I’d like to welcome Carrie Roberts, our guest blogger, who recently participated in the See Jane Run Women’s Half Marathon and 5k in Alameda, California. A race that includes champagne and chocolate, was something we couldn’t resist covering. Here is Carrie’s race recap, enjoy:
I had the opportunity to run See Jane Run Women’s Half Marathon and had not signed up in advance due to a ankle injury 7 weeks before. I had some friends running it and was very envious, but when this opportunity arose, I was so excited. This was just what I needed to get me back into my running after taking 4 weeks off for my injury then starting with 2 weeks easing my way back in. I had less than 2 weeks to get my mileage up from 4 miles to a half… but knew I could do it since I just ran a Full Marathon 10 weeks ago.
I did a 10 mile training run a week before and felt great. That made me even more excited!
On race morning, I followed my usual race day routine… wake up, shower, peanut butter toast and a banana for breakfast with a cup of coffee, then all set for the race. I drove four of my friends to the race and the energy was high (two of the ladies this was their first half). We got there with over an hour to spare… enough time to stretch, warm up, hydrate.
We situated ourselves at the 11min/mile marker at the start line, fully knowing this was under estimating ourselves. The race began, we started with a walk till we crossed the start line and the race began. I felt good! My one friend, Noelle, and I picked up the pace and lost the rest of the group at mile 3. The first 3 miles were beautiful and scenic along the water. Nice cool breeze blowing on us off the water. Then we turned into the streets through a business area, this was hot with no breeze and somewhat boring in the scenic sense, but I was too busy talking to be too bothered.
Mile 3 to 8 were in and out of scenic water front views then whisked off into the streets again. But from Mile 8 on was that same water front beauty all over again. At one stage we passed the Harbor Bay Fitness Club outdoor pool which looked so good at that point… it was a lot hotter than I had anticipated. At Mile 10, I was feeling so strong and had so much in me still. I needed to break loose. I took off, pushing the last 3.1 miles, passing people who asked where I had found the spurt of energy!
When I crossed the finish line, I felt great. I looked at the time, clock read 1:53, which meant I had done faster than that by a minute or so. I was happy with that, since my training was only 2 weeks long! Official time, 1:52:20, only 1 minute slower than my PR.
left to right: Jen, Carrie Roberts, Noelle, Sky Bryant and Alex
After the race, was what impressed me the most, from free chocolate and champagne, to free jamba juice and granola/yogurt/blueberry parfaits! It was great. There were even massages, which I could not stay long enough to enjoy!
That was a great experience — Thanks See Jane Run! I hope to be there again next year! My next race: Nike Woman’s Full Marathon in San Francisco in October!
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Thanks Carrie, we’re glad you had an amazing experience. The event sounds like it went spectacular and you really enjoyed yourself. If you’d like to learn more about See Jane Run, whether it is for shopping, running, or meeting a wonderful community, check their official website here or follow them on twitter.
