US Half Marathon race report

Sorry folks, it's been a while. The month of October was pretty much a write off for me in terms of decent running. Other than an unenjoyable visit to Newbury parkrun and some Great Notley volunteering there really wasn't much to report on.
The constant training and racing through 2014 left me with a need to rest and keep my miles to a minimum. This left me facing the prospect of the US Half in San Francisco with very little training. I fully expected a complete train wreck. The course wasn't exactly undulating, it would be either flat or steep as it started in the Marina area and was essentially and out and back over the Golden Gate Bridge.
I felt that I'd manage a decent enough first hour. Then the wheels would come off due to the lack of miles and I'd drag myself home, probably at around the 2:15 mark.

The Acclimatisation Run

On Friday morning we headed out to the San Francisco Bay and towards the Golden Gate Bridge. It was the first time in a long time that Paula & I had run together and the gentle pace suited me as I wanted to just get some miles done. Our Berlin conquering friend Fergie had mentioned that running to the bridge would give an opportunity to find Hopper's Hands.
Along the paths and trails to the base of the bridge was a nice, scenic start to the day and at half way I was able to see the hands and complete the ritual of touching them before we turned back for our hotel. The weather was starting to turn, but we were lucky with only a drizzle at most until we got back to base to grab a coffee.

The Expo

Big races have a whole different kind of setup & although a field of 5000 didn't necessarily require an expo, the US Half team had laid one on. We headed to the Fort Mason Center to pick up my race number and finisher t-shirt. There really wasn't much to write home about. Maybe a dozen stalls at best, some energy drinks or snacks to try. I picked up a timing band in the form of a temporary tattoo & another t-shirt from the merchandise stand and we were on our way. Compared to the expo at Helsinki or Copenhagen, it was a tad disappointing. Especially as the building chosen was huge, plenty more stands could have been accommodated.

Race number pickup at the Expo

We trawled San Fran for a fourth successive day of tourism, hardly ideal preparation! In lieu of a big bowl of carbs I found myself an awesome sandwich at Molinari's in the Italian quarter for lunch (and second lunch, the sandwich was huge), we then had some sushi for dinner close by to the hotel.
It was then time to lay out all of my kit, set the alarm for 5am & get some rest. 

Pre race carb loading with lots of bread and parma ham

The Race

The clocks went back on Sunday morning so I was able to grab an extra hour of bad sleep. Our hotel was on a main road and ear plugs weren't keeping out Halloween revellers at 1am or a bar emptying their bottle bins out at 4am. There seems to be a pattern that if I have a half marathon in the morning I'm practically guaranteed a crap night of sleep!

Pre race kit check

My 5am alarm was soon waking me and it was time to get showered and ready before walking to the start line. One benefit to our hotel was the Marina location. Only 20 minutes walk to the start area so I was able to get myself there with just under an hour to the event start.

All quiet at the start line

Regular readers will know that I'm always a fan of events that cater well to the needs of runners. Check out this huge line of toilets!!!! Race organisers get a thumbs up for me. The whole start area was pretty laid back, I missed the warm up as bag drop wasn't quite as fluid as required and as ever, one last toilet visit seemed like a good idea.

Organisers after my heart with this impressive spread of toilets

So with five minutes to go I got to the start line. Unfortunately there wasn't much segregation in terms of projected times, I saw a 2:00 pacer & placed myself in front of them. My intention was to try and keep to a two hour pace for as long as possible. Would I be able to sustain a 5:41/km pace?
The guy on the PA system hyped the crowd of runners up & without delay we were on our way. In a new race record, I passed two walkers after a mere 230 metres. You have to wonder at times why people are so dumb with where they line up. Surely it doesn't take much common sense to realise that if you need to walk straight away (or were planning to walk & run) that being at the front of the field is just stupid.
The first kilometre was frustrating, despite the roads being wide, the volume of runners meant it was hard to make progress. A six minute pace left me 19 seconds over target and my fragile state of mind already had me assuming this was already a disaster. My current glass half empty outlook isn't ideal for a good race!
Of course a slow first kilometre was largely irrelevant. I found a good pace straight away, wiping the deficit out and gaining a bank of time by the end of the third kilometre. The first five kilometres would all be flat, allowing me to ease into pace. Despite the target time, I found myself able to maintain a quicker pace, so carried on regardless until the hills came into play.
Between five and seven we first went up, then a more gentle down and then up all the way to the bridge. I didn't struggle too much on the climb, though did have to stop opposite a water station due to a loose shoe lace. Even though I stopped, everyone else slowed for water so I was able to maintain the same pack.
My quads were already starting to complain, but here we were at the major pull of the race. It was time to run out across the Golden Gate Bridge. A gentle up, followed by a gentle down. The bridge itself was around 2km in length so it was a long straight line drag in reality. Everyone appeared to be enjoying the experience, I grabbed some photos and carried on maintaining pace.

Heading out over the bridge

Sadly for all of us there was a rather rude lady, being a bit of a dickhead and barking at other runners to get out of her way. Generally the mood in big races is good, quite what this person's problem was I have no idea, no harm in having manners and being polite to fellow runners.
As we made it over the halfway point of the bridge we were passed on the opposite side by the lead runner, already holding a big gap over the second place guy. Soon we were off the bridge ourselves and I got chatting to a local who'd run previously. She told me the next section, though tough was the most scenic of the race. She was indeed correct. After negotiating a car parking area we headed down a trail underneath the bridge, a steep decline that my quads weren't happy about at all. Of course what goes down must come back up and straight away we were climbing towards the western side of the bridge. This was the last climb until the final mile (excluding the gentle rise of the bridge itself) and I surprised myself with the ease in which I was able to get up the hill. I maintained effort so the pace dropped slightly and despite taking a little while to recover, I came off the bridge with at least a minute banked.

Back over the bridge into San Fran

My pace was still good and I kept my refueling discipline with gels at every 20 minutes after 45. The downhill pass after exiting the bridge brought some welcome shade and I kept my shape to ensure the at times steep descend didn't have me falling over. With a flat four kilometre and one last climb through Fort Mason to come, I was happy to find myself passing through mile markers with an ever increasing bank of time. Perhaps the wheels wouldn't be coming off after all?
I did have a moment of doubt when passes by a two hour pacer with nearly three miles to go? They seemed to have only one person with them, probably due to them not sticking to a 2:00 pace! I double checked my watch and reassured myself that all was well, my pace was just fine.

Approaching Mile 12 marker

With the course now flat I was able to enjoy the sunshine and get myself home. Just before the 12 mile marker Paula came into view to offer support. I tossed my water bottle to here and started to sing along to my tunes. What's the frequency Kenneth & Final Countdown took me to the summit of the Fort Mason climb and I was also encouraging other runners to get through the last hill. As the course entered it's final downhill I was joined by Roxette's Dressed for Success. I couldn't do the vocals any justice so I shut my mouth and hauled my ass to the finish line.
The finish was in a minor amphitheatre and by discarding the water bottle I was able to give a full Daniel Bryan / Hunter Pence Yes arms. Sadly the crowd were a bit sleepy and the chance of interaction was missed! Got myself some awesome finishing photos (though yet to be purchased so will save for another day).

Got me a medal.....

I wandered through the post race recovery area, claiming an awesome medal, water bottle, snacks and an instantly thrown once tasted protein milk drink. I was soon reunited with both Paula and my luggage and was on my way.
I'd managed a very unexpected 1:57:59 chip time. More on that later.

The Eat

On the way back to the hotel I picked up full fat coke and a donut to redress my lack of energy. We were due to leave San Francisco and head south, so I showered quickly, enabling us to check out and take the Mustang to Santa Cruz.
Halfway along the coastal route we stopped in Half Moon Bay and picked up a very agreeable burger, Paula opted for a massive Philly Cheesesteak sandwich that was both vast and awesome. Soon we wound our way to Santa Cruz, the first overnight stop on our journey to Los Angeles. Luckily we didn't have to look for dinner options, we had a reservation to meet with a former colleague of mine and his partner who'd recently relocated to the area. An excellent steak (though accompanied by over seasoned fries) was the perfect way to toast a half marathon performance.

Steak - the perfect way to celebrate a good half marathon

They'll be more food reports to follow, the whole trip has been a culinary odyssey,  worth a blog post on its own!

The Conclusion

A thoroughly pleasing result. To complete a half in a comfortable sub 2 tells me just how well I've trained in 2014. I felt good throughout the race and worked hard to get the course to work for me. Although an out and back course essentially, it was immensely scenic and one I'd recommend. In the days following the race I found only my quads to be an issue.
I certainly didn't feel I had a right to a sub two time, but to be able to perform so well was great, a race in which the wheels came off would have been hard to take, even though it's what I expected.
It's time to reward myself with some time off. Other than parkrun route tests, I've nothing major scheduled after the St Neots Half on the 16th until 2015. I think I'll be taking a well deserved break from running, allowing some injuries to heal up and bring back a bit of focus and desire for the new year.

Temporary tattoo took a while to come off