OC Marathon Recap

I told you about the pre-race festivities and you probably thought it couldn’t get much better than that.  Well, the race itself did NOT disappoint but how could it with a race route as beautiful as it had and weather as inviting for runners as it had.

On the morning of the race I headed to the starting line on the shuttle with the marathoners just to be sure I was there in time and I was ready to go.  Yes, I joked on IG that I had a rental but obviously that would never happen.  I don’t even think I would know what to do if I got behind the wheel of one of those.  Not sure what I’m talking about?  Check it out on IG.

After the marathoners took off, we lined up.  I had to laugh at all the runners in garbage bags.  I guess their blood is thinner out there because with a starting race temp of 61, I was thinking it was a little warm but with overcast skies, it was definitely pleasant.

My plan for this race was to take it all in.  Rather than worry about times and stressing out about whether or not I was going to PR, I just assumed I wouldn’t so I didn’t miss out.  I’m glad I went with this approach.

The course featured almost 10 miles of waterfront running with 3 of them being on the PCH.  Talk about phenomenal view?!I know this picture doesn’t do it justice but it was water as far as I could see and if you’re wondering the answer is yes.  Yes I can selfie, Instagram and run all the same time.  I know, talented right?!  🙂

Three miles in and I was keeping a real good pace too.  About 9:35 which felt really good and comfortable but what I wasn’t anticipating were the hills.  But before I get to that, where there was water on my left there were houses on my right and not just any houses.  I am obsessed with all things homes so I was in as much amazement about them as I was the ocean.  I can not even imagine what it must be like to live in homes like these and wake up to views like those.  Just look at some of these.  I wonder if I can find any of these on VRBO.  Who am I kidding, I couldn’t even afford a weekend there.  Oh well, I guess I’ll just look.As we wound our way around the back bay, I could feel the hills getting to me and my pace had slowed to about 9:45 or so.  Then I looked ahead and saw the hill at mile 11.  If you ever run this race, be warned…that hill is a BEAST!!!  It tried it’s hardest to eat me up and spit me out but I took it step by step and conquered.  I felt great about it at the top but the last two miles were killer as a result.

I finished in a little over two hours.  More than I would’ve liked but I definitely was not disappointed.  After the race, I socialized a little in the VIP tent.  Drank a mimosa, tried to eat and watched StuftMama finish than headed back to the hotel.  After a quick shower, I met Kristin and her adorable boys at the pool for a little bit before heading to the airport concluding what was an amazingly quick but awesome experience from start to finish.

Would I run this again?

In a HEART BEAT!  It’s extremely well-organized, the race route is well designed and the location can’t be beat. Check out all OC Marathon.

Would I recommend it as a destination run?

Abso-freakin-lutley.  Find a hotel close to the starting/finish line and plan on shuttling to and from but the rest of the weekend you better be exploring.  Thanks to my local friends, I got to do a lot of that and I am so grateful for it.

If you haven’t noticed, I love a good racecation.  The only part of this trip that could’ve been better would’ve been if I had my family there with me but regardless, it was great.

I love racecations so much, in fact, I have another adventure coming up but I’ll wait till later this week to share.  You are definitely going to want to come back and see what’s going on!  In the meantime, be sure to stay up to date with all the #StrollerRun15 fun.  The official gear is in and are shipping out as orders as received so order yours now while they last and celebrate! Check them out!