OC Half Marathon

Admittedly, we runners are a strange crew. As if running 13.1 (or, for some people, 26.2) miles wasn't crazy enough, we also get up insanely early to do it. Voluntarily. And we pay money to do it. Fortunately, I am just half crazy and stop after 13.1 miles.

I started my day with a 3:15 am wake-up call. The race started at 6:15, but since it was point to point (meaning that it starts and ends at different places), we had to allot enough time to get to the finish (at the OC fairgrounds) and take the shuttles to the start (Fashion Island). The past two times I ran this race, I was spoiled--Drew dropped me off at the start and met me at the finish so I could sleep in (which means about 5 am).

Some friends in my running group (we run every Sunday at 7 am and then have breakfast) live near the finish (we had a potluck brunch after the race), so we met there and walked to the fairgrounds. The upside is that parking is free and you don't have to deal with the traffic. The downside, which I learned the hard way, is that you have to navigate the road closures because my friends live so close to the race course. Just when I was supposed to be walking through their door, I had to pull over and call because one of the main roads to their house was closed, and they navigated me to their place.  

We headed to the start, and it went off without a hitch. The start is so much fun. There's so much energy and excitement in the air, and you can just feel it. It's hard for me to explain--there's so much camaraderie and optimism, and it's great to be a part of it.   

This is my last race in California, and my goal was to just have fun and enjoy myself. It wasn't my intention to try to set a personal record (PR), so I took my time and took pictures along the course (I also developed a newfound respect for biathletes, as I discovered that it can be challenging to run, stop, and steady myself to take a picture).  

We made our way out of Fashion Island (fancy shopping mall, and not really an island) and headed toward the ocean (I hope you can see it in the background there). The view below is quite breathtaking and it's the one I see every time I go to the Newport Beach Public Library (it gets me every time I drive down the hill). I wish you could have been there with me to see it today!

We ran south on the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). Normally it is jam packed with cars, so it was neat to see it full of runners instead! You can't really tell by the picture, but here we are at a slight downhill before a medium-sized hill, something I'd never notice in the car, but definitely detectable on foot! 

And then we ran through Corona del Mar. There were some people who came out to drink their morning coffee and cheer us on. I think someone was playing the theme to Rocky. 

I've seen this view lots of times, but I just found it to be more impressive today. 

The neighborhood we ran through was a pretty fancy one (well, we were by a yacht club, so it's not surprising) and some of the houses are pretty spectacular. 

Here we are, near the yacht club. 

We made our way back to the PCH and headed north. The halfway point was around here, and all I heard in my head was the Bon Jovi song, Livin' on a Prayer (...we're halfway there..take my hand and we'll make it I swear...livin' on a prayer). I think Balboa Island is somewhere over there:

Here we are at the Back Bay. We are about to run past those homes you see in the background.

The Back Bay is to the right, and when you look behind you, you can see the ocean. That's where we just were a few minutes ago! Crossing the PCH bridge!

And now, here we are running past the super fancy, multi-million dollar homes. You would think that with the views I just showed you above, the residents would be sitting outside, basking in the sun and enjoying the scenery, but every time I've run by (this was the 6th time or so), it is a ghost town .

The ocean is getting further away:

Almost done running past the fancy homes.

We ran around the Back Bay:

Below, we just turned right onto Irvine Avenue. At this point, we've run about 10 miles. The best part about the last 5K (aside from the fact that we have only 5K left) is the fan support. You can't tell, but there is a PARTY at the top of that hill.  

Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon, once said "If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon." (There was a good article about this in the Washington Post a year ago.) Races are impressive, and it's not because of the runners. It's impressive because of the people who line up along the street to cheer for and support complete strangers. They hold up signs, they call out our names, and they give us snacks and water. It's amazing, and I'm sure every runner can talk about the importance of fan support. People cheering for people that they've never met and will never know. It's pretty cool. Is this what it's like to be a rock star? Well, it's the closest I'll ever come to knowing. 

The people lining up along the last 5K can be counted on to have the BEST signs. The one below says: You thought they said RUM, didn't you?

The one in the middle says: I'm sure this seemed like a good idea 4 months ago. 

I had to stop and have the guy holding this sign take my picture with it. 

At this point below, we were at mile 12. 

Two years ago, I continued straight ahead and ran a lonely and somewhat miserable 14.2 miles through the bowels of Orange County. The full marathon was an extremely physically and mentally challenging experience, and while I didn't swear off marathons after finishing it, I wasn't sure if I'd ever do one again. Instead, I stuck to half marathons and every time I finished one of those, I thought to myself "I'm so glad I saved myself the pain and agony by not doing the full."

But alas, how soon we forget these sorts of things. At this juncture, I was feeling quite good, and I actually thought to myself "hmmmm, maybe I could do another full marathon. It can't be that bad." (Is this what childbirth is like? It's so painful that you say you're never going to do it again, but then after a certain amount of time passes, you forget how bad it was and give it another go?) In case you're wondering, I wasn't contemplating doing another marathon at that exact moment in time. I'm not stupid, I definitely turned left. 

The last mile was a good one, if for no other reason than it was the last and it was mostly in the shade (the temperature was in the low 70s, but it felt like it was in the mid 80s). Here we are approaching the finish line:  

And my selfie after crossing the finish line.

And the post-race picture:

It was a great morning, and it was about to get better (I joined my friends for brunch!). I have run the OC Full Marathon, Long Beach Half, Surf City Half, and Southern California Half, but this race is my favorite. The scenery is phenomenal and the fan support is great. The race course bottlenecks around the halfway point when you go under the PCH, but other than that, it's not too crowded. I had so much fun! 

I really enjoy the half marathon. It is a really good, manageable distance for me--challenging enough, but it doesn't stress me out, physically or mentally. I know I'm going to finish, and I don't feel like crap after I do. Sure, I limp around and I need to change into flip flops ASAP, but I'm not incapacitated for the rest of the day. 

As I mentioned, this was my last race in California, so it was really bittersweet. But, I already know which race I'm running next: the Green Bay Half Marathon.