Message posted by: Bonnie L.

Sunday, May 1st was the 2010 OC Marathon/Half Marathon. This was my third time running the OC Half, the second time on the “new” course.

Starting in Newport Beach, runners travel through a very scenic Corona del Mar, where they are greeted with gorgeous views of the Pacific. The course then winds its way through what’s known as Back Bay and then finishes at the OC Fair Grounds. The weather started off cool and stayed nice throughout the duration of the race…with temps hovering around 73.

I was really not looking forward to this race as my training leading into it had been very inconsistent. It seems that every year between February and May, I go through a “season” of inconsistency and lack of motivation. In fact, after running the Surf City half in February, my longest run before Sunday’s race was 10 miles…and I only did that once. Anyway, my plan was just to try to enjoy the day and re-ignite my joy for running, not to worry about time (too much). I started off well and felt great. Ocean breezes were refreshing as we ran along the coast, but once we dropped into Back Bay (which is like a bowl)the warmer temps and stuffiness took its toll on a lot of runners. I walked for a minute at mile 9, not sure why as my legs felt okay and I wasn’t out of breath. Then I walked up a steep grade just about at mile 10. Then, at the top of that hill, with just over 3 miles to go, both of my calves started to cramp up. I did my best to shuffle to the finish line.

I finished in 2:18…2 min. slower than last year, but I finished AND I think I found my motivation again!

This is a course that has many more “hills” than where I do my long runs. That fact, combined with my time reminds me that on race day, you are only as good as your training has been.

Now, I’m off to swim, trying to train for my first sprint distance tri. I swim about as well as a brick floats. So wish me luck!

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