Well, I guess its time to fill out my race report. I'm not much of a story teller, at least not like this Ol Salt that I saw in the park next to my hotel.

I stayed at one of the official race hotels, the Manchester Grand Hyatt. A very luxurious place - but the room was average. The pool was crowded and everywhere you looked you saw those "Team In Training" runners. There was a nice bar inside that I was able to watch, sadly, the Suns loose to those evil henchmen and cheapshot artists of Dallas (sorry CTR).

This was the view out of my room on the 21st floor.

Ok, off to the races. I thought I gave myself enough time to get to parking lot, located near the finish line, to catch the shuttles to the starting area. Not so. The traffic getting in the parking lot was terrible. I heard one of the attendants mention that this was a lot more cars than last year. Where did people park last year? So I ended up getting to the starting line area 20 mins before the start.

A quick check of the starting line found the usual elites and Elvi. I recognized some from Vegas. At least they looked like the ones from Vegas. How can you tell - they are all dressed the same!

At my first three marathons I never had to use the porta-johns before the race. I took this as a bad sign that I didn't drink enough. This time I did, and ended up in a long line. Sure enough, I was still in line when the gun went off. Because the Kenyans took off without me, I decided to run this race at a leisurely pace.

The morning fog acted more like a heat blanket than a cooling mist. Within the first mile I was already sweating like a pig. Side effect: sunscreen gone.

The course was lined with bands and cheerleaders. The TNT group had some of the craziest and loudest supporters out there. I should change my name to "Team" so that people will cheer for me. Go Team! Go Team!

This band was great. Have any of you heard a Navy band doing hip-hop?

Although porta-johns were plenty, so were the lines. Guys lucked out on this course - plenty of trees and bushes along the route. I think they were just taking advantage of the fact that you can do this during the marathon and not get a citation.

Have you ever seen so many people pass a Starbucks and NOT get a beverage?

The best part of this course was the first 8 miles - which covered the downtown area. Just before you reach mile 5 you get to pass by the San Diego Padres stadium (Petco Park). Sure enough - there is that mascot dressed like a large, well, padre. He doesn't look sad, but on the inside he was hurt by FlimFlam's "Go D-Backs" remark.

Here we are running through the historic Gaslamp Quarter. Hundreds of bars, restaurants, and night clubs cover this area. This is where the action is on fri/sat night. During my walkabout friday night I got to listen to a group of scottish bagpipers.

Here's one of the many bands on the course.

What race thru San Diego isn't complete without a trip along the waterfront. In the background is the U.S.S. Midway. I'm going to have to visit this ship on my next trip here.

Miles 8 thru 11 were pretty much along a highway, with a steady ascent followed by a steep descent. Pretty boring. Thanks to my new Garmin I was able to discover that my total ascent during this course was 4900 feet, and total descent 5295 feet. The numbers seem high to me. Too bad I didn't have this info on my other races for comparison.

The first quarter of the race I felt like I was doing good, but the humidity was taking its toll. I found out later that my split at 10k was 10 mins slower than Nashville. The second quarter, up to the half, was pretty much the same. Another 10 mins slower, for a total of 20 mins. I wasn't too happy with this - but so far no foot/ankle/knee problems so the slower pace was working.

Just past the half-way mark we come to Margaritaville. If I was a spectator this would be one place I'd pick to hang out, you know, wasting away, looking for that shaker of salt.

Here's some more cheerleaders and another band to entertain you along the way.

Miles 14 thru 23 took you around Mission Bay. Not much to see the first 3 miles, but there were some occasional scenic spots along the back side.

As always, plenty of volunteers with hoses along the route. Without these people a lot of runners wouldn't make it. Can't thank them enough!

Now I must mention that around mile 18 I started thinking solely about that glorious cowbell. I have heard of its magic influence on your pace - but to experience it yourself was awesome. My splits for miles 19, 20, and 21 were at least a minute faster than the prior 10 miles. I couldn't wait to get to mile 21!

And there they were. Dennis and Albert clanging away. Love those stylish earmuffs you got on Elephant! It was great seeing you guys out there, thanx for being there. That goes to all you cowbell ringers - the motivation you give us runners is wonderful. Jerry - this was an unbelievably great idea you came up with, and thanx for spending so much time organizing the schedule.

Ok, mile 21 has come and gone, and now I've got to finish this beast. The first 2 hours were humid, but once the fog (marine layer) lifted we saw overcast skies and a cool breeze. This was perfect running weather in my opinion. But this only lasted about 2 hours. Just about where I heard this girls thanking the weather for not being sunny. So I've got 5 miles to go and the sun is brutal. Note to self: need to carry along small packets of sunscreen.

At the half I was down 20 mins from Nashville. I really didn't want to come in slower than Nashville, and it wasn't a concern until I starting calculating the numbers. After 3 quarters I'm down 39 mins, if I don't increase the pace I won't make it. So I speed up, and 2 miles later I can't run anymore. Same problem - foot can't take the pounding. I still felt like a fast walk would get be there under 6:25.

Mile 25 and its not looking good for getting under 6:25. Despite the pain, I start running again. I ran the final 1.2 miles as fast as I could, which turned out to be 12 min mile, almost puking in the process. My reward - missed it by 30 seconds. Rats! A new PW.

Oh well - guess I should be thankful that I was able to finish. Nashville was 5 weeks ago and I spent most of that time recovering. Time to find that free beer I read about. Oh - there it is!

All and all I had a good time here. I think the organizers did a great job, not much to complain about except they should really consider having this race during a cooler part of the year. So should Salt Lake City!

Would I run this race again? Sure, if I wasn't trying for that 50 state thing.

--Donaldaz