Now that is a PR!

2 years ago I traveled to the Surf City marathon with my oldest son for his first ever marathon. He was 16 and he wanted to follow in my footsteps and run a marathon while he was still in high school.

Christopher Anderson at mile 16.

After a winter of great training he cruised to a 3:16 marathon and came in 73rd place out of almost 2 thousand finishers. He could of went a lot faster but he just wanted to finish and have fun and he did. It was great seeing him run and look so good doing it.

Mile 16

I like the above photo because Christopher looks so relaxed at 16 years old running with some pretty tough looking runners. They look gassed and he looks like he is just cruising along. Watching him run his first marathon was such a blast and to see him do so well was an added bonus.

After a great debut Surf City, I did not expect to go back to this event and have such a great moment but I did. The 2011 version was just as great as the 2009 one and I had a front row seat to the action this time.

Like 2009, I had coached the athlete that was running the event and like Christopher, Diana is very coach able. Both put in the required long runs, threshold runs and the speed work. Plus they both benefited from plenty of hill work and they both ran the Calico 30k before they ran Surf City.

So going into this race, I knew Diana was ready to run a good time and then I decided to go run the race with her. I knew she could crush her PR of 5:39 and just needed a push or two to have a breakthrough performance. I figured I was in 5 hour shape and would be able to pace her to a good time so I asked to make the trip with her.

So on Saturday afternoon my road buddy picked me up in her Mustang for our ride to Huntington Beach. Now Diana and I are definitely road buddies. We have been to Yosemite, Calico and several other out of town races together and plan to go to the Grand Canyon and Mt. Whitney this summer too. On our other adventures, it was mainly about completing the task at hand but at Surf City it was about running a good time too.

Sunset on the Grapevine.

So after we got to the hotel it was time to go carbo load and talk strategy over dinner at Il Barone Ristorante. We were staying in Newport Beach supposedly but our hotel (the Fairmont) was in a huge business district with gigantic streets and lots of office buildings. The hotel was nice but I felt out of place with the valets, concierges and the super plastic people inside.

So when we asked the concierge where we could eat, I was apprehensive when she started rambling on about the wines etc at the place we ended up eating at. Then when she started saying she would get us a ride, I was really thinking this going to be crazy. But we scurried out before she could "help" us any more and headed out to find something to eat.

Once we got out of the lobby and away from the valets, we entered office park hell. 6 lane roads with intersections a half mile apart. Because I am an avid pedestrian we obeyed the law and walked to the nearest  crosswalk. I found it interesting how unwalker friend this place was. The shopping centers do not even have sidewalks leading to them from the main road. They really want ever one to drive I guess.

The first place we came across was a sports bar that looked promising but the scary bouncer said it was a $10 cover so that was not happening. Then we found the restaurant that we were told about. From the outside it looked nice but possibly expensive but it was getting late so we went in. The place was packed and really dark but the staff was super friendly.

We were told about the wine and they wanted us to have some but we just wanted some quick carbs and to get some sleep soon. Diana had some pasta dish and I had a pizza that did not have any sauce on it. My pizza was good and pretty big so it got the job. Then we went back to the hotel where Lisa was already asleep.

On the shuttle thinking about what lies ahead.

After a short sleep, I was up at 3am getting ready to take the shuttle at 4:30 am. After a long ride we got to the race start way before the 6:30 am start so we hung out in the expo tent. Finally it was time to get going so we made our way to the starting line where we saw the lady who ran over 100 marathons last year.

We started out in the second wave and assumed our walk/run strategy of walking a minute and then running four minutes. The Surf City course while being in a beautiful place is pretty ugly. The main reason is there is a lot of out and back on the course and this is mentally hard on a runner. So the first 3 miles were miles we would be seeing many times during the day.

• Mile 1 - 11:43 pace - 37 feet up / 13 feet down
• Mile 2 - 11:28 - 0 up / 17 down
• Mile 3 - 11:26 - 5 up / 0 down

Around mile three, the next wave of runners started to catch us as we turned right and headed inland. The cloud cover was good and the temperature was mild as we ran through some residential streets and then ran through a large park where Tabitha and Sara caught us.

They started in the wave behind us and were hoping to break 5 hours in Sara's first marathon. We spent most of the races leap frogging back and forth with them. In the end, we finished before them but they ended up beating us by a couple minutes.

Tabitha & Sara

• Mile 4 - 11:53 - up 41 / down 0
• Mile 5 - 10:56 - up 0 / down 71
• Mile 6 - 11:19 - up 15 / down 21
• Mile 7 - 10:55 - up 23 / down 23
• Mile 8 - 11:02 - up 14 / down 17

During these miles, we were moving along well and were no longer being passed by runners from earlier waves but soon a large crowd was to catch us. After we went up the largest hill on the course, the first half marathoners (started an hour after us) started to catch us. They were moving fast and it was fun watching them fly by.

One that flew by was Trace Bee (former Taft athlete) who ended up running 1:26 for the day and is training for her first sub three hour marathon at the LA marathon and/or Boston later this spring.This passing was going to continue for the next 9 miles but the speed of the passers eventually slowed down. Going out Highway One was not to bad because we had plenty of company but at the turn around, we could see the fast marathoners on the bike path heading the other direction again.

Knowing that the last ten miles on the bike path was going to be hard, I pushed the pace as much as I could on the Highway. I knew that if we saved ourselves now, it would not matter on the bike path because the bike path was just going to be ugly either way.

• Mile 9 - 11:52 - up 68 / down 17
• Mile 10 - 11:00 - up 0 / down 25
• Mile 11 - 11:13 - up 0 / down 24
• Mile 12 - 11:41 - up 19 / down 28
• Mile 13 - 11:03 - up 8 / down 11
• Mile 14 - 11:13 - up 18 / down 6
• Mile 15 - 11:50 - up 20 / down 0
• Mile 16 - 11:33 - up 6 / down 8

I mile 16, the halfers head straight and we did a u-turn and got on the bike path. By now i was glad to leave the halfers but was not looking forward to the bike path but we stuck to our 1/4 strategy and kept going. At the first bike path aid station, they did have a nice treat, fig newtons! Early in the race, they were handing out Sharkies (organic energy chews) and they were quite good but it is nice to have a more traditional snack.

Now that we were on the bike path, we only had other marathoners with and for the most part we were passing people. Coming towards us were the faster marathoners and we got to see the runners who were running hard to get their Boston Qualifiers. One thing I like about marathons, is you can not judge a book by it's cover. There were quite a few people going by us that certainly did not look like marathoners but they were posting some really good times.

After a few miles, we saw BDPer Denni and gave her a hug and cheered her own. She ended up running 4:08 in preparation for a sub four attempt at LA in March. Before the final turnaround (mile 20) we saw fellow BDPer Norma Diaz and Building Better Bodies Spin diva Rosa Johnson heading back to the start for their sub 5 hour finishes.

Denni

After passing our friends, there was not much to look forward to except for the turn around. The bike path sucked and was crowded with racers, tourists, bikes and surfers. Most seemed to careless that there was a race going on and either ignored us or did not care that they got in our way. Despite slowing down a bit, we were still the fastest moving people out there.

I did enjoy running by the Super Bowl Tailgate parties because of my size, the beer drinking football fans can relate to me and think of me as one of them. So we did get some words of encouragement from them as we moved towards the finish. Now we had abandoned our walk a minute and run four minute pattern and instead walked a minute and ran two minutes or so. Diana was hurting and four minutes was just too much for her.

• Mile 17 - 11:40 - up 6 and down 8
• Mile 18 - 12:23 - up 6 and down 2
• Mile 19 - 11:48 - up 8 and down 20
• Mile 20 - 12:08 - up 0 and down 8

Finally we reached the turn around and only had six mile of lovely bike path to go. This was going to be the fourth time we were to see the same scenery too. Despite running along the beach, the scenery is not that great. Just miles of sand and parking lots for the most part. The only good thing was that it was overcast until the last mile or so. At this point, we are catching a lot of people and can see the halfers on the road moving very slowly too.

Now we were walking a minute and running a minute for the most part, but we did not slow down too much.

• Mile 21 - 12:11 - up 8 and down 11
• Mile 22 - 11:52 - flat
• Mile 23 - 12:24 - up 7 and down 0
• Mile 24 - 12:26 - up 21 and down 11

At mile 25, Diana broke her silence and sounded upset. Our time was 4:50 and she realized we were not going to break 5 hours. She falsely thought that I wanted to break 5 but I quickly told her that I was there to run for her. Then I told her that she was going to PR by a half an hour! She said "Do not make me cry!" and then I told her let's go.

This was the first time we said anything about our time and I feel we kept quiet like baseball players do when a pitcher is working on a no hitter. We did not want to jinx ourselves.

Now we got back on the road and had to weave around the 4 hour half marathoners which was really annoying. They were going so slow and walking 5 abreast half the time. I would walk a minute and then run but Diana was struggling so we did not run for long. Finally we hit mile 26 and the marathoners had their own lane and Diana ran the rest of the way in at 9:58 pace for a 33 minute PR!

• Mile 25 - 12:00 - up 14 and down 14
• Mile 26 - 11:58 - up 20 and down 13
• Last 0.2 miles - 9:58 - flat.

Diana - 5:06 Marathoner!

Killa Hilla Classic - 01.01.11

Killa Hilla Classic on New Years Day

Well the weather was perfect and the trail was in excellent condition too! The course also lived up to it's name! Just ask Stephen.

2011 Photos HERE.
Killa Hilla Course HERE.
2011 FaceBook HERE.

2011 Results:

1. 5 Laps (26.3 miles) - Stephen Humphreys & Andy Noise
2. 3 Laps (15.6 miles) - Diana Daves & Jasmine Anthony B
3. 2 Laps (10.4 miles) - Lyndi Wilson, Chelsey Soto - McGauhey, Frank Velasquez, Evy Lyn Velasquez, Peter Wonderly & Bruce Wearda
4. 1 Lap (5.2 miles) - Lauri Taylor, Chris Felix, Nicki Gilbert, Kim Nance, Tara Arnold, Jillyd Simmer, Courtney Clerico, Patty Wonderly, Rod Nance, Steve Beardsley, Tricia Berman, and Brian Drewery
5. If I left you off the list please contact me.

Race Recap:

For years, I have wanted to have a New Year Day Run and I think this is a keeper. The course with it's 8 hour time limit makes for a level playing field and today showed that. Stephen and I tied for the most laps despite the fact that he can run under 20 minutes for a 5k and I can't even break 30 minutes. The length of the course and the hills made for an interesting race.

Since only complete laps counted, one had to judge what was possible and then what was doable. I knew I could do 5 laps but hoped I might be able to squeeze in 6. I knew Stephen could do 5 or 6 but didn't know if he wanted to. Well at the start I found out he was ready to go 6 or more.

At 8am we only had 5 starters but it was time to go. Immediately Stephen took the lead with Chris Felix and his friend close behind him. I lead a group that included Peter Wonderly and Amanda's husband Steve Beardsley. Courtney pulled up right at 8am but we had to start asap because this was a timed event and every second could count. The rules of this event are who can complete the most laps between 8am and 4pm wins.

When I got to the switchbacks, the fast guys were heading up and I think lap goals were being reconsidered already. It took Stephen 30 minutes to do half a lap and he hoped to do 7 laps, I hoped to do 6 but figured 5 was my max. When peter and I reach the top of the switchbacks, we literally ran into Courtney.

On the way back to the start, more runners started to appear on the course. We ran by Bruce who did a lap before heading to the Polar bear swim. Then Tricia and Brian came by on their way to the switchbacks. when we hit the top of the slash, I was feeling good and decided to push the pace down the hill and it was a wild run with Steve on my heels.

At the bottom of the Slash we meet up with Frank and Evy and they were on their way to completing two laps. My trio continued up the Fire Road and up and down the Pipes Ravine and were glad the rain made the course very runnable. After we went up and down the Log Hill we got back on the bike path and saw Stephen again. At this point he had a 1.5 mile lead on me and was on his second lap.

After I finished lap one, Lyndi joined me for two laps and this was a big help. Stephen was still motoring along and his lead was growing. I was on pace to do 6 laps (need to average sub 15:30 pace) but I doubted I would be able to do it. My first laps splits were:

• Mile 1 - 13:06 - up 173ft/down 161ft
• Mile 2 - 15:21 - 246/130
• Mile 3 - 15:51 - 274/248
• Mile 4 - 11:41 - 74/220
• Mile 5 - 14:52 - 221/169

As the day went on, more run campers came out to do a lap or two. When we were heading back to the Pipes Ravine we saw Lauri and her friend who are coming back after collarbone breaks from a cycling injury. Also Jasmine B Anthony started cranking some quick laps as well and completed 3 laps. As we headed down the Fire Road, we passed Stephen again who was still increasing his lead on me.

When we were heading back to the Fire Road again we passed Tara and Jill who were heading out for their lap. On the way up the Fire Road we came across Triple D (aka Diana) who said she was doing three laps for her granddaughter who turned three that day. Guess next year she will have to do four laps.

With Lyndi, my my splits for lap 2 were:

• Mile 6 - 12:57 - 70 up / 211 down
• Mile 7 - 16:32 - 257/121
• Mile 8 - 15:39 - 204/244
• Mile 9 - 14:16 - 151/203
• Mile 10 - 1606 - 227/154
  

By lap 2 and 3 I was walking quite a bit and more often then not was walking the flat sections too. Usually I was so gassed by the climbs that trying to run on the bike path sections seemed to be useless. Even running after the downhills was hard because they killed ones legs. I was glad I had Lyndi because she pulled me along and helped me close the gap with Stephen.

At one point he had a 3 mile lead on me but when we passed each other on my lap 3 his lead had shrunk by half a mile. It was his fourth and Lyndi said "I think you got him." After the race Stephen said he did the first 3 laps in little over 3 hours which is pretty quick. My mile splits for the third lap were:

• Mile 11 - 13:13 - 110 up / 64 down
• Mile 12 - 15:16 - 143/259
• Mile 13 - 15:05 - 219/163
• Mile 14 - 16:56 - 228/166
• Mile 15 - 16:50 - 117/274

While walking with Lyndi, we came across Kim, Rod and Nicki plus Peter came back with his wife Patty and did another lap. Chelsey also did 2 laps as well. Besides the many runners out there, there were lots of families with kids. I had to weave through this large crowd on lap 4.

As you can see, once I realized Stephen was only doing five, I let off the gas. Plus I was losing my pacer and doing 6 laps was not in the cards. My next goal was to try and catch up with Diana and do my last lap with her but first I had to do a lap on my own which was a first for me. The highlight of lap 4 was seeing the red fox at the top of the Log Hill. My splits for lap 4 were:

• Mile 16 - 16:08 - 181 up / 78 down
• Mile 17 - 18:25 - 195/197
• Mile 18 - 17:05 - 216/82
• Mile 19 - 21:12 - 238/284
• Mile 20 - 18:28 - 109/205
  

One thing I did right for this event was where I parked my van. Instead of parking at the start/finish area, I parked it about a quarter mile away right next to the course. My van was right where you turn to do the first trail part of the course. Having my van here was nice because I could quickly get a drink and/or food.

Plus parking by the start/finish area just reinforced the idea of quitting for the day. My parking spot was nice because it was like a reward for making it up Godzilla Canyon one more time. As I went to my van for the fourth time, I saw then Diana was finishing here second lap so I decided to text her. But before I could, She texted me and said put me down for two.

This was bad news because I was counting on having her do the last lap with me. as I was writing her back, I saw her brake lights go on and I was thinking darn it. But I some how convinced her to put in another lap with me and we took our mutual victory lap. I was going to tie Stephen and she was going to be the first woman with three laps completed.

After we descended Godzilla Canyon we got on the bike path and headed to Log Hill and we saw Stephen. It was almost 2pm and he looked tired and said that he could do another lap but it would trash him for weeks so the race was over and five laps would be the new record. My last laps splits were:

• Mile 21 - 19:27 - up 165 / down 154
• Mile 22 - 19:56 - 140/193
• Mile 23 - 22:15 - 245/110
• Mile 24 - 22:11 - 258/221
• Mile 25 - 19:40 - 80/223
• Mile 26 - 21:33 - 205/142

In the end, I covered 26.31 miles in 7 hours and 29 minutes and 45 seconds. This put me in a tie with Stephen with 5 laps completed between 8am and 4pm. My Garmin says I burned 3,999 calories. My moving time was 7:12:20, average pace was 17:05, average moving pace was 16:25 and my best pace was 7:53. Total elevation gain was 4,749 feet and elevation loss was 4,742 feet. The min. elevation was 422 feet and the max. elevation was 682 feet.

My complete Garmin stats can be found HERE.

Race Preview:

Starts at 8am and ends at 4pm.
FaceBook HERE.

• Start and finish are at the corner of West Bluff Court and Panorama.
• No entry fee, No shirt, No Aid Stations or Awards.
• This is a BYOB & BYOF event.
  
• Only complete laps count.The course record is three by Christopher Anderson.
• Killa Hilla course in Pictures HERE.
• Killa Hilla course via Garmin HERE.
  

A number of years ago I came up with the Killa Hilla Course and since then I have used it in my own training and coaching. It is an out and back that measures 5.2 miles in length and has almost a thousand foot of climbing and descending per lap.

So start the New Year off right and join me for a lap or two!

Press Release:

Killa Hilla Classic

Start the New Year off right. This is an eight hour event where one tries to do the 5 mile Killa Hilla course as many times as you want. You could do a lap and go home and then come back and do another. Or you could be out there the whole 8 hours straight.

The only rules are the laps most be completed between 8am & 4pm and only complete laps count. Plus the Killa Hilla Classic course uses the 16 switchbacks on the eastern end.

This event is in the "Fat Ass" tradition:

FAT ASS is the name given to a series of low key runs that are frequented by experienced runners & walkers and characterised by the phrase "No Fees, No Awards, No Aid, No Wimps". Yes, the runs are totally free to enter and are put on by passionate runners who are also running. Think of it as a bit like meeting some people for a bushwalk - except it's a run. Because the runs are not races in any sense, there is no guarantee of anything other than a course to run.

What are the odds?

The standing for the overall points race for the BTC summer series have been posted HERE and 105 athletes have completed at least two races. Interestingly, my son (Christopher) and I are tied for 19th place with 133 points! Of course, he is 20 minutes faster then me.

Leading the points race is Brad DeWitt with 18 points (15th & 3rd), my buddy Robert Scales is in second with 30 points (6th & 24th) followed by Scott Van Matre with 41 points (9 & 32). I predicted that both Robert and Scott would place high.

Now we will have to see if the above can get one more high finish in without exceeding their handicap.