Race Recap: Two Half Marathons in 24 Hours, Coast-to-Coast

I have big ideas. I dream big. I want to see this entire planet we call Earth. I want to experience all that life has to offer. I don’t want to ever settle for a mediocre life.

Some people have called what happened last weekend as “crazy”, while others have regarded it as “inspiring”. Either way you look at it, the fact is this—my friend Kerry & I embarked upon an epic adventure & now have a ton of memories to remember that time that TWO chicks, ran on TWO coasts, in TWO half marathons, in less than 24 hours – all while completing more than 26.2 miles. Have we inspired you yet?! If not, you have permission to stop reading & resume your normal life. Hehe! If you continue to read, be prepared… I am long-winded & have TWO races to recap in ONE blog post. I will try my best to be concise, but I make no promises.

The idea surfaced back in the summertime. One day, an article circulated on Facebook about an inaugural race that hoped to become the “Boston” of half marathons—complete with qualifying times & the support of an elite runner named, Meb. What a great idea, I thought. As luck would have it, the day after this inaugural half would be the 2^nd annual Harbor Lights half marathon. Was it crazy to even consider running both????!! Shortly thereafter, following a Running Etc./J&A Racing group run, Kerry & I enjoyed pizza & a cocktail—then, the idea just sprung from my lips. What’s more shocking was Kerry’s response, “yeah, let’s do it!” Was this new-ish friend of mine just as crazy as I am?!, I thought to myself. What if we could do that? Would we be insane?! Would it be safe? How much would it cost? Would the hubsters be supportive & hold down the home fronts? As luck would have it, all turned out just fine.

We headed to San Diego on Thursday, that way we’d have 2 days to enjoy the city & get acclimated to the time change. We spent the first day shopping & eating fish tacos in La Jolla, & then stayed the night at one of my prior co-worker’s house. I could write an entire blog post about that part of the adventure, but I will spare you all of the hilarious details. The short & sweet version is this—1) we stayed in a gorgeous home in the mountains on the outskirts of San Diego overlooking RVs (ha!), 2) we ate dinner at a casino, where our poor waitress complained about her IUD (yikes!), 3) along with three other humans in the house that night, there were also rabbits, chickens, & cats (lol!), & 4) we had a glorious night’s sleep of more than NINE hours (unheard of for mothers!). THANK YOU Whitney, for putting us up for the night!!

On Friday, following a breakfast of eggs fresh from those chickens, we headed to Balboa Park for a 3-mile leg shakeout run. Hello hills! Although I had been to Southern California 3 times prior, I was a new runner back then {last trip was in ‘09 for my Bachelorette Party}—with my only pavement exposure being along the flat boardwalk. This time, I was fully introduced to the various elevations of San Diego! That day, we also visited Coronado & attended packet pickup {nothing fancy, actually pretty small of an event}. Dinner that night was super yummy—a trendy restaurant, Bencotto, in the heart of Little Italy. I enjoyed a penne/chicken/tomato concoction.

Half marathon #1 for the weekend, the USA Half Marathon Invitational, began SUPER early—with a race start time of 6am! At first I was annoyed by this “o-dark-thirty” start time, but by the final 30 minutes of the race, I understood why & was VERY thankful. Hello sunshine & ZERO cloud cover!

I had been asked several times by friends of my racing plan for the weekend. Truth is, I never had one! Of course, a PR would have been nice; but after all of the slower miles for marathon training, I knew this was highly unlikely. Also, my recovery from the Marine Corps Marathon had gone slow—thanks to a sore calf & being sick for the better part of 2 weeks prior to half-marathon-weekend-mania. So, the plan became this: see how I feel at the start line of each race & go from there. I knew San Diego would be hilly & I knew rain was being predicted for Norfolk. Neither would be ideal racing conditions; BUT, I was unwavering that both races would be FUN & ENJOYABLE with smiles along the way {maybe not the whole way…. but at least most of the time, ha!}. At one point, I had a goal of sub-2:00 for both—this is how “un-ready” I felt at multiple times leading up to the epic weekend. This was no mental issue. I know my body & I knew it was just not in optimal racing shape. No cop out or excuse, simply just being my normal realist self. It was amazing how relaxed I felt & how “OK” I was with no pressure to PR.

So back to Saturday. Kerry & I lined up near the 1:45 pacer. I was pretty sure my time would be slower than that, but we definitely wanted to start together. I had looked ahead of time at the elevation map, naturally, & knew there would be no tempo-paced miles until after nearly the first half of the race—the early hills just wouldn’t allow for it. I started out way conservative & eased into the race. Basically, the first 5 miles consisted of, “hey, a big hill” & “oh, at least that one is smaller” & “what goes up, must come down” & “dear God, that BETTER be that huge hill from the map—I can’t do another one like that!” At 5.2 miles, we were rewarded with nearly an ENTIRE mile of downhill {thank goodness!!}—I flew through that mile, with even a 6:36/mile pace popping up on my watch! I zoomed past many people who seemed to be running the hill conservatively. I just hoped that my quads would not revolt later on.

Mile 1 – 8:36

Mile 2 – 9:09

Mile 3 – 8:27

Mile 4 – 8:31

Mile 5 – 8:11

Mile 6 – 7:25

The highlight of my race, aside from seeing some new sights that San Diego had to offer, was high-fiving Meb at the 10K mark. For you non-runner friends, Meb is pretty much a running legend! It’s kind of like high-fiving Michael Jordan at a NBA game or Brett Farve at a NFL game. Although a picture or chat with Meb would have been nice, I really didn’t want to stop & risk losing my mojo.

The next few miles were pretty uneventful. I settled in on a pace that was similar to where I ran most of the marathon—the low 8:20s. Otherwise, I just ran & took in the sights. I know, shocker (!!), I don’t have a ton of words to add about that portion of the race.

Mile 7 – 8:02

Mile 8 – 8:17

Mile 9 – 8:24

Somewhere around mile 10, we ran over packed sand, then gravel, & then turned to approach a final bridge—which I was highly annoyed with…. wasn’t the final 5-6 miles supposed to be uber flat?! Luckily, the bridge wasn’t too bad & I just charged up it knowing it would pass quicker that way. As we continued to trek around the airport area of San Diego, the sun was BEAMING down with no shade in sight.

Mile 10 – 8:19

Mile 11 – 8:20

It’s funny—just the night before Kerry & I talked about when each of us started to make our final “surge” in a half marathon. I commented that almost always during mile 11. Ha, not this race! I decided that at mile 12, this could happen. Prior to that, I was just too tired, & likely conserving energy subconsciously since I knew what would happen the next day. I was happy & complacent to run my marathon pace with the quickly rising temps. But at mile 12, it was ON!

Mile 12 – 8:17

Mile 13 – 7:55

Final 0.14 miles to the Finish – 7:47

Garmin Time: 1:48:59 (8:17/mile)

Official Time: 1:48:59 (8:20/mile)

Rarely does my stomach bother me during a race. Really, this didn’t happen badly in San Diego either. But what did happen was the urge to hurl during the final quarter mile to the finish line. I decided this was an indicator that I was pushing it & had run the best race I could! I did not PR; instead I came up 3 minutes + 17 seconds short. I did run my 2^nd fastest half ever though, so a PR-runner-up!

To specifically recap the course/organization/experience, I will say this. I hope the race grows & blossoms to become what the race director(s) wish for, for their “Boston of halfs dream”. They had hoped for 5,000 participants, but only about 3,000 signed up; with just under that completing the race. The course itself was tough because of the hills, but doable. It was quite organized & the volunteers/police/signage was GREAT (thank you)! The expo was small, but had very enthusiastic vendors. The jacket they gave instead of an official race shirt was a nice perk; & although even the extra small is way big, I am really digging the jacket! I doubt I will run this race again, just because it is so far away, but I will be “following it” to see how it grows or sadly, dwindles.

And just like that, the first race of the weekend was DONE! We headed back to the hotel, took a quick shower, packed our bags, & then headed to the airport. A quick lunch was in order, followed by a lovely flight delay. At one point, there was a fear that our connecting city (Chicago) would cancel our final flight home. Other flights (even Charlotte, NC!) had been cancelled due to a snowstorm. I promised myself that if we actually made it back to Norfolk & had the ability to run the 2^nd half, it would be an epic & memorable race—regardless of running time. I was bound & determine to make this challenge a reality! We ultimately landed in ORF at nearly midnight & then Uber’d over to our Waterside hotel. With less than 5 hours to sleep, we woke up & walked across the street to half marathon #2 for the weekend.

Unfortunately, the meteorologists were not wrong, this time. It was raining…. & heavily at times. We would be soaked by the time we finished the Harbor Lights half marathon. Thankfully, the hotel staff gave us garbage bags to wear to the start line—which we tossed once we got going. In addition to Kerry, our friend Kara joined us at our hotel for the pre-race festivities. A race start delay allowed us a few extra minutes to chat with our running & momma friend, who has recently moved out of the area. We miss you, Kara! Since we were positioned in corral #1, we didn’t have to wait too long in the pouring rain. And just like that, half #2 was underway!

Last year, I was honored to run this race as a pacer. This year, I felt lucky enough to run it alongside a dear friend. Maybe next year I will actually race it!! Our plan was never to stick together for the entire 13.1 miles—but at some point, that just felt right. Neither of us were racing—just simply enjoying the experience {Kerry’s thoughts on “enjoyment” might differ slightly here… since she threw down a 5+ minute faster time than me the day before, ha!}. I could have run faster, but why, what difference did it make on that day & in that moment?

I won’t bore you with each mile split for this race—but if you care, they all ranged between 8:30-9:15/mile. This experience was bigger than the time on the race clock. Instead, it was a race in my city, running past the sights that I love. I had only glanced at the course route once, but instantly, I loved it. I was not one of the runners opposed to last years’ route, but I actually liked the new route & changes even better. Just like the day before, I entered the race relaxed & tried to take in the entire experience.

I took chews every 4 miles & ate a SaltStick in the 6^th mile {thanks to Laurie, one of my athletes, for the chocolate surprise around the halfway point!}. I was drenched & avoided every puddle that I could. However, I did not dodge puddles. I was trying to run the tangents & avoid course “overage”. I ate 2 mini-pies {pumpkin was best!!} at the Graydon grassy area where I have attended the Running Etc. speed sessions a few times. I waved at friends we passed & chatted with Kerry along the whole course. We decided that we started together & we’d finish together. We both felt strong & fierce—passing people steadily in those final few miles. Once past the Spirit of Norfolk, in the final quarter mile, we would sprint to the finish line—but not so fast that a smile would disappear from our faces.

And just like that, our coast-to-coast half marathon weekend was complete! It goes without saying, but J&A Racing always puts on an awesome race! There are few race companies that can compare. Keep up the good work! Maybe, the Harbor Lights can eventually have a marathon distance… just my two cents?!

Garmin Time (13.2 miles): 1:55:31 (8:45/mile)

Official Time: 1:55:31 (8:50/mile)

What I learned about myself this past weekend it this…. I have some awesome friends & my husband is an amazing supporter {despite him not being able to be at the finish line very often}. I am a strong runner (not to be vain!), even though I feel like I have hit a plateau in my running journey. I need to resume other workouts besides running (i.e. strength training & yoga). I need to begin more races in a relaxed state-of-mind. Maybe if I put these “needs” out there in the universe, I will hold myself accountable & make those things happen!

I know this has been long, but I truly love writing & then re-reading about my running journey. I promise, just about done!

THANKS goes to many people, but especially to Kerry, you’re a trooper & an amazing mother/runner/friend! Thank you for entertaining my silly idea & making it a reality—I could not have done this without you! Also to my husband, kiddos, the volunteers, police, EMT, spectators, & everyone else – you ALL rock!!

I hope you all had a lovely & tasty Thanksgiving, while being THANKFUL for what is really important in this life! I spent the day with my family & enjoyed it tremendously! Of course, I did run a race, while pushing the double BOB—the Tidewater Striders Turkey Trot 10K in VA Beach. The twins & I had a blast! Now, to rest this wonky calf before Tokyo Marathon training commences!

Up Next For The Running Blonde: Tacky Sweater 5K in 2 weeks