Rock n Roll San Diego Half Marathon

Jun 8

“Well this is going a lot better than a couple of weeks back!” I thought to myself as I settled into the first few miles of the 25th Rock n Roll San Diego Half Marathon. My previous half marathon two weeks prior was trash – I was coming off of being sick (truth be told, I was probably still a bit sick) and every mile of that race was a struggle! Read that recap here.

After that race, I gave myself a day off and then got back to training. If I could suffer through trying to race a half, I could get in some much slower, easier miles on the road and on the bike trainer. An easy 10k on the trails, forty-five minutes on the bike trainer, five miles with one of my run crews Friday morning and finished off that week with a solid, hilly, ten-ish miles on Saturday. Each training day got better. I felt like I could push through harder with less struggle in the lungs. The weekend ten miler gave me the confidence that I might be able to race RnR like I usually do.

Early miles in when the excitement is high

Race day for Rock n Roll SD is always mad hectic. With roughly 20k runners starting at Balboa Park, you got to get there early to find parking and more importantly, not wait in miles-long lines for a porta-potty! Though hella run groups show up for all the other races in the city, for some reason, RnR always has that extra bit of energy. Get to the park about a quarter to five and make a beeline for the bathrooms. Only the other early birds are out so the lines are super short. With about an hour and a half til race start, my boy and I wander around a bit, do bag check, peep where our corrals are and meet up with some other runbuds for some pre-race group pics for posterity. We all break loose after pics, give the good luck daps and head off in every direction to warm up, find our corrals, line up for bathrooms one last time, you name it. I’m way up in corral 1 so I take that walk and start getting some strides in to warm up legs and get a vibe for how the body is feeling. Go through my pre-race warm up routine a bit before I head into the race corral about ten minutes before race start.

Horn blows and we’re off! It’s crazy crowded as we head out the gate! Lots of shuffle stepping because there’s no room to move. I try not to elbow and shove people as we flare out from the corral out onto the wider street. Finally, I get some space to stretch my legs out and find a lane to stick in. I work to not go out too fast that first mile and stick my goal of pacing around seven minutes. First two miles I manage well with 6:56 and 7:01 respectively. Having not ran this race since ’19, I know the course well enough to know what neighborhoods the race runs through, but I’m kind of lost at the details of the course – where the hills are, how much the race twists and turns. So I do my best to stick to that pace plan. I’m worried about going out to fast the first 10k and ending up paying the price on the back half. But it’s hard to not want to go faster with the crowds cheering you on. Miles four through six fluctuate about ten seconds here and there. There’s a few mini descents that help quicken the pace naturally, so I try not to worry about it too much.

As I hit mile eight, I run past one of the unofficial aid stations that one of my run crews is hosting. I fly past them with all the energy like I had just started. Fly by high fives are had. Shouts and screams are made. It’s a great mental boost to revive the energy and gets me clocking in 6:41 mile. Eventually the course splits and the runners doing the full head in their own direction to do their thing and us halfers head off to do ours. We finally get onto Upas Street with the steep downhill to bomb down. I pass a lot of folks here as they struggle to manage the descent without falling and slowing their pace to keep control. The quarter mile or so is treacherous, no doubt. One misstep and you’re gonna have a bad day. Luckily I handle it ok and use the momentum carry me up the incline on the other side and around the corner to mile 10.

By now, we’re looping around the east side of Balboa Park which is pretty desolate – a golf course on our left and a canyon on our right with views of the main piece of the park folks actually go to in the distance. We’re on Pershing Street and I know there’s a big descent to look forward to. I know it’s around here somewhere! But I don’t see it. I don’t remember this section being so hilly! Legs are getting tired. I keep moving forward knowing that the downhill has to be close by. Finally I see it! “Hallelujah!” my legs scream. I let the pace out a bunch but knowing there’s still about two miles left, I keep it in check a bit. I hit mile twelve in 6:24.

Finally back in civilization; a mile point one to go. Running past City College there’s some rollers that feel like mountains on tired legs. I want to slow down bad – the under training for this race is real real at this point. I dig deep and push on. Finally we hit a few blocks of downhills that zip by fast. An older guy passes by looking strong. I try to keep him in my sights, but man has a lot left in his tank than I. Good inspiration, but I know that I gotta run my race. Nice work OG!

Finally, I turn right onto Fifth Avenue where there’s two blocks of uphill to slap you in the face one last time. Heavy steps take over. Pace slows. Mental game is working overtime to push on. I see the top of the last block and where the course turns left onto the final straightaway. It’s literally all downhill from there. Six blocks to the finish and the legs are trash! I hear the announcer in the distance talk about 1:30 blah blah blah. I peep my watch and it says 1:29:20. Body, let’s fucking go! I pick up the pace and push hard. Body is fighting me. I tell it to shush. I’m at the breaking point and got nothing left to give. Finally I reach the chute and cross the timing mat!

My body hates me. But I finished feeling way better than two weeks prior. I had way more energy, way more spark. Finishing under 1:30 would have been the cherry on top. But I’m not disappointed at all with my time. I’m back to where I like to be. It was a good day at the office.

Finish time – 1:30:22