Category: Recap

Harvest Half Recap

Disclaimer: I received an entry into the Harvest Marathon half to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

This race has been a long time coming for me so I was excited that I was finally going to run it. I’ve wanted to run it for the last 4 years but always ended up working an aid station during the marathon instead. Which was great but it wasn’t the same as running it. When the opportunity to run it with BibRave came up I was tempted but I had plans on race day. But I made it work! Woo hoo!

The race is a fundraiser for local schools and it has great potential. This was the first year without the marathon as it was canceled due to a few issues. 😢 Packet pick up was Saturday and went smoothly. You can read all the little details in my BibRave review. I admit I was nervous wearing BibRave orange in Bearcat Country (high school arch rival is the Greyhounds- orange!) but I had nothing to be worried about. My Bearcat coaching mother disagrees. 😛

The race is a big loop through back country roads. It takes you past numerous vineyards and farms and is very scenic. I drove it the day before and loved the sights. I was less enthusiastic about the hills. But it’s Paso and Paso doesn’t do flat. It is a quiet race- there is very little crowd support outside of aid stations and the finish line. Also the roads are not fully closed so it is entirely likely that vehicles will drive past you a few times or sometimes fly by doing 50ish. All of my early half marathons were similar so I am used to this but it can be alarming if you aren’t prepared.

Race morning-

I slept surprisingly well considering my recent insomnia struggles and usual race nerves but woke an hour before my alarm feeling freaky nauseous. I laid there and hoped it would pass. It did but I felt like I had been run over by a truck. Uh oh. I was suddenly thankful of the late start of 8:30. Once at the start I debated arm sleeves or a windbreaker. The skies looked ominous but the weather app said that rain was hours away if at all. The high school cross country coach said no rain was coming and it wasn’t cold so I decided to just go with my tank. We all lined up and it was go time!

Miles 1-3 9:43, 9:50, 10:17

The plan with Coach Jenny called for an easy first 8 before bringing the last 5 miles in at goal half marathon pace. Sounded good to me. I was trying not to look at my watch and run by feel but I was winded 1/2 mile in. I felt like I was working too hard so I checked my watching expecting to see something in the 8:30 range. Nope. 9:45. Crap, that shouldn’t feel this hard! My calves were also doing their lovely tight thing and the first 3 miles are flatter than I would have liked. Boo. I was running in the dirt on the side of the road any chance I got. Then, 2.5 miles in the skies opened up. Seriously?! It didn’t take long before I was soaked. It wasn’t pouring by any means but you got wet fast. And I was getting slower. I pretty much slammed into the wall at mile 3.5. Well crap.

Miles 4-7 10:50, 9:59, 11:16, 10:49

And the walk breaks started. Mile 4 was one of my toughest miles and I don’t know why. I ran past the second aid station and tried to pick it up but I failed. Why faster for this station? It was manned by my mother and her tennis team. 😛 Mile 5 was a long slow downhill and my legs were finally starting to loosen up. Second wind maybe? Nope. Mile 6 starts an out and back to add a little distance. I hate out and backs. And this one was all rollers as far as the eye could see. Plus whatever downhill you had on the way out was a climb on the way back. But I’m weird and even though my lungs hate hills, my legs don’t and mile 7 was almost 30 seconds faster than mile 6. Third wind???

Miles 8-9 11:05, 10:30

Haha, just kidding. My lungs were not happy with the constant cloud cover and rain. I knew the road to mile 8 was really pretty and I had been looking forward to it. For some reason, I remembered exactly where every mile marker was and it gave me something to look forward to. Mile 8 was in front of Graveyard Vineyards where I had just learned that there is a literal graveyard in the front of the vineyard. Mile 9 gave us a decent downhill and I tried to pick up the pace as I knew what was coming.

Mile 10 12:26

It’s the climb!!!! I knew from the drive yesterday that there was a long climb. Yeah, mile 9 to mile 10.2 was all up. It started slowly and then just kept increasing in slope as well. I was toast. It was still raining and I was starting to realize that I was having a giant chafing problem with my sports bra. I could feel it with every step. Stupid rain! I rounded a corner only to find more climb. Oh come on!

Miles 11-13 10:48, 11:39, 10:43

Yay! The crawl was over, I knew there was only a 5K left and the rain stopped! Let’s do this! Except that enthusiasm lasted about .25 of a mile. I didn’t feel overly tired but I had nothing. I don’t even know how many times I walked in those last 3 miles. A lot. I was actually passing people but I was still irritated with myself. I had just picked up the pace a little past mile 12 when I passed my mom and her team again, apparently they had moved stations and were now traffic control. With a mile left I told myself to run it in and I would at least be faster than City to the Sea. Haha. I am glad for small races because my proclivity for cursing like a sailor was in full force as I berated myself…out loud. Finally the finish line was in sight and I could be done.

Finish- 2:21:06

That did not go like I had hoped. At all. The course was awesome. It really had a great amount of up and down for me but it wasn’t my day. I don’t know how much of it was the rain (very rare here) and my lungs. If it was the weird nausea in the morning ( I did actually get sick and miss some work) or if I am just burnt out from a crazy year. I also don’t want to make excuses though, for whatever reasons I was not all there on race day and my race effort shows it.

The rain screwed with a lot of us. I have never chafed this bad in my life, clothing hurts. I wasn’t the only one either. I saw more than few blood stains on shirts. We’re in a drought, what is this water stuff?? I can count on one hand how many times I’ve run in the rain and that includes this race.

I initially delayed writing this recap because I needed some time to think about the race. Then I actually did get sick and missed some work which delayed this post even more but I think the extra time helped me accept the race for what it was. I think I can finally admit that speed is not my biggest adversary, my head is. Half the battle is knowing who you’re fighting right?

This was my kind of race though and I will be back. Redemption in 2017?

2016 City to the Sea Recap

Disclaimer: Do I even need this? I won entry into this race via a Facebook contest. I would have registered for it anyways but winning is better. 😛

I love this race but it also stresses me out. Why? This race is still my half marathon PR…from 2013. Sometimes I feel like I am getting farther and farther away from that race. I knew going in this year that I was no where near PR shape and that was fine, I was just hoping for a solid race. Coach Jenny with Ekiden Coaching and I had discussed using the race as a training run for the Harvest Marathon half and we were both on the same page of aiming for a 2:10. It sounded a little ambitious as most of my 13.1’s this year have been plagued by a variety of issues but I was hopeful. While my marathon training had little speed work I was hopeful the distance training would help.

Then HOB Fun Run happened and I hurt like hell after. Missed 2 runs due to leg pain, stopped sleeping because well, life and received bad family news. I chucked all time thoughts out the window and just hoped to finish. When my mom dropped me off at the race start I told her to not even look for me before the 2:30 point. City to the Sea is a point to point so logistics can be a little tricky. This year my mom decided she would just drop me off, kill time, pick me up and then we would go to lunch. Thanks mom!

Pet peeve- the race had a 7AM start time. I got like 2 hours of sleep the night before and was feeling a little nauseous. The dang thing started 10 minutes late!

The beginning-

Miles 1-5- 10:04, 10:40, 10:23, 10:00, 10:19

And we were off! I had placed myself near the 2:30 pace group but I lost them fairly quickly. Oops. I tried to just keep it steady but it was only mile 1! Miles 1-5 are fairly flat to downhill so I tried to not be crazy. I felt something flapping about .75 in and looked down to see my left shoelace was undone. Again?! I pulled off to the side to tie and once again it was like I forgot how to tie my shoes. Once fixed I ran on. Damn, my calves were getting super tight. Just keep running…wait, now my other shoe was untied. What?!! Again, I pulled to the side to tie my shoes. Then I ran on. Until I pulled to the side to stretch out my calves. Less than 2.5 miles in and I had stopped 3 times. Probably not a good sign. 😞 I kept going but my lower legs were getting super tight. I hate flat routes. I took my first walk break at 3.5 miles trying to shake the tightness out. Between the slight downhill and the slant of the road, my legs were screaming. I knew there was a hill coming soon and I needed it.

The middle-

Miles 6-10- 10:05, 11:01, 9:58, 10:26, 11:53

We were off the main strip in SLO, under the freeway and onto a side road. Hills!! I never thought I would be so excited to hit the hilly portion. But the first hill did exactly what I wanted it to do- the calf tightness loosened almost completely and I didn’t really notice it the rest of the race. Woo hoo! My stomach cramped in a very bad way partway through mile 7- walk break! Bummer was the slant- the road was super slanted and something about it aggravated a muscle high up in my right butt. I have no other way to describe it. That in turn tweaked my right knee. While things didn’t hurt, they sure didn’t feel comfortable.

The calm before the big hill…oh and cars.

There was a decent downhill in mile 8 as we ran into Avila and I was feeling good so I picked up a tiny bit of pace. Then we rounded onto the Bob Jones trail and I just told myself to enjoy running through the trees. I also ran in the dirt alongside the path to take some of the pounding off my legs. I had felt a slight twinge from the troublesome left shin area and the butt issue was still around. 😛 Once out the trail we headed for Avila Bay drive which thanks to last year I knew to expect a good size hill. I told myself I could take a walk break if I ran halfway up. Success! So much better than last year. Rounded to the corner to another hill and we were into Pismo! And the temp jumped about 20 degrees. Ouch.

The Sea!!!! Really there was a mile+ to go.

The End-

Miles 11-13- 11:11, 10:58, 11:33

I wanted to be singing the I’m almost done song but instead I was having some GI issues. My stomach had decided to be pissed off- seriously?! From then on it was run until I cramped then walk until it eased. Grrr. During one of my walk breaks I noticed someone familiar pass me. I wasn’t sure but I hollered Bix anyways- it was! Bix was my very first race buddy- we ran a few races together years ago. Until I convinced her to run Firehouse 5K with me without knowing how brutal it was- she never ran with me again. 😛 This was her fist half marathon! We chatted a bit, discussed how the slanted roads were killing us and I warned her another hill was coming around mile 12. We separated then but it was cool seeing her. I did my run/ walk thing until the very end. I swear this race has the longest last .25 mile. Every single time I run it, it drags on forever! But finally, the finish line was in sight!

Finish- 2:20:35

Well, that’s not too bad! Actually it is my fastest half marathon finish this year! There are a couple of points where I know I lost time but who’s to say I wouldn’t have lost it somewhere else. The shoelaces thing drives me crazy though. I never have that problem but now I have at the last two races! Grrr.

Once I crossed the finish I was given my medal and then a tumbler and then a sticker. Hey, that’s new! Kind of helps make up for the tiny shirt. 😛 I got out of the chute but hung around as I wanted to see Bix finish. Woo hoo!

I was still feeling a little green so I met up with my mom and we just got ourselves out of everyone’s way. I got myself under control and we headed out to find a yummy lunch.

All in all, I would say this was a solid race. I was way more consistent than I thought I would be. I won’t complain about being faster than I figured- neither would my mom- she’d waited long enough. That said, I believe I ran the best I could for where I was at the time- both mentally and physically. I wanted to run a good race, one to clear away the lingering issues with my other halves this year. I wanted to run a race that would help me dust the cobwebs in my head.

Mission accomplished-✅ Can’t wait til next year.

2016 HOB Fun Run 10k/5k

Woo hoo! First race(s) since the marathon! And it was one of my favorites. 🙂

I think I’ve talked enough about the logistics of this race over the years, even recently with my origin story. But if you’re looking for those details you can check out my reviews over on bibrave.com. Funny thing- a coworker called me today and asked if I had ever googled HOB Fun Run and clicked on images. No, why? So I did it. Holy crap, the images are either of me or taken by me. WTH?! And man, I change my hair color a lot. 😛

Race morning dawned early and of course my stomach was being an asshat. Lovely. I didn’t get to the start as early as I wanted. I had planned on attempting a warm up but was only able to get in a few blocks of walking. I stashed my shirt for the 5K at the refreshment table and lined up at the start.

10K

Loop 1- Miles 1-3 – 9:25, 9:54, 10:08

The plan had been to try and get as close to goal half marathon pace as possible but I knew from the moment I woke up that wasn’t likely. Mile 1 was my quickest of the race. My legs felt ok but I was feeling really sluggish and couldn’t seem to find another gear. Mile 2 was more of the same but I just kept running. I was hoping I just needed some time to warm up and would pick up the pace soon. Around mile 2.25 something felt weird on my left foot. I looked down and my shoelace was completely untied and flapping around. Huh?! I think my shoes have only come untied one other time…ever. I pulled to the side to retie but seemed to have lost all motor skills- it took forever! As I was coming up on mile 3 towards the start line I could hear the motorcycle police officer coming up behind me. Which meant I was about to get lapped by the race leaders. Yay. So they ran a 10K faster that I completed the 3.1 miles of loop one. Ouch. Loop one- 30:25 minutes.

10k-race-133 — Part of me wants to burn this picture source

Loop 2- miles 4-6- 10:24, 10:08, 10:21

I was getting more and more sluggish as I ran. The skies were clear and the smoke has been gone for a while but my lungs were not happy at all. Walk breaks became a real thing and I used my inhaler a few times. A woman came up behind me just before mile 4 and asked if I was ok- I was coughing a bit and she saw me pull out my inhaler. We ended up leap frogging each other the rest of the way. We chatted a bit occasionally too. She was from out of town and had registered the day before when she saw the booth in the park. I said something about how it just wasn’t my day out there and things were rougher than they should have been. I whined. I later felt like an asshat when I overheard her on the phone saying it was one of her best races. And I was whining the whole time- I’m sorry!!! I hit mile 5 around 50 minutes and wondered if I could push the pace to finish under 1 hour. Yeah no.

Finish- 1:02:55

Not the race I had hoped for but it was what I expected in those rare moments that I am realistic with myself. 😛 I missed the group photo opp so I grabbed my other shirt and then hauled ass to my car. I changed my shirt and my shoes. The last 2 miles of the 10k in my Nikes felt like my feet were on fire. Luckily I had the Hoka’s in my car.

Cool thing about this race is that a lot of kids run, bike or scoot with their parents. It’s just an accepted part of the race and there’s never any talk about bandits, which is cool since I ran with 2 coworkers and 2 kids. 🙂 One coworker brought her 2 kids and they were going to ride their scooters with us. I’ve learned that running with kids is more like fartlek training. 😛 Run!!!!!! Walk. Run!!!!!! Walk. Water! It was kind of awesome. And major props to my coworker- she was hauling a backpack with water and at one point was carrying both scooters. Moms rock! About halfway, her son (5) started fading and her daughter(7) started pulling ahead. I caught up with her and from then on we were in two teams. I did whatever she wanted to do and I learned that I should hang out 7 year olds more- she was awesome. At one point she asked why she could smell donuts. I told her we were passing the donut shop and pointed it out. Her response? “Oh, come on!”. I busted up laughing and for the next few blocks we talked about food. 🙂 She tired of the scooter so I started carrying it. It took me a few minutes to figure it out, luckily I only bruised one shin. I asked her is she wanted to wait for her mom and brother to catch up and she said no so we bolted to the finish.

45:17

All in all, was a good day and a fun one. I look forward to next year’s race.

The San Francisco Marathon Recap

I can’t believe this post is here. How did the 6 months since I registered fly by so fast?

I was also seriously doubting that I would be able to write this post. I was losing my mind the 2 weeks leading up to race day. I even had a back up plan all picked out. I was going to have some valid (to me) reason to quit at the halfway point and then say I was going to run a local marathon in October. And then come up with some reason by then why I couldn’t. This was still in my mind even on expo day.

Race day dawned all too quickly. I stayed in bed until the last moment. I got up, got dressed, panicked a bit and we were out the door. Disclaimer moment- the way I fueled for this race was specific to me and my weird stomach- I in no way recommend it. I did not eat anything prior to the race. My Camelback was filled with orange Gatorade and I had Honey Stinger chews in the front pockets.

Ashley was awesome enough to drop me off as close to the start as possible before she parked and Uber’ed to the Second half starting line. I felt like I needed a bathroom but couldn’t find the port-a-potties. I stood in the line for the one pier bathroom I saw but decided screw it about 5 minutes before they closed the gates to my starting wave. So I lost my throw away layer, took a place near the 2:30 half marathon pacer and took a deep breath. Wave 7 started right on time at 6:22 and we were off.

Miles 1-5 Hello, speedy. 10:40, 10:48, 11:08, 10:48, 10:54

I started at what felt like a comfortable pace and just tried to enjoy the sights of running along the Embarcadero in SF. Ocean views, boats and the prettiest McDonald’s I’d ever seen. I saw Coit Tower in the distance. I came up behind the 4:55 pacer and tucked myself in behind them. I heard the guy say that he was planning on running everything but the hills- those he would walk. Perfect! That had been my strategy anyway. Hit the first water station- I walked through and drank some water. Mile 3 included the first hill but it was a baby one so I almost ran it but forced myself to walk. Yeah, remember how that pacer said he would walk the hills? His walk was my running pace. We ran into the Presidio and I caught up with the pace group again. We were looping around towards the bridge and all I could see was the fog around the bridge. My mother was tracking me via the app and she sent me a text telling me to watch my pace. No problem as up next was another hill…and it was bigger. I took 2 Honey Stinger chews at mile 5. My Garmin was also about .25 miles off the mile markers.

Miles 6-10 Hello bridge. 13:00, 11:11, 11:20, 12:07, 11:34

Totally lost the pace group on this climb. I kept them in my sights until the bridge and then they were gone. I had been looking forward to running the bridge and enjoying the sights but Karl had other plans. I thought I was prepared for fog but yeah no. This was more like rain. The mist was making me wet and the bridge was drenched in water. There were metal plates that were slick and I almost face planted twice. I slowed down as my shoes filled with water. Grrr. Once across the bridge we looped Vista Point before heading back to the bridge. The aid station as Vista Point was having some issues- they had run out of premixed Nuun and were low on filled water cups. I still managed to snag one but I was glad I had my Camelbak and was sipping on Gatorade every mile or so. Then I was heading back over the bridge and I was done with the fog and the water- I wanted off the bridge. Coming off the bridge led to another hill but it was a little drier and less foggy so I was loving it. I took another 2 chews at mile 10.

Miles 11-15 Kind of a blur. 10:46, 12:55, 12:45, 11:42, 12:43

Downhill holla! It was too short. I was bouncing back and forth with the 5:10 pace group. What the hell? I was on track for a 2:30 half and they were ahead of the 2:30 pace group. They eventually left me in the dust so I have no idea when they finished. I started to slow down but can’t pinpoint why, I was still walking the hills and there were a lot but I was running a decent pace on the rest. We ran through city streets until we turned into Golden Gate Park. The second half runners were merging with us and the first half runners were heading towards their finish line. I didn’t even think about following them. I hit the halfway point at 2:33:13. Ok, a little slower than I hoped for but still good. I had been told the second half was less hilly so I was hoping for a negative split. Oh, naive Slacker. Miles 14 and 15 were a longish out and back and it was a bit mind numbing. Mile marker 15 was also in the wrong spot. My watch said 14.5 miles and I knew it was ahead anyways. Grrr. 2 more chews around 15.

Miles 16-18 Uh oh miles. 13:03, 13:29, 13:54

We were deep in the park looping paths and I passed an aid station around 15.5 They were also having troubles keeping up with the demand. I felt ok so I grabbed a cup of water and kept going. Just before the mile 16 marker, things changed. My stomach cramped in a very bad way. I knew there was a bathroom 1/2 mile behind me but the thought of adding distance to already long race was too much. So I walked more than I would have like and ran when I could. I knew the next bathrooms had to be around 2 miles farther. I am sure that at any other time, I would have enjoyed looking at the park around me but I just wanted the hell out of the place. I felt like we were looping around forever. I could even hear the First Half finish line but had no idea where it was coming from. Let me out! We were finally out of the loops and running past the First Half finish, I just kept looking for the bathrooms. Aid station!!! I ran towards the port-a-potties but it didn’t have toilet paper. Nor the second or the third. WTF?! Success at the fourth. And nothing happened!! Stupid stomach. Since I wasn’t breaking any speed goals I made sure to use the hand washing station before running on. I have to say the cold water felt amazing. Considering the pitstop in mile 18, I have no idea how it came in at only 13:54. Ashley started texting me encouragement at this point along with my mom so I had those to look forward to.

Miles 19-21 Park, still?! 12:33, 12:18, 11:38

I’m still in the park?! Yes, it was pretty but I felt like it was taking forever. As we were finally coming out of the park there was a group of ummm, homeless men to the right. They were cheering on the runners as we ran by. One shouted out the he had heard that cannabis helped increase stamina. Ummm, thanks? I admit it made me laugh though and I dug myself out of my park coma as we headed towards Haight-Ashbury. I glanced at my watch around mile 20 and knew I was slower than my 20 mile training run but it is what it is. These hills were no joke. I ate 2 more chews at mile 20 and water at every aid station.

Miles 22-24 Headphone time. 12:55, 12:28, 12:55

The beginning of the city streets were pretty and interesting to look at but I needed a kick in the pants so I turned on my music around mile 21. Yes, I ran 21 miles with nothing but sounds of my breathing and the sounds on the course. I only had one earbud in so I could still check out my surroundings. I passed a Taco Bell/ KFC combo and the smell of fried chicken made me nauseous. I passed cool looking houses and homeless tents camped on the sidewalks. I passed the scariest Burger King I’ve seen in my life. I ran passed a man in jeans, heeled boots and a black lace bra singing to the runners. I won’t lie, I was getting tired and my hips were hurting but I kept trucking. I did have to slow down for a cable car to go through the course. The last few miles were very industrial.

Miles 25-26 Damn is the bridge ever getting closer? 12:30, 5:57, 12:05

Yeah, I did something funky to my Garmin there and by this point in the race, my watch was reading 1/2 mile longer than the course. AT&T Stadium and the Bay Bridge were looming but they seemed like mirages in the distance, never getting closer. The crowds picked up as we got closer- it was a game day so there were people heading into the stadium. We ran around the stadium and back onto the Embarcadero. I wish I could say I was running this last bit but it was more like run 100 yards, walk 100 yards. Text messages were coming in constantly from friends and family in the last 1/2 mile but I just ignored them. Turns out my mom was posting my time updates to Facebook while I was running.

26.2 Holy crap. 5:22:27

Crowds were cheering, under the bridge and to the finish line. I actually did it. I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch.

Then I just stood there, I had no idea what to do next and there wasn’t much direction. I was finally handed a bottle of water and pointed towards the medals which were farther away than I was used to. From there, I found a picture line but still little to no direction from the volunteers. I marched in place while in line and responded to my mom’s texts and then Ashley’s. Then I was out of the picture line and headed towards food tables where volunteers handed me a banana and bar of sort but no bag to carry them. I didn’t have the manual dexterity to carry all that plus my pack which I had taken off at some point and I was starting to get emotional. I ended up standing in the road just past that and started crying. What was wrong with me?! Ashley called me and I headed towards where she said she was but I was feeling very lost. I found her and her sister and calmed down a bit. They asked me how I was feeling and what I needed. I said that physically I was feeling ok but I didn’t really feel like food. I was really craving a Diet Coke. Ashley’s sister went and found me a soda while Ashley and I headed to the challenge tent to pick up my California Dreamin’ medal.

I am not sure how I went from being a hot mess for 2 weeks to never even doubting that I could finish come race day. The fog made me wheeze during the bridge miles, the hills kicked my ass but I just kept running. I saw the turn off for the first half finish but it never seemed like an option. I was slower than I would have liked but I just kept moving forward. I walked more than I would have like but I just kept moving. I somehow managed to thank volunteers on the back half of the course, I talked to another “marathon virgin” on the course and spoke to one of the bad ass ultra runners. I am not a talker during races. At the finish a guy thanked me for pushing him. Umm, what? Turns out he focused on my socks for the last bit and followed me.

It’s been 2 days and I still haven’t processed a lot from the race or training. There will probably be another post coming. And a whole lot of thank yous to people.

You guys, I ran a marathon!!!!

2016 Rock’n Around the Pier Half Recap

I love beach races and I hate them at the same time. I have learned that I personally will never set a PR on sand. Partly due to the sand and partly due to how the humidity jacks with my lungs. Either way, I seem to be a glutton for punishment as I keep signing up for them. Plus this race tends to fall around my birthday so it’s become sort of an unofficial tradition.

This was my third year running some form of this race this year, second time running the half. I didn’t have many goals going in other than complete the first part of my last big run and maybe finish quicker than 2014’s hot mess.

Yeah, neither of those were achieved. In fact, I managed to turn in my slowest half ever! That said, this recap will be a little different than my usual ones.

The morning started off interesting as I made it all the way down my driveway before realizing that I had forgotten my Garmin. Seriously? I actually debated going on without it but in the end I went back to get it. I had hoped to run a little warm up prior to the race but my stomach was feeling iffy so I headed straight to the bathroom lines after parking. Major props to clean, well stocked real bathrooms. Once that was taken care of, I walked around the Rock parking lot and tried to shake loose. Then I headed for the starting chute. For the first time, I was actually in the chute when the race started. I can’t say that for the other years. 😛

It was clear at the start and I was hopeful it would stay that way. The first 2 miles actually felt pretty good. 9:59, 10:31. My legs were cooperating and the sand wasn’t too bad. I was naively hopeful that things were going to stay that way.

Around mile 2.5, we hit the rocks at North Point. They were no joke. We bottle necked and slowed to crawl as we all tried to figure out the best way to cross them without breaking our faces. Once that was done, it was back to the beach to run on. Around mile 2 we had started to run into the marine layer. And it was dense. But I ignored it. Until I couldn’t. 11:18, 11:18, 11:31.

I could not breathe. My lungs were so tight. I was slowing down with every mile. I seriously considered quitting at the pier. When all the 10k’ers were heading to their finish line and I had to turn around and head the other way. I almost quit. Almost. But my car was at the rock, my parents were coming to the finish and San Francisco has fog right? Besides the pier was clear so I was hoping the marine layer was burning off. Mile 6-12:29

I was wrong. Half a mile later, we were back in it. And it seemed worse. I was struggling big time. I tried running .75 miles, walking .25. Couldn’t do it. Next was running .5 miles and walking .25. Another fail. Ok, how about .4 mile run, .1 mile walk. More fail. Ok, walking was fine. Walking was moving forward right? 12:55, 12:44, 12:41

Breathing was so damn hard. My throat was on fire, my lungs and chest hurt. I was beginning to wonder if you could OD on an inhaler. But there was no where to go but forward. There was only one way off the beach.

The rock patch the second time through was sketchier- by now I was mostly by myself and there was no one to follow. Plus I was tired. But I made it and knew I had less than 3 miles to go. The fog was so dense, I was beginning to worry I was going to miss the turn off to head up the beach for the loop around the park. Someone came up behind me and passed me so I just followed them. Between the rocks and sinking in the dune sand, I had slowed to a crawl but I just kept moving. 14:33, 15:59, 14:16

I was able to pick up a bit of speed on the pavement around the park but not much of anything. I suppose I could have quit at that aid station but the finish was less than 1.5 away. So back to the beach to finish out my crawl. I was a mile from the rock but I could not even see it through the marine layer. It was getting patchier so I was keeping my fingers crossed for sunshine. Half a mile from the finish and my wish was granted. Way too late but oh well. 13:13

The advantage of crawling? I was able to spot my parents and wave to the camera as I jogged in. 😛

Finish 2:46:15 New personal worst!!!

So yeah, that was fun. I actually finished with a smile on my face though. It is what is. Was it the race I wanted? No. But I listened to my body and slowed way down. Had there been anywhere to go, I may have quit but in reality there weren’t any shortcuts after the pier so I just kept going. I do wonder now if the race is prepared for emergencies though, I only saw what looked like a course monitor once. And it could have just been a cyclist in a yellow vest- who knows?

I do however know that I cannot run 26 miles like that. So now I am hoping for a clear day in San Francisco. Fingers crossed!!!!

I still really love this race. I will be back next year… but maybe just the 10k. 😛