I know this marathon is hilly. But around here (CA) most everything is hilly. HOW hilly is this marathon? The web site has a graph that is hard to read. What would help is to know cumulative elevation gain over the course. And, frankly, your subjective experiences and opinions about how hard this particular course could be especially for a (marathon) first timer.
I’ve been running for a few years, done about 6 half marathons, and kind of like hill training. Most of the trails around here are hilly.
Or should I save Big Sur for my SECOND marathon experience.
I’ve only done the 21 miler, but aside from the climb up to Hurricane Point, it’s not so bad. What is worse is that the roads are really cambered and your legs/feet will kill you. And, the 3:00 AM alarm to get to the buses by 4:00 AM. You have to ride the buses, so you are stuck getting up super early and then sitting or standing around until the race starts. But, fun race and if the fog clears, stunning scenery. If it doesn’t you see nothing.
the roads are really cambered and your legs/feet will kill you
Ugh. Do you think it is possible to run in the middle of the road where it isn’t cambered?
Reading race reviews, it sounds like some of the hardest hills are in the last 6 miles. Given that I won’t be doing a training run over 20-22m, this sounds like a real mental challenge!
Yeah, you can run in the middle, but 3,000 other people have the same idea.
I don’t remember the last 10K that much, but you should do OK. They really do a good job, and the medals are very cool (if they still do the same type) – hand painted ceramic.
By cambered I think she means the roads are tilted - like banked turns, because it’s so turny. I’ve driven the highway a few times on vacation, and there are a few car-sick type turns as it follows the coast.
Then again, I may be wrong. I’m not sure what stretch of hwy the race is on.
I would say go for it, but if you have specific ideas about what you want to accomplish with your first marathon, aside from finishing upright and smiling, then maybe you should think again.
I am a big fan of just givin’ 'er. If I want to clock a specific time for a specific distance then I will find the fastest course possible. If I want to just experience the event (while racing myself), then I will look for something more interesting, something more challenging. I generally think it is more important to achieve something that is personally meaningful, more meaningful than some specific time on the clock. But others don’t - the clock is king. IIRC from your previous posts, you and I are kinda similar in many respects about training and racing.
So I vote “do it”. Train well, race well, and enjoy the day.
The upside of Big Sur as your first – aside from the stunning scenery – is that you’ll likely set your finishing time standard rather low. If your second marathon is on a flatter course, you’ll be assured of a pretty good PR.
Another reason to run a tough marathon as your first is that later ones may be easier. My first marathon was on tough course but later ones were less hilly (and faster) … My friend did Silverman as her first IM … Im CdA '07 will hopefully be relatively easy for her in comparison. Just one way to think about it.
Anyone here going to be devil’s advocate? Easy course first, Big Sur in a future year?
I’m particularly interested in the angle on injury prevention and recovery. I already know for a fact that if I do more hill training, I’ll have to be very careful about my IT band.
Also, I’ll want to get to tri racing season as quickly as reasonably possible after recovering from the marathon. Would Big Sur set me back substantially longer than another marathon, from a recovery perspective?
There ARE other cool marathons around here. One of the alternatives I’m looking at is Napa Marathon on March 4. Also Lost Dutchman (Arizona) in late Feb. I like the scenic ones.
Only thing I will say with regards to getting ready for tri season is that BSIM is April 29th, so you’re on the cusp of the season’s start already…yes, this is a hilly marathon not prone to PR’s (unless as previously noted it’s your first, in which case a finish guarantees you a “soft” PR) but from what I have heard it is incredibly beautiful.
Napa is a great alternative (done that one twice myself) and it’s early enough so a proper recovery going into tri season is possible with the winter to work mainly on your running. Big Sur, then, would be something like 7 or 8 weeks after Napa.
But if you’re itching to do this one, it’s hard to argue against it for a variety of reasons…just push back your first tri a little bit and things should be just fine.
If you want to get back into tri right away, then skip it, and do a late-season marathon instead. You’d be better off to do your tri season, and after your last A race, start ramping up the distances again in a build phase for a fall marathon.
You might be fine after BSIM, but you might be wrecked for a month or more. You should decide if the tri season or the marathon is your real A race for the year.
Ok, I’ll be the devil’s advocate. I am a lawyer after all. You have more running background than I did before my first marathon. That aside, I thought just finishing my first marathon without doing much walking was really freaking hard. I suffered a lot and had some stretches when I seriously questioned what the hell I was doing out there. I was very glad that the course I chose (Austin) is relatively easy. Get one under your belt. Respect the distance. Do your first one in good style. After you get the confidence and experience from the first one, there will be plenty of opportunities to do a harder course.
Also, many people (myself included) find that crowd support really helps during the last several miles of your first marathon. I’ve never run Big Sur, but I assume there’s not much crowd out there.
I’m a fairly jaded marathon veteran. Since this is your first, 2 things come to mind. One is that you will remember this one forever, especially the finish. Second is that you probably won’t BQ on your first marathon anyway. I say go for it! It sounds like a beautiful course and one to remember. Once you have that experience under your belt (assuming you want to do another), you can pick 'n choose based on your wants/needs (i.e. flat course for BQ, etc.)
the scenery is unbelievable at this one, one year i saw a whale breaching. You have the rugged coast, the lighthouse etc.
I have done it 4 out of the last 5 years. Its definitely a tough course, I think the norm for this one is expect to be 15-20 mins slower than a ‘normal’ marathon. Mile 8 has hurricane point (2 miles of climbing), the 2nd half is also tough too. Not too many spectators due to road closure, but those that are out are enthuasistic.
I would say for folks that are pretty fit its a great one to do, otherwise it could be a long day!
Definitely do it. I not only did Big Sur as my first marathon, but I had only run more than a 10k maybe five times, ever, before I did it. It’s tough for sure, but definitely doable, especially with your running experience, and the views are unparalleled. Disregard the cambering comment - not an issue. Go for it.
Yes, if you are shooting for a 2:35 or better finish time. Otherwise, what do you really have to lose? Twenty minutes in the big scheme of things is nothing, and as someone else has said, gives you plenty of room for a new PR when you run your second marathon.
If you have done the appropriate training, and pace accordingly, the only factor the course will affect is your final time. Do it.
Lastly, my first marathon (that I finished) was the Phillipides (sp?) in San Diego in 1979. It was a gray, overcast morning. and an uneventful course, and that is pretty much all I remember about it. I think you’ll have far better memories of Big Sur.
I ran Big Sur in '98. That year the southern part of the road was washed out and we got to run the hills at the northern part two times, out and back from the finish line to the Bixby Bridge and back. It’s a great race. In some ways it’s more like a tour. Everyone is slower than normal and people are stopping along the course to take pictures. It’s a definite hill runners race and it will beat you up. First marathons beat you up and this one beats everyone up. It’s right before your tri season. If you have nothing important planned for the beginning of the season go for it. If you do, it’s better to look for an earlier, easier race or fall race like Big Sur Trail Marathon.
The inaugural BSIM in '86 was actually my first marathon. The hills are not the biggest issue, believe it or not - the headwinds were just brutal on that day. Point-to-point, into the wind from about mile 8 - 23. My buddies and I agreed: if it weren’t our first, we might have been tempted to dnf. To give you an idea, the winning time was about 2:32, if memory serves…
It’s also the most beautiful course in the world, so why not make your first the most memorable as well?
I did Big Sur as my first marathon in 1994 and ignorance was truly bliss. Being from the east coast, I didn’t really know the geography - did it on a dare with some guys that I worked with. That being said, I took it very seriously and followed a training program to the T and ended up running a 3:33. Most of my training was in LA (along the beach - flat) and in Atlanta with moderate hills, but I definitely didn’t get a ton of hill training in. It was challenging but definitely do-able and a great experience. To the comment about running it a lot slower than other races, I did Columbus, supposidely a really fast course, 7 months later and ran exactly the same time. I didn’t stick around for awards, but they give awards for the fastest male and female first time marathoners, which is a neat idea, and I won . . . just to give you an idea of the times, although this was 12 years ago.