Operation Jack Half Marathon 2019

Wednesday 12/25
After checking the weather forecast one last time before going to sleep, it looked for certain to be a rainy race day tomorrow with the rain stopping at around 9 am. I was certainly not looking forward to a wet race, but I laid out my flat runner accordingly while mentally preparing myself for the rain.

Flat runner

Thursday 12/26
After a year hiatus, the race returned this year. I was glad as I always have the day off from work and it gave me something to do. Per the usual, I entered into Dockweiler State Beach at the end of Imperial Highway. As informed in the final race instructions, parking was at a cheaper rate for the first 300 cars. I'm always down to save a few bucks, so I made sure to show up a bit early. I parked my car in the usual area, in the row right next to the beach path. That way I can see it as I run by during the race.

$5 parking for first 300 cars here for the race

To everyone's delight, there was no rain. It turned out to be a nice brisk day with clear skies. Thankfully the rain had already passed through. After picking up my race bib and t-shirt, I went back to my car to hide from the cold morning air.

Yea for no rain!

Not a very lucky number for Chinese people! :)

Race shirt

As the start of the race approached, I went back outside and got in line to use one of the portapotties before heading over to the start area. The recent rain and the wind made it feel a bit colder than it actually was. There wasn't a Half Fanatics or Marathon Maniacs pre-race photo. However per the usual, the Latino Heat went around taking selfies with everyone. :)

Start line

Almost time to run

After a few last minute instructions from the race director, we started the race at about 7:30 am. With the planes flying overhead, he should probably start using a megaphone speaker to amplify his voice. I was standing near the front and I could barely hear him.

Well, I learned at this race that when I press the start button on my watch while receiving a notification from my phone that it will not start the clock! I actually had to clear the message first. Good thing I noticed pretty early on in the race that the clock didn't start! It would turn out that I was about 10 seconds behind my timing chip. While I didn't really have a time goal, I always would like to finish a half marathon in under 2 hrs. I made sure not to over do things as my legs didn't have a full week's rest from my last race which was run at a harder effort. Although it was fantastic that it wasn't raining, we did get some windy conditions. I'm not a fan of running into a headwind. It was quite demoralizing for me.

Here we go!

I was dealing with leg cramps at right about the very last turnaround with 2 miles to go. My legs seized up a bit during that last mile, so I had to walk way more than I had wanted in order to get them to loosen up. Those pesky leg cramps cost me a sub 2 hr finishing time. I should have easily made it under 2 hrs, but I missed it by 7 seconds.

Finish

Finish: 2:00:06
Click here for my Garmin data.

While I was a little disappointed that I didn't finish in under 2 hrs, I quickly reminded myself that as of late, my legs were starting to feel much better and more importantly the race was for a great cause! It's always good to make sure to have the proper perspective.

After getting my finisher medal, I hobbled over to the post race snack table to eat some bananas and potato chips to help alleviate the leg cramps. I then hung out with the other finishers while cheering on the runners that were still out there on the course.

Finisher medal

Cheering on those running the marathon

Friend running with Old Glory!

My fellow Half Fanatics

After we were done cheering on our friends, a couple of my friends and I drove over to a Chick-fil-A along the way home to eat lunch. I totally forgot that my friend was vegan, but thankfully she was able to find vegan options on the menu. Both the parking lot and the restaurant itself was very crowded, but I was able to find a parking spot and snag an open table. I conveniently skipped the long line by placing my order via their mobile app. I ordered my usual Cobb salad with chicken nuggets, Chick-fil-A sandwich, and a lemonade.

Cobb salad with chicken nuggets, Chick-fil-A sandwich, and lemonade

After we were done eating, it was time to head home. We went our separate ways. Along the way to the freeway, I drove by one of the original McDonald's. One day, I'll have to actually stop by and check it out. They have a museum and they deep fry their apple pies!

San Diego Holiday Half Marathon 2019

Friday 12/20
Since I had a race tomorrow, I swung by Chick-fil-A for lunch. Besides breaking the McDonald's pre-race tradition, I've also been making a push to earn red status on their app. One benefit from eating here is that it helps me cut back on the red meat intake.

Chick-fil-A sandwich x2

After work I stopped by a Chevron gas station along the way down to fill up my gas tank so that I would have enough fuel to make it down to San Diego to pick up my race packet. Once again the packet pick-up was held at Road Runner Sports in San Diego.

Fill up the gas tank

As usual, the packet pick-up process was quick and well organized. After getting assigned a bib number, I was then given a long sleeve hoodie race shirt, drawstring bag, throwaway gloves, mylar blanket, and a brochure with race day information. While I liked that their race shirts were different from most races, I would still prefer a regular short sleeve t-shirt especially for a Southern California race. After I used one of their restrooms, I hopped in the car and went to go get dinner.

Packet pick-up at Road Runner Sports

Long sleeve race hoodie

Swag

For dinner, I drove out to the Chick-fil-A just off of the 15 freeway at Carmel Mountain Rd. This location had become my go-to place as I usually stay at a nearby hotel for most of my races in San Diego. It just so happened that they gave me a free grilled chicken sandwich as a reward on the app. In addition to the free sandwich, I ordered a Cobb Salad with chicken nuggets and an unsweetened iced tea. When my food was brought out to me, they also gave me 2 gift cards good for either a chocolate chunk cookie or a small icedream cone!

Free grilled chicken sandwich!

Chick-fil-A gift cards

Cobb salad with chicken nuggets, grilled chicken sandwich, and unsweetened iced tea

Free grilled chicken sandwich

After I was done with dinner, I drove over to the nearby La Quinta Inn to check into my room. In my room, the front desk manager had left 2 bottles of water, a Nutri-Grain bar, and a hand written note welcoming me to the hotel. I've never had that kind of special treatment before for a not-very-high-tier hotel.

Compliments of the front desk

Letter from the front desk

After I got settled in, I laid out my flat runner. Once again I went with last weekend's race shirt. I then proceeded to watch a bunch of TV before I finally called it a night. I even caught my favorite episode of season 4 for Rick and Morty.

Flat runner

"Stay in the car!"

Saturday 12/21
It was nice staying pretty close to the start of the race. Still I wanted to get there early to make sure that there's no stress in finding a parking spot. Per the race instructions, I parked in the Penasquitos Village parking lot off of Carmel Mountain Rd just in front of the Floor & Decor. The start line was across the street on Penasquitos Dr. After using one of the portapotties, I went inside the very crowded lobby of the Hotel Karlan to get out of the chilly morning air. I bumped into a few of my friends doing the same thing.

I went back outside to meet up with my good friend as well as to take a pre-race photo with the Half Fanatics. After the picture, we went to drop off her gear bag and then get into the start corral. Before settling behind the 1:40 pace group, I went up to the front to say hi to my friend who was warming up.

Half Fanatics pre-race photo

Warming up with Dan

Start corral

The race started promptly at 7:30 am. Since this race was a net downhill course, I went into the race wanting to see if I could run a sub 1:50. At the very least, I want to put in a solid effort. Everything felt good through the first 8 miles. The remainder of the race was a grind to the finish line. The last little out-and-back on Sorrento Valley Rd wasn't cut short this year, but I was running on fumes. I took a walk break after reaching the mile 12 marker and I had a bit of trouble convincing my legs to get going! I knew that a sub 1:50 was in the bag, but still I had to pull it together during that final mile. During the final stretch, 2 fifteen year olds blew by me and another runner as if we were both standing still. Oh to be young again! :)

From Dan the man!

Must be nice to be 15

Finish line

Finish: 1:48:00
Click here for my Garmin data.

I was glad that I was able to finish the race in under 1:50 with a couple of minutes to spare. It helped a lot to be familiar with the course. I was also happy that the course wasn't short like it was back in 2017 when I ran the race for the first time.

After getting my finisher medal and a bag of post race goodies, I waited for my friend to finish. I knew that even though she was feeling a bit under the weather that she wasn't that far behind. If she's healthy, she's usually ahead of me.

Finisher medal

Post-race goodies

The post race area with the vendor booths was extremely crowded. Eventually we went our separate ways as I went to go search for the location where they were handing out the Route 56 Challenge medal. After obtaining my extra medal, I made my way over to the final corner to cheer on my fellow runners before catching a bus back to my car.

Route 56 Challenge medal, side 1

Route 56 Challenge medal, side 2

Once I got back to my car, it was time for me to drive into work to check if everything was up and running after a recent system update. After confirming that everything was good, I began the drive home. Along the way, I stopped in at the Chick-fil-A in Brea to grab a quick lunch. Both the parking lot and the restaurant was packed. Fortunately I found a parking spot with minimal hunting and I was also able to find an empty seat at a long table. I conveniently skipped the line and placed my order via their mobile app. I ordered the Cobb salad with chicken nuggets, Chick-fil-A sandwich, and a lemonade. This has started to become my go-to meal at Chick-fil-A!

Cobb salad with chicken nuggets, Chick-fil-A sandwich, and lemonade

Holiday Half Marathon 2019

Saturday 12/14
One other interest that I have besides running is watching Broadway musicals. Today I ventured out to the Hollywood Pantages Theatre to see Frozen. Although I had enjoyed the movie, I wasn't expecting to enjoy this one too much as I'm not exactly among their target audience. Since it was a 2 pm afternoon show, I decided to take the Metro light rail for a good portion of the trip. It's quite convenient that the Hollywood/Vine Metro station was right across the street from the theatre.

I arrived early enough to grab lunch before the show. For this trip, I decided to get a burger at the Shake Shack across the street. I ordered my usual meal, the Double ShackBurger and crinkle-cut fries.

After I was done inhaling the delicious cheeseburger, I decided to check out the Funko store next door since I still had time before they would let us inside. It was a neat place to check out as you're not obligated to make a purchase. In this day and age, it's always nice to be able to do something fun without having to pay a single cent!

Spider-man

Black Panther

Thanos

Toy Story

Mos Eisley

Rick and Morty

Harry Potter

The Little Mermaid

Elsa and Olaf

"Must go faster!"

After I was done exploring the entire store, it was time to head back to the theatre as they were about to open the doors. I noticed that there were about 10 little girls dressed up as Elsa for every 1 that was dressed up as Anna. I much preferred the character Anna. Per the usual, after getting a playbill, I bought a t-shirt. This was one of the better designs that I've seen! I'll definitely have to wear it at the next runDisney race!

Frozen Playbill

T-shirt

I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed this musical! It was very well done! I enjoyed it way more than the movie. The characters' personalities were more developed in this musical than it was in the movie. The special effects were also pretty neat to watch!

It took about 2 hrs to get back home. Even though I took public transportation for about half the trip, traffic was still a pain in the butt to endure. After dinner, I laid out my flat runner for tomorrow's race. I didn't put too much thought into my wardrobe choice. I just went with the race shirt from last weekend's race.

Flat runner

Sunday 12/15
Along the way to the race, I stopped at a Chevron gas station to fill up the tank. Don't you just love paying $4 per gallon for gas? When it's time to replace my current car, I really should look into getting a car that doesn't recommend super unleaded gas or maybe even a car that runs on alternative fuel.

The final race instructions had us enter the Pomona Fairplex at gate 9 off of N White Ave. Unfortunately it was $12 for parking. I'm glad that they were able to accept credit cards, because I hate having to carry cash. I had arrived and was parked just shortly after 6 am. Since race packet pick-up wasn't scheduled to start until 6:30 am, I relaxed a bit in my car before heading on over.

It was still kind of dark when I made the walk over to pick up my race packet. It was also a bit chilly. I'm not sure when I was last here, but there were some interesting things that I came across long the way. One of those things was a pretty cool dinosaur photo op.

The race packet pick-up process was quick and easy as they assigned you a race bib number on the spot thereby eliminating the need to look up bib numbers. Things were even quicker if you had the QR code that was given to you when you registered for the race. They also gave out a nice festive red race shirt. This one might be a keeper!

Race shirt

As I was gathering my stuff and getting ready to head over to the start area, the Latino Heat just so happened to walk by. Since Yoda was in my trunk, I thought he should join us in the selfie.

"Do or do not! There is no try!"

Over at the starting area, I saw Rudy performing his race announcer duties. It's always great to see him at races!

Rudy!

Before actually heading into the start corral, I waited at the designated spot for my fellow Half Fanatics to show up for the obligatory pre-race photo. The ones that showed up were just your usual suspects! After the photo, I went over to the start corral and positioned myself just behind the 1:45 pace group.

Half Fanatics

Start line

The race started promptly at 8 am. The first mile was fast as it was all downhill. That was followed by a 2 mile gradual climb to the Auto Club Raceway for a short out and back on the race track. The course then exited the track at Puddingstone Dr as it ran along the northern perimeter of the Brackett Field Airport. That led into a scenic and undulating loop about 5 miles long around Puddingstone Lake in Bonelli Park. After that loop, the course headed back to the Fairplex along the southern perimeter of the Brackett Field Airport via McKinley Ave. After a turn on Fairplex Dr and entering at the Puddingstone Dr entrance, there was only about 1 mile to go for the finish line. I could actually see one of my friends up ahead, but I was running on fumes at that point to even have a chance at catching him.

Finish line

Finish: 1:55:55
Click here for my Garmin data.

I enjoyed this course especially the loop around Puddingstone Lake in Bonelli Park. It was my first time running this race and I was pleasantly surprised by the great organization and enjoyable scenic course.

After getting my finisher medal and a bunch of other post race goodies, I made my way over to the post race area. There I found an empty table and chair where I met up with my friends. I thought that the best item that we received was that bag of Sunsweet mango!

Finisher medal

Finisher medal and post race goodies

I didn't stay too long after the race as I was feeling a bit wiped out. So after trading our race stories, I headed back to my car for the drive home. It was a bit confusing exiting the parking lot as I was pretty much on autopilot. I was following the car ahead of me that was clearly lost. Once I had stopped following that car, I was able to find my way out. :)