Runnin' Through the City Reppin' the Town

Other than perhaps a two hour on and off nap this afternoon, I have been up since 3:30am after getting up for the San Francisco Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon Sunday.  This was my 16th half overall since I began running in these in 2009.  I started running because my college roommate and one of my best friends convinced me to start running.  This was also a way where we could keep in contact with each other since we live in different parts of California.

My friends name is Marc Anthony and no I am not making this up.  He is not the singer though, so sorry!  We met each other at UC Riverside though our fraternity Lambda Chi Alpha in Summer of 2002.  He became my "big bro" and helped me through numerous college experiences that have helped me who I am today.  I like how he is honest with me and tells me how he feels and in turn I do the same thing.  We both offer each other suggestions to improve ourselves and that is why we are close, even though he is 400 miles away.  Anyways, in 2005 he wanted to go running and he had problems running around the block.  I was literally running circles around him.  He was overweight (300+) and a smoker, which is never a good combination.  Marc hides his weight well though as he is 6"4". I felt bad for him so he was the last person who I would thought would run a half marathon, let alone running.

Always a picturesque view of the Golden Gate Bridge

Back to 2009 and when he asked me to sign up, I was really surprised.  I knew he was working out and about 250 now, but he was taking running seriously.  To make a long story short, he kicked my ass in Long Beach and I was really surprised.  By December's Vegas run he broke two hours.  Today though, we make these runs as more of a get together and we are usually in the 2:30-2:45 range.  Unfortunately because of the size of the race, he was unable to sign up in time and the race sold out, so I ran it on my own.  I was texting Marc throughout the race sending him some awesome photos and tell him he should do the race in 2014.

As for the run, I really liked that the entire run focused around San Francisco's historic and most recognizable icon, the Golden Gate Bridge.  For about 3/4 of the run we were within viewing range of the bridge.  Sometimes, it is very nice to be a tourist in your own backyard because sometimes you tend to take things for granted when you see the same thing everyday.  I remember when I went to school in Los Angeles, everyone that lived down there wanted to go visit San Francisco because of the Golden Gate Bridge, but I didn't really see why people would want to visit.  After a while, I understood why because I didn't see the historic icon all of the time.  Back in the Bay, I could just be driving to work and I would see the bridge and in Los Angeles, I did not.

Gotta Rep the Town in the City

Other than the first half mile and miles 3-5, the run is a very good run.  I'm not a big fan of inclines, so that is why I was not a big fan of the aforementioned parts of the run.  I didn't mind the downgrade though as that made the run easier.  I also was able to get a "second wind" running across the Golden Gate Bridge in the cool weather.  I felt that being "at home" and seeing all these people from out of town taking photos of the bridge made me feel proud that I am a Bay Area native.  As an amateur photographer myself, I had to whip out the iPhone and stop for a few photos.  I finished the run in 2:39, but I probably wasted 5 minutes taking photos, but I think the photos were well worth it.  I thought about running with my DSLR, but I would just be taking a few hundred photos the entire time.  I will probably make the trip back to the Golden Gate just to play with my camera.  If you are thinking about running this race, please do as I highly recommend it.  The weather was great (~55 and foggy) and the parking was really easy.  I paid $10 with my race bib at a parking garage that was 3 blocks from the finish line.  If my friends came along, we would have probably been eating at Aquatic Park/Ghiradelli Square somewhere afterwards.

I also wanted to report that I met two of my twitter A's buddies over the weekend who also ran.  I met Dave at the expo as this was his first half marathon and gave him some tips about being controlled out of the gate.  I am pretty sure that running fast out of the gate was out of the question after basically running up a 35 degree incline to begin (Welcome to San Francisco!).  I also was able to wave my cap to Jeff, who was running the race with his daughter.  I wish we got to talk though!

This guy RULES

My competitive juices came in during the run as a Giants fan was passing me and I was passing him throughout the run.  I tend to run and walk at points to conserve energy.  As we were about .3 away from the finish line in Fort Mason, he passed me up again and went about 50 feet ahead of me.  I thought, hell no, he is not going to beat me and I passed him with about .2 left and crossed the finish line, so a minor victory for me there.  I am pretty sure that he didn't know I was racing against him, but oh well.  LET'S GO OAKLAND! I also got a couple of "Let's Go A's a couple of times during my run, so that was awesome.

For those that are willing to run a half, I will now be giving a few random tips that I have learned throughout my runs.  I wear a purple fanny pack and it is not going to be very appealing, but it holds my food, aleve and tissue in case I need it.  I also wear pocketed shorts as I carry my iPhone for music and a bottle of water.  The reason I carry a bottle of water is because I have ran some runs that have run out of water and I was thirsty, so I was miserable until I could find the next station a mile later. I was not willing to take that risk again.  I also recommend to bring a backpack to check in at the Gear Check Station with extra drinks, food, post-race clothes and toilet paper.  The gear check is obviously closer than your car and when you finish the run you never want to walk more than you have to, so gear check is always nice.   The toilet paper is also useful because after the runs, usually the outhouses have no paper or seat covers in it as they have been used.  This is great for the post race reliefs.  If you tend to have to relieve yourself during your run, then I would recommend carrying a bag of tissue on your person.  If you have any questions, please ask me for any tips or bring up your own.  I am always open to new ideas.  Please don't ask me much about training though as I am terrible at times training.  I get lazy and don't run for a bit, but I love doing the half marathons.  I know, I'm strange...

Sniff-Optimism Lives!

Adapt or Blog

Awesome to see the A's have won 5 straight after losing the first two.  They have also been in first place alone the past two days as well, which is double than last year!  I am definitely down with the A's being in first at the end of the season too!  Also glad to see Josh Reddick who hit the wall hard didn't break his wrist or forearm.  Very scary for A's fans.  What is scary for the rest of the league though is that Cespedes and Reddick were not hitting and the A's are still doing well.  This team is very deep.  Oh and for those who say that the A's should beat the Astros all the time, that is true, but they should not overlook them.  Last time I checked, they were still a Major League Baseball team.  The best thing to do is to focus on the task at hand that day...

The Sharks gained a total of 13/14 points in their 7 game homestand.  They were unable to protect a pair of two goal leads, so that probably didn't make fans feel good.  Overall though, if you told me that the Sharks would take 13/14 points in a 7 game stretch, I am always down for that.

The Warriors could have clinched a playoff spot by beating Utah, but lost by 7 after a valiant comeback.  Utah just seemed to want the game more.  The Warriors magic number for a playoff spot remains at 2.  They will make the playoffs, but I think this game was a learning experience for them pre-playoffs.  Once the playoffs hit, the game is totally different.