A Longer Beach Marathon...Again (Sea to the Sea 3.0)

Unlike last year, this year I actually did sign up to run the Long Beach Marathon, but, due to a conflict, I had to cancel my registration. But I decided to go ahead with a full distance training schedule anyway and, since I wasn't planning to race, did so without worrying about pace (you know how much I love intervals). I planned to run the full distance this Sunday (one week before the big race), but with an unexpected October heatwave triggering heat advisories beginning tomorrow, I decided to just get the run over with this morning.

Even then, the temperature was forecast to jump pretty quickly after the marine layer burned off, so I headed out as early as I could.  I left the house at nautical dawn (5:53) and drove to the beach. It was still dark when I stepped out of the car to begin my run (6:07).  A really bright light was pointing in my direction as I approached the beach parking lot which made it quite hard to see anything else. I half imagined it was police officer holding a flashlight, but as I got closer I realized it was just a light to illuminate the traffic spikes.

I wasn't sure what I was going to be able to see as I reached one of the ramps down to the beach.  The parking lot itself has no lighting, but the overcast sky was just bright enough that the white foam of the surf and, more importantly, the bike path were indeed visible...so down I went.  I was surprised to find the restrooms lit (many public restrooms don't have power).  There were other runners on the bike path.  I even saw someone riding their bike without a headlight.  Obviously I wasn't the only one trying to beat the heat by starting well before sunrise. It was even easier to see as I reached the Esplanade because illumination from streetlights on the beach side easily reached the bike path...not that it would have matter that much since civil dawn arrived by the time I was running below the avenues.

As I very rarely run along the beach before sunrise, I could not resist taking photos of a few things...including around Redondo Beach Pier.  Sunrise happened at 6:48, just after I passed by the Shade Hotel (I hadn't seen its illuminated blue strips because I rarely go by there when they are lit), not that I could see the sun because the marine layer was nice and thick. I was happy with the early morning temperature...probably around 67 degrees and not too humid.

This was my third time running this "Sea to the Sea" course, a run inspired by my frustration with L.A. Marathon having lost the "to the Sea" portion of their course after 2020 (the last time I ran it).  The first time I ran it was in 2023 on the day of the L.A. Marathon.  Last year, I did it on the day of Long Beach's event.  During the latter, I noticed signage for the Bellona Wetlands Ecological Reserve as I ran towards Fisherman's Village in Marina del Rey. Some days after that run, I went back to check out the reserve (hoping to photograph some interesting birds).  The particular area I had run by only has a single looping trail that is roughly a half mile long and there wasn't that much to see...but I realized I could easily add the loop to my "Sea to the Sea" course and just turn back at Fisherman's Village rather than continue further into Marina del Rey.  So that's what I did.  I hit my half marathon split early into the loop...2:15:20...not a fast time by any means, but fairly typical for me when I am not training for races. I didn't see any birds this time which was probably a good thing because I had already stopped longer than I should have to record video of an egret fishing along Ballona Creek.

The sun started to burn through the marine layer as I took a selfie in front of the sign for Fisherman's Village.  This was forecast to happen here around 9am...and was my primary motivation for starting so early.  It was now 9:03.  I definitely had spent too much time at Ballona Creek.  As I continued along the water through Fisherman's Village, I couldn't resist taking more photos of the birds...especially when I saw how many pelicans, gulls, egrets, and herons were trying to get at a fishing boat's haul as it docked.  And then I spotted a motionless fin sticking out of the water near Lifeguard boats.  I had to capture video of it when I realized its head would briefly poke out of the water from time-to-time.

As I started back towards the beach, I felt like I was now trying to catch the marine layer before it fully dissipated.  I was starting to feel the heat and I was regretting the time I wasted in the marina.  My pace drops pretty dramatically when I feel the heat.  While I ran south along the bike path, the sun only briefly hit at full strength, but also only briefly became fully consumed by the clouds.  Most of the time the direct rays were partially dispersed to some degree...so the temperature stayed manageable, but it definitely was not as cool as it had been during the first half.

I didn't entirely beat the heat, but was happy to complete the distance within 5 hours...moving time....and just barely.  I was definitely out there longer than I had hoped, partly because I got caught up trying to catch video of an egret fishing (I started recording after the bird had been hopping from rock to rock...and just got a whole lot of footage where the bird barely moves anything other than its head), partly because I watched a bunch of birds (egrets, pelicans, seagulls, great blue herons) try to get at a fishing boat's haul as it docked in Marina del Rey, and also because I caught video of what I initially thought was a dead sea lion (just a fin was sticking out of the water, but every so often its head would briefly appear)

End of Year Report

Last week I noticed I was nearly on track to match last year's total running distance if I simply did my scheduled mileage for the week with one modification: I'd have to move this Thursday's run a day early.  This would not normally be an an issue since this week coincides with my shortest (during which I don't run on Wednesdays), but, with rain in the forecast for most of today (and not a fan of getting wet when I run), I made the call to combine the two mid-week short runs into a 9 miler yesterday...adding a half mile just so I could top 2024's total.  Even then, I had to wait for yesterday's rain to end (roughly 2pm) before stepping out the door one last time in 2025 (and I'm not a fan of doing afternoon runs).  On the plus side, I caught glimpses of a rainbow as I started running, but the color faded by the time I reached an unobstructed view.

So, according to Garmin, I finished 2025 with 1,357.71 total running miles.  Strava displays my total as 1,357.50...exactly one half mile further than 2024...so I definitely topped it.  That said, this is not exactly a big accomplishment as I did not really improve my overall average pace, but I did manage to break 50 minutes for the first time at this year's The Hills Are Alive 10K.  Chip-timing definitely provides more motivation to work on pace, so I really should register for more races.  Uncertainty about my annual travel plans is making it harder to register for marathons though.

Longer Beach Marathon

With a trip planned for the end of July, interest in attending NSXPO in September, and another big trip yet to be scheduled (but definitely happening) later this year, I had pretty much ruled out signing up for any races in 2025 after The Hills Are Alive 10K...and, with zero control over when my latter trip would actually fly, sticking to my usual marathon training schedule seemed nearly impossible. But, in late June, I learned my end-of-July trip was suddenly off the books, NSXPO no longer seemed fiscally responsible, and I suddenly had a lot more time on my hands.

So I pivoted.

This year's Long Beach Marathon seemed early enough to be a safe date for planning a 26.2 mile run, but I would need to enter my training schedule in week 9 (of 18) and adjust distances accordingly if I wanted to have any chance of being ready to go without striving to do too much too soon (i.e. to avoid injury). My maintenance schedule gives me a solid base, but without the longer distances that help increase endurance (peaks at 10 miles every four weeks), so I knew I would have to ramp up the distances in half the time.  Since I can easily do a 13 to 14 milers at any point within my maintenance routine, I started with a 14...and then went up from there.

That said, the longest run I completed this cycle was only 16.66 miles, 17.76 if I add a subsequent walk to my peak week run...both workouts far short of the 22-23 recommended by my schedule.  If memory serves, I've only once run a full marathon without hitting this peak distance target in my training (when I opted to ride my bike 48 miles because I was too injured to run).  Despite missing distance targets, I have still managed to complete 91% of the mileage of a full marathon schedule...so 22-23 miles is doable especially if I give myself an easy route and don't attempt run at a race pace.  Worse case scenario?  I extend my schedule another four weeks and try again in early November, but I am curious to see what I can do without having fully trained. I am still in very good condition.

So I have driven down to my usual spot near Torrance Beach early on the morning of the Long Beach Marathon.  I should have started as early as the actual race because the marine layer is not present...it could get quite warm before I finish!

Fall Comes Early

Time to add another incident to my growing list: this time I tripped on an exposed root on Moccasin Trail as I approached the entrance to the Landfill Loop.  I don't recall ever seeing or feeling roots along this particular stretch of dirt (northeast of the church), but I definitely could see this one when I looked back.  I saw some people talking near a horse ahead...so I decided to ask them for help (I was bleeding and covered in dirt...just wanted to get some water to rinse off).  One of the ladies lives in the house at the corner, offered the use of her hose, and brought out bandages and hydrogen peroxide as well.  After getting patched up, I was able to continue on to the Landfill Loop and finish my five mile run.

Year End Report 2024

Strange.  I logged 1,357 miles running in 2024, my fourth highest annual total ever - behind 2021 (1,538), 2012 (1,406), 2023 (1,376), and somehow beating 2020 (1,320).  I am not sure how I managed to do so in a year where I not only took a break from running full marathons and entering races, but also didn't once ramp up my distance as if I were training for a full marathon.

I mean, in 2023 I ran at least one 26.2+ miler, but twice trained as if I was going to run the full distance (the latter to ensure I was fit for hiking in Peru).  These past two years both included a two-week long travel imposed break from running.  Heck, this year I only ran two runs that were a half marathon distance or more (a full training schedule includes at least 9...10 if you count the marathon) and yet somehow I finished within 20 miles of last year's total.  I finished 2024 with more miles than the last two years I ran full marathon races (2019, 2020).

That said, I actually should be able to run as many as 1,482 miles if I merely run my four week between-marathon training schedule.  I only ran more than this total once in all of the years I have run marathons.  In other words, I usually fall short of distance targets or missed training days for various reasons (injuries, illness, air quality, work, travel).  I know I had an injury in 2019.  Can't remember if I had any issues in 2023 (a quick review of 2023's year end report mentions injury and illness), but I did have two big falls this year neither of which caused me to skip any running days.  That said, I did think the first of the two might have bruised or even cracked a rib (not a totally different one than the one injured in 2022 and 2023).  My wife is starting to wonder how frequently I injure myself.  She didn't realize running is a full contact sport!

I am a little disappointed that I did NOT improve my pace in 2024. I actually lost a couple of seconds per mile over 2023, but that is the downside of not including any races or race-like efforts.  The big differentiator was March of 2023, when I finished a marathon training cycle ahead of running my personal "Sea to the Sea" marathon.  Though I did not run it like a race, I still completed the distance faster than 10 minutes per mile.  I also find that ramping up the distance for an endurance event and then tapering tends to naturally gives me a boost. That said, I didn't see the same boost when I tapered ahead of Peru...likely because I wasn't worried about taking an excessively long time to do a single 26.2 mile run!

There is hope though...I finished the year completing a mile challenge in 6:33, besting the times I set in 2022 and 2023 by half a minute!  I've also shed quite a bit of weight, but for reasons outside of running.

Legend of the Falls

After hearing that I tripped during this morning's run, Valerie commented that I seem to fall a lot.  She didn't buy my explanation that running is a full contact sport.  That said, I did get curious...how often do I trip without being able to stop myself from hitting the ground?  I certainly have had a lot of close calls (that I don't record) and also have been known to roll my ankle from time to time.  But how frequently do I actually hit the ground?  How often does it lead to bleeding?  Have I ever missed running because of gravity induced injuries?

I vividly recall my first crash landing. I had just recovered from my first full marathon, resuming lunch break training runs with an ultra running coworker (what we used to call "Dog Runs" because we both worked for Naughty Dog).  He was quite a bit faster than me and I was trying to chase him down as we started the final relatively flat stretch back to the office.  I caught my toe on something protruding from the sidewalk and didn't just fall on the concrete, but off the curb and on to Santa Monica Blvd.  It was quite a blow, but apparently I just picked up a few minor scrapes and was able to finish the run.

That was back in 2009.

I didn't always write about my falls in my running blog, make note of it withing my running data, or even mention such incidents in the captions of my running photos.  In September of 2013, I vividly remember falling while crossing a cobblestone intersection near the end of one of my longer runs in Paris, but there's no mention of it in my photos from that trip (pun intended).  And at some point I fell and nearly ruined my favorite running shirt (a technical shirt I picked up at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca)...but I cannot find any photo evidence of when that happened.

Here's what I could retrieve by reviewing Strava activities and looking through my photos:

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

I was not entirely surprised the sometimes uneven dirt trail between the Hollywood Riviera and Palos Verdes tripped me up.  I was not injured as it was a soft landing, but I needed to rinse off my shirt and water bottle in one of the beach restrooms.  What's interesting is that I don't often do long runs on Tuesdays and this fall happened only 3 miles into a 14 miler.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Another dirt landing, this time on the hard packed median trail of Palos Verdes Drive North only 2 miles into my usual 6 miler.  I don't recall any injury from this fall either.  

Friday, March 29, 2019

Got "punched by a tree".  This time I got knocked me down by a branch from a bush or tree that was protruding into the sidewalk towards the end of my short four miler.  Scraped my knee and the branch scratched my shoulder.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Toe caught a bit of raised sidewalk next to Peninsula Center and I fell hard...scraping the ends of four fingers and the palm of my left hand.  My Nathan water bottle took the brunt of the damage.  During the fall, I landed on my chin, I dirtied another running shirt AND my brand new running shoes, my glasses went flying and got scratched upon landing (I started using a strap to keep my glasses on shortly thereafter).  I was only a mile into an 8 miler and not happy about having 7 miles to go.

Saturday, April 3, 2021

I successfully sprinted down the rocky Burma Road trail only to trip on what appeared to be a smoothly paved section of sidewalk during my cooldown jog home (toe must have caught the smallest crack).  Got road rash on palm, elbow, and hip, but somehow didn't scrape my knee.  Happened roughly seven and a half miles in a 9+ miler just when I let my guard down.  And here I thought the side-effects of my first Moderna vaccination were going to be the worst thing I'd experience that morning (I did get hit pretty hard after I got home, but only for a couple of hours)

Sunday, June 26, 2022

Two miles into a 10 miler, the tip of my shoe snagged a root hidden in a patch of softer dirt on the boundary trail between the Hollywood Riviera and Palos Verdes...and I thankfully landed in the softer dirt.  Though I was not injured, I did soil another white running shirt and cap.  My water bottle was so dirty I didn't want to risk drinking from it even after I rinsed it at the beach.  Dirt made it into the package of Shot BLOKS (that I had only just opened minutes before I fell) inside of my pocket.

Saturday, December 17, 2022

What started as a 21 miler ended as a half marathon.  I somehow tripped in the middle of a intersection along Palos Verdes Drive South not far east of Terranea Resort...and I fell so hard on to the pavement that the top of my water bottle completely sheared off, spilling most of its contents on to the pavement before I could use it to rinse my wounds.  The fall tore one of my running gloves, scraped the skin on my palm underneath.  I was bleeding from my hand, my elbow, and my knee.  I continued running until I reached the restroom at Pelican Cove, where I could finally rinse my wounds while waiting for a ride from Valerie.  I couldn't really continue since I no longer had the means to hydrate.

Sunday, August 13, 2023

This fall seemed to happen in slow motion: my toe caught a root under the wood chips on Veterans Parkway roughly five miles into a 14 miler.  I seriously thought I was going to be able to stay on my feet...I took as many as four strong strides fighting to stay vertical, but gravity ultimately won.  I thought I avoided any injury as I rolled when I landed, deflecting the energy of the impact, but I picked up a few scrapes.  Surprisingly none of my wounds bled.  My left arm was sore around the elbow (point of impact) as was my chest (where I landed on my arm). My right foot apparently took most of the stress simply from my effort to stay upright ...the whole top of my foot was now tender to the touch. That said, I could stand and run on it without feeling much pain, so I was able to finish my run. My shoes, socks, shirt, and water bottle had collected some of the wood chips in the fall. I'm so glad I fell on the trail and not the pavement.

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

As I ran out on to the mobi-mat on the beach to take a photo of the #SirensOfSilence lifeguard tower, my toe caught one of the grooves and I couldn't stop myself from falling. While the mat itself is soft under foot, the texture of the mat's surface is very rough (to prevent slipping) and of course I slid on it. The cuts on my knuckle and knee and the rash on my thigh weren't the worst injury... I landed hard on my chest and probably bruised a rib.  My chest bothered me for awhile, but I did not miss a single day of my usual running routine.

Sunday, December 22, 2024

My left toe caught uneven pavement at the end of someone's driveway on Palos Verdes Drive North, roughly 12 miles into a 14 miler.  This is the kind of thing I would have guessed happens more often than not...as it happened late in what was relatively a long run, when I might get sloppy and not lift my feet as much.  The surprising thing? This was the first time people actually came up to me to ask if I was ok...two people on bike, a hiker, someone driving a truck.  They must have all seen it happen.  The driver offered a ride.  The hiker was a former marathoner who had been in my shoes on many long runs.

I thought I fell as much as once per year, but looking at this I can definitely see the frequency of falls has increased in recent years.  I also assumed my falls happened towards the end of longer runs, but, if that were the case, I would expect to see more Sundays in this list...and some of my falls happened early into runs too.  I thought there might be a correlation between falling and new shoes, but I am not seeing that in my data either.  And trail running doesn't seem to increase the risk.

One Bud Flatlines

Just over a week ago, on runs leading up to a rare business trip, one of my Galaxy Buds+ earbuds starts refusing a charge, the left earbud.  I did all sorts of things to try and get it working again, from cleaning it, to resetting it...jiggling it in its case trying to trigger the green charging light...but nothing works.

I decide to pack both my failing Buds+ and my new Buds Pro.

The funny thing is that I have not been willing to run with my newer buds...partly due to how much more expensive they are (though mine was included in the price of my S24 Ultra), but mostly because of how much I have liked my Buds+.  Yes, I am the same guy who bitched and moaned when Samsung dropped the headphone jack from the Galaxy series of phones, but my Buds+ have outlasted any of the wired headsets that shipped with my phones over the years, likely reduced the wear and tear on my SPIbelts (since nothing needs to protrude from the0 zipper pouch), and I no longer worry about tugging on a wire pinched to my chest shirt (lost many clips).  

I really appreciate the Bud Pro's active noise cancelling...works well to filter out the portable AC in my home office when I need to join an online meeting during a hot day, to listen to alternate content when my wife is watching a show I'm not interested in...and I loved using them during my recent five hour flights.  I do not plan to use the noise cancelling while running (too dangerous...I don't even hear my foot falls), but I fully expect they will last longer (a Bud+ dying during a run had been a pretty rare thing until now).

For this morning's run, though, I somehow tricked one of my dying Bud+ to give me one more run.  It came back to life with what appeared to be a 100% charge, but I decided to run with it while it was actively connected with my phone.  Much to my surprise, it lasted the entire 8 mile run...but it didn't look like it would.  15 minutes into my run, it had already dropped to 32%.  30 minutes later, it was down to 28%.  An hour into my run, a really strange thing happened...the charge went up to 33%!  But that was a short-lived gain as the watch dropped back to 27% over the next half hour.  When I finally got home, the bud's charge was -1% (yes, below zero), but it was still playing audio. I returned it to its case at 10:40am on August 18, 2024.

That would be the last time I ever heard audio from the left earbud.  It would never accept another charge.  Even worse, the bud would rapidly drain the case's battery (it was so bad, that I thought the case was failing).  But the right bud continues to hold a charge and, with only the right bud in the case, the case still provides a week worth of charging before it needs to be plugged in.

I continue to run with a single bud and will continue to do so until it dies.  And then I will consider running with my Buds Pro.