My first half marathon experience didn’t exactly go the way I wanted it to be. Running with a busted knee was probably something I shouldn’t have done but luckily I fully recovered. Since then, I wanted to redeem myself by running in another half marathon, so I signed up to run the Pasadena Half Marathon with one of my good friends from college, with this being his first race. We signed up in May 2018, which gave us more than 6 months to train with the race being in January. The only caveat with a race in January was training through the winter and the holidays.
Since he lived in Orange County and I lived in San Francisco, we made sure to keep each other accountable and on top of our training.
TRAINING
I knew I wanted to improve my training from my first race so here are some tips and lessons learned.
TIPS & LESSONS LEARNED
Stretch before and after your runs
Roll out your muscles/feet using a foam roller or tennis ball
Incorporate cross-training with cardio
Run more hills
Curate a running playlist
Don’t over compensate your runs if you haven’t ran in awhile
Build mileage gradually
Do your longest run 3 weeks from race day and taper down
Stay active and go on light runs the week leading up to the race
I still used the same running shoes that I invested in my first half marathon so I used those during my training and on race day. I can’t stress how important it is to get fitted for the right shoes! It makes all the difference when you run and how your body recovers afterward.
I also use the Nike + Run Club app during my runs since it’s a great way to track and log all your runs.
My favorite places to run were through Golden Gate Park and through the Presidio to Golden Gate Bridge. My goal for this race was to focus on my endurance and distance versus time.
DAY BEFORE THE RACE
The day before the race we went to the Health & Fitness Expo to receive our bibs. The fun part about going to these expos is getting free swag and checking out all the various running brands showing off their products.
RACE DAY
I like to eat a light breakfast before a race to avoid getting cramps or an upset stomach. My go-to breakfast is usually a banana, oatmeal, and something with electrolytes like Gatorade or Honey Stinger gummies.
We started our race at 7am with all the runners lined up to go in front of the Rose Bowl.
I was so nervous about this race because I was worried my knee would act up again, but luckily I ran the entire race injured-free. I felt really good about my pace and to my surprise, had very little side aches. My friend and I ran together for majority of the race until the very end when his leg started to cramp up. It was fun running through downtown Pasadena and ending up at the center of the stadium as we crossed the finish line.
