AFC Half Marathon Summary

Can't decide what tense to write this in, so I'll just go back and forth with it.

0400: Both alarms went off, rousting me out of bed. I had prepped everything the night before (except I never found my running hat...didn't need it afterall though.)

0410: Breakfast of an original chocolate PowerBar and a cup of soy milk. Dressed and packed, I woke Joan up to drive me to the Balboa Park drop off.

0420: On the road

0445: We arrive at the San Diego Zoo parking lot where dozens of buses are queued up waiting to ferry participants out to Cabrillo Pt. Joan drops me off and heads back home. I walked across the empty but filling parking lot and board an early bus.

0500: I dozed off in the darkened charter bus on the drive out to the end of Pt. Loma. When we arrive, it's still dark and I'm disoriented. It's been awhile since I've been out to Cabrillo Nat'l Monument. I spend the next 10-15 minutes checking out the facilities. There are no lines for the port-a-potties, so I take advantage. Still 2 hours 'til race start.

0530: By now it's getting lighter, but still pretty dark. It's also windy and chilly. I found a garden spot with benches down in a gully, on the east side of the parking lot, protected from the wind. I lay back on one of benches and relax, listening to my iPod Nano.

0615: It's light now and the park has really filled up. I walk to the traffic circle at the top of the parking lot and find a table serving water. Taking two cups, I head back down to the potties. Very crowded now, but I walk all the way to the end and find almost no lines at that end. Again, I take advantage, but still no urge other than to urinate.

0630: I find my starting spot for my number and begin to prepare my pack for bag check. I spent about 10 minutes talking to a runner who is planning to run the race barefoot. He's wearing huarache sandals made by Barefoot Ted. He's also wearing a kilt. Says, facetiously, he wears it to take attention away from his sandals and barefoot running. Interesting guy. Training for a 50K.

0645: Okay...15 minutes to start and NOW I need to use the potty. By 6:55, I'm at the front of a line when the National Anthem is played. I do my business in the nick of time and return to the lineup as the crowd begins to move forward.

7:05: I never heard the gun go off, but the race is on. I cross the start line and sensor 5 minutes after the scheduled start. I'm very comfortable, running at a very light pace as I warm up. It's cool and overcast. I can see the ribbon of road ahead cutting through Rosecrans cemetary, and it's filled with runners as far as I can see.

7:25: I've covered a little over 2 miles and started to pick up the pace. It's tough to pass because of the mass of people compressed into the 2-lane narrow road that connects the park itself to the military security gate. It's mostly flat with a couple of short grades up and down.

7:40: I covered miles 3 and 4 very quickly, thanks to the downhill grade coming off the Point. The course takes us through some residential streets where locals cheer on the runners. It's quiet and peaceful, and I'm feeling pretty darn fresh. No hint of any muscle fatigue.

7:55: I'm at the 10K point, having run for about 50 minutes. In just 15 minutes, I've lost that "fresh" feeling. And that boogie monster that's been hiding in my left calf muscle starts to make itself known. Oh no.

8:05: One hour into the race and I'm about a quarter mile past the 7-mile marker, on the downwind side of the Harbor Island loop. I find I'm going through phases where I feel strong and confident for a few minutes and hurting/doubting for a few more. I grab some water at the 2nd turnaround on the loop, but slowing down to drink only lets the calf tighten up.

8:25: I'm past 10 miles now and psychologically know I'm going to make it. There's still the tough climb from downtown to Balboa Park ahead, but the calf hasn't gotten any worse. In fact, it's not the calf that's bothering me, but some stomach unsettling. I start to keep an eye out for a latrine, just in case.

8:40: The uphill grade begins as we turn onto India St, then right on A and left again on Sixth St. Despite the quad pain, calf stiffness and queasy stomach, I plow forward knowing it's only for a short while more. I've run most of the race probably at 80-85% HRmax, but now I'm maxing out. I make a game out of passing people as if I'm in competition with them. It's such a relief to crest the hill and turn onto El Prado that leads into Balboa Park.

8:50: The spectators are now thick and cheering. It's neat, and very motivating. Ego keeps me from settling back into a trot even though I know by now I could and still finish at a respectable 1:50:00.

8:55: I'm across the finish line, picking up my medal and trying to fish out my phone from my belt to try to call Joan. Suddenly, there in front of me beyond the barriers, I see Joan and Quin in the crowd. Somehow, they got there in time to see me coming down the final stretch and are able to meet me at the finish line. How cool.

My legs immediately begin to tighten up, especially that right calf. I'm able to navigate through the swelling crowd at the finish line festival, picking up bananas, Snickers Marathon Bars, a few bottles of Sambazon Acai smoothie juice, some Naked juice...and most importantly, my Triple Crown finisher's medal.

I'm tired and want to leave, forgetting to have my finisher's picture taken. Oh well. Hopefully, there'll be a good one of me I can use that was taken along the course.

I lay here now, hours later, and I'm just not comfortable. My right calf is knotted up. My quads/hip flexors are sore. And something new -- my groin or some muscles deep in my pubic area hurt. That might have something to do with the ab crunches...sit up challenge...I've been doing recently.

Even though this was the easiest of the 3 courses that make up the Triple Crown, I had the hardest time on this one and finished with the slowest result. I just wasn't trained up for it. It's nice to know that my residual conditioning can still allow me to finish a 13.1 run even at a respectable hour and 50 minutes. My chip time wasn't that much worse than Carlsbad, way back in January, but I'm suffering much more for the effort than I did then.

Still, it was worth it. The weather might not have been pretty and I guess I didn't loaf enough to really enjoy the passing scenery, but I, for one, appreciated the cooler air temperature and lack of a beating sun on my radiator of a head.

Now, I'll take a day or two to recover and look to finishing out August with some good cross training before turning my attention to marathon training in September. I just hope this calf issue isn't going to be chronic.


Final finishing time: 1:48:55
Average pace: 8:19
Splits:
1) 8:42 (warming up + crowd)
2) 8:17
3) 7:55 (all downhill)
4) 7:54 (mostly downhill)
5) 8:19
6) 8:18
7) 8:38 (30 sec walk break w/water)
8) 8:08
9) 8:17
10) 8:15
11) 8:17
12) 8:33 (uphill)
13.1) 9:19 (first half uphill ~8:28 mile pace)