Tag: race report

Posted in Race Reports, Running

Race Report – San Jose Rock-n-Roll Half-Marathon

Posted on by M Garcia

The 2011 San Jose Rock-n-Rollhalf-marathon took place on Sunday, 2 October 2011. This is the third time that I’ve run this race and it seems to get better every time.

I enjoy running the same races year after year because after one or two times, the course feels like a regular running route – just with a couple thousand (or hundred) extra people running with you. I signed up for the 2011 SJRnR at the 2010 expo. Earlier in the year, I entertained thoughts of setting another PR at this race. But, with the health issues I’ve faced since July, my aspiration was simply to finish.

Finisher's Medal, 2011 San Jose Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon
Finisher's Medal, 2011 San Jose Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon

The expo was a more positive experience this year than last – I think I was just in a better mood this year. The volunteers working at the expo were energetic and humorous, which is always nice. The RnR shop seemed bigger than last year with a more varied selection. I didn’t buy a t-shirt hoodie as I have in years past because they didn’t have one but I did buy a commemorative SJRnR t-shirt. Even though I get the race t-shirt and know that I’ll get a t-shirt for signing up for the next year’s race, it’s become my tradition to buy a t-shirt.Dodge was a huge sponsor – they had a test drive for charity going on outside the convention center and a huge display in the expo. The volunteers that were trying to get people to stop at the Dodge booth were funny – they were handing out temporary tattoos (adidas stripes?) and were telling us that the stripes would make us run faster. Of course I took them!

The variety of exhibitors at the expo was great. I spent quite a bit of time wandering around and looking at the products and races that were being promoted. I bought some energy bars and nuun tablets, signed up for next year’s San Jose Rock-n-Roll half-marathon, and sampled some delicious grape tomatoes.

Race day dawned slightly overcast and gray. Although I didn’t check a gear bag – why bother when the hotel is a hop, skip, and a jump away from the finish? – the gear check area was uncongested, well-organized, clearly marked, and running smoothly. The long string of port-a-potties ensured that lines kept moving and wait times were bearable.

I  moseyed over to my start corral, lining up at the very back of it. The start corrals were clearly marked and delineated. The energy at the start of a race is always high and today was no exception. The singing of the National Anthem began and I was very gratified to see men removing their hats, people putting their hands over their hearts, and others shushing those who continued talking, oblivious to the solemnity of the moment. The silence leading up to the cheer that inevitably accompanies the words, “of the free,” always chokes me up and did so again on race day.

The gun went off and the race began. It took my corral a bit to get to the start but the energy never flagged.

I had no race strategy going into the race, even though I knew I likely wouldn’t be running the whole thing. I did know that I needed Gu at mile 4 or 5 so that my energy wouldn’t drop too much in the later miles. But other than that, my plan was to run when I could and walk when I needed to walk.

I spotted a tall skinny blonde lady at the start of the race and decided to use her as my pacer in the early miles. She ran with a loose, easy stride, as if this was just a training run for her. I liked that. And I liked the fact that she was tall enough that I could see her even when I fell back during the aid stations. She was running at a good pace and I’m proud to say that I hung with her for about 6 miles.

The last 4 miles of the race were a slog. It was getting warmer and each passing minute was pulling me further from that 2 hour 30 minute benchmark that I foolishly clung to despite my fatigue. And lack of proper training! When the 2 hour 30 minute pace group passed me, reality set in but some competitiveness kicked in, as well. I decided I would beat 2 hours and 45 minutes and I would not let that pace group pass me.

The ambulance at about mile 12.5 picking up a runner made me glad that I realize my own physical boundaries. The runner had collapsed from dehydration, we all assumed.

The finish line announcer was as fantastic as last year. She was energized, encouraging, and enthusiastic. As you run up to the finish line, you can hear your name being called and then there she is – a little blonde lady giving runners high fives to make them smile as they cross the finish.

The SJRnR is a very well-organized event. The bands and cheer groups along the way are excellent distractions. The volunteers at the aid stations are friendly and encouraging. The aid stations themselves are large enough to serve the number of runners.

I would recommend the SJRnR for anyone looking for a flat and fast half-marathon. I look forward to running this race again in 2012.

Happy Running!

Posted in Race Reports, Running

Race Report – PAL Artichoke Festival 5k

Posted on by M Garcia

The PAL Artichoke Festival 5k/10k is run every Mother’s Day and benefits the Monterey County Police Activities League. It’s a small (about 100 to 200 participants) local run that goes through the artichoke fields.  The race is usually held a week before the Artichoke Festival and registered runners get an entry to the Artichoke Festival plus a t-shirt and, harvest permitting, a bag of artichokes for each finisher.

I was signed up for the 10k but ended up dropping down to the 5k. Physically, I could have finished the 6.2 miles. Mentally, it would have been a miserable 6.2 miles. I would have spent the entire time worrying about being a slow runner and being the last runner to cross the finish line. Because the 10k field was so small, I most likely would have won an age group medal even if I finished last! That’s the beauty of smaller races.

The crowd was a mixture of families, couples, moms and children, and friends. The check-in desk was staffed by children in the PAL program. All check-in issues were handled promptly and with a friendly smile. The event organizers might want to make sure they have more medium and small t-shirts on hand next year.

The course is an out-and-back course that starts with a stretch of paved road and then turns off into the artichoke fields. Once in the fields, runners are on agricultural roads, which are rocky dirt roads. Footing is a bit treacherous because the rocks are too big to be considered gravel and too small to be considered obstacles. The course runs along Highway 1 and then goes under the Highway 1 overpass and into more artichoke fields.

The race started on time and we took off quickly. I had to concentrate much more once we turned onto the agricultural road because I didn’t want to twist my ankle on the loose stones. It was a perfect day for a race – slightly overcast and chilly with the sun peeking out midway through the race. Once I turned to go under the overpass, I could see the 5k turnaround – a fire truck was parked on the side of the road and a water station was set up there.

I decided that I wasn’t going to get water and would just turn around and head back to the starting line. As I watched a couple of runners continue past the turnaround, I knew I had made the right decision in dropping down to the 5k. It looked lonely out there.

Post-race goodies included bananas, oranges, bagels, and water. Women were given a pot of petunias for Mother’s Day and all racers got a bag of artichokes (3 big artichokes in each bag).

I tried to wait around for the awards ceremony because, just like at my first race of 2011, I had a feeling that I had won an age group prize. I had watched the returning runners on my way to the turnaround and I didn’t see very many women who looked like they were in my age group so I was fairly confident that I would at least be 3rd in my age group. But, knowing that my mom had a great breakfast in the works won out over waiting for the awards ceremony. I learned today that I did win a prize in my age group but haven’t confirmed if it was 2nd or 3rd. Gotta love being older!

I was able to give my mom her traditional Mother’s Day gift – an entry to the Artichoke Festival and a bag of artichokes – plus a pot of petunias. This is a great little local race and I definitely recommend it.

Happy running!

Posted in Race Reports, Running, Travel

Race Report – Wahine Half Marathon

Posted on by M Garcia

Sunday, April 17th was the Wahine Half Marathon in Honolulu, one of the races in the Diva Series. This was the inaugural running of the Wahine Half Marathon, which means that kinks are to be expected. Before I go any further in my race report, I do have a couple of disclaimers as these incidents may (or may not) have impacted my race experience. Disclaimer number 1: I was scheduled to arrive midday on Friday, which would have given me a day and a half to relax and prepare for the race, but my flight on American Airlines was canceled and the earliest that I could get to Honolulu was midday on Saturday. Disclaimer number 2: My training fell off in April. So with those disclaimers, on to my race report!

Packet pick-up was in the Sheraton on the second floor. Signage could have been better but perhaps the Sheraton didn’t allow the Divas Half Marathon Series put up directional arrows. The volunteers were great – enthusiastic, warm, friendly. I felt truly welcomed to the event after talking to the volunteers in the packet pick-up area. The boutique and expo was – in a word – weak. I was happy to see BondiBand there, though. They were at the San Jose Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon expo last October and I bought 3 headbands there. I had hoped to see them at the Big Sur International Half Marathon expo last November but they weren’t there. I bought 3 more headbands to ensure that my headbands will match just about any running outfit I wear.

The hotel I stayed at – the Sheraton Princess – is not one that I would recommend, but that’s a different topic. The Sheraton Princess is about 1.9 miles from the start line so it was a good warm-up to walk from the hotel to the start line on Sunday. There were no port-a-potties at the start line. The nearest toilets were about 100 yards or more away from the start. While it was nice that they weren’t port-a-potties, there simply weren’t enough stalls – even though we used both the men’s and women’s sides – to handle a crowd of 2,200 or more.

After standing in line at the toilets, I made my way to the start line. We had to cross a little bridge and climb over a wall to get to the start line. Of course the bridge was a bottleneck and that’s yet another reason that some port-a-potties ought to have been set up at the start line. It was pretty amazing, though, to see this sea of women in mostly black and pink gathered there at the start.

The start line itself was disorganized and chaotic. The pace corrals were not corrals at all, meaning that there was no demarcation between corrals like there is at the SJRnR Half and the BSI Half. The pace markers were about four feet apart, which means that most people ended up lining up after the pace markers because there wasn’t enough room in the “corrals” for people. The race started late because the organizers wanted to be sure that the fire dance happened – not that many of us could see the fire dancers anyway. Then a recording of the national anthem was played – without any announcement, especially an announcement to remove hats or show some modicum of respect for the moment – and the recording crapped out midway through. What was uplifting at that moment, though, was that the crowd picked up the anthem without missing a beat and even though hats weren’t removed and hands weren’t over hearts, it was an emotional experience to hear 2,200+ women’s voices lifted in song. With all that chaos and disorganization, it should come as no surprise to note that the race started more than 10 minutes late.

The race route was horrible. It was a mixture of an out-and-back and loops and u-turns. It would have been better if the race were simply 13 loops around Ala Moana Park. At least we would have had shade and regular water stops. As it was, there was a space of about 3 miles – between mile 4 and mile 7 – when there wasn’t a water stop in sight. This wouldn’t have been a problem if it was overcast, cool, and breezy but it was sunny, hot, and humid. This was also the first half-marathon that I’ve ever run where there was no energy gel stop during the race. I think the race directors should reconsider the route so that they can plan regular water stops and water stops that can do double-duty.

The last mile, which should have been celebratory, was miserable because you entered the finish area with all the music and announcements and people . . . only to be told that you had to circle the peninsula – another three-quarters of a mile – to get to the finish line. It was disheartening and discouraging to be so close to the finish line and yet so far. Even though I had seen this on the race map, I didn’t expect it to be as discouraging as it was. I think part of the reason that it was discouraging was because the last 5 miles had been a miserable slog and I just wanted to be done. But I know that I wasn’t the only runner who was disappointed with the finish as I talked to a number of women who expressed similar sentiments. The race route was also longer than 13.1 miles. My Garmin showed a distance of 13.37 and again, I was not the only one who experienced this.

The finish area was a bit more organized than the start line but then again, that’s not saying much. There was sparkling apple cider to celebrate with but since there were three lines for finisher photographs, two of the lines never even got near the sparkling apple cider. I, of course, chose the line that went by the sparkling apple cider table so I didn’t miss out on it! After the finisher photos, people just milled around because they weren’t directed to the post-race food line. They certainly didn’t miss much – plain bagels, bananas, fruit bites, and cookies. I’ve seen better post-race spreads at smaller races.

The volunteers along the course and in the finish area were amazing. They were always smiling, always shouting encouragement, and always positive. I think the volunteers were the best part of this race and the Big Sur International Half Marathon could take a couple of pointers from the Wahine Half Marathon volunteers.

The boa and tiara station was a fun stop. And at this stop I realized the power of having your name on your race bib. As I took the tiara being handed to me, the volunteer called me by name and encouraged me to finish strong. As I took the boa that was held out, another volunteer called me by name and told me I was doing great. It’s amazing to hear your name after 12 miles of hot, sweaty work. More spectators along the route after the boa and tiara station were calling out encouragement to runners by name and every time I heard my name, I smiled and appreciated the personalized race bibs.

Would I run this race again? I’m not sure. All in all, it was an expensive venture what with the airfare and hotel expenses. And since I didn’t have a positive race experience, it’s hard to say that I would come back next year. If you enjoy going to Hawaii for a vacation, this would be a good race to have on your calendar. I hope the race directors ask for feedback and listen to feedback from participants.

Happy running!