Another race report! I feel like all I do is write race reports lately :)
Thanks to Punk Rock Racing, I took part in the US Half Marathon. This was purely a training run for me, though I wanted to try to run 3 miles at the end at about a 9:00 pace for some tempo work.
Loved:
- Meeting up with Ron and Tara at the start/finish!
- Rain! I love me a good rain run. Especially when it isn't raining at the start of the run. The water only broke the last 3 miles or so. I was actually getting warm in the beginning of the race and was praying for a good downpour.
- The bridge. Who doesn't love running over the bridge? This race runs on the pedestrian/bike lanes but the course was closed to non-race activity which was awesome. If there is one thing I hate about the Golden Gate Bridge it is tourist dodging.
- Metal water bottle souvenir. They even handed out the post-race water in them which was a nice touch.
- My cool outfit
- Was actually holding up a pretty decent pace for me given the hilly terrain. I tried to kick it up a little the last few miles. I only got down to 9:00 pace for about a mile. That wicked headwind sucked the low-9:00 out of me. But I was very happy with the effort at the end.
Didn't dig:
- Water stops were poorly organized. At one, I had to stop and stand there for at least 1.5 minutes before I was able to get a cup of water. Unacceptable in a race.
- The course ran short. Not sure if this should really go under the con list (ha ha), but if I was running this for time or as my first half marathon that would piss me off. Since I stood still for 1.5 minutes waiting for water, I figure my time is reflective of my effort on race day.
- The headwind the last 5ish miles of the course. I can take cold and rain but wind? Bleh! There were a few times when the wind was gusty I'd tuck my arms close, put my head down, and push onward.
- The course is sort of cruel. They run you up hills, then they run you down them, and then they run you RIGHT BACK UP AGAIN! Aaahhh!!!
- There was an unpaved downhill section. When did this become a trail run? I don't run down hills very well. I don't run on trails very well. You put those two together and I get nervous.
- They only had unisex shirts. They had also run out of smalls. Do you know how a unisex medium shirt fits me? Like a dress!
Shot this one as I drove home (at a stop light). Not the best weather to highlight San Francisco, but decent run conditions in my book!
9 comments:
I cannot believe that you had to wait for over a minute for water. I would have been livid!!
In my half there were random sections of trail running as well. AND there were two different parts that we had to run across a random grassy field. It felt very strange and one guy in front of me tripped over a tree root. Doesn't seem that safe...
The wind! Many a day a nice walk or jog has been ruined for me by the wind. It just makes it too cold!
Congrats on ANOTHER race! I agree, rain at the end of a race is awesome. Not so much from the beginning.
Bummer on the shirts... I have so many I can't wear for that reason.
Great job! Yep, I remember those up and downs... good job racing them!
I wanna see the cool race outfit!
I HATED those water stops with a passion! However, I did love the medal and the cute water bottle at the end :) Made running in the wind tolerable. Congrats on another race!
What's that quote up to the right on your home page? Sounded like a race where you had to repeat it twice!!!
Still, that is good training since I know I would think twice about going out for a training run in a headwind, or up and down, up and down.
Congrats on knocking out a race in less than ideal weather. Great job!
Congrats on another race!
I really want to do a race that goes over the bridge.
I really race a lot... I am sure you bunny is eager and waiting for you to go home. When I go on a travel I really put my rabbit in their rabbit hutches and it is such a paint to think that they will be there for a week or more.
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