America’s Finest City Half Marathon

Phew…. that was a toughie!

So I haven’t really trained since my San Diego Rock n Roll Half in June…. I’ve run a little, here and there, but no real training, and no long runs at all. I was in a total summer funk, and just never got around to training. I started off the race at a pretty good pace… 10:59 min/mi, but at mile 5 my tummy was giving issues (nerves, I think), so I had to use the restroom. UGH! Then I got back out there, and started running a bit slower, but still going pretty well. I drank water at every water station which helped me stay hydrated. Everything was going well, but then right after mile 10….

I got a major calf cramp. I’ve never gotten one of these, and it terrified me. I almost cried! My toes curled (could NOT uncurl them at all), and my leg started to go numb. I pulled over to the side, and a volunteer at the water station saw me, and brought me water. She suggested I drink gatorade for cramps. She was so nice. I massaged my leg for a bit and hobbled. I hobbled for about a half mile, then I started to walk a bit faster. I wanted to RUN! I wanted to run because other than the major cramp, I felt pretty good. I wanted a better time than last year (2:59, crappy due to being injured), but when my leg wasn’t doing so well, it was when the “hellish” hills showed up. :(

I was definitely bummed that I cramped up, but a little happy that I did better than last year. This race marks my one year anniversary of when I decided to become a runner of half marathons. :) I wonder what my time would have been had my leg not cramped up, but there’s always next year. I shall try again. I came home and iced my legs/hips for at least an hour. I’m still tired, and I know tomorrow, I’ll be super sore.

OH!!! Something super important that I totally forgot to mention cause its embarrassing…. I had NO idea where I parked my car. Yup, none at all. I ended up walking all along Park Blvd past the zoo and back looking in every lot. My feet were killing me, my hips totally burned, and I was starving, and I wanted to cry :( Then I went back to the finish/celebration area…. sat in the grass, looked up, and BAM! Saw my car. Across the street. The walk to my car would have been less than 10 minutes, but it turned into an hour. Utter FAIL!

Anyone ever have utter fails like this? I felt so dumb!

San Diego Rock n Roll Half Marathon

So much to say….

Pro’s:

1. Beautiful course

2. Easy course (mostly flat, with some downhills and a few uphills)

3. Well planned, and plenty of volunteers

4. Great snacks after the race (hummus and pita chips were my favorite. Couldn’t find the oranges though >.<)

5. Plenty of parking

6. The traffic people that were directing us out of the lot, sent us directly to the 5S. Great! That’s what I wanted to do. Made is easy to get home.

7. Beautiful medal

8. SO much support along the entire course. The team in training coaches were everywhere! Cheering everyone on. Loved that.

9. Great shirt. (Posted in prior post)

10. The music was awesome! Sure, some of it wasn’t my type of music, but I never run with music, and this was a nice change. It really pumped up the runners too.

Con’s:

1. HUGE race, so many, many, many runners! Took me almost 1.5 hours to get to start line after the race had started.

2. Lots of traffic to the runners parking lot. Granted, I got lost, and somehow, I ended up getting there “the back way” and avoided the traffic :)

3. Shuttle took FOREVER to get back after the race because of the heavy traffic.

4. Long lines for restroom…. and no toilet paper once I got there, and some people were nasty! Pooped on seat, used clothes to wipe butt and left it there, and the stalls really stunk like you know what. GROSS!

5. Some runners were rude. Slightly pushed you, then said excuse me as they were trying to get up closer to start line…. UM, SIR! You can’t gonna get there any faster. There’s lots of people in the way. Just chill!

Overall, there were more pro’s. I loved the race itself, and will do it again. Too bad, I ran it alone. My friend got sick the night before, and couldn’t make it… my other friend finished a lot sooner than me, and had to go, and my other friend finished way, way later after I was done, and I had to go. :( Running alone isn’t too bad, but celebrating with friends afterward is amazing! Perhaps next year.

Oh, no PR for me this time. I ran rock n roll in 2:41 and I had done Silver Strand last November in 2:40. Sigh. Maybe next year. Still, great run :)

Anyone else run this race today?