San Diego Rock & Roll Half Marathon 2011

As I’m sitting here reflecting on my exhilarating half-marathon weekend in sunny San Diego I’m thinking two things: First, what did I just do? And second, when am I going to do it again?

Having heard that the San Diego stop is one of the longest-running races in the history of the Rock & Roll Marathon Series, I immediately knew this was the first major race I wanted to run. The weather is always amazing there, the parks and beaches are breathtaking, and the city itself is filled with activities and attractions that the local residents are always eager to partake in. The added bonus…my sister was going to meet me there and run her first half-marathon with me!

Having completed several 13.1 mile runs for practice, I knew I had this. To get prepared, we carbed up on pasta and bread at Spaghetti Factory Saturday night, taped our ankles with KT Tape, and hit the sack early. Then up at 4am just to make it to the start line by 6am. We were ready to go!

The race crowd was insane. There were over 30,000 runners and over 100,000 spectators this year. We began our journey at the Balboa Park start line, with the course winding through city streets, the San Diego Zoo, up Highway 163, and ending at Sea World. What a thrill it was to cross the Finish Line and hear your name called out over the PA system with rock music blaring in the background!

Full of adrenaline, but with sore bodies, we hopped on a transfer bus and made our way back to the Gaslamp Quarter where we noshed on whole grain pancakes and sipped mimosas. This weekend was the perfect ending to an amazing couple of days spent with family in a beautiful city with plentiful outdoor activities.