Rock ‘n Roll San Diego Recap

13.1 miles in one of the most beautiful cities in the country – I’ll take it.

Rock ‘n Roll San Diego was a blast. While this was the first half marathon that I didn’t PR in, it was a very positive experience.

First – it was in San Diego. I love San Diego. The weather is great. The scenery is picturesque. There is plenty to do and see before and after the race and I tried to do it all. I went to Coronado. I went wine tasting. I went shopping. Need I saw more…

Second – my girls were with me. The ladies who initially helped shaped me as a runner. The ones who encouraged me to run with them even though I couldn’t keep up. The ones who told me I could run a 10K and they were right. The ones who told me I could run a half marathon and they were right again. I owe a lot to these women. We ran together every week for more than a year when I lived in California and did a fair share of races side by side. This was my first race with them since last year’s San Francisco Marathon – 1st Half. It was nice to share this experience together.

Third – it was my first Rock ‘n Roll race and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Overall it was well organized. The expo was great (although I was disappointed Race Ready wasn’t a vendor – I was hoping to purchase a pair of capri's). The start went smoothly. The finisher’s village was nice with a beer garden and food by P.F. Chang's.

Now back to my time and not setting a PR. I missed my goal by two minutes but I wasn’t disappointed. The last three half marathons I did, I shaved 4 – 5 minutes off my time during each race. I figured it was a matter of time before I hit a plateau. This race was 6 weeks after my last half marathon. Now that I look back, I don’t feel like I trained as hard as I could have. I did several tempo runs but only one speed workout. I had a few low mileage weeks due to work commitments. I did feel good on race day. A friend decided to run with me to help me get to my goal. We went out strong but I ran out of steam around mile 11 and really had to push to get to the finish line, one minute slower than my PR. This race was definitely a learning experience – I got some pointers on my stride that I’ll have to try.

After resting for a few days, my plan is to change up my training routine. I want to cycle two days a week, have a weekly long run, a weekly tempo run and alternative weekly easy runs and speed workouts.

I don’t know what my next race will be. There are a lot of options and I’ll figure it out eventually. In the meantime, I plan to enjoy the journey. Happy running!

This is the last post in the Marathon Mondays series. I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed sharing them with you.

Change of Plans

I don’t know if you’re like me but there are times when I am not happy when I have to change my plans, especially when it comes to my running and workout schedules. It’s my “me time” but things happen and I have learned to be flexible.

Just last week, my running schedule was interrupted for a last minute trip out of town. That meant my second tempo workout for the week was cut. I still ran 18 miles but I was planning to do about 25 miles so I fell short. This week I’ll be traveling as well so I am adjusting my schedule to run the next five days straight since I won’t have time to run during a weekend trip to the East coast. And when I return it may be a day or two before I can hit the streets so I want to get my miles in before my trip.

People often ask me how I fit in my runs and workouts. I just establish a schedule and stick with it. Whenever possible, I plan activities and outings around my workouts. For example, a year ago I went to a workout class, rushed home to shower and get dressed with about five minutes to spare before heading to see a musical. Other times, I travel with running shoes and workout gear and use a friend’s gym guest pass or run laps around a relative’s home to get my miles in. This probably sounds a little crazy but my runs and workouts are important to me.

I realize everyone isn’t able to do this. Family, work and life often get in the way. But I encourage you to give it a try. Just like work, sleep and cooking for the family are important, you’re health is important too. Make you a priority and stick with it. And let me know how it goes.