Carlsbad Marathon

I trained like crazy for this marathon. It was my first and I wanted to make sure I could complete the race in a relatively good time. The course is beautiful! I love Carlsbad and this was some of the best of Carlsbad in a run. As someone who has only run Rock N Roll San Diego half and Phoenix Rock N Roll half, I expected more hills. I don't know why. All of the other reviews say this was hilly, and yes, there were hills, but some of the half's I've done were much worse. I loved the spectators and the aid station volunteers all cheered my name when I ran through. I finished with a respectable 04.02.12 and this course definitely made me want to do another to break that time. My biggest issue with the course was doubling back. I got a bit discouraged after the first loop. I like new scenery. The only other issue I had was that the 4 hr pacer was ahead of pace and I could never catch up. I never even saw him except passing on the loop even though I was under pace the first half. I will def be back!

Living in the Chicago makes this an ideal marathon. Sun, ocean views on Highway 101, shorts and a tee shirt in January. Who could ever complain. Yes, the hills are not easy on a runner used to flat courses, but we all made it through. I was blessed to run with the coach for the West Cost Road Runners, who got me through 3 rough miles. The shirt and jacket are a definite bonus. Going back next year.

The views of the Pacific make this marathon amazing. While I typically don't enjoy out-and-back courses, this one wasn't annoying, and it was fun to see plenty of other runners throughout the race. I recommend highly, but the hills do make this course more challenging than many standard marathon courses.