Kara Goucher wins Big Sur Half Marathon on Monterey Bay

Kara and Injuries wrote:

Kara was a great runner not too long ago. Somewhere I remember her saying that if she makes it to the trials injury free it will be the first year without an injury since the birth of her son. That has to have made a major impact on her ability to run fast in the last few years. Encouraged to see this result, especially since she didn't make a huge deal that she was running the race. Keep a low profile and get after it Kara!

She had a serious foot injury (bone spurs in her big toe joint IIRC) that she had surgery for when she was pregnant, so I'd imagine that might've caused other injuries up the chain.

I'd agree with the post to "keep a low profile." As long as she avoids the tears and dramatics and keeps plugging away and training hard, I'm definitely a fan.

Why do they call it Big Sur? Monterey is not Big Sur.

trollsniffer wrote:

Why do they call it Big Sur? Monterey is not Big Sur.

The big sur marathon has become a series of races, all with "big sur" in their name. This one is located within miles of what is considered big sur and part of the big sur race franchise. That is why it is called "big sur half marathon on monterey bay."

Your imagining doesn't make you right. She was healthy for a long, long time and did nothing. Get a clue dude. I'll bet anyone on this board that she doesn't make top 3. Any takers, just post your email and I'll gladly contact you.

Ho Hum wrote:

Kara and Injuries wrote:

Kara was a great runner not too long ago. Somewhere I remember her saying that if she makes it to the trials injury free it will be the first year without an injury since the birth of her son. That has to have made a major impact on her ability to run fast in the last few years. Encouraged to see this result, especially since she didn't make a huge deal that she was running the race. Keep a low profile and get after it Kara!

She had a serious foot injury (bone spurs in her big toe joint IIRC) that she had surgery for when she was pregnant, so I'd imagine that might've caused other injuries up the chain.

I've run it Edward, it's not that hilly. Rolling, yes, but not hilly like the marathon in April. She has little chance to make the team.

Edward Teach wrote:

Big Sur is definitely a hilly course. This isn't the sort of place you go for prs. Its known for its scenery. Kara Goucher's result is very good in this light.

She has had many injuries the past few years. I also dislike some if the way she has conducted herself in the recent past, but she has had great success and I certainly wouldn't mind seeing her make the olympicn team if she is on the upswing and is in the right kind of shape that she deserves it. Rooting against Americans who have medaled on the international scene (yes I know you're going to say it was against a weak field, but still) doesn't get us anywhere.

trollsniffer wrote:

Why do they call it Big Sur? Monterey is not Big Sur.

The race is put on by the same organization that puts on the marathon.

I've never raced the half but have race the course many times in my 12 years living in Monterey. It is flat compared to where I now live.

TrackCoach wrote:

Ujsye wrote:

1:11 finish

Olympic hopeful?

Perhaps, but I am not sure because their are about a dozen U.S women capable of running 1:11 and about a half dozen capable of running faster than that. However, it shows she has turned the corner on coming back.

Well, good thing for Kara that the Trials are over 26.2M, instead of 13.1.

Big Sur Half is not hilly, as HMs go, but the US women's list that some have cut-and-pasted in this thread mostly consists of times from Philly and Houston, which are very fast, thus making Big Sur "hilly" in comparison.

Roslants wrote:

Your imagining doesn't make you right. She was healthy for a long, long time and did nothing. Get a clue dude. I'll bet anyone on this board that she doesn't make top 3. Any takers, just post your email and I'll gladly contact you.

Ho Hum wrote:

She had a serious foot injury (bone spurs in her big toe joint IIRC) that she had surgery for when she was pregnant, so I'd imagine that might've caused other injuries up the chain.

Good thing I didn't say she was going to do anything, ya doofus. She's had a lot of injuries since the pregnancy and I'd bet it's a result of that toe injury. She could probably run a quick half in the right race, but I'm skeptical if her body can handle the marathon anymore.

Edward Teach wrote:

Big Sur is definitely a hilly course. This isn't the sort of place you go for prs. Its known for its scenery. Kara Goucher's result is very good in this light.

What passes for hilly is always amusing. No its not a blazing course, but it still had a mere 120ft of elevation change. Thats not much different than a pancake.

Id say "hilly" starts at around 600ft and extends all the way up to about 1300ft.

After that we are either talking about mountain running or a climbing road race in some fashion.

I raced Big Sur today....

saw Kara on the out-back and she looked really strong, still under pressure from the woman in 2nd place at the time (around 7 miles in...), but running very well and looking dialed.

I'd say around in the time range I was in (1:06:34) the little hills on the course (combined with the U-turn) made it at least 40-45 seconds or so slower than a super flat/fast course (rough estimate).

The elevation map on the website made it look like a great course to go after a fast time, but the hills surprised me (some were quite small, but also fairly steep). I don't think any guys got an OTQ that didn't have one already and many ran the half barely faster than their full marathon PR pace. The top guys all negative split and raced more for place, but three of them had 61-min PRs and all ran over 63min. You can check out my Strava data for some mile-by-mile splits/elevation data (I recorded 13.2 miles on my Garmin 620).

We did have ideal weather though with hardly any wind and a perfect temperature. It was a really well organized event and scenic course, but for sure not "flat and fast."

Regardless of the race name, would be a beautiful course to run. I've driven around the peninsula many times. Pacific Grove area is pretty spectacular

Promising result for KG. If she can stay healthy before the trials she should at least be in the mix.

I agree about the half, mostly because I think the half is probably her best event. Kinda a shame that there isn't an Olympic distance between 10k and marathon as the half is probably a better event for both Kara and Shalane. That said, I'm not convinced that her body can't handle the marathon anymore. I think if she has a problem with the marathon at the trials, it will be at least in large part mental. She has always had issues with doubts and her last marathon was not good. If she can get another good race or two in before the trials, can stay healthy and is feeling good on race day, I think she has an outside shot. In particular, if she is 'in the mix' for a spot early on at a pace that isn't killer for her, she may be able to make the team. If the pack in contention goes out too fast for her comfort zone, she likely will too and will be toast. The races that have been particularly bad for her in the past year were those in which she got in the race, forgot about the race plan and her level of fitness in the excitement of competing and ended up dying pretty hard.

Ho Hum wrote:

Roslants wrote:

Your imagining doesn't make you right. She was healthy for a long, long time and did nothing. Get a clue dude. I'll bet anyone on this board that she doesn't make top 3. Any takers, just post your email and I'll gladly contact you.

Good thing I didn't say she was going to do anything, ya doofus. She's had a lot of injuries since the pregnancy and I'd bet it's a result of that toe injury. She could probably run a quick half in the right race, but I'm skeptical if her body can handle the marathon anymore.

It's not hilly Mr. Canaday, I ran it too. Rolling at best. Yes, some longer grades going "up", but nothing that hard. The weather was decent indeed. I was very close to Goucher and I pr'd, but not an OTQ:( I don't know who posted flat and fast, but although that's not true, it's still a decent course. You're not 21 anymore, so although that's not a pr for you, it's still pretty decent, in my opinion anyways. Sorry, as for your Garmin, they are simple NOT accurate and that is a fact. If 10 guys ran single file using the same model of watches, it will be highly unlikely that 2 have the same distance on their watches when they finish. I help out at a local high school and if we go out 5 and come back five many watches are off by 3 tenths of a mile or more. Nice good today and for Kara as well, although I agree with others that she won't make the team.

It was perfect. Low 50's no wind