Expo – The Expo was held in Del Mar at the Hilton hotel right next to the start line. It was nice that it gave people from out of town an idea of where to go for the start. I dropped by Saturday afternoon and the expo was packed. I picked up my bib, my shirt, and browsed the vendors. The San Diego Craft Classic was there promoting their July race. Run for beer anyone? They even had free beer at their table. LOL. Also, got to try a phenomenal acai bowl from Sambazon. That was probably my favorite vendor of the day. Saw vendors from Nuun, CycleBar (a new cycling gym opening up in Hillcrest), KT tape, and a few other companies.

Pre-race - The organizers sent out an email telling us that we could either park at the start line or at the finish line and shuttle over. I chose to park at the finish line. This also meant that I had to wake up earlier to catch the shuttle. The shuttle supposedly leaves at 5:30 am and they tell you to be in line by that time so I, of course, panic, and make it there by 5 am. I made it onto the first shuttle that left meaning that you can probably arrive by 5:30 and still be on time. Parking wasn't an issue at the finish line and as long as you're willing to walk a little, you'll be fine.

Race time - I was placed in wave 4, with an expected finish time of around 2:10. If you want to follow the 2:00 pacer, make sure to put your finish time at 2:00! LOL. I wanted to follow the 2:00 pacer and didn't see him in my wave. I was so sad. Anyway, the race started on time and each wave is released fairly quickly. You start by looping around Del Mar fairgrounds and then hit your first hill after your first mile. Note that this course is pretty hilly and that if you choose to run this, it will challenge you, but you'll come out of this race feeling like a champion. There are 4 hills to watch out for. The first occurs after mile 1. The second comes at mile 3. After the 2nd hill, you run down a very scenic path and get a view of the biggest hill with an 400 something feet increase in elevation comes at mile 5.5. As you view the hill, make sure to give yourself a pep talk! I did. Your mental and physical game have to be strong when tackling this hill. The hill lasts for a few miles with dips in between before you start to descend again around mile 10. Be wary of mile 12! There is one more hill that you must face and that is probably the most challenging one of all because it's at the end of the race. I knew it was coming and I was still not mentally prepared for it.

Post race - You get your medal, a goodie bag with lots of refueling items, and lots of liquids. There are a ton of vendors, musical entertainment, and there's a beer garden. Oh and if you're trying to complete the Triple Crown Challenge (La Jolla half is #2 of the series), there are photo opps where you can hold signs that say you're Triple Crown Bound! Woo!

The entire race is overall, very scenic. You run through a state reserve, along the beach, and finish right next to the coast. I will admit that the race itself is very challenging, but that's what makes it all the more rewarding when you cross that finish line.

This was my second time running this race and although I experienced a few hiccups along my training, I had an absolute blast on the course.

This 5k race is deemed the world's fastest 5k because so many people have broken world records on this course. I didn't break any world records, but I did beat my personal record from 3 years ago! *Does a happy dance*

Anyway, I stupidly didn't realize that I didn't register for the race until the day before. Luckily, this particular race allows you to register day of. So morning of, I got my butt to the expo and registered. The registration process was extremely easy. I just went to a computer, swiped my license, swiped my credit card, and got my bib. I still can't believe how easy it was. If you register day of, you can also pick up your swag after the race, which is a sweet deal since you can use the bag you get to carry all of your freebies.

Parking can be a little tricky, but because there are multiple start times due to different age groups/elite, you only really have to show up about an hour before your race to find parking. Both times, I found parking without much of a fuss. Just had to walk a little bit, which was basically my warm up for the race.

It can get a little warm if you're in a later heat, but it's nothing unmanageable. I started around 9:30 am and it was fine. The breeze from the beach cools you down quite a bit and the course is scenic enough that you'll probably forget about the heat. I know I did.

The course is relatively flat with a few minor hills. Since this was my second time running it, I knew where the hills were and I just pumped my arms and a minute later, I was over them and pushing my way to the finish line. At the finish line, they will hand you a medal and depending on when you finished, you may get a different ribbon. I was one of the first 250 finishers in my division so I got a ribbon that said first 250! The medal this year was gorgeous. Actually, all their medals were really pretty this year and I really wanted to run all the races.

They do have a 20k all day race, which is unique in that it's four 5ks throughout the day. If you want a challenge, this is it. Since I had such a blast this time around, I may try and get a friend to do the 20k all day race with me next year.

Bib Pick Up: Friday evening, I drove to the Navy Pier and picked up my bib with no problem. The SD Half Marathon is always on the same day as Daylight Savings Time and so there were reminders in our bag to set our clocks an hour ahead. The tech shirt they gave out was really nice quality and it's probably one of my favorite techs received from a race.

Pre-Race: Morning of, I parked at one of the free parking lots around San Diego and took the trolley down to the start line. I would suggest this for anyone running a race. Taking public transportation to the start line helps out so much with reducing stress level because you're not dealing with traffic.

Race: And then I was off! I typically try to start off slow, but that just wasn't happening that day. I got really excited and started dodging people so that I could get a nice clear path. I do have to give the organizers credit for spacing all the corrals out. I was able to get a nice clear path only after a few dodges. The race was beautiful. The first five miles were on the water and so I saw a lot of boats on the marina. Once we turned inland, we started headiing through the different neighborhoods of San Diego (Liberty Station, Mission Hills, Hillcrest, the edge of Balboa Park, and back to Downtown). The aid stations were well spaced out, which I greatly appreciated.

From talking to friends, I knew there was a hill at mile 8. How big of a hill was it? Well, let's just say I really regret not checking that elevation map. The hill looked massive, in part because there was a lot of fog rolling through the city. I couldn't see the top of the hill and that made it all the more mentally challenging. I pumped my arms, exchanged glances with other runners struggling with the same challenge, and slowly made my way through. Once I made it over that hill and then some, I gunned for the finish line. I didn't know my exact time, but I just knew I had to keep running or else regret missing a PR. Luckily, it's mostly downhill from miles 11 - 13.1 and I just ran as fast as I could through the streets of downtown. It was very peaceful running by the giant buildings covered with fog. Funnily enough, the fog cleared up just as I crossed the finish line. It had to be a sign because I looked down to see my Strava give me another sub 2 hour half marathon. :) I was so happy, I cried a little.

Post-race: The announcers were really upbeat and with the sun just coming out, I relished in the moment of finishing. The volunteers were very organized and after grabbing a tote with all the goodies already inside, I was on my way out.

This is a great race overall and I'd recommend anyone to run it.

Cost – $32.50 ($42.50 with a Race Grader discount and an additional $10 off because I got 3 of my friends to sign up)

Distance – 5k or 10 mile (Yours truly ran the 10 mile)

Theme – CHOCOLATE!

Swag – Long sleeve technical tee, a box of godiva chocolates (4), and a shiny new medal

Location – Long Beach Convention Center and surrounding areas (waterfront)

My Experience

Picking up my bib was pretty tame. There is no expo. You just pick up the bib, your shirt, and leave. The volunteers had run out of various technical tees by the time I came, which was around 5 pm on Saturday. Those that did not receive a long sleeved tee would be mailed one so it wasn't a big deal.

The race had two distances, the 5k and the 10 mile. I ran the 10 mile. This race was really beautiful. I’m not sure what it was, but I really enjoyed the scenery. We started off at the Long Beach Convention center and made our way around the Rainbow Lagoon park. The lagoon was really calming and I think it really set my mood for the rest of the race because I wasn’t really focused on time.

I just focused on enjoying the course. We ran along the shoreline and there were just so many boats. We even saw the Queen Mary. I ran this race with a few friends and as we crossed paths during the race, we would high five each other. My friend finished 5th overall and was even able to record me racing to the finish. Yay! I’m thankful for fast friends. Hah. Once I crossed the finish line, I grabbed my new shiny medal, my box of godiva chocolates, and went to watch my other friend finish.

All in all, I had a great time at this race. Would I run it again? Maybe. It is a 2 hour drive to get to so it’s a little inconvenient for me, but I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who is in the area to run it.

Note: There were no bathrooms at the start line. Hopefully, this will change next year.

I ran the San Diego Holiday Half marathon this past weekend and guess what?

I BEAT MY PERSONAL RECORD (PR) with a time of 1:53:18!

Holy crap! I still can't believe it. It's been 4 days already and I still think there was some kind of glitch that happened in the system to give me that time, but when I look over at my Strava data and the official results, there's no denying it. I RAN A SUB TWO HOUR HALF MARATHON. :D Wheeeeeee. This is huge for me because I have NEVER run a sub 2 hour half marathon before and I hadn't PRed in a half marathon in over a year and a half.

My last PR for this distance was a 2:01:41. That's almost 8 and a half minutes slower than what I currently ran. This is kind of insane to me. This year, I've been hovering at around a 2:07:00 time and was really doubting that I was improving as a runner. Not PRing in over a year and a half despite pretty consistently running was a little disheartening. BUT, with this recent development, I think I'll double my efforts next year and try and PR again! :) WHEEEEEE!

Okay, onto the nitty gritty details.

Bib Pick Up - You pick up your bib at Road Runner Sports the day before the race. Bib pick up was a bit disorganized in the evening when I got my stuff, but it made up for it with the swag. Your registration comes with a long sleeved tech hoodie, a pair of gloves, and some coupons. Most registrations don't come with a hoodie so I was pretty stoked about this. The gloves they provide are meant as throwaway gloves after you're all warmed up on race day. I wore them race day and they helped A LOT. It was freezing the morning of.

Morning of - It was about high 30s/low 40s for most of the morning. We got to the area around 6:45 am (the race starts at 7:30 am) and found parking fairly easily after a little confusion. The designated parking area had a few smaller lots off to the side that had private parking signs and no one was sure if we were allowed to park there. We just went to the second designated lot and walked a few blocks to the start. Easy peasy. :)

The Race - The race itself has a 711 ft net elevation drop, which makes it a very PR-able course as proven by yours truly. I ran with a few others and we all PRed. A fellow runner even high fived me at the finish line and told me she PRed by 15 minutes! I could tell by her face that she couldn't believe it. If you want to PR, this is definitely the course for you.

Although the race has an overall elevation drop, be prepared for hills. They're not too bad, but the hills are spread throughout the race. There is also some bottlenecking, but it's not too bad. You run along the 56 freeway (not on it, but through a bike path) and it's pretty much a straightshot from start to finish.

Beast Pacing did the pacing for this race. It was also the first time I ran with a pace group. I stuck with the 1:55 pacer and made it all the way through to the end. Well, I sped up the last mile cause I got too excited, but that's besides the point. The point is this group did a fantastic job of pacing. I was on schedule the entire time and the pacer was positive the whole way through. Now I'm thinking about being a pacer. Hah. I'm easily influenced.

Anyway, the only thing I didn't like about this race was the hill towards the end of the race. I like downhill finishes, but because I was on a mission to get my best time possible, I gunned it at the end. :) Once you've crossed the finish line, you'll feel like a million bucks (especially if you've PRed).

Post-race festivities - You get awarded a medal, collect your freebies (food!), and take a bunch of photos because hey, why not? If you completed the 15k South Bay Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving like I did, you get the Winter Exacta medal. (woohoo)

There is also an extra medal (Route 56) if you completed the San Diego Craft Classic Half marathon in July. Since we parked at the start line, we got onto a shuttle and made our way back. The trip was extremely smooth and I'd totally run it again. 2017? Bring it on!