Hello everyone!!
As proof positive that my training is going to start getting truly intense, we (the Team in Training members) were required to run in the America’s Finest City Half Marathon as part of our training. In fact the our weekly mileage is only going to increase with every week that passes. The half marathon @ 13 miles was (at the time) the furthest distance I had run and it was in fact a little intimidating. Not simply because of the distance, but also because there would be literally thousands of other people joining us. It was a great way to get my feet wet with the “feel” of the actual marathon. Lots of people. lots of energy, a little bit of nerves but mostly a lot of fun.
We started our day off at 3:45 in the morning (Bryan was not a happy camper!) so that we could have enough time to get out of Carlsbad, get to Meghan’s house (Hillcrest) and get to the Zoo but about 6. From there we (all the contestants) rode buses to Cabrillo National Monument where we were to start the race. I got a chance to see the sun rise over beautiful San Diego and I could truly see where they got the name America’s Finest City! It was really an amazing morning, unfortunately I didn’t have time to enjoy it for long, because by 7 am we were off and running!
The course was truly beautiful as it followed the contour of the coast line. Initially there were rolling hills along the Cabrillo Peninsula through the memorial cemetery and down through Point Loma. The course flowed along a 1 mile down hill through some beautiful homes and neighborhoods and joined with the coast line. From there is was mostly flat as we ran along bay, out onto Harbor Island and through the Embarcadero. We took a left at Broadway and took that up towards Balboa Park. At about the 11th mile, we had about a mile long uphill section that led us directly into Balboa Park proper. We crossed over the 163 bridge and into the park, I caught a glimpse of Bryan who was cheering me on wildly as I took the last right hander towards the finish. The last part took me past the Spreckles Organ theater and through to the finish!! I was able to run a good portion of the race and tried to maintain a respectable 10-11 minute mile pace. I’m happy to say that I finished the race in 2 hours and 28 minutes which I believe ends up pacing at about 11.3 minutes and mile. I never really run for time, just to push myself and finish the best I can, so I’m quite happy with that pace. The more I train the better I’ll get.
I learned a valuable lesson that day, however. Up until now I have been concentrating on fluids and hydration, but I think I under estimated the need for nourishment. After the race I felt a little woozy and light headed, I had to sit for a while with Bryan under the shade of a tree. We made our way over to the expo and I had a banana which instantly made me feel tons better. Empowered with this new-found info, I was able to run 14 miles the following weekend (training) with no problems after I was done. I’ll just make sure that at the Marathon, my little Sherpa Bryan will have all the needed drinks and food stuffs on hand just in case!!
Over all we had a really fun time. The crowd as is always the case with these events was a lot of fun. Lots of energy and really great vibes. I’m happy to be part of such a vibrant and eclectic community. Running seems to attract the young and old, fit and not so fit, the recreational and the profressional runners. I’m actually starting to get really excited about the marathon! It’s still incredibly intimidating and no doubt going to be grueling, but the energy, excitement and emotion of the event is going to over shadow everything and make all this work be so worth while. Plus did I mention I get a Tiffany Necklace at the end instead of a medal?? Umm yeah that makes it pretty worth while too!!
Well that’s your exciting update for now. As always I’d like to thank each and every one of you for your continued support and kind words. Thank you, you guys truly rock!!
For anyone wanting to make a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphona society, please just follow the link (Pink button to your right) to be directed to my donations page. Again THANK YOU for making a difference in the fight against cancer, we’re all part of the cure!
If you want to see all the pics from this event, click Here
Love you all!
Phia
Great job Phia, that is really cool.
WOW! Like I told you before, the furthest “marathon” I ever ran
was from my car to the Dairy Queen window! You go girl!
You did awesome! Glad the water trick helped out.