-
Archive of "running" Category
Nike Women’s Half Marathon Race Report
My first half marathon was overall a great experience. I knew that this race as a first half would not dissapoint, and it didn’t.
The expotique, as Nike likes to call it, was well organized and very crowded. There was no wait for packet pick up, and then I went around to the various booths to see what other goodies were there. They had a photo booth, ipod engraving, gait analysis, massages, manicures, and an oxygen bar. It’s too bad the lines were all VERY long for everything.They also put all the runners names on a wall at Niketown. My name was too far up on the wall so I couldn’t get a picture of it, but it was still pretty neat.
I tried to get to sleep early the night before the race, but of course was just too excited to sleep – kind of like in this commercial. I was up and out of bed before the alarm went off, and started to get my pre-race meal ready: bagel with peanut butter and a banana. Then it was time to get the running gear on and head out the door.
Here I am – all set to go!
Here’s what I put on the back of my shirt.
You know how I love to encourage people. A lot of runners told me they loved the shirt and I met several knitters during the race too.
We got to Union Square about 45 minutes before the start, and the whole place was already packed with people and very chaotic. I had tentative plans to meet up with Audrey before the race but with a crowd like that, it just wasn’t going to happen. It took forever for me to get to bag check because you literally had to push your way through the crowds. Normally I use the porta-potties before starting, but I didn’t feel like battling with the crowds and the lines, so I decided against it. Of course taking a bathroom break later on would cost me some time, but I wasn’t worried about it. They sang the National Anthem, and off we went. Well, since I was in one of the last corrals, it actually took another 15 minutes for me to cross the start, but you get the idea.
The first 4 miles were flat and fast. This is a walker friendly race, so I spent a lot of time weaving throughout the walkers (don’t get me wrong – there’s nothing wrong with walkers. But someone should let them know not to walk in the middle in groups of 4 or more). Then the hills started, and for the rest of the race, it was up and down hills.I knew this course would be hilly, so I tried to train on what I thought would be similar hills. I was wrong. Someone said this course wouldn’t have cable car hills. They lied. We stayed at a hotel on Nob Hill, and I can honestly say that the hills on the course were very similar if not the same as those cable car hills. So I ran the hills when I could, and just hoped that I could make up some time on the down hill part.
This is a very scenic race, and it takes you through many different tourist spots: Golden Gate Park, Fisherman’s Wharf, etc. We had a great view of the Golden Gate bridge for most of the race.
It was very cool and cloudy and since most of the race is run along the water, we also had to deal with a little bit of wind. I was hoping the sun would break out but it never did. It started out in the 50’s and I don’t think it got much warmer as the morning went on. This Arizona runner was definitely not used to running in cooler temps, and I was cold for most of the race.
The down hills started to make my shins hurt. Around mile 10, my calves started to cramp up from the cold. I stopped and took a couple of minutes to stretch and thankfully they were OK after that. Mile 10 is also around this beach area, and the wind really picked up.No, I wasn’t holding the camera sideways. The road really was slanted like this. This is another reason why I spent alot of time weaving through the crowds. I wanted to make sure I was running on the most even level of the road.
Mile 11 was dubbed the “Chocolate Mile” where Ghirardelli Chocolates are handed to the runners. Wouldn’t you know that when I got there, they were all out? Oh, well.
Shortly after this hill, the volunteers started shouting out that the split for the half and the full was in a mile. Then I knew I was almost to the finish.
Mile 13 was one of my fastest. I was determined to finish and finish strong with a little sprint at the end.
Official Time: 3:12:40
I was handed my blue Tiffany’s box, finisher’s t-shirt, and grabbed a banana and a jamba juice smoothy on my way to the family meeting area.
Overall, I’m really glad I ran this race. The organization was excellent, volunteers were great, and expo was a lot of fun.
Hope everyone has a great rest of the week!
A new look and race weekend!
Yes, the Running Knitter has moved to a new blog. Thank you to all my loyal readers for making the move with me. :) Do you like the new look? I’ve been hard at work these past couple of weeks putting things together (good thing I was in the taper zone!) and getting ready for the big race this weekend.
The bags are packed and my race gear is all set. I have no time goals in mind. My goals are to finish, and have fun. Oh, and I will be sure to take pictures along the way so I can share them with all of you.
Thank you to everyone for your words of wisdom through out these past 17 weeks of my training. Your blogs and comments have given me some great advice and some good laughs too. It’s hard for me to believe that it’s finally here.
Good luck to everyone racing this weekend!
PS-
I have finished New Moon in the Twilight Series, and am about 100 pages into Eclipse. New Moon was just as good as Twilight. I’m hoping to read most of Eclipse on the plane ride and will up date you next week. So because of this Twilight Series, there hasn’t been any knitting done… :)In the Zones…
My lack of recent blogging has been because I am currently in two zones. First, the taper zone. Yes, the big race, my first half marathon, is almost here and I’m finally tapering. I had some problems with my knee last week, (I’m pretty sure it’s my IT band) and so I cut a couple of runs short and have been resting, icing, and foam rolling. No one told me that foam rolling would be so painful that it would bring tears to my eyes. The knee is doing much better now. Big thank you to my Surf City pals for their words of wisdom on the knee.
The other zone I am in is the Twilight Zone. No, not like the movie. As in the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer. I have to admit that almost ALL of my free time lately has been spent reading this series. I finished the first book, Twilight, in four days, and I’m now halfway through the 2nd book, New Moon. Both Jess and Jenny both said that once I started reading the series, I wouldn’t be able to put it down until I read all four books. Well, they were right. I’ve already ordered books three and four and they will be here by the end of the week.
Twilight is about Bella, a typical high school student, who moves to Washington to live with her dad. As the story progresses, she must adapt to a new life -living with her dad, a new school, new friends, and a new boyfriend – Edward. Oh, and Edward also happens to be a vampire. That’s where the story gets really interesting.
I was impressed at the maturity of Bella. I think I also enjoyed this book because like Bella, I had to move to a new town and a new school for my last year of high school. I loved that this book had a little bit of everything in it – humor, romance, and mystery. It’s been a really long time since such a book or a series has drawn me in like this one. Though it’s marketed as a book for young adults, I think this story would appeal to all readers.
I will post more about New Moon when I’m done with it – probably at the end of this week.
Have you read the Twilight series? Without posting any spoilers, what did you think about it?
Hope everyone has a great week!
A Great Long Run with Running Buddies
Yesterday, I met up with Karen and Christina for our long run. Long runs with buddies always help the miles go by faster, don’t they? While on our run, we all came up with the same too-much-information-this-may-be-a-little-embarrassing-but-I’m-going-to-ask-it-anyway question. I’m pretty sure other lady runners out there in blogland have had the same question at some point, so maybe someone can answer it for us. Has anyone ever tried the Under Armour moisture wicking undies, (or any kind of moisture wicking undies) and do they work? I’ve wanted to try them, but $20 for one pair is a bit high – especially if I don’t know if they really work, you know?
8 miles
931 calories burnedI finally got a copy of this today:
I had been wanting to read it for a while, and I started reading it in the bookstore and just couldn’t put it down. I started reading "The Time Traveler’s Wife" a couple of days ago, but that may have to be put to the side now that I have this book. I’ll post a review when I’m done.
Hope everyone has a great week!
14 Miles, an ice bath, and a cowl
Yesterday I did 14 miles along the same hilly route that I did last week. This was probably the hardest run for me ever. It seemed like it took forever for me to get into the groove. I had to deal with side stitches during the first few miles, and then at mile 4, I had to use the little girls room REALLY BAD. Thankfully there was a gas station near by, and the restroom was actually pretty clean. No bathroom pics though – I’ll leave those to Marcy. Around mile 6 or 7, my hamstrings started telling me to give up now, but I wouldn’t listen. I was determined to finish, and in the end, I DID.
14 miles
Calories burned: 1668When I got home, I took my first ever ice bath. I followed Bobbi’s tips on ice baths, and sipped on a mug of hot chocolate to take my mind off of the cold. I didn’t put as much ice in, but it was still pretty cold. I figured the true test would be the next day, and if I didn’t wake up sore, then I knew ice baths worked for me. Well, this morning I woke up, and didn’t feel sore AT ALL. I’ll be taking ice baths after all my long runs from now on.
I finished knitting the Birthday Cowl. I used Malabrigo Worsted yarn and the cowl is really pretty. It’s a birthday gift for my friend back east, and I know it will keep her warm during the winter.
Hope everyone has a great week, and for those affected by Ike, I’m hoping things get back to normal quickly for you!
