2003 San Francisco 1/2 Marathon

I got up to SF a little before the 8:00am start and registered for the half. I was running a bit late and did a warm up jog over to the registration tables, then downed a Gu and did some stretching before the bell.

Even before the start I noticed my calf muscles were a bit sore, but I hoped that would go away after a few miles.

I positioned myself roughly mid pack (they didn't have mile time signs up like at the Bridge to Bridge run). The plan I put together for the run was to go at 5.0 mph and after talking to Vicky on Saturday, to run 8 min/ walk 2 min for the duration of the race. The announcers said there would be water stops every three miles, I planned to take a Gu at each stop, a shot of Cyclomax (I brought a small bottle) and a few cups of water.

Once the bell rang I got swept up in the excitement and kept running after the first 8 minutes. I wore the GPS and watch and kept an eye on my speed. I found 5.0 to be too slow, generally running between 5.2 and 5.7, and few times I was over 6 even close to 7! Though I felt good I slowed down, concerned that a fast start could mean a difficult finish. I ended up running the first three miles, out of Golden Gate Park and around the Pan Handle. My legs were feeling strong, and I briefly thought "what the hell, I'll run the whole thing" before coming to my senses at the mile 3 sign, taking a Gu and some drink, and starting my first 2 minute walk segment. I think this really saved me, giving my legs a chance to rest, and keeping my heart rate in a comfortable range.

Over the next few miles the race meandered through Golden Gate Park, east to west with some easy rolling hills before heading out to the Great Highway near the windmill. For the first 10k or so I felt good, with just some slight pain in my calfs. At each mile people were calling out the time, and the average mile pace. I was holding steady between 11:16 and 11:30/mile, even picking up the pace a few times.

By mile 9 the pain started to kick in, more calf soreness, a bit in the knees, and some increasing pain in both arches. I kept going with the 8/2 pattern, and worked hard to keep above 5 mph. The run south along the Great Highway seemed to go on forever, all the way down to the Zoo and turning around right as the road took a steep turn upwards.

By now I was closing in on mile 10 and knew this was the home stretch with the finish line just inside the park. My timing would work out so my last walk segment would be right before the mile 12 sign, then I would run the last 1.1 miles or so. I took one last Gu, some water and finished off the Cyclomax then went all out. That last mile was sooo tough, some uphill, and my lower legs just screaming. I rounded the last turn with 100 meters or so to the finish line, crossing the line in 2:31:14! I was so stoked, I was hoping for 2:45, maybe even 2:40. Subtracking the full minute it took between the bell going off and my actually crossing the start line and begining to run, that's 2:30:14! :) :)

It was a great experience, I feel a lot more confident for Wildflower. I ran into some TnT folks from the Pac Grove training. We talked about upcoming races and I got the same "Oh shit, Wildflower is so freakin hard, even harder than the Canadian Ironman" reaction from a couple of people :)