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Report by: Frank Tai

While I was cruising to the finish of my race, the Santa to the Sea Half-Marathon last Sunday in Oxnard, I said to myself that I would thank everyone who helped me get here. So THANKS to all of you these past 7 Saturday mornings and 4 Tuesday evenings.

Although different races from those these other two guys did, I had a similar experience in that my first race, the New York Marathon where I was going to run a fast half, was a disaster. As some of you know, I run the NYC marathon every year, and I am able to do that by qualifying each year, usually in a NY half-marathon. There were no NY half-marathons this past year, so my plan was to run the first half of the NY marathon in an unofficial qualifying time (then jog to and stop in Manhattan where my wife would be waiting/cheering), and then do this race 4 weeks later. I starting running with the Saturday group 4-5 weeks before the NY race - and it was GREAT chasing them to the Senior Center and then a little beyond until I would practically drop to my knees. After doing those runs at 7-flat pace with those guys, who were training for Chicago and SIM, I thought for sure that I was ready to run the 7:30-8:00 pace half-marathon I wanted. Boy was I wrong - half way into my NY "half-Marathon", I was struggling.

So now I had another 4 weeks until the race which really counted (the Oxnard Sana to the Sea, this past Sunday). I knew I had to somehow step up my training. It isn't as easy as it sounds. I can't just increase my mileage. After 70 marathons and 35 years of 70+ mile weeks, the joints just don't permit it. For the 3 weeks of training I had (not including a week of taper) I added Tuesday's track workout (which was humbling after the 1st lap) and a 1.5 mile tempo at the end of my Saturday runs - so no additional miles but more quality.

It's really nice to have a race which one can drive to. New York, Chicago and SIM are long weekend affairs, and you have to get up super early on race morning to get to the start. Your body clock is off and if you're lucky if you get a couple hours of sleep in that hotel bed. My race was in Oxnard, an hour from my bed, and small enough that I knew I could arrive at the start less than an hour before the gun would go off (plus my wife would drive). Also, I figured I could hand off my sweats to her just moments before the gun would go off. (And after the race, I'm not running around New York looking for a shower before I head to the airport).

Two months ago I had set two goals for this race:
1. Qualify for the 2022 New York Marathon, and
2. Win the age-group.

Goal #1 is easy to figure out, for me it's 8:05 pace. Goal #2 is harder to figure out but I was pretty certain it would be just a bit faster because in the past the faster guys from the Greater LA area would be there and they're Boston and New York qualifiers.

Like most races, there are pacers. I decided to go with the pacer who was 30 sec/mile faster than what I needed to qualify for NY, thinking that would get me the age group win (but also, the next slower pacer was slower than my NY-qual pace).

Race morning went off perfectly ... 54 minute drive, arrived 50 minutes before the gun, was quick to get situated (ie, find & use a porta-pottie), warm-up/strides/line-up. The gun went off and so did I with the two 1:40 pacers (a couple of really friendly chaps). The first half-mile felt slow, the 2nd half-mile felt fast and then we got into a groove. The first half of this race is pretty mundane (which I like) - flat, running in between farms/ranches, not a lot of spectators - you just click off the miles.

Oh I almost forgot... the day before, Eric had given me a couple of Maurten gels - he had told me that they and carbon shoes where instrumental in his PR (I would be wearing the Nikes). I did as Eric recommended, at mile 5-6 I took his first gel. Note to all of you: don’t squeeze the entire thing into your mouth like you would a Gu, it's too much and you'll be gagging like I was. Once I was able to get it down, I had lost quite a bit of ground but I was able to catch my pace group (probably with a boost from the get). However I didn't do as well at mile 9-10 where I took the 2nd gel. I took it just before a water stop hoping to get some water - I stopped to find it (they only had an energy drink) - lost too much time and could never again catch my pace group. All wasn't lost, I knew I had 5 minutes in the bank (to qualify)...and as I tried to keep my pace group in sight, I held my 5 minute margin. I was ecstatic at the finish (so was my wife because she was tracking me) - I qualified (with 5 minutes to spare) and won the age group (also by around 5 minutes).

So after quite a disappointing New York just four weeks earlier, I really didn’t know how I would meet the goals I had set for myself this season but it worked out - thanks to all of you, the Saturday TCLA distance runners, the Tuesday TCLA track gang & timers, and coach-Eric.

Frank