Well, yesterday was a fun and funny day! This was my fourth time running this half marathon. It is put on by the San Diego area Hash House Harriers. This group of people call themselves drinkers with a running problem! That is why you will see some craziness on the course. One of the aid stations had men dressed up in red sparkly dresses for Valentine's Day handing out cups of beer, and as you approached another aide station, you heard someone yelling "Water on the left, sangria on the right!" Another attraction of this race is someone who dresses up like the Queen of England and waves the British flag. Yesterday on the way out, she was yelling "Come to the wedding!" And on the way back, she was yelling, "See you in the beer garden!" Running this tough course just makes you smile! It is a beautiful rolling hills course through Rancho Santa Fe.
The first two years I did this race, I did extremely well, running 1:52. Last year and this year were tougher having switched to triathlon and having biked the day before the race. However, I did one minute faster than last year, 1:56:35. On Saturday, I did the western loop ride for the first time, which is a difficult ride, 42 miles total with 21 miles of climbing! So when I awoke in the morning to go to the race, I was feeling a little fatigued! I just kept the attitude that I would start running and see how I felt; and after the first few miles, I felt pretty good. I concentrated on my form for the majority of the race, and I also kept telling myself to use effortless power and not strain myself, and it worked! The race felt like it went really fast. I usually feel pretty drained by mile 11, and I didn't feel that way this time. I felt like I could keep going. The last half of a mile is a brutal gradual uphill grade that is always unpleasant. I made it a point to look at my Garmin when I started to ascend, and it read 1:50, and I told myself to just shuffle up the hill without pushing real hard, and it took me six minutes to get to the finish line. Overall, I think I did pretty good considering how hard I rode on Saturday.
The funniest thing about this race is that morning when I put the timing device on my shoe, it said "F54." And I was thinking, "Hey, they got my age wrong," but then I thought, "Well, maybe it's because my age group is 50-54." Then while I was running, I did take note of the fact that my bib number contained four numbers and most others had three numbers. Well, later that day, I couldn't find my results, and it was pointed out to me that some other runners mistakenly received a bib number for the 5K instead of the half marathon. So I checked, and sure enough, my results were listed under the 5K, and I was also listed as being 54 years old! That is the first time that has ever happened to me in a race, so I'll be sure to pay attention to details in the future! Regardless, I had a great time, as I always do, at this race.
The picture for this post is of me and Norma, who I simply adore! We have a lot in common, and we really complement each other when we are racing because one of us is always pushing the other. I wished we lived closer to each other so we could train together!
And, no, I didn't have any beer or sangria!
Add on note: My results have been corrected. I am listed as 50 years old. My official time was 1:56:35; Pace, 8:54. Age group: 24/72, Overall: 738/1755, Women: 262/851, Age Grade: 63.97%.
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