NWM: The Half Marathon Itself

Start: Union Square. 7:00 AM. 54 Degrees.

Several intersections surrounding Union Square are completely blocked off for the start village. There is so much going on and about 20,000 people standing in the streets that it's nearly impossible to get anywhere or figure out where you need to get to for bag check or your corral. I was supposed to meet some friends to run with and it was a miracle we found each other.

So we start. Running along the water and passing the piers was pretty cool. I remember passing the things I had seen the night before and I was already making plans on where I wanted to eat later. In the first 3 miles there were no serious elevation changes. A hill a little after 3 and then we were okay again until just after mile 6.

I had been running with my friend Melanie whom I had met during a short stint working for the LLS on the side. She was from the TNT triathlon team and is in much better shape than I am. She was in it for the full that morning so even though we ran only a few miles together, I feel like I helped her keep a slower pace for the start of her long run. She had an amazing finish time, btw!

Then there were hills. Monster hills. Shoot me in the knee hills. Just about the time the hills became an issue, it began to sprinkle. Did I mention it was kind of windy and cold? I had to walk down hills like the one above due to IT band pains screaming on the outside of my right knee. I knew then that my time would not be good, but I had to take it easy so that I would still be able to run the L.A. Rock 'n' Roll half marathon the next weekend.

In terms of course support, signage, and cheering spectators this event was pretty good. It was cool to see the "I run to be" signs and so many folks willing to stand in the cold and wet to cheer for their favorite marathoner. The Ghirardelli chocolate mile was only about 6 or 8 girls handing out chocolate squares. At least I got caramel! Yummmm.

And then there were the firemen all dressed to the nines with a tray of pretty little bowed boxes! A note for the finish line: When you cross, don't immediately stop to see which fireman is the cutest before deciding what mob to get into for your Tiffany's necklace. (If you want to see the necklace, see my last post). And if you're determined to take a picture of you and your fireman before moving along, then at least have your camera ready and be quick about it!

It was hard to approach the finish line and maintain speed because you could see the crowd of women literally 3 feet beyond just standing there crowding around these tuxedos. I was cold and in pain so I couldn't really enjoy my moment. I just ducked around some dazed looking ladies and nabbed a box as I passed to get beyond the mass of finishers.

The Finish Village would have been better if:

1) Gear check wasn't all the way on the other end of all the vendors.

2) Gear check was more organized (even at the Start village) in terms of finding where your bag would be. It wasn't alphabetical. You just had to remember which bus # & window your bag was "in" and some kid would look through the bus window at you, disappear for a second, and then come back with your bag.

3) It wasn't so cold and windy.

There was good smelling stuff and I wanted to buy an event t-shirt, but the lines were laughable again, and I could not fathom sticking around even after I'd put my warm clothes on.

The Nightmare Walk Home:

As I didn't run the event as a TNT participant and pay for a bus or shuttle ticket to take me back to my hotel, my husband and I had no transportation from the finish at Golden Gate Park back to our hotel in Fisherman's Wharf. City busses leaving the area were packed. Taxi's were impossible to get. We walked for 2 hrs in the cold wetness before stopping at a bench to wait for a taxi that never came and then getting on a bus that got us within a few blocks of our hotel.

It was a sad 2:40+ run and I finished at 10 am. I didn't get back to my hotel until 1. It was painful for so many reasons.

Am I glad I did it? Yes. I love my necklace and now I know what NWM is all about.

Would I do it again? Hell no. Not this event. Not those hills. Not that weather. No.