BIG BEAR HALF MARATHON

I was so excited for this run as I tried to tap into my “inner Ryan Hall” for a few miles on a beautiful and bright southern California Saturday morning. My goal was to finish the 13.1 miles in 1:45 but I came across the finish line in 1:53. No complaints or real frustrations.


The morning got real fun somewhere right before mile eight I knew the last few miles were going to totally suck. And of course they did. Running at 6500+ feet is not just something the body can get used to quickly. I could literally feel my legs have this slight “tingle” to them because my blood was not pumping enough oxygen through the body. I never felt like I was faint, dizzy or like I was going to pass out but I was definitely feeling something I never felt before. Let’s just say it added to the “fun” of the last few miles.

In addition to the air being thinner, the air is drier and dehydration is much more prevalent. In the course of a “normal” 13.1 mile run for me I stop for water once (maybe twice) but I stopped for water four freakin times and still never felt totally hydrated. After crossing the finish line my heart rate was off the charts high for the next two (or so) hours. It was unreal to see my HR above 100 two hours after crossing the finish line!

The only mild frustration I had was that I started to fast. Instead of starting slower than the 8:00/mile pace I was hoping for, I started running that pace from the first mile instead of slowly getting faster and progressing to the 8:00/mile I was shooting for. Now, regardless of finishing eight minutes slower than I was hoping for I still managed to finish in second place in my age group. That has to be the slowest official time ever recorded for a second place finish in the 30-34 age group (there were 28 runners in my grouping). Of course, there is that whole elevation thing.

For a small event (about 1,000 runners total) the Big Bear Marathon was a quality event and hopefully I will get the opportunity to run the thing again next year. It’s a beautiful course in one of the most scenic rural areas in southern California.

(I had to mess around with the picture a little bit but if you are looking for the originals, please feel free here. This way you can really see both the pain and happiness on my face!)