The race expo for this year was at the Encinitas Community & Senior Center. Since work was almost halfway down to Encinitas, I decided to go after work on Friday. This way I won't have to make another separate trip on Saturday just to pick up my bib having to drive down yet again on Sunday for the race.
There was some work traffic for the trip down to Encinitas, but it wasn't too bad. Most of the crazy traffic was actually in the parking lot of the senior center. I think many people had the same idea and were there to get the packet pick-up out of the way before hurrying home for dinner.
The expo was pretty small. Everything was held in one room. After picking up my bib, I got my race shirt and a drawstring bag with some goodies. Part of the goodies was a mug where you can mark off the states where you've run. Nice idea, but the mug looked kind of cheap.
Graffiti wall
Race shirt and expo goodies
After I was done with the expo, I drove to the nearby McDonald's for a quick dinner before heading back home. I was planning to get in on the free 6 pc McNugget "when the Dodgers scores 6 runs" deal, but I was South enough that only the Padres promotion was showing up on the mobile app. They get free fries the next day when the Padres win. Unfortunately according to the app, this particular McDonald's was not participating on the deal. Bummer. I had to settle for the "buy 1 sandwich at regular price and get a 2nd sandwich at 25 cents" deal. I went with the usual Quarter pounder with cheese and a Big Mac.
McDonald's
Quarter pounder with cheese and Big Mac
I was kind of unhappy that the McDonald's in Encinitas wasn't participating in the local sports promotions, so instead of going straight home, I stopped at the one in Brea to get my McNuggets and fries. :)
Sunday 3/31
My tank was pretty empty, so I stopped by the gas station to get gas. Normally it's pretty quiet that early in the morning. However when I pulled in and was ready to pump my gas, some guy that I didn't recognize kept yelling, "where are you going?" I looked around to see if he was yelling at someone else. Stranger danger! Eventually I told him that I was headed down to San Diego. I'm sure I had a very confused look on my face, so he finally told me that he volunteered with me at the LA Big 5k race last weekend. That bit of info jogged my memory because I recalled him telling me that he also lived in Diamond Bar. What a small world.
I arrived in Encinitas a little before 5:30 am. The map that they provided for suggested parking was a bit vague and confusing as to where we should park. Last year I parked at the Encinitas Station, but it didn't seem like that was one of the lots shaded in on the map designated for parking. So this year, I opted for the city hall parking at the corner of D St and Vulcan Ave.
Since the race was scheduled to start at 7:30 am, I walked over to the starting area to check things out as the course was changed a bit to take out the short steep hill. I also took the time to use one of the portapotties which was sort of tucked away on the North side of the Moonlight Beach parking lot. Once I was done taking care of the usual pre-race business, I went back to my car to change and grab my handheld bottle.
Moonlight State Beach
This year's course started at the corner of 4th St and C St heading South on 4th St. The starting area was a bit chaotic as they've added a 5k. The 5k had a later starting time with their corral along C St. The half marathon corral extended North from the end of C St into the Moonlight Beach parking lot. While sitting down at the curb wrapped in my mylar blanket, I bumped into the usual suspects that I would see at the races.
Start line
The usual suspects
Half Fanatics
I think I started the race off too fast. What else is new? :) The pace felt good and somewhat comfortable, so I went with it. After the weakness that I felt in my left hip last weekend at the LA Marathon, I was a bit cautious on the downhill sections. The first 4 and a quarter miles or so took me down to Solana Beach. After the turnaround on Plaza St, I retraced my steps back to D St. I was planning to take walk breaks every half hour. However after reaching mile 6, I had to take a walk break. It could've been the cotton t-shirt that I was wearing, but I was definitely starting to overheat. I ran up the short steep climb on K St, but I had to walk once I got up to the top. Once I reached D St, I turned right to head for the out and back on Coast Highway 101. The turnaround was at Avocado St at about 10 and 3 quarter miles. I was beginning to struggle during this stretch as the longer I was out there, the warmer it got. I was running primarily around a guy named George. It would seem that everyone in the race knew him, calling out his name. Eventually I told him that he was like Norm at Cheers! I think he told me that he owned or worked at a running store in Carlsbad.
Finish line
Finish: 1:55:31
Click here for my Garmin data.
After crossing the finish line, I received a pretty sweet looking finisher medal. While I was hoping to have finished closer to 1:50, I was okay with my finishing time. It felt good to move faster even for only the first 10k.Relive 'Encinitas Half Marathon'
Finisher medal
We were given quite a bit of post race goodies and drinks which included a muffin, boxed water, TruMoo chocolate milk, and Harmless coconut water. I ended up getting a drawstring bag from the StateFarm booth just so I could free up my hands. I had to answer a few survey questions in order to get the bag. She also gave me one of the towels when I asked her for it even though we were only supposed to get 1 item.
Non-medicinal muffins :)
After I was done eating the muffin and using one of the portapotties, I started making my way back to my car. Along the way, I looked for the spectator that was asking for a beer ticket during the final stretch of the race. She was cheering on the side of the Coast Highway 101. When I gave her my beer ticket, she was so appreciative that she gave me a hug. De nada! The beer garden was just across the street. They had a rather large statue made of plastic junk that resembled a Buddha statue.
Beer Garden and plastic Buddha
I guess parking spaces in the area was in high demand as someone wanted my spot as soon as I got to my car. Along the way home, I once again stopped at the McDonald's in Brea to pick up lunch. I placed an order via the mobile phone app, but it gave me an error when I tried to check in. The app told me to speak to an employee to complete the order. Before doing so, I placed an order on their kiosk for a McChicken sandwich and a McDouble for $3 as part of their current limited time offer. I then spoke to an employee, but she was completely useless as she knew nothing about mobile ordering and was more fascinated with my McDonald's t-shirt. I went ahead and canceled the order on my app and tried again. Fortunately there were no errors with the second attempt.
Post race McDonald's
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