Never felt into it today. Just couldn't get going. Did't sleep at all last night- totally soaked my bed in sweat. Felt like I was sleeping in a garbage bag. Spits from the race weren't too bad but the effort was way too hard. Humidity was off the hook and I've never sweat that bad in my life. Was covered in salt.
Got caught at mile 25.5 and ended up second. Just kind of bummed all around. Can't wait to get home and see Myler. He's been at Gramps and Grammys house for 11 days. Too long. Anyways full report tomorrow when I'm home. -------------------- Race Report* The course starts in Ojai a smaller city about 12 miles from Ventura Ca. You make a 6 mile loop in Ojai then run down in to Ventura and then do about 5.5 miles up and down the beach front. So the course is semi aided starting at 700 ft and dropping to sea level. But you actually climb up to 800 ft or something. There's a good uphill from mile 2.5 to 5. Continual climbing throughout. Mik'L drove us up to Ojai that morning. Our motel was on the beach a mile or so from the finish down in Ventura. Temps were just under 60 F. Humidity was like nothing I'd ever seen (while running). I did live in northern England for 2 years and this was very similar. Think, wet air. Almost like running through a membrane or something. In the car on the way up we had to keep using the windshield wipers but it wasn't raining. Just a ton of moister in the air. Anyways got to the start with about 45 min's to spare. Hit the porta pod. Then sat in the car for a while. Then we did a warm up with another potty stop and it was basically time to start. Race started 10 mins late which was bothersome. Some guy liked the sound of his own voice on a megaphone and just kept rambling on and on about who know what. Finally I yelled out "lets go". He didn't seem too happy about being called out in front of the 1000+ other runners. 1. 5:35- Went out shoulder to shoulder with the eventual winner (Jay I think was his name) but by .7 I started to pull away. 2. 5:23- The first 2.5 miles kind of drop around the west side of Ojai before you start the climb up around the east side to make the loop. I just tried to relax and run smooth. But in hindsight this mile seems too fast now. 3. 5:28- Half mile downhill and half mile up as we start really the only ONE uphill section. As I round the turn I glance back and don't even really see Jay anywhere. 4. 5:43- My plan for the uphill miles was to stay relaxed and not force the pace at all. But I did want to keep all my splits under 6 min pace. By now I'm completely saturated in sweat and for some crazy reason my left quad is cramping really bad... just have to keep grinding. 5. 5:52- Steepest uphill mile. Goal was to keep it under 6 min pace and was happy to see a 5:52 when I felt like I was really taking it EZ. Mik'L met me at the end of this mile and top of the hill with my first GU. 6. 5:37- Start repeating the first part of the loop past the starting line and down out of Ojai. Just trying to kind of work into a smooth pace. The crazy thing is that this was the same leg as the 2nd mile and now that I was "warmed up" I was expecting to run it faster... but was 14 seconds slower. 7. 5:42- Same mile as the 3rd give or take. Not trying to force any pace just trying to conserve energy. But things just feel harder than they should. 8. 5:34- Take the paved trail out of Ojai and start the downhill miles to Ventura. Heart rate seems high and both quads are cramping. 9. 5:47- This mile seemed really hard. Didn't feel like I was going anywhere and was already having thoughts of the worst... 10. 5:39- Happy to see the pace come down a little on a section that wasn't as fast as mile 9. Tried to tell myself that things were ok and that we could do this. 11. 5:25- The best all out downhill mile of the course. No rollers just straight drop. 12. 5:33- Kind of flattens out for a few. Still a net drop but much less grand than the likes of mile 11. I'm hanging in there. Basically just grinding out every mile. Never felt good and just had to work for everyone. But was happy to see that each mile would still come to me even feeling so blah. 13. 5:42- Fairly flat with a couple little drops. Hit the half at 1:13:30 on my gps (13.11). But when I got to the race clock half it was at (13.35 and 1:15:00). I'm pretty sure my watch was right and they were set up a little long. At this point Mik'L tells me I'm about 1:20 up on Jay who's in 2nd place and a long ways up on 3rd. So I kind of stop worrying about "racing" anyone and just try to focus on my own splits. 14. 5:42- Very similar mile to the last. 15. 5:37- I don't remember this mile at all. 16. 5:39- As I'm approaching the mile marker I'm thinking that I'm coming up to 15 and as I get close I see the "16" mile sign. Sweet! It was like a free mile. You think your at 15 and then hit 16 in a marathon... a plus for sure. 17. 5:42- Grinding it out. The course is just a 1% or so downhill through most of these miles. I'm super uncomfortable throughout. Just not mentally there plus physically really feel like I'm killing it every single mile... just cannot get into a groove. Heart rate had to be sky high. I did see a GIANT bullfrog right on the trail during this mile. The guy on the bike that was escorting me down the trial turned around and we discussed just how big that sucker really was. At least 2.5 softballs or bigger. 18. 5:34- This was a fast mile and I'm not sure why or how. Not any steep downhill just more of the same. I sure didn't feel like superman all the sudden. But I'll take it. 19. 5:45- Mentally just really trying to work hard til mile 20 or so. Wanted to get down to the beach and then see how I'd fare on the last 5.5 of the course 20. 5:52- I can tell that things are going to get UGLY. Hit 20 mile in 1:53:00. So with some quick math still think I can totally go sub 2:30 if I only hold 6 min pace.... 21. 6:04- Mik'L was here with a drink and some chomps. But we missed the handoff and this really through me off. She had to sprint up and get them to me and between the handoff... trying to drink and chew... I just totally lost momentum. 22. 6:07- running on the road on the beach front. Passing half marathoners. I'm really, really not doing good. 23. 6:00- Past the Ventura pier. Think to myself "Clyde just dig deep here". "It's right there and you can go get it". But I just cannot go any harder. 24. 6:10- This was the longest, hardest mile in all my marathons. It was a turn around mile and as we just kept going farther and farther away from the finish line the mile seemed to drag on forever. I yelled at the bike guy "are we going the right way... shouldn't we have turned by now". I wasn't joking either- very concerned and desperate. Plus as the mile ends we did hit the turn around and all the sudden I see Jay (2nd) place guy only about 20 seconds back... OMH. I know I'm toast. 25. 6:05- Tried so hard to dig here. Wanted to win. The day before the race I didn't care about winning. But now 25 miles into this death march of a race I wanted something.... I'd earned a win.... Jay catches me at 25.5 and hit's me like a brick wall. It was sad. I couldn't respond and that was the end of my glory. The bike escort that had become my buddy over the last 25 miles was so easily won over by the new guy. All we had gone through together and it meant nothing. I was the old cow and Jay was the new cow. New cows are better:) 26. 6:22- With the win gone and finish line in sight I just finished. Not grand not victorious. My heart hurt and so did my quads and calves. .2 in 5:54 pace. So that's that. A very emotional week. A long hard race. And a downer of a finish. Guess it's time to move on past this episode in my life. So glad to get home last night and see Myler. The last 11 days have been hard on Mik'L and I. Looking forward to a little recovery phase and then I'll try to get ready to run a good half at Bryce and TOU... and that's that.
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