I ran the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon this Sunday! It was an amazing experience, not only because of the beautiful day & fun race event, but if you had told me a few years ago that I was capable of running that far, I would’ve laughed out loud. I honestly didn’t think I could run at all when I was in college because it hurt so badly whenever I tried. Needless to say, when you keep it up, and especially when you increase your mileage, that first short distance that you thought was going to kill you actually starts to feel relatively easy! Having a 13.1-mile goal pushed me way past my comfort zone, and I'm so thankful that God gave me the health and ability to experience it.
Again, by the grace of God, I had a really awesome first race. The day certainly wasn’t perfect, but overall it was a fun & exciting experience! I slept horribly the night before (maybe 3 hours) because I was so excited! This is typical for me, but not really conducive to running well. Dan & I sat in extremely slow traffic to get to the start line, so I ended up arriving a half an hour late. I missed my corral start time, so I just jumped into the next corral of runners once I was ready. They start the runners based on their speed, so the fastest runners start in corral 1 and the next fastest in corral 2, etc. all the way to corral 50 or so, which is filled with the slower walkers. This keeps the faster people from having to Frogger their way around the slower people. It turned out fine for me to start late, since I wasn’t much faster than the runners I started with but eventually I passed most of them, which made me feel like a speed demon. :) But next time (if there IS a next time!), I’ll factor in more time to get to the start line so I won’t feel so rushed.
It was a gorgeous sunny morning, which was a blessing because it was beautiful with low humidity, but I was kind of counting on that cloudy marine layer to keep things cool all morning! It heated up quickly when we were running on the sunny streets, so I grabbed two cups of water at the water stations if I felt really thirsty. I saw a few runners who had either passed out or had to sit down in the middle of the race with medics helping them, so I was pretty paranoid about staying hydrated.
We started the race at beautiful Balboa Park and got to run straight through all the museums and past the zoo. Then we ran right onto Hwy I-163 (which they had closed for the race) and started the long uphill climb to Friars Road. It was so cool to see thousands of runners on the prettiest highway in San Diego. Some people who ran in previous years complained that the highway is on an angle, so they wore out one side of their bodies running on it more than the other. Knowing this ahead of time, I looked for the flattest area of the highway to run on (usually along the edge) to keep from getting painful blisters on one foot.
There were way more hills on this course than I had prepared for during training. Many of them were long & gradual instead of short & steep, but by the second half of the race, my body was protesting against all the extra work! I did most of my training runs along Mission Bay or the beach, which are pancake flat. Sometimes I’d throw in a few hills for good measure, but I definitely could’ve been more prepared in this area.
Even though the Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon series is known for providing live bands along the route, someone online said to bring your iPod if you depend on music to get you through a long run. The bands are set up at every mile, but once you pass the stage, you can’t hear the music anymore. And sometimes you‘d pass a band that was taking a break. I was thankful I had my iPod playing quietly in my ears to fill those silences. I don’t want to hear myself wheezing while I’m running - it just makes me feel worse.
It felt like the first 8 miles sped by, and I was soaking in every moment and enjoying running through the middle of San Diego with thousands of other people. Before I knew it, I was past Fashion Valley Mall and looking for Dan on the sidelines. We spotted each other easily and he jumped in and ran by my side for the rest of the race! The section that I struggled with the most was somewhere between miles 9 and 11. There were a couple more long uphills to deal with and I was so tired! I didn’t feel like I was shutting down or anything, but I really, really wanted to walk. I knew from my practice runs that I WOULD survive, though, so I kept running although my pace slowed down quite a bit. Then I saw the 12 mile marker and the rest was downhill (literally & figuratively)! I really pushed myself in that last mile and finished with a bang!
Dan was absolutely amazing the whole day! He woke up at 5:00 a.m. to sit in traffic and drop me off at the start line, then parked the car as close as he could to the finish line and ran through the spectators along the course route until he got to mile 8 so he could wait for me to run by. Early mornings, traffic, and running are three of his most hated things, so I know without a shadow of a doubt that he loves me! Then he ran beside me for the last 4.5 miles to encourage me and take pictures. It was so uplifting to run with him, especially when I was struggling to push through “The Wall” at the end! He’s such a blessing to me! Here are some pictures from the race weekend – enjoy!
Again, by the grace of God, I had a really awesome first race. The day certainly wasn’t perfect, but overall it was a fun & exciting experience! I slept horribly the night before (maybe 3 hours) because I was so excited! This is typical for me, but not really conducive to running well. Dan & I sat in extremely slow traffic to get to the start line, so I ended up arriving a half an hour late. I missed my corral start time, so I just jumped into the next corral of runners once I was ready. They start the runners based on their speed, so the fastest runners start in corral 1 and the next fastest in corral 2, etc. all the way to corral 50 or so, which is filled with the slower walkers. This keeps the faster people from having to Frogger their way around the slower people. It turned out fine for me to start late, since I wasn’t much faster than the runners I started with but eventually I passed most of them, which made me feel like a speed demon. :) But next time (if there IS a next time!), I’ll factor in more time to get to the start line so I won’t feel so rushed.
It was a gorgeous sunny morning, which was a blessing because it was beautiful with low humidity, but I was kind of counting on that cloudy marine layer to keep things cool all morning! It heated up quickly when we were running on the sunny streets, so I grabbed two cups of water at the water stations if I felt really thirsty. I saw a few runners who had either passed out or had to sit down in the middle of the race with medics helping them, so I was pretty paranoid about staying hydrated.
We started the race at beautiful Balboa Park and got to run straight through all the museums and past the zoo. Then we ran right onto Hwy I-163 (which they had closed for the race) and started the long uphill climb to Friars Road. It was so cool to see thousands of runners on the prettiest highway in San Diego. Some people who ran in previous years complained that the highway is on an angle, so they wore out one side of their bodies running on it more than the other. Knowing this ahead of time, I looked for the flattest area of the highway to run on (usually along the edge) to keep from getting painful blisters on one foot.
There were way more hills on this course than I had prepared for during training. Many of them were long & gradual instead of short & steep, but by the second half of the race, my body was protesting against all the extra work! I did most of my training runs along Mission Bay or the beach, which are pancake flat. Sometimes I’d throw in a few hills for good measure, but I definitely could’ve been more prepared in this area.
Even though the Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon series is known for providing live bands along the route, someone online said to bring your iPod if you depend on music to get you through a long run. The bands are set up at every mile, but once you pass the stage, you can’t hear the music anymore. And sometimes you‘d pass a band that was taking a break. I was thankful I had my iPod playing quietly in my ears to fill those silences. I don’t want to hear myself wheezing while I’m running - it just makes me feel worse.
It felt like the first 8 miles sped by, and I was soaking in every moment and enjoying running through the middle of San Diego with thousands of other people. Before I knew it, I was past Fashion Valley Mall and looking for Dan on the sidelines. We spotted each other easily and he jumped in and ran by my side for the rest of the race! The section that I struggled with the most was somewhere between miles 9 and 11. There were a couple more long uphills to deal with and I was so tired! I didn’t feel like I was shutting down or anything, but I really, really wanted to walk. I knew from my practice runs that I WOULD survive, though, so I kept running although my pace slowed down quite a bit. Then I saw the 12 mile marker and the rest was downhill (literally & figuratively)! I really pushed myself in that last mile and finished with a bang!
Dan was absolutely amazing the whole day! He woke up at 5:00 a.m. to sit in traffic and drop me off at the start line, then parked the car as close as he could to the finish line and ran through the spectators along the course route until he got to mile 8 so he could wait for me to run by. Early mornings, traffic, and running are three of his most hated things, so I know without a shadow of a doubt that he loves me! Then he ran beside me for the last 4.5 miles to encourage me and take pictures. It was so uplifting to run with him, especially when I was struggling to push through “The Wall” at the end! He’s such a blessing to me! Here are some pictures from the race weekend – enjoy!
There was a race expo on Friday & Saturday where you could pick up your race bib and other goodies the vendors were giving away.
I wanted to make sure I had my pose just right when I won the race & broke the ribbon. I'm such a dork! :)
I met up with two of my co-workers, Sammie and Janeece, who were running the half marathon relay together.
6:00 a.m. on race day - Dan is really excited to be awake & sitting in traffic.
He dropped me off a block from the start line, which was in the park behind me. I'm all bright eyed and bushy tailed on adrenaline after hardly sleeping the night before! I had a handful of Kleenex since I was getting over a cold, but I ended up needing it before the race in the porta potty that had no TP (yuck). Thankfully, my sinuses were fine while I was running.
Dan met me at mile 8.5 and I was SO excited to see him! I'm the one with the big shadow, and I think I'm saying "pick me up and carry me!"
Starting to hit "The Wall" at the uphill around mile 9.5, but pushing through!
Feeling better at mile 12 (yay, downhill!) and excited to only have 1 mile left! I could also see Mission Bay from that point so I knew I was close (the finish line was at Sea World).
I looked online and this was the only picture I could find of Dan & I running together during the race. It was just a few yards before the finish line and I was waving at the photographer who I spotted on a crane above us. I think they tried to cut Dan out of the shot because he doesn't have a race bib.
FINISH LINE!! The most beautiful sight in the world!
Still panting, but happy!
My first half marathon medal
Finish time - 2:11! I was shooting for 2:10, but with all those hills I wasn't ready for, I'm glad I even came close to my goal time. Plus I didn't get there early enough to run with the 2:10 pacer, so I had to try to gauge my pace on my own. 
Dan deserves a medal for most amazing support team! He is my hero and I couldn't have done it without him! 
5 comments:
W-O-W!!!! You did it!!! Congratulations! I have YET to do anything over a 10K, so you have given me some inspiration! Awesome job! You rock!
Rock on girl! Sooooo very proud of you and this accomplishment! Now it's time for a "destination" race and I'll meet you there!!!
Deb,
I am soooooo proud of you!!!! All your hard work and dedication really paid off! I wish that I could have been there to cheer you on! Just think of all of the fun runs that we missed out on growing up. It would have been so much fun running them together! Love you!
You rocked it girl!!! So proud of you!! Glad you had the kleenex. ha!!
I am so proud of you! Very impressive! Way to go! Seriously, way to go!!!
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