Typically when I run the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego races, I bring wifey and the First Lady down with me. We’ve done the Zoo and the beach the past two years after I run the full marathon. This year, I decided to rock the half distance and roll solo. There was going to be a lot going on with the launch of #WeRunSocial as well as doing several races the day before (RnRSD 5K and shakeout run) as well as the Pro Compression After Party. It was going to be an in-and-out kind of weekend.

Sunday morning came around pretty quickly and although I was running the half which started at 6:50, I rolled to the start line with my main mahn Linize who was tackling the full distance at 6:15. After we snapped a bunch of pictures, as we normally do, it was about time to get ready to run the half. My legs were pretty shot from the 5K the day before, as I wanted to get in some “quick” miles and have fun at the half. I was chatting with Carlee and somehow we got to talking about running together. I let her know that I was aiming for around 8-8:15, then snuck in a more realistic 8:30 to keep it safe. She said it sounded good to her and we decided to give it a go.

Facts Only: Carlee said she doesn’t pace well, but honestly, this girl kills it with negative splits on her training runs and has been smashing her races recently… I was a bit nervous that I wasn’t going to be able to hang with her.

Just like that we were off. I told Carlee that I had my music and I was planning on running with it, but decided to keep it on my pocket while we ran together.

Mile 1: 8:25
Mile 2: 8:13
Mile 3: 8:10
Mile 4: 8:16
Mile 5: 8:25

Those splits are money. We also had a “hydration” moment at mile 5. Check Carlee’s recap for more on that mess (as well as donuts). I was really happy with the pace as I was keeping an eye on our “average pace” overall. My legs were really heavy, but I was surprised that I was able to keep up and it didn’t feel too bad.

Mile 6: 8:08
Mile 7: 8:14
Mile 8: 8:10
Mile 9: 8:24

Still moving along well. I knew Carlee was feeling strong. She was attacking the uphill, and I kept it with my more consistent, methodical pace, heading up them. She would get a bit in front of me, maybe 10-20 yards, but I would work my way back to even. I was literally chasing Carlee for this entire time.

Facts Only: I tend to think that I am pretty good about thanking the volunteers and cheering on other runners throughout the race, but I do not even come CLOSE to holding a candle to MC Dot in the “thank you” category. She was thanking almost every single person along the way, busting out full sentences in thanking them for their time, commenting on their signs, and knocking out monster splits without even breathing hard. I mean, this girl tho. Amazing.

Mile 10: 8:07
Mile 11: 8:12
Mile 12: 7:48
Mile 13: 8:01

2015 RnRSD Half Marathon: 1:47:06

I thought I was going to loose Carlee after the 10 miles mark and was surprised to see that we were still holding an 8:15 average. We pretty much stayed that way the entire time. If it wasn’t for her, I would have walked, slowed, and finished closer to the 2-hour mark. I’m glad we decided to run together and it was a really great way to experience the half marathon.

Just before Mile 12 we spotted Ivie and AJ holding down the #WeRunSocial cheer station. We stopped for a quick selfie (photos above), then made our way to the finish line. We wanted to grab our gear, then make our way back to Ivie and AJ to help cheer on the other half marathoners as well as those running the full. We were then later joined by Michael and Andrea and the #WeRunSocial cheer station was rocking with music, banners hanging form whereever we could find a spot and all the Pro Compression socks.

Pro Compression After Party

Then of course, there was the after party that happened post race. Pro Compression put out the word that they wanted to set up an after party in their town and we made it happen. We gathered at Bootleggers in the Gaslamp Quarter (maybe next time we can all fit in for THIS photo) and #WeRunSocial also helped put out the word that it was the place to be. Pro bought the first round, and provided some appetizers and it was a really good time. We took pictures, talked about everyone’s race weekend experiences, and it was just a really great way to end an excellent weekend. I think everyone really enjoyed it and it may have set the bar for what happens at future races.

Thanks to Pro Compression for hosting and providing a place for all of us to celebrate an amazing weekend.

Half-Yearly Sale:

Use code JUNE until the end of the month and take 42% OFF your entire Pro Compression order – it’s their biggest sale of the year (it happens again in December, but don’t wait!)

What’s your favorite thing about race weekend?
The running? The people? The fun AFTER the run?