Report to Ten30Pace Group

From: ten30pace@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ten30pace@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Charles Sayles
Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2007 4:43 PM
To: ten30pace@yahoogroups.com
Cc: Joni Yung; Bonnie Wright; Russ Cheney
Subject: [ten30pace] Another Pacific Shoreline Race Report


Ten 30 Pace Group Pacific Shoreline Race Report

HO HO HO
The Big Seven Oh.

Last Friday I turned 70. On Sunday I ran my first marathon over the age of 70, the Pacific Shoreline Marathon . My goals were to run safely and to have fun. I met both goals.

I wanted to run safely since I have embarked on my quest of 7 marathons in 7 weeks to celebrate turning 70, and my next scheduled marathon is the Sedona Marathon this coming Saturday.

I had a lot of fun meeting LA Legger friends before, during, and after the marathon. I had planned on wearing my 50 States Marathon Club finisher's singlet with "Completed a Marathon in All 50 States". The night before I changed my mind and pinnned my bib number to my LA Legger Singlet. I am sure this added to the fun of the day since the Pacific Shoreline has a lot of out-n-back loops. On these portions of the course I could see other Leggers and we could yell encouragement to each other.

Pre-Race

Several weeks before the race, Dana Mosell suggested we carpool to his preferred parking spot. He was volunteering to help with packet pickup and for helping, he got this close to the start/finish parking slot. I met him at 5 am at the intersection of Fwy 57 and Fwy 60. Forty minutes later we were at the start. We found where the LA Legger booth was to be and helped set up the canopy and talked with other runners. It was a chance to take a few pictures and wish each other well in the coming run. There was a sign-in sheet for runners to enter there expected finish time. I entered 5:45. In 2003 I had run this marathon as my fourth marathon and ran it in a time of 5:44:34. This day would be my 80th marathon. 

Running the Marathon

In 2003, I had decided to run in Brian Beneat's pace group. Brian was Ten30Pace group mentor. He was very tall (taller than Dave Mueller) and I figured he would be easy to follow, and if I followed him at his pace I would get that sub-5 hour marathon I had missed on my first three marathons.   At about mile 2 I made a much longer than expected pit stop and got behind.  I tried to catch up. I almost did so, but had burned myself out such the finish was a real struggle.

This time I ran at my own pace. I had success with 4 minute runs and 2 minutes walks three weeks ago in Houston . I decided to use that method again at PSM. I was also trying to hold myself to a 12:30 pace which would result in 5:27 finish. I knew there hills in the second half that would slow me down. For the first 10 miles, LA Legger Julie Miller ran with me.  We are both members of the Foothill Flyers Running Club in Arcadia , and Julie is the president. She had signed up for the marathon. But last fall came down with pneumonia and missed 5 weeks of running. Since she is still building her miles, she switched her Pacific Shoreline registration from full to half marathon. However, she started with me when I started the marathon. We were both wearing our new Garmin watches. Julie had hers programmed with the running buddy doing a 12 minute pace. When she found out as I was doing 4 x 2's she switched her watch to 4 x 2's and kept me on pace. (With 70 year old hearing, I do not hear the beeps from a Garmin watch.) . Even though I was trying to hold a 12:30 pace, we were running about 0.15 miles ahead of the Garmin running buddy. Along the way we saw and cheered plenty of other LA Leggers. I pointed out to Julie some of the 50 States Marathon Club runners that I knew, including 71 year Gene DeFronzo, and Debbie Gobins who yelled "Happy Birthday, every time she saw me. Gene DeFronzo ran 23 marathons last year. Debbie ran with me at my first Pacific Shoreline Marathon 4 years ago ran with while I was trying to catch up to Brian Beneat. Debbie has run more than 300 marathons. We were ahead of Debbie Gobins from the start. We first caught with Gene at about Mile 3. He would pass us when we walked. We would pass him when we ran. About mile 6 we passed Gene for good. 

Shortly after mile 10 the marathon ran near the half-marathon route, and Julie switch to the half marathon. She was really using the Pacific Shoreline as long weekend run in preparation for the Sedona Half Marathon she will run next week. Then at about Mile 11 I saw Maneesha volunteering and cheering passing Leggers at a water station.

For the first 16 miles and the last 3 miles, the course of the Pacific Shoreline is along the Pacific shoreline. Sometimes we ran on the bike path next to the beach. Sometimes on the southbound lanes of Pacific Coast Highway (the lanes closest to the ocean). And other times on northbound lanes. The day was sunny and clear. The temperature at the start was 41F and 79F by the time I finished. We had good views of the wide beach and the ocean, and this marathon is one of the few where one finds surfer dudes with surfboards walking across the marathon route. Mile 16 to 17 the route is on the street on the south side of Bolsa Chica Wetlands and oilfield. The course goes through some residential areas with significant down hills before making a loop from Mile 19 to 20 through Huntington Beach Central Park. From the park the route is retraced back to PCH at Mile 23. There is a significant uphill at Mile 21. From Mile 23 is long three mile run south on PCH to the finish. In 2003 I had burned myself out so much trying catch Brian Beneat that I was completely out of energy and walked from Mile 21 to Mile 24 (at 16 mile/minute pace) when I could see the finish and found the energy to slowly run to the finish. This year at Mile 23 I felt a light cramping in my calf muscles. Wanting to run safely and save myself for the Sedona Marathon I started walking. I knew if I walked at 17 minutes per mile I could equal my 2003 time. So I started walking. However rather than walking at 17 minutes per mile, my pace was more like 14 minutes per mile.  As a result I finished in 5:30 or 14 minutes faster than 2003.

After the Finish

After I finished I went to the LA Legger booth to wait for Dana to finish.  But it had been taken down. However I did catch up some of the Leggers and learned that one had set her second PR so far this year, and another had taken 2nd in her age group. They told me of another Legger who had won her age group.

Wondering if I won an age group award I went to the Awards table. Last year there was only one finisher over the age of 70. I figure this year an age group award would be a slam dunk. Days before the race I checked last year's finishers in the 2007 list of participants. I did see that last year's 70-year old Michael Pang and last year's 69-year old William Akerboom had entered again this year. So I figured there were 3 in the age group; Pang, Akerboom, and myself. Last year Pang finished in 4:43:50 and
Akerboom finished in 5:56:52. For this year I figured Pang would beat me since I never ran a sub-5 and he ran a couple of other sub-5 hour marathons last year. I figured I would probably beat Akerboom since in 2006 he ran Phoenix , Nashville , and San Diego at slower times than I did. I figured I would probably take 2nd and Akerboom 3rd.

Then before the race Dana Mosell tells me that Gene DeFronzo was running.  Gene is from Connecticut and is about a year older than I am. We have run the same marathon a several times and I usually I beat him. At this point I knew that I finished before Gene.

I went to the Awards table. I am not even listed. They list only three finishers. I am not listed. Pang is not listed, Akerboom is not listed. DeFronzo is not listed. There were 3 OFG's (Old Fast Guys) who showed up unexpectedly.

Sunday night I saw the results. I was 4th beating Pang 5th, DeFronzo 7th, and Akerboom 8th. There were a total of 9 in my age group up from only one last year. BTW 1st and 2nd qualified for Boston.

After saying goodbye to the Leggers I continued to look for Dana. Found him in the beer garden and joined him in a beer before we left for the drive back to my car.

Some have asked me how I was able to finish 14 minutes faster than in 2003 now that I am 4 years older. A rule of thumb is that runners in their late 60's slow down 24 seconds per mile per year. On that basis this year's run should have taken me more like 6:20 rather 5:30. In those 4 years I ran 76 marathons and learned a thing or two including.

A) don't go out fast
B) don't try to catch up to anyone
C) take shorter runs and longer walk breaks
D) don't run up any hill, no matter how gentle (particularly in the
second half)
E) don't wait in along line for a pit stop (unless it is a super
emergency)
F) learn to walk faster
G) get a pre-marathon sports massage

This was definitely a good day for me. Jack Kirk, a runner, who recently died at the age of 100, said at the age of 96, ""you don't stop running because you get old, you get old because you stop running". This surely applies to me at Pacific Shoreline.

For pictures taken at Pacific Shoreline follow the links at
www.csayles.com/run

For a list of my marathon plans for the next year as well as remaining 6 in my 7 marathons in 7 weeks after turning 70 follow the links at
www.csayles.com/FutureRuns.

Charles