It's been almost a week since I raced the Garry Bjorklund half marathon and oh how I want to say so much about how amazing this race is, but to prevent you from having to read my ramblings, I'll try to keep it as short as I can while also doing the race justice.

Housing: I only planned on staying a night and most places require a minimum 2 night stay so a friend told me about housing at a dorm. Luckily, Marshall school allowed for a 1 night stay and it was super close to the buses that would take us to the start. They even provided everyone with a runner friendly breakfast the morning of the race and bags of ice for those who needed to ice their legs post-race.

Expo: The expo was held at the DECC (Duluth Entertainment Convention Center) and it's quite an experience. They have an AYCE pasta dinner that runners can attend in the first huge room. There are tables set up with bread and you just pay, file in, and eat to your stomach's content. You then walk through the main expo to pick up your bib and race packet. Since the race is on Saturday, they do keep the expo open until 10 pm that night. Perfect for an out of town racer like myself. 

Course: It is BEAUTIFUL out there. Coming from the west coast, I was amazed and how green everything was. Yes, I know. I'm showing my CA roots. LOL. The half starts in the middle of the full marathon course and starts at 6:15 am, a full hour and 30 min before the full. This allows most of the half marathoners to cross the finish line before any full marathoners make it there. 

For most of the course, you're running along Lake Superior and at each mile marker, there would be balloons flying high in the sky indicating that you had passed another mile. I loved that part about the race. When I struggled to get to the next mile, it gave me a sense of hope to see those balloons flying high. 

The elevation of this course was a little deceiving. Going in, I honestly thought it'd be flat as a pancake. It was not. Both the half and full are full of rolling hills. They're not tough hills, but they're hills nonetheless and there were moments where I had to pump my arms to get through them.

Course support was well spread throughout the course. I got water when I needed and there were enough aid stations that I could skip some and get the next one. There were plenty of spectators and even some neighbors who came out, grilled hot dogs or bacon, and were handing them out to runners. :) If you checked out my IG story last weekend, you'll know that I grabbed a piece of bacon along the course (probably my favorite moment). 

Finish line: The race finishes right next to the lake. A lot of runners (not me), will jump into the lake to cool off their legs. Once you cross the finish line, you'll be awarded your finisher medal, your finisher shirt, food and drink, and make your way through the finisher's festival. Everyone gets a drink ticket for beer and there are food vendors available for you know...everyone who just ran a half or full. :) I came across a tent that was just giving away decently sized pork portions to runners and much smaller portions to non-runners. LOL.

Hospitality: The Duluth community really do cater to the runners that come in from all over the place. There were signs everywhere inviting runners to come visit and I don't think I met anyone mean. :) 

Final thoughts: This race is not a cheap one especially if you're a solo traveler like I was. AirBnB prices and hotels often have a 2 night stay minimum the weekend of this race so book early if you're looking to save or plan a racecation with friends to ease the cost. Flying there is also not always the most economically friendly if you're from the West Coast. I flew into Minneapolis and drove to Duluth (3 hours there and 2.5 hours back) to make things a bit economically friendlier for myself.

That being said, this race was a super fun one. I flew in the day before the race and was EXHAUSTED AS F***, but the race managed to keep my spirits up and I enjoyed every moment of it. I had a great time catching the sunrise right before the race, running along the massive lake, seeing all the amazing supporters along the way, and eating all the food people handed to me. LOL. I'd do it again and hopefully next time, I can do the full. :) 

Yes, that's right. You read that header correctly. In 5 years almost to the day, I have completed 25 half marathons plus some other races and it all started with Rock N Roll San Diego.

It gave me such a good experience the first time around that I kept choosing to run it again and again and two days ago, I completed it for the 4th time.

Looking back on it, I really believe the reason I continued to race half marathons was because of this race.

Rock N Roll San Diego just knows how to put on a good time and after having a ton of pre-race anxiety, this was just what I needed.

Let's summarize shall we? :)

Pre-race: I stayed with friends that lived close to a trolley station and at 4:30 am, we were out the door to get to SDCCU stadium. We then took a 15 min trolley ride to the Little Italy trolley stop and briskly walked about a mile to the start giving us a nice warm up. We arrived, gear checked, my friends did their porta potty thing, and chit chatted for about 30 min until the start of the race at 6:15 am.

Race:

The start - The race started on time, but due to there being so many corrals, it took quite a bit of time to release everyone. I was in corral 8 and I started at 6:30 am. This year, they had a new design to release runners more slowly. They had gates that funneled everyone through narrower paths so only a 10 runners or so could be released and get a running start to the official start line. This made the first 0.25 miles easier to run through because there weren't as many runners to maneuver around. I appreciated them, but I think others were annoyed.

The course - Starting out, I was a bit nervous. My plantar fasciitis still wasn't terribly better and although I was running through it, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to complete the race. Fast forward two miles and everything started to move more quickly. My plantar wasn't acting up as much and when we entered Hillcrest, I could see all the drag queens in colorful wigs and boobs screaming up and down for us. LOL. It's one of my favorite parts of the race. Then up and down we go for a mile or two before we hit the blue mile, where runners are encouraged to wear blue to remember our fallen military heroes. I had run through this section the past three times I ran it and this was probably the first time I truly looked at the photos and honestly, it tugged at my heartstrings seeing all those young men and women who were killed in action.

Shortly after, the unofficial alcohol stations starting popping up and every year, I swear more and more start popping up. I counted maybe 4 or 5 houses that brought their A game (and by A game, I of course mean Alcohol). Some neighbors were providing shots of whiskey, some donuts and whiskey, some were handing out beer, and some were making some unidentified drink. :) I did not partake as I did not want to throw up, but seeing them definitely brought a smile to my face. I even saw a Doctor Who themed alcoholic station!

The latter half of the race was kind of a blur, but I do remember how I felt at different parts of the course in previous years.

At mile 1.5 where I started out too fast one year and had forgotten about the rolling hills.

At mile 7 where I had started walking and crying because it had gotten so warm.

Around mile 11 where I had seen a friend and she ran with me the rest of the way encouraging me to continue.

At mile 12.5 where I had run with a friend for her first half marathon and she was so in the zone, I told her to keep going without me.

And of course at the finish line, where I had finished 3 times prior.

It's hard for me to put into words how I felt during the race, but maybe the word that best describes it is JOY.

I started this race with the sole intention of trying to finish. I had no time goal and no expectation to run fast. And then I went out, enjoyed the course, even played some Pokemon Go, and ran my 6th fastest half marathon (Official time: 1:58:50). If that's not a win, I don't know what is. 

Bib Pick Up - Bib pick up was super easy. I opted to pick up my bib on Friday at Fleet Feet San Diego because it was on my way home and there was a 15% discount on their items, so I decided to also purchase some Superfeet for my inflamed fascia. :)

Race day - I arrive about an hour before my race and I find sweet street parking a few blocks from the start line. I met up with my male friends who were running the race before (Men's 39 and under race) and wished them good luck. Then, I stretched out my legs, took my infamous jumping photo, and got ready to run. While stretching, I spotted Meb Keflezighi and was starstruck. LOL. He was at the expo on Saturday signing autographs and since I couldn't attend, I was pretty bummed. BUT luck was on my side because I saw him and I got a picture with him!

The start of the race went pretty much as expected. I started out too fast and got winded a mile in. LOL. I felt extremely out of shape, but pushed on. My fascia was doing okay and wasn't overly upset at me and when it did decide to hurt, I walked. I did take my time and I finished in 27:07. :)  Not a bad time considering.

Post - Race: The energy of this race is amazing. Probably because it doesn't start super early. After crossing the finish line, I met up with friends ANDDDDD spotted Meb again and this time, he was signing people's bibs/medals/ribbons so you know I had to get mine signed. He was so nice and patient taking pictures and signing things for us.

The Carlsbad 5000 will always be one of my favorite races. It's short, sweet, and over in less than 30 minutes. :) And there's free beer at the beer garden. I didn't drink, but my friends did and afterwards, we headed over to Pizza Port for amazing pizza. I had an amazing time and honestly, I can't wait to do it again next year. :)

It doesn't rain too often in Southern California so I would like to first say that the Surf City 2019 race was an anomaly. The first time I ran it a few years ago, it was bright and warm and not dreary like this year's race was. That being said, the energy levels were still rather high at the expo as well as at the race itself. The race announcer was extremely upbeat and was able to get me excited despite the overcast and the possibility of rain. Luckily for us, it only sprinkled very briefly and stayed dry for most of the race.

The expo - It's held outside every year at the Huntington Beach parking lot. I fortunately found free street parking and was able to mosey around for a few hours talking to vendors and other runners. The announcer there was also really upbeat and I almost forgot about the rain pounding down on the tent for a bit. LOL The expo itself is maybe midsize. Nowhere near as big as a runDisney or a Rock N Roll expo, but also not small.

Race organization - I super appreciated all the emails the race organizers sent out. Due to the rain, they assured us that the race was going to happen rain or shine. They also sent out maps of the parking situation so we would know where to park and shuttle over. There is also a lot of free parking, which I was super happy about. The last thing I want to do on race day is pay for parking.

Course - The course is primarily an out and back along the beach. If you're a local, this is not super impressive, but if you're not from a beach city, I'd highly recommend doing this. Just bring a visor or sunglasses as the sun (if it's out) will hurt your eyes. The course has slight rolling hills so do be prepared for that. It's mostly flat, but it's not Chicago flat.

Course support - Aid stations were plenty so you're never left without hydration.

Swag - Their medal is unique in that it's shaped like a surf board. You also get a nice technical long sleeve tee. I don't keep that many race shirts, but I really do like theirs. I've even kept the one from a few years ago too. :)