Long Beach Classic Half Marathon

Robert Manon(MM6700, DA431, HF3646) – I ran the Long Beach Classic Half Marathon (June 9, 2024) this morning. It was a pretty cold morning, and the humidity was a bit high for my liking. This was the 3rd year this race has been put on, and it’s my 3rd year participating. Many friends were here, and I was able to catch a few of them pre race for some selfies. I spoke to Emil, and his plan was to stick to the 1:50 pacer. I told him my plan was to finish under 2, and I would be happy with a 1:55. Well, the race started, and the pacers were going faster than what a 1:50 pace should be. Haha. I stuck with them for As long as I could and gave a pretty solid 5 miles. After that, I dropped back to a more comfortable pace. At about the 6.5 mile mark, we were on the bike path and fighting the head wind. The pacers were slowly pulling away. Around the 10 mile mark or so, I looked at my watch and realized that I could get the sub 1:50 as long as I held my pace. When I hit the 11 mark, I tried to pick up the pace. When I hit the 12th mile, I picked it up even more. I figured just give it all you have left in the tank. When I crossed the finish, I was almost a minute under 1:50. It was my fastest in a while. So I was happy with it. Maybe my speed Will come back. Although I was complaining in my head about trying to stick with the 1:50 early in the race, I’m glad I did. So thanks, Emil, for making me suffer and getting the sub 1:50.
This was my 554th Lifetime Half Marathon.

Photo and Post Credit Robert Manion