• March 8th, 2015
• San Diego, California
• San Diego Half Marathon
• Sharon: 2:44:46
• Tim: 2:16:33

 

32 down only 20 to go.

I love expos. Yay shopping! I love clothes shopping and book shopping. I even like grocery shopping. But my favorite shopping of all is running gear shopping. At most expos Tim puts on his – I am patiently waiting – face while I dart into every booth promising not to be too long. This time, much to my surprise, Tim did more shopping than I did. He got a visor with a no sweat in your eyes promise (it worked) and a magnetic pouch stuff holder (a bit bouncy) and a white t-shirt that is almost the same as his favorite brown t-shirt, except white, so better for summer. Both of us did a biomarker test that supposedly scans where your body is out of balance by simply putting your hand on a sensor then recommends essential oils to fix the problem. I’m skeptical. I had all sorts of things out of whack (I’m not skeptical about that) and had seven different oils recommended. Tim bought me an oil called slim and sassy for metabolic function and fat burning. It couldn’t hurt and it did smell good. Thanks Tim. At the physical therapy booth I got a feet and leg massage. I found out that my left leg is longer than my right. Interesting. I also got a free french braid that looked so awful that I took it out as soon as we got home.

Packet pickup was quick and easy. Yay – a tech shirt without a million (or any) sponsor logos on the back. Living in San Diego we didn’t mind that there was no day of race pickup. I have noticed that most larger races don’t have morning of race packet pickups. That makes sense from a logistical standpoint but must be a hassle for anyone who wants to do the race but not stay in San Diego the night before.

Even though we left the house a half hour later than Tim wanted we were there in plenty of time. He always wants to leave early because he is afraid that we won’t get a good parking place (I also like to chill out after driving – Tim). The race before this one we were so early that the race director wasn’t even there yet.

I like it when someone sings the national anthem before a race but this time it was more annoying than pleasant because the singer took the opportunity to preach to the crowd. I found it very off putting and I could tell by the scowls of some around us that I was not the only one. I thought it was inappropriate. This HM prides itself on attracting, not only people from different states but people from different countries. I wonder how Jewish people and Buddhists felt about having to hear the good news about Christ our savior before their run?

I thought having the speakers and MC on the bridge was brilliant.

While standing in our corral, waiting for our wave to start we met Nessa, a woman doing her first HM. She was so excited that it was contagious. She made me realize that I have lost sight of just how amazingly cool it is that we get to do a HM every weekend!

Although we have been vacationing in San Diego for almost 20 years and now live here, almost all of our time has been spent in the beach area. This race started in the downtown Gaslamp district. This is such a cute area that I want to come back and do some exploring (shopping) when I’m not running.

One thing I like about big races is all the crowd support and distractions. I’m glad I ran with my phone because Tim didn’t take any pictures this race.

I passed this woman then ran back to get the t-shirt of the week photo.

Tim ran with me for just over 4 miles before kissing me goodbye.

After the Gaslamp district we ran by the harbor then over a bridge. I still love bridges! Unfortunately we also went under a bridge where the scenery was an angry homeless guy smoking.

This race had great musical entertainment. I bet it was a long day for the dancing dog. That costume must have been hot. He was moving.

I love San Diego. Between checking out new places and taking pictures time went by really fast. I enjoyed myself. Even though I am not very competitive and would usually rather chat than run hard I do like to race for the finish line. I spotted a woman a bit ahead of me that I thought I could catch so I put on a full sprint. She sped up but I passed her by seconds. Kind of obnoxious but hey, it’s a race.

Yay – I found Tim easily. After the Huntington Beach snafu we had a plan but didn’t have to use it.

I think this was our biggest medal yet. And heavy. I know we have gotten behind on our medals page. It should be updated soon. I never used to care about medals but I’m starting to get into them.

The after race organization was great. Chocolate milk, they had chocolate milk! And they handed it to me just past the finish line. Nothing is better than chocolate milk after a long run.

In a most sadistic move, you had to climb a set of stairs after the race to get your goody bag of snacks. Luckily, at the top of the stairs they had benches and volunteers handing out baby wipes. This is the first time I have seen baby wipes at a race and I love it. It felt so good to wipe the salty sweat off my face. We sat on the bench, ostensibly to wipe our faces with our newly acquires baby wipes but really because stairs after a HM = bench, yay. We started talking to a guy we had met at one of the A Better World Running races. Already, we are getting to know some of the race hobbyists in CA. Meeting new people has been one of my favorite parts about our 52 HM project.

Cons

• Being preached at before the national anthem
• Quite Pricey
• Running next to road and freeway exhaust
• Awful tasting drink on the course (Ultima)

Pros

• Easy packet pickup
• Great expo
• Nice course showcasing the Gaslamp district and harbor
• Great crowd support
• Fun musical entertainment
• Nice sponsor free tech t-shirt
• Huge medal
• Chocolate milk
• Baby wipes!
• After race bag of snacks
• After party with $1 beer in all Gaslamp resturants

I wold definitely recommend this race if you don’t mind spending more for a quality product ($125). All the music, great bling and touches like the chocolate milk and baby wipes don’t come cheap. This would be a great destination HM. It is relatively flat, a lot of fun and with 6000+ people you will never be running alone. We give it two thumbs up.