attended the Endurance Sports Awards, which were held at Sea World here in San Diego. Being surrounded by all the people I read about, write about, and am inspired by, was truly an honor and a privilege. The entire evening was a treat, and a highlight for me was congratulating Dean Karnazes after he won the Ultra Runner of the Year Award.
!DeanK_Me.jpg!
I have been a fan of Dean’s ever since January 2006 when I read his first book, +Ultramarathon Man, Confessions of an All Night Runner.+ My brother lent me his copy of the book to read on my flight back to San Diego from the East Coast that year. I read the whole thing before my flight landed and ran 12 miles the next day. I had never run more than 5 before then. Two weeks later, I ran my first official half marathon. Needless to say, I haven’t stopped running and growing my love for the sport. And neither has Dean.
The award he received was for his 2008 performance as an ultra runner, in which he successfully completed 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. His incredible feat was turned into a documentary film by JB Benna and then a second book, co-written by Dean with Active Expert Matt Fitzgerald. Among his other accomplishments last year, Dean became the first person to ever run all of the 4-Desert Series races in one year. Dean has truly inspired me to never stop exploring my own limits. And by his international success, it's safe to say he has inspired people all over the globe.
!DeanK_Award.jpg!
The night of the awards went late, but I was up before sunrise the next morning to volunteer at the Xterra Mission Gorge 15K trail run. I had such a good time helping at the aid station on the Mt. Fortuna saddle (we could see the ocean!). A bunch of pros who were in town for the ESAs showed up to race. Check out a local endurance blogger's experience finishing between two former Ironman World Champions in her post, Ironman Sandwich.
The folks at Generic Events were super cool to work with and they put on a great event. Riding in a Search and Rescue vehicle up the steep trails that I usually run was a cool change but seeing the race from the other side was a helpful reminder of why I am so passionate about this lifestyle. The weather was picture perfect, and the aid station I helped work was at the top of one of the steepest climbs on the course. It was inspiring to watch participants' faces as they reached the top and came to us for water—from the front runner to the very last participant. I strongly encourage you to volunteer at a race this season. It’s a great way to give back and is truly a rewarding experience.
