Friday 1/18
As soon as I got off of work, I drove up to INKnBURN in Santa Ana to pick up the wasabi shirt that I had ordered before making the drive down to Oceanside.
For this short trip, I stayed at the WorldMark Oceanside. There was a bit of traffic along the way. I didn't arrive until at about 5:30 pm. I checked-in before driving back out for dinner. The lady at the front desk was nice and friendly. After getting my room key, I was directed to the concierge table by the recreation room where I picked up my parking pass and a bunch of information about local markets, restaurants, and popular tourist attractions. Per the usual, I was also offered Wyndham Rewards Points if I commit to attending an owner presentation which included a complimentary breakfast. Since I wasn't planning on doing anything except attending the race expo, I agreed to attend. It required the usual $20 deposit which would be refunded when I show up for the presentation.
After I was done with that, I got in my car and drove to the nearby In-n-Out for dinner. I ordered 2 Double Doubles. The more I eat these burgers, the more I don't think that they're the best. I would much rather eat a Double Charburger from The Habit or even a Quarter Pounder with cheese from McDonald's! I think In-n-Out's burgers are way too heavily salted. As for their french fries, they are really gross compared to McDonald's fries. According to an article in the LA Times, those two restaurants are on the opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to taste and texture. To each their own! End of the day, you just got to eat what you like.
Double Double x2
After I was done with my burgers, I went back to the hotel. I tried to park in the first gated parking structure, but it was very tiny with very few parking spots which were at capacity. I exited and drove up to the next one which had plenty of spots. I found a spot near the elevator which turned out to be very inconvenient since my room was clear on the other end of the property. It was much easier for me to park near the lobby and just take the 3 flights of stairs.
Once I got to my room, I noticed that this was by far the worst WorldMark property that I've stayed at since becoming an owner in 2016. Many of the power outlets had the face plate turned perpendicular to block the outlet. I'm guessing that this was to discourage people from using them. I just used the ones that weren't covered. Everything about this property felt cheap except for the kitchen. It felt like a slightly remodeled Super 8 or Days Inn. Coincidentally both are hotel chains managed by Wyndham.
I guess this means, do not use
Murphy bed behind the doors
After I got settled in, I went back down to the lobby to check out a movie. I wanted to see Glass in the movie theater, but I've only seen Unbreakable. Fortunately for me, they had a copy of Split. I thought it was a much better movie than Unbreakable. That James McAvoy is a really good actor. The only other movies that I've seen him in are the X-Men movies where he played a younger Charles Xavier.
Saturday 1/19
With daylight, I checked out the balcony which included a BBQ grill, a small table, and two chairs. The view wasn't too bad from the balcony even though there's a parking lot between you and the ocean. I went back inside to watch the Manchester United v. Brighton match before I had to go downstairs to attend an update presentation for WorldMark owners.
View from the balcony
Man United v. Brighton
Pogba taking a PK
Per the usual, the owner update included an okay, but not impressive "free" breakfast. They'll keep you there for at least an hour. Time is money. At least they always give you an incentive for your attendance. I received 15,000 Wyndham Rewards Points which I normally use for 1 night free stay.
"Free" breakfast
After I was done, I hopped in the car and drove over to The Shoppes at Carlsbad to pick up my race packet. The race expo setup was the same as it always has been in years past. I wasn't there long. After picking up my bib, I headed over to the other side of the tent to pick up my drawstring bag and 2 long sleeve finisher shirts. I bumped into my friend, Dexter, who was volunteering. That guy is always giving back to the running community!
Dexter
Long sleeve finisher shirt
3/4 zip long sleeve finisher shirt
On the way back to my hotel, I stopped in at the Walmart Neigborhood Market to pick up some drinks and snacks. Since I was feeling a bit under the weather, I also picked up a can of soup. I ate the Pop Chips and drank the clam chowder for lunch.
Drinks and snacks
For dinner, I drove out to a nearby McDonald's to pick up 2 Quarter Pounders with cheese with their mix and match $5 deal. I took them back to my room to enjoy. I laid out my flat runner for tomorrow's race before going to sleep.
Quarter Pounder with cheese x2
Flat runner
Sunday 1/20
I got ready, packed up my stuff, dropped off the keys at the front desk, and drove out to the race. The start of the half marathon was at 7:45 am. I got there and parked early enough to catch the start of the full marathon at 6:15 am.
Marathon start
I had over an hour to pass before my race, so I returned back to my car after using one of the many portapotties. I love that this race has plenty of them, so there's hardly ever a wait to use one.
Once the start of the race approached, I headed out to the start line. I said hi to my friend, Rudy, the race announcer. It's always good to see him at the races. Unfortunately they were having audio problems, so he had to shout at the top of his lungs to send us off. I started out of wave 2.
Half marathon start
I was running well through about mile 8, then it started to deteriorate quickly in the next few miles. The last three miles were quite the struggle as the legs were getting very heavy and were beginning to cramp up.
Finish line
Finish: 1:53:16
Click here for my Garmin data.
Even though I was having cramping issues during the last few miles, I was quite satisfied with how my legs have been feeling for the most part. Everything should sort itself out once I start putting in more training miles throughout the week.Relive 'Carlsbad Half Marathon'
I picked up my finisher medal and kept walking down the finisher chute where they were handing out bottles of water, chocolate milk, and a brown bag of healthy post-race goodies. The exact contents of the bag were 2 Zone perfect nutrition bars, 1 small Power crunch bar, 1 Kashi chocolate almond sea salt bar, 2 small bags of Good Grains, and a banana. Drinking the chocolate milk took care of the leg cramps. I saved the rest to eat at work the next day.
Finisher medal
Post race snack bag and drinks
Snack bag contents
I ran the full marathon from 2009 - 2013, and returned in 2018 after a 4 year gap. I skipped the race those 4 years because it fell on the same date as the Tinker Bell or Star Wars race over at Disneyland. Now that the West Coast runDisney races are on hiatus, it's back to Carlsbad I go. This time I'll stick to just the half marathon. I started off running the half marathon back in 2007 and 2008... back when I found it next to impossible for me to finish the half in under 2 hrs.
2008: 2:06:40
2007: 2:07:44
On the way home, I stopped by the McDonald's to pick up lunch. I got a Quarter Pounder with cheese and a Filet o' Fish sandwich with their $5 mix and match deal.
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