This year they took the full marathon out and completely changed the half marathon course. We still started at the Niketown in Union Square but instead of finishing at Ocean Beach we finished in the Marina by Chrissy Fields.
The course was much more challenging. It had lots and lots of hills. Good rolling hills for the cyclists out there. But mile 10 was definitely the king of all those hills. It was pretty damn steep and seemed to go on for a really long time. Arlynn and I drove it on accident a couple of days before, so I kindda knew what to expect.
Because it was a brand new course I was a little nervous. Having run the course 5 years in a row, I knew how to prep myself for what was coming. This year, I just had to talk myself through each hill as it came along. Honestly, once my legs started going it was just like a regular run.
The weather was perfect for me. It wasn't too cold in the morning, I didn't bring a jacket, but brought a garbage bag just in case. I didn't even use it. I ended up tossing it even before we joined our corral. The sun didn't come out until way after I was finished, so the sky remained grey but the weather was quite comfortable. A comfortable temperature with a slight breeze every now and then.
I only refilled my bottle at about mile 8. And, just ran through the course. And although there were lots and lots of hills and people are probably going to complain about all the hills, I really really liked the course. Apparently, I like hills. lol I think it just breaks up the course for me, keeps it interesting. My friend from Muay Thai says I that I like doing the difficult stuff. lol I guess she's right.
My gripes about the race: This race is sooo popular not only b/c it's Nike, but hellooooo everyone wants that Tiffany necklace. B/c of this it gets a lot of attention from EVERYONE, which means a lot of newbies that don't know running etiquette. And that just makes it hard on everyone. I'm glad that events like this get people motivated to move. Trust me, I'm the first person to cheer someone on when they want to get fit, for what ever reason. My main complaint, which is what I complain about every single race -- "WALKERS TO THE RIGHT!" Yes, I understand that some people like to or need to walk, but please leave room on the left for people to pass. Omg, I can go on about this forever ... I'll save that for my youtube video.
And another thing that saddened me...but I didn't make too much of a big deal about b/c I know it happens all the time...my name didn't get put on the wall this year. This is the first year in so long that I actually used my own name, and I didn't get put on the wall. I was sad, but it's ok.
Oh and the product tent for the finisher's gear. Holy moly what a mess. I didn't even dare go in there. I'm hoping they have the product at the Niketown. I at least would like to take a look at it.
Well, those are all my jumbled thoughts about the race. Here are some photos for you to look at:
