Remember that whole spiel about writing about your good and bad races? Well lucky for you guys, I have another bad one to share! They do make interesting stories at least. The whole...I did everything completely as planned and PR'ed story is booooorrring!
Ladies and Gents, I present the Rock n Roll San Francisco Half Marathon. I wasn't intending on doing it. In fact, I was secretly laughing at my friends' misfortune that signed up for it last year to get the good deal (sorry guys). I imagined myself cozy in bed, maybe rolling out for a flat and comfortable long run whenever I pleased.
About a week prior to the race, it dawned on me. MAYBE, just maybe I should check to see if I had signed up (it is a sold out race), since I have a habit of doing the same thing. So I did. And...I did. I had signed up. Actually, my friend signed up FOR me so I wasn't getting the routine flood of race emails.
So like cramming for a last minute test at school, I did all my last minute research on what the course is like. Turns out it is drastically different than the first Rock n Roll SF I did.
I smelled trouble. Or maybe it was the horrible gas one of my dogs is passing lately. This course looked even hillier than the notoriously hilly US Half course it initially took over. It also had the awful start time of 6:30am and started in Ocean Beach. I was beginning to doubt that I could actually try to get under my 1:48 time from earlier this year. I wanted to make an attempt though...
The day before the half, I went to visit the expo. Rock n Roll Expo's are probably the best ones in my opinion. They are ran like clockwork, and they have it all down to a science. It was at the North Moscone Center in San Francisco. Jon and I hate venturing into the city, and this really wasn't an exception.
We were steered through the aisles like lost cattle, and meandered along the well-placed temporary walls. I grabbed my goody bag which was just a transparent plastic bag with some vitamin samples and a few other random items. Then I got my t-shirt which I personally think is kind of "meh" but Jon really liked it and it made him jealous which was worth it.
To Jon's dismay, I decided to slowly visit every aisle and pay close attention to every booth. There were so many vendors! I walked away ALMOST empty handed but managed to find some sunglasses that were nearly identical to the ones I have cherished for years that are literally falling apart every time I go to put them on. $40, polarized, super light and they don't hit my cheeks! I also managed to pick up a pace band for 1:45. Who was I kidding?
Enough about the expo. The following morning I peeled myself from bed at 4:30. My friends graciously gave me a ride up to the city with them, and we sat in the Safeway parking lot on Ocean beach to stay warm. It was brisk out, but I can't complain since a group of runners from the running group I'm a part of in NY were running in an actual snow storm. Seriously, sideways snow, complete white out. Kudos to them.
I decided to take my chances on going to the Safeway bathroom, but I wasn't alone in this decision. The line for men was short, as usual, but the women's was trickling down the applesauce and cereal section. Maybe trickling was the wrong word.
Okay, mini rant here, but MY GOD, WOMEN...why do you need to spend so long in the bathroom!? Even with the gigantic line that you CLEARLY SEE, every woman that went in spent at least five full minutes in there. I seriously have no idea what you're doing in the bathroom for so long, maybe you need to eat more fiber.
The line barely budged in the 20 minutes that I was there for. My friend convinced me to hop over to the men's line and wait, in which I was able to get in and out of in less than 10 minutes (including the line waiting part). I inspired other women to hop over as well, and at least some of us were able to make it to the start line in time.
And to the men out there...please aim better. The pee smell was thick and suffocating, no wonder you don't linger in there. It's safe to say that I was probably in and out in 30 seconds.
My friend and I walked to the start line that was near the old windmills by Ocean Beach. It was still super dark out, and since it was so early the race start was unusually quiet. I found the 1:45 pacer, and my plan was to stick with him for as long as I could.
Turns out, that wasn't for very long. We started out at a slow trot, and a quarter mile in I realized that we weren't making any moves forward to go faster than the current 9:30 min mile. I was in Corral 2 which is supposed to be a pretty fast one, so I was surprised at how slow we were going. It seemed like everyone else was confused too, and a little further in, the pacer decided to just completely gun it at a 7 min mile.
I think normally I would have been able to keep up despite his mistake, but it quickly turned right into the hills. Steep hill after steep hill after steep hill with not much relief. I knew I was in trouble when I found myself gasping for air and hadn't even hit the 1 mile marker. The pacer bobbed out of sight almost immediately and he dropped the majority of us that were running with him.
The inclines weren't CRAZY steep, but since I hadn't been training for hills at ALL this entire season, it was really rough for me.
After the first hill was complete, we went down and back up another one that was even bigger. I was able to maintain a steady jog, but was finding it hard to get under an 8:30 min mile. I wasn't sure whether I should just give up since I was feeling really nauseous from my fine meal of fish and chips with cocktails the night before. You would think I would have learned by now...
My goal slid from 1:45 to 1:50. I was trying to get back on track, and we headed over the glorious Golden Gate Bridge. What is unique about this race is that you aren't running on the sidewalks, but they actually close off a lane for runners to go on. I've ran over the bridge a couple times now, so it was nice to have a little more room this time. The view was obstructed from all the fog, but people still took plenty of dangerous selfies going over it.
I made the turn around at the end of the bridge, and on my way back I saw two runners take hard falls (at separate times). There were these rubber "speed bumps" that covered parts of the bridge, probably so people wouldn't trip...but it seemed to backfire. I found myself so focused on not tripping on one of them, that of course, I fell on my face. Everyone gasped in horror and polite runners made brief stops to make sure I was okay.
It hurt...really bad. I got up and didn't see any blood and decided to keep going. I was really impressed that there was no blood for how painful it felt.
That's when I decided that I was not going to hit the 1:50 mark. I just gave up completely and decided to run easy since I was super scared of falling again. If I had fallen one more time, my knees would have for sure been done. I kind of wonder if it is the Claytons...two falls since wearing them is kind of bad luck. I think I am going to return them, but not blame them for my clumsiness.
I safely made it up and over one final killer hill that was at the end. I crossed the finish line just under 2 hours which was my new sliding goal time. The official time was 1:58:17, so I guess that's not too bad, especially since after the fall I was constantly trying to convince myself to give up completely and just wave the white flag. It had not been my week. I tried my best to smile for the photos...
The total elevation was somewhere between 1300-1500ft. My Garmin leans toward more elevation but Strava thinks it was around 1300. Still...pretty respectable for a road half marathon.
I went through the finish line, and didn't bother taking any of the food or partaking in the free watered down beer. I just grabbed my medal which was underwhelming, if I'm being honest. Usually Rock n Roll races have great swag with stand-out designs, but I was disappointed in this one.
I still had four more miles to knock out for my training plan, and I had to meet Jon so we could go house hunting.
The last four miles (which turned out to be closer to 5) to the meeting spot were BRUTAL. The adrenaline was slowly wearing off, my knee was really aching, and I thanked God for the stop lights that I had to rest at. I took a photo of the seal statue at the Giants stadium for old times sake and to stop running.
Once the adrenaline completely wore off while in the car with Jon, I was in some serious pain. I can't remember when I had hurt that much honestly. We made a prompt stop to another Safeway, where Jon played EMT and got me a cooler full of ice, a bottle of ibuprofen, alcohol pads, and bandages. After I took some ibuprofen and iced it, it seemed to subside but I'm still experiencing some issues with it. The car ride back at the end of the day hurt so bad that my arms are still sore from squeezing my water bottle so hard.
Overall...the race was okay. I am definitely not going to sign up for next years, even though the early sign up is only $45. I found the race to be too crowded, too early, too hilly, and I'm content to not run over that bridge ever again. I wonder how many other people fell. Also it was a point to point race, so a shuttle was required unless you're like me and want to get extra mileage in.
The post race "Finisher's Center" is kind of cool. They give you lots of stats and are really quick about putting up over priced race photos that no one buys (but that I intend to sprinkle through the post since I didn't take any photos...).
Okay now I'm just getting snarky. Probably time to go. But one more thing...we are buying a house!!! Turns out that trip we took house hunting worked out, and we found a great little place in Concord. I guess they really don't judge by looks since I smelled like sweat, had dirty flip flops, and a heavy limp. Now I just need to figure out that commute. Btw we took this picture just for future references, not having a clue that we'd actually buy it...
My friend and I walked to the start line that was near the old windmills by Ocean Beach. It was still super dark out, and since it was so early the race start was unusually quiet. I found the 1:45 pacer, and my plan was to stick with him for as long as I could.
Turns out, that wasn't for very long. We started out at a slow trot, and a quarter mile in I realized that we weren't making any moves forward to go faster than the current 9:30 min mile. I was in Corral 2 which is supposed to be a pretty fast one, so I was surprised at how slow we were going. It seemed like everyone else was confused too, and a little further in, the pacer decided to just completely gun it at a 7 min mile.
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| Angry at the pacer... lol |
The inclines weren't CRAZY steep, but since I hadn't been training for hills at ALL this entire season, it was really rough for me.
After the first hill was complete, we went down and back up another one that was even bigger. I was able to maintain a steady jog, but was finding it hard to get under an 8:30 min mile. I wasn't sure whether I should just give up since I was feeling really nauseous from my fine meal of fish and chips with cocktails the night before. You would think I would have learned by now...
My goal slid from 1:45 to 1:50. I was trying to get back on track, and we headed over the glorious Golden Gate Bridge. What is unique about this race is that you aren't running on the sidewalks, but they actually close off a lane for runners to go on. I've ran over the bridge a couple times now, so it was nice to have a little more room this time. The view was obstructed from all the fog, but people still took plenty of dangerous selfies going over it.
 |
| Pre-Fall. On the Golden Gate Bridge |
I made the turn around at the end of the bridge, and on my way back I saw two runners take hard falls (at separate times). There were these rubber "speed bumps" that covered parts of the bridge, probably so people wouldn't trip...but it seemed to backfire. I found myself so focused on not tripping on one of them, that of course, I fell on my face. Everyone gasped in horror and polite runners made brief stops to make sure I was okay.
It hurt...really bad. I got up and didn't see any blood and decided to keep going. I was really impressed that there was no blood for how painful it felt.
That's when I decided that I was not going to hit the 1:50 mark. I just gave up completely and decided to run easy since I was super scared of falling again. If I had fallen one more time, my knees would have for sure been done. I kind of wonder if it is the Claytons...two falls since wearing them is kind of bad luck. I think I am going to return them, but not blame them for my clumsiness.
I safely made it up and over one final killer hill that was at the end. I crossed the finish line just under 2 hours which was my new sliding goal time. The official time was 1:58:17, so I guess that's not too bad, especially since after the fall I was constantly trying to convince myself to give up completely and just wave the white flag. It had not been my week. I tried my best to smile for the photos...
The total elevation was somewhere between 1300-1500ft. My Garmin leans toward more elevation but Strava thinks it was around 1300. Still...pretty respectable for a road half marathon.
I went through the finish line, and didn't bother taking any of the food or partaking in the free watered down beer. I just grabbed my medal which was underwhelming, if I'm being honest. Usually Rock n Roll races have great swag with stand-out designs, but I was disappointed in this one.
I still had four more miles to knock out for my training plan, and I had to meet Jon so we could go house hunting.
The last four miles (which turned out to be closer to 5) to the meeting spot were BRUTAL. The adrenaline was slowly wearing off, my knee was really aching, and I thanked God for the stop lights that I had to rest at. I took a photo of the seal statue at the Giants stadium for old times sake and to stop running.
Once the adrenaline completely wore off while in the car with Jon, I was in some serious pain. I can't remember when I had hurt that much honestly. We made a prompt stop to another Safeway, where Jon played EMT and got me a cooler full of ice, a bottle of ibuprofen, alcohol pads, and bandages. After I took some ibuprofen and iced it, it seemed to subside but I'm still experiencing some issues with it. The car ride back at the end of the day hurt so bad that my arms are still sore from squeezing my water bottle so hard.
Overall...the race was okay. I am definitely not going to sign up for next years, even though the early sign up is only $45. I found the race to be too crowded, too early, too hilly, and I'm content to not run over that bridge ever again. I wonder how many other people fell. Also it was a point to point race, so a shuttle was required unless you're like me and want to get extra mileage in.
The post race "Finisher's Center" is kind of cool. They give you lots of stats and are really quick about putting up over priced race photos that no one buys (but that I intend to sprinkle through the post since I didn't take any photos...).
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| Add caption |
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| I'm really surprised at how parallel my graph is to the Field. |
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| No idea what this means. But sure. |
Okay now I'm just getting snarky. Probably time to go. But one more thing...we are buying a house!!! Turns out that trip we took house hunting worked out, and we found a great little place in Concord. I guess they really don't judge by looks since I smelled like sweat, had dirty flip flops, and a heavy limp. Now I just need to figure out that commute. Btw we took this picture just for future references, not having a clue that we'd actually buy it...
