I did it! I completed my 2nd half marathon! It was brutal and incredibly tiresome but when I think back, it makes me smile. There were a few tears, a lot of sweat, and 100% determination. I started off knowing that I wanted to try to beat my time from my first half marathon which was 2:55. I was determined to shave off at least 5 min, and since my training has been relatively faster, I was really pushing for 10 min.
I began running at 8:35 am – I was part of the 5th wave of the 2nd Half Marathon which started in Golden Gate Park. It was relatively cool with no sign of sunshine. It was really amazing to run with all types of people with a wide range of run experience. Started off strong, didn’t run too fast, just kept a steady pace, and tried to just enjoy the experience.
About 3/4 of the way through mile 2, I was feeling a little funny, so decided to stop to use the bathroom, I wish I didn’t because it totally wasted 5 min of my time, but oh well!
Continued running solidly until about mile 9.5. I was pleasantly surprised by the downhill running. Most of the uphill was really subtle so it was manageable but the downhill was quite steep, and it really took a toll on my body. At this point, the sun was out and beaming and I got a side stitch that just wasn’t going away. I tried really hard to try to ignore the pain because I didn’t want to stop running to walk but eventually I had to take a break, I walked for about .10 of a mile, and picked back up again. Ran until about mile 10, and at that point the pain was excruciating, nothing I did was helping. I tried to adjust my breathing, and taking in longer breaths, I tried to drink more water, but it just didn’t work. I had to walk, so I did.
I started walking, and tears started welling up in my eyes. The pain was really difficult to deal with but I wanted to run the whole race. I texted my family, and my brother just told me to walk for a little bit, and then try to pick back up. I did exactly that, after half a mile of walking and deep breathing, I began running again. The pain was still there but very lightly. It kept trying to creep back but I wasn’t about to stop again, so as soon as I started to feel the pain again, I would flex my core, and surprisingly it worked. I kept doing this for the last 2.5 miles. It was a struggle, but I just couldn’t wait to see that finish line. I knew that the race ended after the Bay Bridge, and I just kept my eye on the bridge. 
Once I passed AT&T Park, it was just a mile left. There happened to be a Giants game that day, so the area around AT&T Park was vibrant, and that last mile was filled with cheers and “you got this!” It was really humbling to run that last mile. I ran the whole time with my eye on that finish line, and as soon as it was in reach, my legs picked up speed and I booked it. I was not expecting to beat any of my time because of the few stops I had to make, and even though that kind of bummed me out, I decided to not let it deter me from celebrating that I just ran in the SF Marathon, and that I had a lot of fun. I stopped my runkeeper and was pleasantly surprised to find that I beat my time by 8 min! I finished in 2 hours and 47 min! I was so excited to see that, not only did I beat my time but had I not stopped two times, I would have beat my time by more than 10 min!
All in all, it was such a humbling experience to participate in this race. I ran alongside marathoners, who were well into their run at mile 15 when I was barely on mile 1. Every single runner I ran alongside inspired me, and I kept thinking what a great community to be a part of.
Progress Report: I found a Marathon training plan that starts in September which might be difficult because of travel plans but I like the pace of the plan, so we’ll see – still looking for a marathon to participate in.
Song of the week: Cool for the Summer – Demi Lovato
Smizz Runs 