Sunday morning I got up early for my third half marathon in a month. Spring is a great time of year for local races in the Sacramento area making it easy to train for one and keep the the momentum going with races just about every weekend. I saw a lot of the same runners at all three half marathons and I get it, the more races I do the easier and more relaxed they become. I’ve been able to see them as more of an opportunity to hang out with other runners and have fun collecting experiences and medals. It was rainy and gray Sunday, but it was just a light sprinkle compared to the Shamrock’n so I wasn’t worried.
I always lay my stuff out the night before the race in case I’m running late and/or half awake that morning.
And have the race bib and running outfit ready to throw on.
Also make sure my Pebble Time is fully charged for Runkeeper.
I registered for this race last minute because it’s local and inexpensive compared to the other two races I ran and supports a good cause. For a cheaper registration cost, there is a lot of features with a lively vendor expo going strong even before the race started.
And, unlike the Peace-Love-Run Half, there were plenty of outhouses filled with soap and hand washing stations – so many there weren’t any lines for them!
I noticed a lot of runners wearing Hoka shoes for this race and am tempted to try a pair myself for marathon training.
It was overcast and wet, but we only hit a few rain sprinkles during the race and the cooler weather was nice.
This half wasn’t a PR for me because it offered a new elevation challenge.
The first 5 miles consistently climbed uphill and pretty darn steep at times into the foothill neighborhoods which I’m not used to.
The total elevation was similar to the other races, but it was in one huge climb at the beginning of the race instead of a bunch of little hills. By mile 8, my legs were feeling more tired than usual and it was a game of positive mantras and micro intervals to keep my pace through the hilly neighborhood! Considering that challenge, I’m happy with my time and that recovery is going well.
When I came through the finish line, the vendor fair was still going strong with lots of great food for runners and samples like these simple Barnana vegan snacks.
I hung around the vendor area for a little bit, but was a sweaty mess from the humid weather and decided a hot shower could not wait much longer.
Then hubby and I stepped out for my new favorite post-race tradition – a huge, carby meal from Pho Vegan Asian Cuisine. He got the vegan broccoli “beef” which was great with spicy chili sauce.
And I got the lemon “chicken” with pineapple, also great with a bright, sweet lemony flavor, crunchy texture, and colorful.
And I love what a half marathon does to my step count for the day!
What app or device do you use to track runs and/or fitness?
Good for you doing yet another race! Someday. Maybe!!! Anyhow, the picture with all the porta potties just made me laugh out loud and I needed that today. I think the only thing that would motivate me would be the snacks at the end.
Thanks! Lol, lots of available clean porta potties are important to runners! :-) Snacks are important too and the shiny medal is nice.
Three in a month! Wow, I’m bowing down to you right now. I’m doing a half in June and another in September. Hopefully I’ll find another in-between those two to get me ready for the Chicago Marathon in October.
I do the same thing as you do. I put everything out the night before so I don’t forget anything. Those races start early!
Thanks! :-) That great that you have a couple of half marathons scheduled too. I have noticed better recovery running them so close together and feeling better about training for the whole.
So true on race mornings, laying everything out makes it easier to start the morning relaxed.
I am intrigued by Hoka shoes as well, but whenever I’ve tried them on, I don’t like the way they feel on my foot. I use the Garmin Forerunner 225 on my wrist and sync to Garmin Connect and Strava. A couple of my friends use runkeeper though and I think it’s a great system.
Congrats on finishing a tough race! Hills are always a battle
Interesting on Hoka, I really curious to try them now. I’ve heard great things about Garmin Forerunners too. Thanks on the race!
Congrats on another half well done! I use a Garmin Forerunner 10 – well I used to when I actually ran. I’m trying to get back into it. I’m also using a Fitbit to track steps for the day that I got from my husband’s cousin who wasn’t using it. It helps me keep moving at least a bit.
Thanks! Garmin Forerunner’s seem to be popular! And I see tons of Fitbits too, looks like a great app for tracking.
I use MapMyRun for right now. I like it because you can change your tracking options (like for biking and walking) which can be nice to see how much I am walking when I go into Philadelphia or visiting my sister in Brooklyn where we are likely to walk 2 to 9 miles in one day. It also does a decent job with tracking hiking as well.
Very interesting. I tried MayMyRun once when I got frustrated with bugs in Runkeeper, but ended up back with Runkeeper when they fixed the app issues.