US Half Marathon Recap

It’s that time again…time for another race recap 🙂 I have done 3 other races on my 21 before 21 goal and this was numero 4.

So the night before, I was reminded that we had to set our clocks back an hour. No big deal. An extra hour of sleep is always welcome to me. But then I started thinking about whether or not my iphone would automatically change times. I mean they are smart phones, right? So I just went with it, hoping that it would automatically change by itself. But just to be safe, I set 4 alarms…yes 4. My ihome, iphone, watch, and then my roommates ihome. If I didn’t wake up with those then we would have a problem.

I was super tired from spending the day in San Francisco with my friends so I went to bed at 9. 9!!!! I’m pretty sure that’s a new record for me. I ended up waking up at 10:30pm. Of course, in my sleepish state, I thought that I overslept. Once my panic attack was over, I realized that I didn’t oversleep. So I passed out again.

4:30am hits and all 4 of the alarm clocks are telling me to get up. Since I went to bed so early, it wasn’t bad getting up. It was actually kind of easy. I had everything laid out so getting ready was easy peasy. While I was getting ready, I got breakfast ready:

P28 bagel with almond butter, an orange, and green tea

And then I saw this note from my roommate…she wins the roommate of the year award hands down.

"I didn't get to say it last night but good luck on your marathon!"

I stepped out of my dorm and it was coldddd! Luckily, I was all layered up. I had on some sweats over my running shorts and then a sweatshirt over a long sleeve shirt which was over my 21 before 21 shirt. And of course I had my ear warmers on. What? I didn’t show you guys my 21 before 21 shirt? 

much better 🙂

Plus I was wearing my Champion shirt that I got from Costco. I love the hole for thumbs 🙂So once I was in the car, which was about 4:50am, I was able to make the drive to San Francisco. While driving there, the fog was super thick. I was basically driving like a grandma very safe person. I ended up getting there around 5:40am so I parked in a lot which was about 4 blocks from the start. But it was still dark out and I wasn’t really comfortable walking that far by myself so I moved to another lot which was basically right next to the start. Score for good parking! I sat in the car for a little bit and then once 6:30 hit, I headed to the start. I felt like I was forgetting something. I was…

                                                       oh hey alcatraz island

I could tell it was going to be a beautiful morning. Super clear skies and the temperature was warming up. By the time I went back to get the Gu, it was about 6:45am and I still had to wait in the huge lines for the bathroom. Uh oh. While waiting in line, the race started. So I ended up starting about 5 minutes after everyone else. Oh well, beat the pushing in the beginning 😉Sadly, my Garmin had a hard time finding satellite until the 1 and a half mile mark or so. So, I don’t have split times. Boooo. But, since I brought my phone this time, I do have pictures. Compromise my friends. And since my Garmin didn’t find satellites until later, I’m not sure when all the miles started/ended and what I was thinking so I’m just gonna guess.

Mile 1 – Started out with a hill. A hill! I guess this is a warm-up as to what’s to come…

Mile 2 – I mostly spent this and the next few miles playing catch up. I didn’t want my pace to go up too much, but I still wanted to scoot up a little.

Mile 3 – It’s already getting warm! I strip off my long sleeve and ear warmers and tie them around my waist. Move over people, dork coming through.

Mile 4 – Hill! My first half had rolling hills. Those were bad but I would have to say that these were worse. Like much worse. Imagine .5 to .75 mile long hills. Yeah, that’s what I was dealing with.

Mile 5 – This is around the time that we get onto the Golden Gate Bridge and about the time things start to get s-l-o-w. There were about 5,000 runners. So imagine 5,000 people running on a sidewalk. And of course half of the sidewalk had to be for runners coming back. So yeah, it was a tight squeeze. Well there goes my pace…oh well. Might as well enjoy the scenery.

Mile 6 – Still on the bridge. There were even two times where we were literally stopped. Stopped! As in, no longer moving. Yeah, people were not happy about this.

Mile 7 – Oh. My. Hilliness. We were off the bridge but now faced with a huge hill. No joke…I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a mile long. I didn’t sign up for this! Oh wait…I did. Luckily there were some guys on the bottom offering some comic relief with their signs:

the one on the left: "Oh hill no!" the one on the right: "What hill?"

the way up the glorious hill

Mile 8 – I survived! On the way up, one lady was literally stopped on the side throwing up. TMI? Nahh. Once I reached the top, the view was breathtaking. I could see all of San Francisco. I also took this time to eat my Gu. Chocolate flavored Gu = melted tootsie rolls. SUGAR! Yes. I know there is sugar in the Gu. And yes. I know I am doing the sugar-free challenge. Don’t look at me like that. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

b-e-a-utiful view

time to go down the hill

Mile 9 – Back on the bridge. I spent most of this time trying to pass people. I wanted to pick up my pace to something, anything better than what it was. Overall, I loved running on the bridge. I had done it before a few months ago but I think it’s one of those things that will never get old.

Mile 10 – The beginning is spent on the bridge but the end is on real land. I can feel the finish even though it is still 3 miles away.

Mile 11 – Most of this mile is spend running along the water’s edge. Then Cliff is handing out some of their own version of gu. I take 3 to save for later races. Don’t mind if I do…

Mile 12 – So close! Out of all the races, I would probably have to say this was the most beautiful. Yeah, there were a lot of people and it was super crowded at some points, but it made me enjoy the scenery more 🙂

Mile 13 – Of course, this last mile finishes with a hill. Cruel people. There are people along the street cheering us on so I push harder and harder. Finish strong! 

Overall time: 2:01:07 Pace: 9:40 min/mile

So it wasn’t my best but it wasn’t my worst. I blame it on all the people and having to stop…yeah sounds good 🙂 But overall, I was proud of myself. I wasn’t even going to run after giving blood on Thursday but the more I thought about it, I more I wanted to do it. And I’m glad I did.

After the race, there were a few tents set up giving stuff out. This was a college kid’s dream. I stocked up 🙂

i obviously like chocolate coconut water...i stopped by their booth 3 times

There was also a Muscle Milk tent so I decided to make my own, amped up coconut water…

original coconut water + light chocolate muscle milk

The verdict? So gooood! Protein + Electrolytes = the perfect way to refuel. I will definitely be doing this again.

There was a farmers market going on nearby so I made a stop to see what there was.

white, purple, yellow, and green cauliflower!

I ended up not buying anything. But I did buy something from the Safeway across the street…

lemon chobani x 6, a raspberry chobani, and a pomegranate chobani

My sister texted me yesterday telling me about a sale going on at Safeway. Chobani for $1!! I was super excited so I stocked up 🙂 So if you have a Safeway nearby, go right after reading this post and buy some Chobani.

thanks sis

After, it was time to head back. I didn’t want to leave San Francisco though…I love that place.

i will be back for you...

Since I spent most of my Whole Foods refuel money on parking, I couldn’t have a date with the hot food bar. I did stop by though to get the best soup ever: mushroom barley. They didn’t have any hot but they did have some in the refrigerator section…thank goodness! I took it back to the dorm to heat up and relax. 

And just like that, race #4 was crossed off of my 21 before 21 goal. Just 17 more to go!