I've mentioned it before and I'll mention it again... I love races that have race day packet pick-up. I arrived and parked at the Laguna Hills Mall at about 5:30 am, the time when registration opens. I walked over to the pre-registration tables and picked up my bib, timing chip, race shirt, and a cap. I used a portapotty before heading back to my car. I bumped into a friend and we chatted for a little bit before we went our separate ways.
I relaxed in my car while listening to songs on my Shuffle. The race started at 7 am. At about 20 minutes before the start, I positioned myself between the 7 min and 8 min/mile pace signs. A few of my friends found me there and hung out with me until it was time to run our race.
Starting line
Even though for this race the weather has always been generally hot, humid, or both, I always liked running this race. This was where I ran my very first half marathon and also where I first broke 2 hrs. Anyways this year, there was overcast for pretty much the entire day. However even though it was gloomy with plenty of cloud cover, it was humid (85% per the weather report). My body doesn't do well in high humidity. The majority of the mile markers were off, so after a few I stopped pressing the lap button on my watch. It was a rolling course and just ran by perceived effort. I used the mile markers as only a general reference as to how far I had left to go. The first 5k went by pretty fast as we had 5k runners among us. It was good to see them peel off as we ran by the Laguna Hills Community Center. The 10k runners turned right at Moulton Parkway as the half marathoners kept heading straight. We turned up Aliso Creek Rd and ran around Wood Canyon Elementary School. We then head down Aliso Canyon Rd. Instead of turning down to the dirt path in the years past, we ran a little further on Aliso Canyon Rd before making a u-turn. It's a nice incline heading the other way before we turn on Awma Rd to get on the Aliso Creek Bike Trail. I started to fade pretty badly right when I saw the mile 10 marker. Both legs were so heavy as if I had lead weights strapped to my ankles. My calves were cramping up on the final push up a short steep incline to the finish line.
Finish: 1:51:57
About to be passed by my friend
I was pretty disappointed with my time. I was shooting to finish the race somewhere between 1:45 and 1:50. Most likely I had been slowly losing my fitness as I have been nursing a couple of sore feet. Later on, I felt better after I realized that I had run a personal best for this race by almost 6 minutes! It helps to have proper perspective. This course wasn't too hard, but it definitely wasn't an easy course. Always look for the silver lining.
2005: 2:20:49 (My very first half marathon!)
2006: 2:27:21
2007: 2:02:57
2008: 1:57:44 (First time breaking 2 hrs)
2010: 1:58:45
2011: 2:12:38
After eating some bananas and hydrating, I made my way over to the different booths at the finish area. I said hi to my friend at the WeRock tent. They were among a lot of people near the final stretch cheering on the runners.
Along the way to the beer garden, I stopped by the Dark Horse Marines tent. I made a donation to them by purchasing a cap and a black t-shirt. It was a good thing that they were able to take credit cards since I only carry $20 cash on me whenever I'm running a race.
Dark Horse Marines tent
Dark Horse Marines
Even though there were signs, it took me a while to find the beer garden. It was not located on the grass field, it was tucked into a little corner right next to the community center. It was $10 for 4 tickets. Each ticket was good for a 3 oz taster. You could pay by credit card. They give you the cup and the tickets. They had several water dispensers in the beer garden for you to rinse out your cup. They had a DJ playing music and there was a giant Jenga game right in the middle. Every time the tower fell, it startled us. Out of the beers that we sampled, my friends and I liked The Tattered Prince Saison by Bottle Logic.
Beer garden
$10 for (4) 3 oz tasters
Craft Beer Tasting!
Einstök
Icelandic Toasted Porter
Bottle Logic
The Tattered Prince Saison
Bootlegger's
Craft beer tasting with friends
Medal and bib
After my friend and I were done with the beer garden, we drove over to the In-n-Out at the Laguna Hills Mall. I got the usual Double Double x2 plus a chocolate shake. The burgers really hit the spot, but it's usually a meal reserved for after completing a full marathon. After we were done eating, my friend drove me across the huge parking lot to my car.
Double Double x2 plus chocolate shake
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