Time: 7:01-9:21 a.m. (2 hours 20 minutes; unofficial chip time: 2:20:03)
Resting heart rate: 67 (several hours after exercise)
Weight (street clothes): 84.73 kg (186.80 lb)
Body Mass Index (BMI; note criticisms of BMI): 24.6 (Overweight = 25–29.9)
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): 2,031 cal/day
Distance (running): 21.32 km (13.25 mi)
Cumulative distance (2024; ignores XT days): 1,057.69 km (657.22 mi)
Calories burned: 1,760 kcal
Average heart rate: 149 bpm
Max heart rate: 185 bpm
Weather at start: mostly sunny 🌤️ 16° C (60.8° F), Humidity 95% Wind: 5 km/h
Terrain: 197 ft elevation gain
Avg Pace: 10'35" /mile
Best pace: 10'19" /mile
Stinkiness air level (0=No smell; 10=☣️): 0/10 (not stinky)
Comments: San Francisco Giant Race - Half Marathon done ✅ Pleased with the result 🙂 My first half marathon. As mentioned after the San Francisco Marathon, I have under-trained the last six months. This represents the first race I have completed at an overall pace of 10:41/mile. Weather was perfect. Feeling slightly exhausted afterward, but no injuries.
Pre-race
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| Race gear laid out the day before |
Night before: Pinned the bib to my shirt and already added my credit card, ID, and hotel room key to the back pocket. Remembered to switch my Android phone Battery Protection setting from Maximum (stops charging at 80%) to Basic (charges to 100%).✅Asleep around 10:30-11:00 p.m.
Awoke at 5:00 a.m. Drank water. Showered, shaved. Did the 4 things I should always do: 1) Garmin HRM-Pro Plus Heart Rate Monitor; 2) Anti-chafing; 3) NipEaze; and 4) Sunblock ✅ In my front shorts pocket I placed two bags of GU Energy gummies, a phone, a mask, and earbuds. Brewed a coffee using the in-room single-serving pod coffee maker. Ate a Clif Bar (Chocolate Brownie) we had picked up in Newark at Safeway on the way to SF the day before.
Dawn and I signed-up for this race. We made our way to the hotel lobby around 6:15 a.m., with the goal of arriving at the starting line around 6:30 a.m. The coffee shop (Twyne) in the hotel lobby was already open and serving customers. We had thought it opened at 6:30 a.m., so it must have opened early. Hotel Luma uses robots to deliver items to hotel rooms. They have several Relay Robotics Hotel Delivery Robots. Almost everything in Hotel Luma has their branding: cups, robes, slippers, etc. Video of Hotel Luma robot in action. We reserved the room a few days before the race via Expedia. It was just a few blocks from the race start. Room was new and very thoughtfully appointed with automatic shutters, climate control, outlets, charging, etc.
Weather was pleasant and fine for short-sleeved tee shirt and shorts. At the starting line we passed a rather long line of runners paying for race-day bib pickup. One person handled the payment ($30 or $20 per bib, I saw two different prices listed). Another table distributed the bibs.
There was just the one corral, divided into A (< 8:00/mile pace), B (8:00-11:00/mile pace), and C (everyone else). One person on a handcycle briefly waited by us before moving ahead to Corral A. We chose to stand on the right behind the very loud speaker. This meant we did not clearly hear the talent as they spoke, but it was OK. We watched people shake out, they played the national anthem, etc., and started the race right on time. Ate the first of my GU energy gummies about 10 minutes before the race started. Dawn and I kissed goodbye and I was off. She planned to walk the 10K distance due to lingering Achilles pain.
Miles 1-3 (Starting Line to Fort Mason)
Starting at Oracle Park, it took about 1 mile to get to the starting line of the San Francisco Marathon, by the Ferry Building. The sun had risen at 6:27 a.m., so plenty bright. Easy to see the cobblestones. I stayed right and ran along sidewalks again. Went with the flow for the first 10 minutes or so, warming up. Got my audiobook going (Arthur Ashe). Ran with 2:30/1:00 run/walk intervals. Ran at a 9:00/mile run pace. Got up to this pace around the 4th or 5th interval and did pretty well maintaining it. Coit Tower top was fogged-in. The course split off from the Embarcadero around Pier 39. We ran up a block at Hyde St (past the Hyde St & Beach St Cable Car turnaround), then up Polk St, then up a block at Van Ness. Some guy was out on their balcony yelling at the top of their lungs at people walking up the hill. WTF. 👀 Ran fast downhill on Bay Street 🙂 Hoped my heel lock lacing held up and protected the toenails on my big toes (it seems to have done so). At the 45-minute mark, ate more GU energy gummies. They suggested 5 minutes before and every 45 minutes thereafter. Finished the pack and threw away the wrapper in a can by the the 7-minute "The Fitness Court" public outdoor exercise gym.
Miles 4-6 (Fort Mason to turn-around at Golden Gate Bridge to Torpedo Wharf / Crissy Field)
This is my third race at Crissy Field in 2 months. Very familiar 😅 Still beautiful. A flock of Canadian geese flew overhead in formation. The Golden Gate Bridge was fogged-in, but lifting. A fog horn sounded periodically. During miles 4-5 I felt a bit of soreness in my right hamstring. Continued hoping it would go away (it did). The turnaround point was just past Torpedo Wharf--felt a bit of pleasant surprise at this as I had expected (without checking) that the turnaround would happen at the end of Marina Drive, like during the SF Marathon. Near Torpedo Wharf we split from the original paved path and took the San Francisco Bay Trail. This was noticeably more difficult to maintain my run pace on, but did the best I could. Before doing this I grabbed another water from the aid station 🙂 I took water at every stop. I sweated a lot, but did not feel dehydrated.
Miles 7-10 (Crissy Field to Pier 29)
After Crissy Field Marsh, we rejoined Mason Street via Javowitz Street. Back to paved roads ✅ Honestly do not remember much from this section. I was fading a bit. Passed people getting coffees from Equator Coffees at Fort Mason. Then ascended the hill of Great Meadow Park at Fort Mason. I thankfully had a walk break as I went up the hill 🙂 Humbled by several people with energy to zoom past. Zoomed down the relatively steep road toward the Aquatic Park Pier. At Aquatic Cove, I believe people used the stone seats to change in/out of cold-water gear. Spotted a number of people swimming. Ran back by Fisherman's Wharf, which now had noticeably more pedestrians wandering around, waiting for shops to open. Mentally, reaching this distance and ticking down the miles makes a big difference. Even getting to "just" 6 miles left--that is a 10K 🙂 My energy here starts flagging. When I run, I am not hitting my run pace target.
Miles 11-13.1 (Pier 29 to Finish Line at SF Giants Stadium)
This section had shade from the various pier buildings, which felt very nice. The Salesforce tower was fogged-in at the top, and the sunlight reflections shone through the fog. 🌫️ During one walk break near the end, a woman ran past and encouraged me--"the end is just there, keep going!" 🙂 It was very sweet. The next run section I zoomed ahead. Before the ballpark, I took a quick walk break to catch my breath, then ran around the back side and entered a nondescript door 👀 It led directly to the outfield warning track, and there was the finish line just a few more meters ahead. Dawn saw me first and was waving. Very happy to see her again! Crossed the finish and didn't notice my time. Got the finisher medal. Walked around the ballfield with Dawn, taking selfies and watching the Tube Man flapping around (they were illustrated with various players from various years). Walked up the stadium steps to the concourse level. Looked for the solutions table to inquire about the Doubleheader challenge medals. Collected snacks. Exited out to Willie Mays Plaza where someone had directed us and the solutions table said they would mail the Doubleheader challenge medals. Remember feeling pretty good emotionally at the finish. I had made my time goal ✅ The night before I had some doubts as to whether I might have enough endurance to maintain a 10:40/mile overall pace for a half marathon (~2:20 finish). I had run a 2:28 half marathon during the SF Marathon, about 8 minutes over--but with a challenging hilly course. Just did not know until I did it. 🙂
Post-Race / Reflections
Walked back to the hotel, showered, checked-out, and went for brunch. Hosts told us Plow had a 1.5-2 hour wait 😛 So we went a block further to Parker Potrero. It was slow but the food tasted great. 😋 Drove home, did laundry, and reset the house for the coming week. No rest!
What worked:
- Anti-chafing: legs & chest
- Race prep: laying out everything the night before
- Masking
- Hotel & logistics
- Audiobook
- Weather: perfect
- Magnesium lotion: relaxed Achilles & muscles after the race (also could have used it the night before)
- Watch fully charged and drained to about 70%
- Charged phone to 100%
- Ran overall target pace
- Fueled better via GU energy gummies
- Earbuds lasted the 2+ hours
- Toes protected on downhills via heel-lock lacing
- Corral chute positioning was OK
- Race your pace: Remembered as I began to race my pace, as lots of runners only going 5K/10K distance
Improvements:
- Review fueling for continuous marathon goal distance (i.e., without assuming access to convenience store/home)
- Hill training (build-up quads, etc.)
- Shorts with more pockets (?)
- Pace: Review course hills & determine if better to Conserve energy on the hilly
Any
irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Big toes still a bit numb, slight soreness in right hamstring, Achilles slightly sore
Foods
eaten today: Keurig pod coffee maker - Starbucks Pike Place Roast (8 oz), Clif Bar - Chocolate Brownie, GU Energy Chews (Strawberry x1, Pomegranate Blueberry x1), banana, Rivals Stuffed Snacks - Late Night Pizza (28g), Parker Potrero - coffee (16 oz) & pesto Benedict with smoked salmon
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