I love races that have race day bib pick up. However that usually means that I would have to wake up super early to drive to the race. So shortly after 3 am, I hopped in my car. I had to gas up the car before heading down to Mission Bay. Per the race instructions, I exited the freeway at Sea World Dr and parked in the Sun Runner dirt lot at the corner of Sea World Dr and Pacific Highway.
It was still pretty dark and a bit chilly when I walked over to the location of the race packet pick up, over at the Tecolote Shores Park. After getting my bib and race shirt, I used one of the portapotties before heading back to my car.
At about an hour before the start of the race, I grabbed my water bottle and walked over to the starting area. As I milled around the starting corral, it looked to be a very nice day for a race. I bumped into a few familiar faces including Rudy, one of the race announcers, as well as my friend who was pacing the 2 hr group.
Start
Race announcers
My friend the pacer
The race was scheduled to start at 6:30 am, but it ended up being delayed about 10 minutes. I positioned myself near the 1:40 pace group and intended to only keep them within sight only for about the first 5k. I actually knew one of the pacers as she was a friend of a friend. She started talking to almost everyone around her to gauge everyone's level of fitness. When she got to me, I pretty much told her not to worry about me and that I was just there to gauge how my leg is recovering.
National anthem
The first mile felt okay, but again I felt the discomfort in the left glute/hip area. While I normally like to run it hard for at least the first 10k, I decided to pull back on the pace after reaching the first mile marker. I got to the 10k point feeling worse for wear. I was hoping to cruise to the finish line by running 9 min miles the rest of the way, but it was quite the effort just to keep the next several miles under 10 mins. By mile 10 or so, I could no longer get the legs to turnover especially the ailing left leg. I was fortunate to squeak in just under the 2 hr mark.
Finish: 1:59:17
Click here for my Garmin data.
I liked the majority of the course since it was run near the water most of the time. However I didn't like the portions on the concrete bike path that used to be part of the Rock n' Roll San Diego marathon course. Thank goodness the course finished on the softer grass.
Finish
After crossing the finish line, I collected my finisher medal and met up with my San Diegan friends. We grabbed some of the post race food and drinks before heading over to the back drop where people were taking pictures. After taking some pictures we went over to the timing tent to check our finishing time. My friend ran well enough to earn an AG award!
Medal
Race goodies
Finisher
Then it was time to go our separate ways. I used a portapotty before walking back to my car. Since I had a gift card for a free 22 oz lemonade at Raising Cane's, I decided to stop at their Laguna Hills location for lunch on the way back. It was my first time and I ordered their Box Combo. It came with 4 chicken fingers, cole slaw, crinkle cut fries, Texas toast, and a drink. I thought the chicken fingers were pretty good, but I'm not really into eating deep-fried breaded food. The Cane's sauce was mighty tasty. Service was good and the food was decent. However chicken fingers just isn't something that I would eat on a consistent basis, so I doubt that there would be a return visit for me in the future.
The Box Combo
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