Jeff and I spent the weekend in Monterey to run the Big Sur half marathon. This is my 3rd year running this race and I feel like it gets harder and harder each year. It's probably because of the proper training that lessens as each year goes by. The good news is, I think my body has finally adjusted to the endurance because recovery only takes about a day now, instead of a week..and I no longer have post-race headaches. ;) We drove down on Saturday afternoon to go to the Expo to pick up my packet. Expos are always fun because I get to see all the other enthusiastic runners and there is always free "goodies" being handed out. Not to mention all the vendors selling about every running gear you can imagine. It's like a kid in a toy store for runners. From the hi-tech running watches and ergonomic shoes to the "heart-healthy teas" and high-performance energy bars. It took a lot of willpower for me to walk away from it all. ;)Unfortunately, the weather didn't look promising. It rained and poured all day Saturday. Jeff and I got up at 6 am Sunday morning. I looked out the window to see the sky was dark and gloomy. I got dressed, grabbed my ipod, watch, and jacket and headed out to the start line. It started raining the minute the gun went off. Luckily, it only lasted a few minutes. The race started out slow. I never remembered the race being so crowded! It was difficult to get by all the runners without rudely cutting them off. By mile 1, my time was 10:45. Not good. This meant I was already almost 2 minutes behind schedule. I had a lot of catching up to do. The course had some slight hills. We ran through downtown Monterey, to Cannery Row, to downtown Pacific Grove, and finally, along the coast. The stretch along the coast is my favorite part of the race. By mile 5, I could hear the other races cheering and I saw the Kenyan racers on the other side of the road, already close to finishing. It is amazing to see how fast they run. While most of us aren't even half way done, they're already almost at the finish line. By mile 7 I was at 1:00:00. Not bad, I was able to catch up to average 8.5min/mi. I was feeling pretty good at that point, my legs were relaxed and my breathing was consistent. By mile 11, I could feel my legs tightening and I was loosing support in my left ankle. I wanted so bad to stop and walk but I knew if I stopped I wouldn't be able to start up again. Only 2.1 miles to go. The rest of the race was kind of a blur. All I could focus on was the finish line. My time was 1:48:44. 3 minutes away from my PR. My body felt beaten and my legs were fatigued and I was so thankful that it was over.
We met my sister and her friends at Cannery Row. I treated myself to my post-run coffee. We headed down to Cannery Row for some window shopping and had lunch at Bubba Gump. :) After lunch, Jeff and I hit the road and headed home. This is my last race of the year. woohoo! It feels good to finish. :)
