La Jolla 1/2 Marathon Recap

Let's start with the expo! 

Parking was ridic in La Jolla!  But after snagging a spot, which I didn't have to parallel park in (hallelujah) I waited in a short line for my race packet. 

 

 They had some good vendors and I ended up buying a Halo headband in teal.  I know you're not supposed to run a race in new gear, but I seriously *loved* it.  No sweat got in my eyes and my headphones didn't slip out of my ears the whole 13.1 miles! 

They also had shirts with super funny slogans on them from One More Mile Running Apparel 

 After the expo I took it easy for the rest of the day, set out my race day gear, and went to bed!

 

"I eat hills for breakfast"

was my mantra as I trudged up hill, after hill, after never ending hill.  I said it so I felt tough, and it was also a bit silly at the same time.  It's the simple things that can help get you through 13.1 miles.

The course ran along the coast from Del Mar down to La Jolla. 

Since I live closer to La Jolla I left my house at 4:15 to get there by 4:45 to be on line for the first shuttle bus at 5 a.m.  The organizers stressed that the last bus would depart from La Jolla at 6, and if there I was a long line I did NOT want to be left stranded at the finish of the race!  So I literally got on the first shuttle bus in pitch blackness and headed for Del Mar.

We got dropped off at the Del Mar Racetrack parking lot and it was empty, minus the never ending line of what seemed to be a hundred porta-potties.  As 5:30 turned into 6 and 6 turned into 6:30 a.m.  the parking lot slowly but surely began to fill up.  And the sun came up!

*DISCLAIMER* pictures from my cell phone came out grayish and blurry.  Although it was perfectly overcast race weather, the scenery is actually way more beautiful than the pictures show it to be!

Luckily for me all of my family lives on the east coast, which is 3 hours later than west coast time.  So I got to chat with my sister, who was already awake and starting her day.  Thanks for helping me get through the morning Alli!

At around 6:45 I finished up a quick warm-up jog, stretch, and headed for the start.  When I first got there it was not crowded at all.  They had 2 waves, first was for 8 minute/mile anticipated pace or better and then the rest of us.  While we're waiting for the start the announcer describes the course to us, adding to be prepared for the  "character building" hills!

Of course the first wave goes and then my bladder decides it's too full.  So I end up at the end of a ridiculously long line to use a port-a-potty.  

 

It was all good because there were so many runners that it took a while for everyone to get across the start line and actually start to run. 

By the time I got to the start, for the second time, it was just stranglers.  I was  relieved to have made it in time and started to calm down enough to get into a groove and enjoy the scenery.  I liked how at every mile there were people in red shirts holding up mile signs and shouting the clock time.  It's always nice in a race to know what mile you're on...and how many are left to go! 

 

I look quite happy in this picture.  Little do you know that inside I'm freaking out because I see the massive Torrey Pines hill looming in the distance.  (Which it turns out is not AS bad as I expected it to be!) Oh, and I almost ran into another runner.  So much for being able to take pictures of myself while running!

  Up until this point, I was maintaining a 10 minute/mile pace, which I was content with.  This hill however got me off track by 4 minutes!  Even the downhills couldn't help me make up lost time and I was consistently 4 minutes over at each mile marker.  

*Side bar* It's kind of easy having a 10 minute/mile pace, especially with my super simple, only has a stop watch type watch.  Example, at mile 8 it should have read 1:20, but instead it read 1:24 argggg!  Maybe a Garmin will help me speed up past this 10 min/mile rut I've been in my entire running life! wink wink

 Love running along the beach!

 Love Lululemon signs!  Almost done with the final hill!!

 It's all downhill.  The finish is right around the corner!  

My first half marathon I had nothing left to give at the end.  Same thing goes for my full marathon.  At the end of those 2 races I was so beat that was not able to sprint across the finish line.  At the end of this race I booked it.  The finish line came into sight a pretty good distance away, but somehow I had to energy to sprint and I passed quite a few people :)

2:14:45

Overall:	3498 out of 6101
Women:	1466 out of 3203
F 25-29:	350 out of 674
Age/Grade:	48.86% Place: 3494

Although not a new PR or even "fast" by any measure, I'm proud of my finishing time.  I completed a challenging course, didn't injure myself, and had a pretty kick ass time doing it!  I may not have beat my first 1/2 marathon time, but I feel like I have grown and am stronger and more confident as a runner.  That final sprint helped solidify that feeling.

Post race Shane and I headed out to Casa De Pico.  Thanks for the gift card Leslie, Nicole, and Jamie!

 After an "ice bath" in the unheated pool and a hot shower, I threw on a cute dress and big earrings to detract from the *I just ran a 1/2 marathon and don't feel like doing my hair or make-up look*.

 I love it when resturaunts have vegetarian and seasonal menus.  I went with the Fiesta Vegetable Burrito of the veggie menu.  I was a bit disappointed that it was smothered in salsa fundido, which is NOT a salsa but some sort of cheese based cream sauce.  Oh well, it was tasty, the sauce just made it a little to heavy for my liking.

I know it was way back on April 17th but congrats to all the runners who completed this challenging course!

Do you order sauces and dressings on the side?  I like to, so I can control how much I put on, but a lot of the time I forget!

Do you have a Garmin Forerunner 405 (or another watch) and love it?  Tell me what you like/dislike about it.  I need to buy one ASAP!  

Tell me about a running race or training run you're proud of :) !!!