I was excited to run the Surf City 10. It’s always hot and humid, but it’s a lot of fun. I’m in the minority that enjoys out-and-back courses. Word to the wise: the Surf City 10 goes downhill for 5 miles and then uphill for 5 miles. The last five miles can feel brutal. It’s on a similar course as the Surf City Half and Marathon.
Before the Surf City 10:
I ran 13 miles the day before with my good friend Emilia. Was it a smart race strategy? Of course not, but she was in town, and I wanted to run with her. I wasn’t especially concerned with the Surf City 10 race. I just wanted to have fun and negative split—that was it.
I arrived in Huntington Beach early the day before, maybe around noon. I relaxed and found myself very tired. I got an early dinner at Olive Garden and fell asleep super early. I thought maybe I was getting sick or just exhausted from the week, but it turns out I would start my period the next day. That explains the low energy! Anyway, race morning came bright and early, and I made it to Huntington Beach around 5:30.
The Surf City 10 race started right at 6:30, and I found the corral especially easy to get into. I did a 1.5-mile warm-up and could barely run a 9-minute pace. I thought, “Whew, this is not going to be pretty.”
Surf City 10 Race:
The goal was to start off very easy and pick it up if I could. I was thinking slower than goal marathon pace (7:15-7:30). As soon as the race started, the 7:30 pacers flew by me. I thought, “Okay, well, no choice here—the body does not feel good enough to run faster right now.” Since they were ahead, I assumed I was running around a 7:40 pace. I could have checked my watch, but I chose not to. I hit mile 1 in 7:20.
From there, I slowly started finding the pace that felt right. We had a headwind, but I didn’t feel like I was working too hard, which was exactly where I wanted to be in the beginning miles. I bought a new Nathan bottle at the expo because I forgot mine and fuel, so I was drinking Skratch. I like Skratch, so it wasn’t a big deal. Recently, I’ve started packing a bottle in my pocket during longer races, and I’ve been really happy with that. I can fuel and hydrate when I want and don’t have to worry about races using zero-calorie hydration (for real, California, please stop that in half marathons).
Around mile 3 of the Surf City 10, the race felt like it was spreading out. It’s a long straightaway, so it’s easy to see miles ahead. I hit mile 4 in 7:24, my slowest mile. I’m not sure why that was.
From miles 4-5, I could see the leaders coming back. I guessed I was around the 20th-25th woman but wasn’t too concerned. I hit mile 5 in 7:17 and made the U-turn for the way back.
I knew the return was where I wanted to pick up the pace, but I also knew there was a hill around miles 6.5-7.5 that usually wrecks me. I told myself not to push it yet, but I ended up running the next mile in 7:10.
From there, I focused on seeing friends and having fun. I saw Ezra, and then, while goofing off, I dropped my headphone! Luckily, I stopped and picked it up. But, as they say, you get what you deserve. I ran miles 8 and 9 in 7:13 each.
I was running side by side with a friend, which helped motivate me to keep pushing. Surf City 10 can feel like the “longest race ever” because you’re staring at a long straight road for 5 miles, so it was nice to have some motivation.
I decided to pick up the pace in the last mile. I felt like I could catch a few more women, and we were slowly gaining on them. When I saw the finish line, it felt like it was one hundred miles away (not just a quarter of a mile). I crossed the last mile in 7:04 and finished in 1:12:44.
Surf City 10 Thoughts:
I actually thought this was my fastest Surf City 10 yet, and I thought I had run it multiple years. But looking back, I’ve only run it once before, finishing with a low 1:11. I just ran it the complete opposite way this year, finishing slower. This year, I was 14th woman overall, which surprised me. I’m happy with the time, especially after running 14 miles the day before.
You can see Strava here and more race recaps here.
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Questions for you:
Have you run a 10 mile race?
What are you currently training for?