Surf City Goals

Author note: this was all written pre-flu. I'm not changing it, but ultimately we're going to see where my body takes me on Sunday! 

Surf City is on Sunday! This has been my planned goal race since I don't know when - October, maybe? After all the pacing and running I did all fall and throughout this winter, I've been able to get myself to a point where anything 2:00-2:10 is totally comfortable and hitting the 1:56, 1:58s is enough to work but not feel like I'm dying, so I know I'm making progress with my speed. 

Surf City is pancake flat. It's on the coast, runs up PCH, into a neighborhood, back out of said neighborhood, back onto PCH for a few miles, makes a U-turn and heads straight back to the finish. The half is forgiving; the full is a mental mindtrip that I never wish to do again. In the half, there is one hill in mile 4 that you come barreling back down into mile 5 to pick that speed back up again. But this course is as flat as flat gets - thank you Southern California beach cities!  

That being said, I've set my sights on making this my new PR race. My current PR (1:50:38) stands from Fontana, a race that is downhill for the first 9 miles. But I pushed my body hard, even with that downhill, and I know I am fully capable of pushing myself on a pancake-flat course that way, too. So, here it is. Surf City goals 2016. For reference, last year I ran the half for the first time (only the full previously in 2013) with bronchitis and ran a 2:11.

A) Anything sub-1:50. 
Jacky will be pacing me on Sunday and as I've told her, my goal is anything sub-1:50. So she's been like "Sooo, 1:45, right?" to which I insist, "No, anything sub-1:50!" All kidding aside, I know she's got this for me and will pace me to my best. Thanks in advance, Jacky!

B) 1:55
My two Fontana times are 1:50 and 1:56. If I can run a 1:55 at Surf City, then I know it's fully possible to run such a stellar time. I'd love to be able to beat my first sub-2 time from Fontana in 2014.

C) Sub-2. 
Because, duh, that's always the goal, isn't it?

D) Course PR & Have Fun!
Anything sub-2:11 is a course half PR which is MORE than do-able at my current fitness. I know tons of folks that are out and about running and sometimes, it's just about the company you keep on the course. I look forward to running with IERC friends, other LA running friends and even making new ones!

Best yet, Doug is running his third Beach Cities Challenge race (OC in May, Long Beach in October) and earns this beauty on Sunday, so we'll be celebrating his running retirement (so he says) with our medals, and his badass golden sand dollar. I can't wait!

I hope nothing more than to report back on Monday with some ecstatic news - shiny new PRs and shiny new medal in hand. Wish me luck!