Princess Half Marathon Race Recap

I'm finally sitting down to write my long-overdue race recap of Disney's Princess Half Marathon.  While I'm usually late in writing my recaps these days (my poor, neglected blog), this is different. I've delayed writing it not because I've been busy  (although I am) but because I really did not like this race. I suffered too much.

I need to backtrack first.  I really did not have any intention of running another Disney race. I had done two at Disneyland (the Disneyland Half Marathon in 2010 and the Tinker Bell Half Marathon in 2013).  While I enjoyed both, I had vowed to never run another Disney race.  For me, they are WAY overpriced, and getting up so early (usually at 2:30, since their races start before it gets light in order to have the course clear by the time the parks open) is dreadful. I mean, I am used to getting up early for races, but 2:30 is ridiculous.  Plus, while it's fun to run in the parks, for the most part the course is NOT in the parks.  For example, most of the races at Disneyland (in California) spend about 3 miles in the parks, while the other 10 miles are along the not-so-exciting streets of Anaheim.  So my attitude has been "been there; run that" and I decided Disney was off my list for future races.

Except....except for the fact that my family had booked a vacation to Walt Disney World, in Florida, during our ski week holiday in February.  (I need to write a whole post on our fabulous Disney World experience).  And, as it turned out, the Princess Half Marathon was to be run on the last day of our week there.  Since I have a goal to run a half marathon in every state, and hadn't run in Florida yet, I signed up. I mean, I would already be there, right? I hear this race sells out pretty instantaneously, and was actually on the road traveling back from my Vineman 70.3 Half Ironman when registration opened, so we had to make sure I had access to a computer while on the trip.  Luckily, I was able to register (I didn't even want to try for the adjunctive 10k the day before; I didn't care about their Glass Slipper Challenge) and was all set. (For irony, I will also be running in the Tinker Bell Half Marathon again in a few week; I decided that since I was doing a race at WDW I might as well earn my Coast to Coast medal as well [the Coast to Coast medal is awarded if you do a race at both Disneyland AND Disney World in the same calendar year].  And because my two races are Princess and Tinker Bell, I get the special pink medal.  In for a penny, out for a pound).

I also need to give some foreshadowing.  On January 17th, I ran a full marathon.  The end was very painful, with shooting pain in my quads and inner/outer thighs.  After the race, I didn't run for a few days.  I then did a slow 3 mile run, and felt great.  A few days later, I ran other 3 miles, and was fine. The next weekend, I decided I wanted to run 6 miles (in preparation for Princess) and things fell apart.  The first four miles were great; then at mile 4, I had the same shooting pain, in both legs, in both inner and outer thighs.  I felt like I was at mile 23 of the marathon! I hobbled the 2 miles home, and decided not to run for the next 3 weeks (at that point it was 3 weeks until Princess).  I swam, I biked, and I walked, but I didn't run for 3 weeks. I wanted to rest my legs and heal.

On February 13 my family left for a whirlwind trip to Orlando.  I will write about this in another post, but suffice to say we went to all four Disney Parks, plus Universal Studios.  We did tons of walking (easily 10 miles or more each day) but I wasn't in any pain.  We stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside Resort, a gorgeous Disney property.  I needed to get to packet pickup, which was inconveniently located at the ESPN Wide World of  Sports Complex (I am used to Disneyland, with everything from packet pick up to both parks within close walking distance).  We decided to hit packet pickup the day before the race, and timed it so that I would arrive close to opening. I'm glad I chose this route, as I heard that the lines for packet pickup on previous days were horrendous.  By going Saturday, I missed all the people who had to come early to pick up their packets for the 5k and/or 10k.  A runDisney bus picked my family up from my hotel and dropped us off at ESPN.  The complex was HUGE, and I told my family to wait by the bus while I went in. I'm glad I did----it was FAR---probably about half a mile from the bus dropoff point---and even when I got there I was directed all over the place. Seriously, I had bib pickup in one location, then had to go to another building for my shirt.  It was a LONG walk and I don't think either of my children would have fared well, especially since we were off to the Magic Kingdom after with a long day of walking ahead. I was able to bypass all the vendors, and just escape with my bib and shirt.  After running back to my family, who was waiting patiently by the bus stop, we were able to continue our day.

ESPN Wide World of Sports

After a long day at the Magic Kingdom, I was able to head back to the hotel to get ready and go to sleep. I was going to dress like Mr. Smee (from Peter Pan), a costume I borrowed from a woman in a local running group.  I pinned my bib to the shirt, filled my Gatorade bottles, put Gu in my fuel belt, and went to bed by 9:30.  I had a 2:30 wake-up call coming.  RunDisey provides bus transportation from all of it's hotels (a perk of staying on the property) and the first bus was coming to my hotel at 3:00 a.m. I wanted to be on the first bus, especially since my hotel was so huge that it had 4 different bus stops.  I got up and dressed (quietly, as my family was sleeping) and headed out to the nearest bus stop by 2:50.  Right at 3:00 a bus arrived, and I was able to get on. I heard later from other runners that buses got very full and they had to wait for other buses; I'm glad I got on the first one.

shivering and waiting

pre-race

A long drive later, and we were dropped off in the waiting area. I'm pretty sure this was by EPCOT.  It was rather chilly, and I was glad I had worn a throw-away jacket. We had to go through security, which I don't think we need to do at Disneyland, unless they've changed things in the few years since I've run.  As it was still very early, there was no line for the many port-a-potties, and I was able to get in and out.  Then I sat alone and waited, and waited and waited.  A DJ blasted music, and I watched the potty line get longer and longer, and I amused myself by looking at all the wonderful costumes. Truly, this is the best part of a Disney race----most runners dress up like some sort of Disney character, and I love seeing people's creativity.

Finally, a LONG time later, it was time to walk to the starting corrals. I had been trying to meet up with a long-time online friend from a mom's group I'm in---she was there to cheer on her husband---and right as I was about to walk to the start I was able to say hi. I was sad it was such a short meeting, but at least we got a quick hug in! I'll see her next week at Tinker Bell, hopefully.  Anyhow, the walk to the starting line was long.  LONG! I didn't measure it, but I would guess about 3/4 mile. At least 20 minutes, and along a very dark road. Crazy long walk.  I was in Corral F (corrals were based on proof of finishing time; they went from A-P).  I ducked into a port-o-potty before I got into the corral, and was there in time for the National Anthem and the Corral A send-off.  Disney is great in that each corral gets its own sendoff, complete with fireworks.  Eventually it was my corral's turn to cross the start line and we were off!

I started with a conservative run/walk ratio. I can't recall if it was 2:1 run/walk, or 1:1 run/walk, but whatever it was, I was fine.  No pain.  It was still pitch dark, and I just concentrated on the road ahead, which was decently well-lit but not super well.  I don't know Disney geography, and since I was shuttled around on the Disney buses all week I didn't need to learn, so I really have no clue where we were running. I"m pretty sure the course runs from EPCOT to the Magic Kingdom and back, but I'm not positive. Regardless, I started off great.  About mile in there was a character stop, with a long line of runners waiting to take their picture. I have never stopped to take character pictures during a Disney race, and told myself that I would only stop if there were Peter Pan characters. After all, I WAS dressed like Mr. Smee!

Things were going great, and I was having fun, until mile 4.  When I hit mile 4 I got the same pains in my legs as I did during that training run 3 weeks ago.  The exact same pain.  Both legs, running down both my inner and outer thighs, along with my quads.  What the heck?  I had no idea what was going on. I tried to run, but the pain literally stopped me in my tracks. I decided to try to lower my run/walk ratio, but I couldn't even run for 30 seconds. Actually, I couldn't even run a step.  This was not a pain I could run through; it was a debilitating pain.  The three weeks of rest had done no good at all.

the closest I came to a Peter Pan character stop

At this point, I had a choice to make: continue and walk the last 9 miles, or drop out.  And dropping out was NOT an option to me.  If it was a local race in San Diego, I have no doubt I would have stopped and called my husband to pick me up.  But this was my Florida half marathon. I wanted to cross Florida off my list of states.  Not only that, but if I didn't finish Princess, then doing Tink would make no sense. It didn't hurt to walk (and if it did, I would have had no choice but to quit) so walk it was.  I have never walked a half marathon before (heck, I've never walked a 5k before, except the one I did last year with my daughter) but I had no choice.  I had to walk from mile 4 to mile 13.1.

lots and lots of character stops. I stopped at none.

adorable Mary Poppins and Bert costumes

Soon after I had to drop to a walk, we entered the Magic Kingdom. It seemed to take forever from the time we passed through the entrance of the parking lot to the the entrance to the park.  Here there were lots of people on the sidelines cheering.  I entered Main Street (always fun) and again tried to run, but couldn't. UGH!  I continued walking, through Tomorrowland to Fantasyland.  When it was time to run through Cinderella's Castle (with Anna and Elsa from Frozen up above; that was fun!)  I decided to suck it up and run that part. It hurt like hell, but hey, I HAD to run through the castle!

Elsa and Anna

All too soon we left the Magic Kingdom and were back to streets.  This is what I don't like about Disney races; they advertise that you're running through the parks, and you are, but not for very long.  I walked and walked and walked, entertaining myself with my iPod and looking at people's costumes. More character stops were along the way, but I didn't stop---until I got to a green Army guy from Toy Story who was by himself, shouting at people, so I quickly grabbed a selfie with him.

I started to get concerned about my time.  The cutoff for the race is 3:30 (a 16 minute mile pace), which I believe is technically 3 hours and 30 minutes from the time the last runner in the last corral crosses the start line (or something like that). There are the famous "Balloon Ladies", who walk behind the runners and will sweep any runner that falls over the pace. I certainly didn't want to get swept, yet my walk pace was awful.  There was one point where we were on an overpass (I think this was as hilly as it got on this pancake-flat course) and I looked down and saw THOUSANDS of runners behind me. Then I was able to relax. I guess because I started in Corral F, and ran most of the first 4 miles, I was totally fine on time.

overpass---thousands behind me

loved this Mary Poppins and her chimney sweeps!

guy in an awesome Ariel costume

the best signs I saw

entering EPCOT

Finally, we entered EPCOT. By this point I was dying to be done. I was hot, tired, and sick of walking!  I had figured that we'd run in the entrance and run through the park and around the lake through the World Showcase.  That was not the case; we ran (or, in my case, walked) through a side entrance, up to the edge of Future World, and then made a U-turn.  Whew!  We really were barely in EPCOT at all, but by that point I was glad.  We exited, and not long after that was the finish line.  I crossed it, got my medal, a mylar blanket, box of food, and headed straight for the bus. My family was waiting for me back at the hotel, and we had to check out soon. I had planned on being back hours earlier. I had hoped to be done in 2:45, and finished in 3:50.  My slowest half marathon EVER, by almost an hour.

weary finisher

While I'm disappointed by my performance in this race, I'm also proud of myself.  I finished. I was in extreme pain running, and when running wasn't an option I chose to still walk, to move forward, to finish what I started. 

Holiday Half Marathon Race Recap 2015

The San Diego Holiday Half Marathon is now in its 3rd year, but this was my first time running it.  The first year it didn't fit into my training for my half-Ironman, and my coach didn't want me running it and risking injury.  Last year I was on a New Year's cruise with my family.  So I was thrilled when I could finally sign up  for this local race!  The start is not far from where I live, and the course goes down the SR-56 bike path, a path that I frequently bike on en route to the coast.

As I'm marathon training, and it was 3 weeks away from this race (gulp) this actually fit it well with my plan. My coach wanted me to run 18 miles that day, so the idea of running 13 of them supported, with water stops and tons of people, was very appealing. The plan was for me to run the race, then immediately set out to do 5 more. I knew this would be hard, not only physically (this would be my longest training run to date) but mentally---after a half marathon, I want to collapse, not run 5 more miles!

Packet pickup was very easy the day before.  A quick stop at Road Runner Sports gave me my bib, long-sleeved tech shirt, and goodie bag (complete with a mylar blanket and some gloves--which I wore the next day).  It was very organized.

I made a critical mistake on race day. Because the start line was so close to my house, and I didn't need to be there until 7:00 (race started at 7:30, but the local chapter of Moms Run This Town [MRTT] was meeting at 7:00 for a group photo) I decided I didn't need to leave my house until 6:30. I thought I'd have time to spare! The problem was, of course, traffic.  I got to the race site in minutes, but sat in traffic for a while. In fact, the shopping center where I  had planned to park was full! I  ended up having to park a half mile away and hoof it to the meeting place.  A rookie mistake.  Even if the race is around the corner, I should always leave earlier than I think. I  knew better, and was upset with myself for this mistake.

I met the group for pictures, met up with two friends that I'd be running with (Andrea and Beth) and made our way over to the bathroom line, which didn't move at all!  We were still waiting when the National Anthem was sung!  We finally finished right when our corral was about to go off.  Nothing like rushing at the last minute!  As it was cold (in the high 30's), I was bundled in long pants, a long sleeve shirt, arm warmers under the shirt, with a throw-away jacket, throw-away hat, and throw-away gloves with hand warmers stuck in.  Of course, by mile 2, I was so warm I was able to shed all my throw-away clothes and soak up the sunshine.

Steve, my coach, had a plan for me----run the first few miles at a 1:1 ratio (run 1 minutes, walk 1 minute)....the next few at 2:1....the next few at 3:1....then back to 2:1 for the last mile.  The last 5 miles of my run (after the race) would be done at 1:1.  I felt good throughout the run. At times I got a little tired, but I never wavered from my race plan. It also helped to have Andrea and Beth there to chat with!  In fact, it was my first-ever half marathon not to use music at all (except for the half marathons that come at the end of my half-Ironmans---no music is allowed in triathlon). It was nice to have conversation to get my mind off the task at hand.

There were several aid stations with water--- only one had some sort of sports drink, a new one to me that was so disgusting that I spit it out.  I was glad I had brought my own!  We also passed one table over halfway through that had empty boxes of Honey Stingers----but they were all out by the time we arrived.  That was a big fail, as there were still tons of runners behind us.  A race in it's 3rd year should be prepared.  Again, I had my own nutrition and fuel, but know others may not have been as lucky.

Around mile 9 Andrea decided to slow down, as her asthma was acting up (she was also recovering from a cold). We had already discussed before the race that we would stick together as long as we could, but if I were faster, or she was faster, we'd pull ahead. I felt bad, but as we had discussed this earlier and I was using this as a training run for my marathon, not a fun run, I pulled ahead with Beth. I was happy to see Andrea a few miles later looking strong on an out-and-back!

The course is not too pretty, as I knew it wouldn't be---I've ridden that course literally countless times on my bike and knew most of us would be by the freeeway----but the time flew by. Soon we saw the finish line up ahead, and did a small sprint to cross.  We finished in about 2:44---slower than I usually am, but then again, I wasn't running hard, as I still had 5 miles left to run!  I got my medal,  stuffed it in my fuel belt, went to the bathroom, drank some pickle juice, and said goodbye to Beth and another friend I ran into---and was on my way!

 After 5 more miles at a 1:1 ratio (2.5 miles up the coast and back) I made it back in time to catch the shuttle back to the start. I was thrilled to run into another friend of mine waiting. In fact, this friend is currently battling breast cancer, is actively undergoing chemotherapy, and made it to mile 11 before she was pulled for not making the time requirement. So inspiring!

This race was a perfect end-of-the-year event for me. Close to my house, a not-too-challenging course, and a good event to continue training into the later months.  In fact, I am signed up to run it again in 2016---it will be good to have something to train for after my next half-Ironman (I'm doing my 4th, Ironman Santa Cruz 70.3, in September).  Yes, there were a few snafus (running out of fuel, and I heard that the shuttle line was a bit dangerous in the parking lot) but it was fun enough for me to re-enter.

Silver Strand Half Marathon Race Recap 2015

Wow!  Once again, it's been a long time since I've sat down to write.  I have a few races to recap, and while I should probably just skip the recaps, I will do them....mainly because I like to look back on what I've done. I write mainly for myself, after all.

Last Sunday I ran the Silver Strand Half Marathon.  Truth be told, I had not been planning on running this race. I did it once before, back in 2011, and hated it.  First of all, I didn't like how flat and boring the course was. And it was very hot outside.  But secondly, I believe that this is where my disc herniated---it was the first time ever I had felt the glute/sciatic nerve pain that I deal with to this day, 4 years later.  I think it herniated while running it.  So I've always had bad memories of this race, and haven't done it since. But I won a free entry to the race on a contest on my local chapter of Moms Run This Town (MRTT).  I couldn't beat the price!  Plus, it fit in perfectly with training for my upcoming full marathon, as I was going to run 13 miles that weekend anyway.  I might as well run with other runners, aid stations, and get a medal at the end!


Packet pickup was easy-peasy the Friday before the race at Road Runner Sports.  I was in and out in 2 minutes flat.  I was hoping for a long-sleeved tech shirt, as I got back in 2011, but this year it was short sleeved.  Oh well.  It was weird getting ready for the race. Even though it was my 25th half marathon (!!!!!) (not counting the 3 half marathons that came at the end of my half-Ironmans) I hadn't run one since June, and was out of practice preparing.  The night before, J and I went out to dinner to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary, so I definitely didn't prepare well that way---I was up late and had a drink with dinner, something I would normally avoid the night before a big race.

gorgeous view of the San Diego Bay while on the shuttle.  Coronado Bridge in the background

start line

I got up at 5:15 the next morning (much later than last time, as I'm seeing from my 2011 recap) and was out the door by 5:45.  I easily found parking in the Silver Strand State Beach parking lot, made use of the real toilet in the lot (hoping to avoid the port-o-potty line) and was on a shuttle by 6:45 to the start. (As a side note, I purchased a parking pass for $6 to park in this lot, and my pass was never checked.  A waste of money).  I met up with the MRTT group at 7:00 for a picture, then found a few more friends to chat with before the race started at 7:30.  The weather was gorgeous---overcast and cool. I had brought a throw-away jacket to toss at mile 1, but it was nice enough pre-race that I gear checked it to save for another race.

me and my friend Smitha

me and my friend Ruth

My friend and coach, Steve, had a plan for me for the race.  Normally, I run a 2:1 run/walk ratio (run 2 minutes, walk 1).  This helps me with my sciatic pain when I have it, and has really kept me running.  The last long run I had done, which was 11 miles the week before, he had me do a 1:1 ratio (run 1 minute, walk 1 minute).  While I was slower than I'd like to be, it was great---I had finished feeling good.  And, my goal for the upcoming marathon isn't so much about a finishing time as it is about finishing strong.  For this race, Steve wanted me to do the first 4.5 miles at a 1:1 ratio; the second 4.5 miles at a 2:1 ratio, then the rest of the race (miles 9-13.1) at a 3:1 ratio.  He said this would give me a triple negative split (a negative split is running the second half of a race faster than the first half) and have me finish strong.

pre-race----ready to run 13.1!

I was wary about this plan, but decided to go for it.  So the first several miles, I did a 1:1 ratio. This part is always hard for me.  It's hard to walk when I am first starting out---I feel so good and the crowd energy around me makes me want to keep running!  But I forced myself to stick to the plan, and even at the start, I did the 1:1 ratio.  The first few miles are nice----going through Coronado, passing the Hotel del Coronado (where I got engaged), etc.  But soon  we entered the Silver Strand (this stretch of land connects the "island" of Coronado to Imperial Beach) where it is pretty much flat, boring and ugly, at least to me.  I just kept plugging away, keeping my ratio.  Soon the 2:45 pace group passed me, which bummed me out, because I really wanted to finish under that.  My usual times are between 2:30-2:40 (with some times more and less than) and I really hoped to finish in 2:40. I wasn't trying to PR, just train, but ideally I didn't want to go over 2:45.  But regardless of the time, I wanted a strong race.

it was like this most of the run. I never even wore my sunglasses!

At mile 4.5, I changed the alert on my Garmin to do a 2:1 ratio.  By this time I felt very warmed up and was doing great!  There was a couple, a man and woman, that I kept leapfrogging. They would pass me on my walk breaks and I would pass them on my run segment.  They were running consistently without walking and I wanted to get away from them but couldn't at my pace!  At about mile 6  I had to go to the bathroom, and was regretting not standing in that long port-o-potty line. I didn't have to go too badly, but by mile 7 that's all I could think about.  By this point we were by the State Beach (I could see my car---waaaah!) and in the distance I saw a random port-o-potty, not part of the race. I ran a bit off course and went---and was so glad I did, as I felt better!  I did add about 0.1 mile to my race, and wasted about 2 minutes, but it was minutes well spent.

At mile 9 I started the 3:1 ratio. I was nervous---how could I do 3:1 so late in the race?  Miraculously, I felt great.  Amazing.  Strong.  In fact, those miles were my fastest. I was flying! I had long passed that couple I leap-frogged with (I later saw them walking), and in the distance I saw the 2:45 pace group. I kept my pace, walked when it was time, but soon I passed those pacers! .  I couldn't believe how good I felt.  As I wrote earlier, this was my 25th half marathon. In every single one of those other 24 races, I feel awful in the later miles.  At miles 9/10 I always feel nauseous and exhausted. I feel like I want to puke, or cry, or die. But this time, for the first time, I felt STRONG at mile 9, and felt strong to the finish!

I ended up finishing in 2:42 and change, which included that bathroom break. I'm confident that I would have finished in 2:40 if I hadn't stopped---but that's ok, I NEEDED to stop.  And I accomplished something great---a triple negative split!  Each block of 4.5 miles or so was faster than the preceding one. I felt great at the finish!

At the finish line, I found my friend Marianne, and we headed to the shuttle and back to the cars.  Very easy.  It rained later that afternoon, so I was happy I avoided that---I got the best of both worlds, no rain and cooler/overcast weather. Yay me!

with Marianne post-race

Would I do this race again? Well, I had sworn last time that I wouldn't, and here I am again. I will consider it in future years. It IS a well-run, organized event, and a great fall option here in San Diego. Regardless of if I do it again or not, I'm very proud. It wasn't my fastest half marathon ever, but it was definitely my strongest.  This bodes well for marathon training!

Rock 'n Roll San Diego Half Marathon 2015

This is a part 2, of 2, posts. To read about the San Diego Rock 'n Roll 5k I did the day before as part of their Remix Challenge, please click here.

I signed up for this half marathon as part of my training for my next half-Ironman, which is Vineman 70.3 on July 12.  I thought a half marathon 6 weeks before would be good in my schedule. It would be my third time running this half marathon (see recaps for 2011 and 2012) and I actually did the full in 2003 as my first (and apparently not last) marathon. (No recap for that, that was done in the dark ages, before blogging).
 
To be frank, I wasn't excited about this race.  I never thought I'd do another Rock 'n Roll race. I am not a fan of the Rock 'n Roll series anymore. I have done several of their races---in addition to now three half marathons and a full in San Diego, I also did the Las Vegas half marathon in 2011, the first year they had it at night. I have not raced in any other cities, so I can't speak about them, but to me, the series has gone downhill.  I remember back in 2003...San Diego was the ONLY city they had, and they only had the full. They had a great headliner---Chris Isaac---and lots of great bands.  They said there was a band every mile, and while that wasn't quite true (there were several bands clustered together downtown, with a few miles of desolate stretches) there probably WERE 26 bands.  Even a few years ago, there were more bands.  But now? It's overdone. I just don't see the "Rock 'n Roll" in the event.  Yes, there are bands on the course, but very few.  And the price is very expensive (which is why I signed up for next year when it was only $50).  It's so commercialized now, like Disney. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, and I know there are lots of people who LOVE the Rock 'n Roll series, and the Disney series, but for me, I prefer a small-town race.

I also wasn't excited about this race because of the course.  In 2013 they changed the half course so that it goes more through neighborhoods like North Park and Normal Heights---not the greatest of neighborhoods and I was worried about that. (Spoiler: it was amazing! The course is great!)

Finally, I was running on tired legs.  Not only did I run a 5k the day before and bike almost 18 miles, but I never got a taper. For most half marathons, I do my long runs (I try to do a few 10-11 mile runs during my training cycle) but always do a taper run of 6.6 miles the weekend before. Why 6.6?  It's half the half.  But my friend and coach didn't let me taper, since this isn't an a race.  A few weeks ago I ran 9 miles, then the following weekend I ran 10, and last weekend, instead of tapering, I ran 11 miles.  And that was the day after biking 65 miles and then running 2 miles.  So, needless to say my legs were exhausted. And I'd been sick all week, even with another migraine the day before.

Now that I've set up all the reasons why I didn't want to run this race, and how I wasn't fresh for it, let me recap!

I was set to carpool with my friend T, who was doing the full (his first full since shattering his foot in a cycling accident a few years ago).  I bought a parking pass (another reason I'm unhappy with Rock 'n Roll---shuttles used to be free, now they're $5 to get on---and $15 if you want a guaranteed parking space in the garage as well. I paid the $15 and T paid $5 for himself).  They said the garage opened at 3:30, and to be there between 4 and 5, as the last shuttle would leave at 5:30.  Both T and I are obsessive about being early, so he was supposed to be at my house at 3:15. I set my alarm for 2:30, and of course, slept fitfully. I woke on my own at 2:25. I was thrilled to be headache-free! T was outside my house at 3 (he's even crazier than I am) and I happened to have been ready.  So early!   We easily got to downtown but then got a bit lost as the directions on the parking pass weren't quite right.  Luckily we were PLENTY early.  We finally got to the parking garage at 3:30---and waited in line forever, as even though it was supposed to open at 3:30, it wasn't.  Finally we got in, parked, walked over the bridge by Petco Park, and got on a shuttle.

early morning on the shuttle

We got to Balboa Park EARLY. Like 4:15 a.m.early.  Hardly anyone was there. We wandered around a bit then decided to sit, as we'd have plenty of time on our feet later.  We found a curb by the empty corrals and dozed.

what corrals look like before anyone gets there

selfie in the dark before I took a nap

And we waited.  Between dozing and using the port-o-potties a few times (the advantage of getting there early is there are no lines and they're clean) the time finally passed.   As the full started at 6:15 (an hour before I did) T had less time, so around 5:30 we walked to gear check, shed our outer clothes, and said goodbye.

before separating. See you in 26.2 miles, T!

ready to run!

Meanwhile, I circulated and found friends. I found my friend Smitha and the local chapter of the Moms Run This Town San Diego, and posed for a picture. I then ran into my friend Nichell, who is a rock star with 38 half marathons under her belt, and is the owner of Full Medal Runs (check them out for cool virtual races!).

me and Nichell

the MRTT ladies

Finally, after waiting in a LONG line to use the facilities again, it was time to head to my corral.  I was in 17.  We waited quite a while to move up, and I was happy once it was go time for my group.

fooling around with selfies while waiting in my corral

last picture before the race started

The run was good!  I started immediately with my run/walk ratio of run two minutes, walk 30 seconds. This ratio has proven great in helping with any sciatic pain from my herniated disc.  During the first mile I was feeling GREAT and looking at my Garmin I saw I was clocking paces in the 9's. NOT GOOD! I can't sustain that pace, and knew I needed to slow down if I was not going to bonk later in the race.  I finally settled into a good rhythm.  Ran through Hillcrest, by where I used to live.  Down past the crowds of people cheering, past the men-dressed-as-cheerleaders.  This part is the same as always--the race always goes down University. But in past years, we used to turn right on Park Blvd, and this time we were turning left. This was unknown territory to me. I mean, I know the area well, but I've never run there. I was excited to be running someplace new!

The weather was perfect. It was cool and overcast the entire time. I never saw the sun, not once, which is unusual for this race, which can get quite hot.  It did get a bit muggy  though, and since I overheat easily I got really warm by mile 3.  I had brought a Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad with me, something I've never run with but will be using at Vineman (I've tried it biking and it's heaven) and used that for a mile or so until I cooled off.

When we turned into the Normal Heights neighborhoods, we were in for a treat!  The people there were out in force. Tons of people out on their lawns cheering, high-fiving, giving out fruit, candy, even alcohol (yes, I saw someone in front of me take an alcoholic drink!) It was amazing. I have rarely seen that kind of support during a race.  I high-fived all the kids, laughed at all the great signs (like "running: it's not just from the cops anymore" and "run like someone just called you a jogger").  At mile 6 my best friend in the whole world was out there with his dog, and it was such a high point for me to give him a hug and get encouragement.  By that point, I was getting tired.  Really tired.  But the crowds were amazing.  It was fun to run through lines of cheerleaders, see the little kids, and realize that the neighborhoods were making a party of it.

After running back into Hillcrest, we turned and went down by another part of Balboa Park that I'm not familiar with. We merged for a bit with the marathoners, and it was impressive to see their pace---I saw the 3:30 pacer, and they are FAST! Here is where I came across something horrific, though.. Right before mile 9, I noticed a group huddled to the side, with a police car and lots of people.  Two volunteers were holding up a sheet to block the view of whatever was happening, but as I passed I was able to see.  There was a man down, and someone was doing chest compressions on him. I mean, full-on compressions, practically jumping on top of the man to do them.  It was awful. I only saw a glimpse, but I spent the next several miles in tears and praying.  I did see an ambulance about a quarter mile later, but have no clue if he survived. I know that by the time someone's getting CPR done it's usually too late, but I'm holding out hope that the man was ok. Just awful. It really made me reflect more on not only how lucky I am to do this, but that we never know when it's our time.  I'm sure the man just thought he'd run a race, and had hopefully trained, and was looking forward to it,  then this happened.

Toward the end of the race I started to pick up the pace just a tad. There were some hills, and I may have walked a bit more than I should have, but overall I just felt better.  I got a Jolly Rancher from a spectator. I got a hug from a woman holding a sign that said "free hugs". I ran into Smitha toward the end, and then ran through a tunnel they had decorated like a rave, complete with club music and neon lighting.  The last turn down toward the finish was amazing.  There were cheerleaders on a corner screaming "8 more blocks!" and I knew the end was in sight!  The finish--all downhill--was a blur. I ran the whole way, with no more walk breaks.  There were people lined on both sides of the finishing chutes (there were separate chutes for marathoners and half marathoners.  The people were several deep---there were tons!  The cheering was deafening.  It was probably the best finish line I've ever been through, in any race of any type or distance. 

I crossed the finish line. I had no real time goal for this race, as it was a training run, not an A race. I certainly wasn't trying to PR.  My ultimate goal was under 2:45 (on tired legs) and my hopeful goal was 2:35. I crossed in 2:36, so I was really happy! I know that Vineman will be different, and even though most half marathon I do are between 2:30 and 2:40, I've yet to do a half-Ironman run in under 3:00 (Superfrog was 3:12 and Oceanside was 3:03).  The exhaustion after doing a 1.2 mile swim, then biking 56 hilly miles, then running 13.1 in the heat (it should be in the 90s) will do  me in. But for this race, running on tired, not-fresh legs, I am happy with my time.

at the finish line

Excuse my language, but post-race was a clusterf*ck. Right after I crossed I got my medal and there was food and chocolate milk, etc, but after that area it was chaos. The plan T and I had was, since I would finish first, for me to get the gear check bag (we shared one), then get my Remix medal, and then meet him at the Family Reunion.  Well, gear check was easy to find, but the Remix medals were not!  I was told to go to Petco Park, which didn't make sense, but I made my way halfway over there and then turned back, and asked again, and was once again told to go there. So I followed the throng of people over there---it was so crowded. Finally I got to Petco Park and had to go up to the second level.  I found an escalator, but lots of people were doing the stairs---after doing a half or full marathon!  Once up there, I had to ask several people where the medals were. They halfway around the stadium, pretty hidden.  I was glad when I finally found it, and got my extra Remix medal.

Then I tried to find Family Reunion.  I asked several volunteers and everyone pointed me in different direction. I tried to text T but he never responded, so I (rightly) assumed that his phone was dead.  Miraculously, another racer that I asked pointed right across the street (at Petco Park) and there was the Family Reunion area---and there was T!  He had done the full in just under 4 hours. I was so proud of him!  And happy to see him, as I was scared we wouldn't find each other in this mess.  We got to the car and easily got out of the garage. 

in the parking garage; Petco Park behind me

All in all, I was very happy with this race.  As I'd had nothing but poor expectations, this was great!  I have one more swim race to do (tomorrow, actually) and then the next one is the big one---my A race, Vineman!