If you're in the bay area and you love running events, the SJ Rock and Roll Half Marathon is an annual event that you do not want to miss. My husband and I ran the half marathon in 2012 and had a great experience. So great that we didn't hesitate to sign up for 2013. The only issue was that I had the
See Jane Run Duathlon the day before SJ RnR. Such a bummer that everything landed on the same weekend! I knew that realistically, I didn't have time to adequately train for both. Training to run for a 5k is definitely not the same as training for a half. I probably could have completed the half at a slower pace but I also didn't want to risk injuring myself. It wasn't worth it. So my husband signed up for the half while I signed up for the Mini Marathon which was a five mile run just to be safe.
And I am glad I did that because the SJR duathlon wiped me OUT!! :)
Because it worked out so well last year, we decided to stay at the beautiful
Fairmont again the night before the race. The Fairmont is a couple blocks away from the start line and then the finish line is right at its front door. Super convenient how we do not have to wake up early to drive the 40 mins. from home to SJ and then look for parking downtown. Also, it is really convenient for us to have a hotel room for the kids to wait for us in so we can actually have them there post race. Parents who run, know how awesome it is to have the kids there but yet this is really difficult logistically! I won't explain further.
So after SJR, I got home, showered, then packed up the family to go to SJ. After checking in, my husband and I headed over to the San Jose Convention Center to pick up our bibs. The convention center was only a block away from the hotel! I am all about making our busy lives simpler and you could not get any easier than that.
 |
| entrance to the convention center |
 |
the Rock and Roll half marathon expos are ALWAYS so organized! I LOVE that about them.
There is a separate pick up window for each corral. You never have to wait in any long lines. |
Once you pick up your bib, you go around the corner where you pick up your free shirt and free swag bag. Again, plenty of room, no lines and very organized despite the fact that we waited until the very last hours of the last day of packet pick up. Awesome. We took care of packet pick up business in less than 10 mins.
 |
| another RnR swag bag to add to my collection! |
We walked around the expo, got more freebies and checked out a few booths but I quickly ran out of energy as the morning's events were catching up to me FAST. We headed back to the hotel and pretty much stayed there for the rest of the night so I can rest.
 |
| My boys. Big, fluffy Fairmont bathrobes are the best. Thanks #FairmontSJ for another great stay! |
The next morning, my legs were still sore from the duathlon but I dragged myself out of bed, ate a light breakfast (banana + peanut butter is always my go to pre-race/run snack), got dressed and somehow found my way to the start line still half asleep. With the sun rising, and the infectious energy of 16,000 runners all anxious to start the course, I finally woke up. Someone sang the National Anthem before the first corral was released. I always get teary eyed when I hear the National Anthem! Am I the only one?!! Yeah I knew that I was.
 |
| The Start Line. We were in corral 2. |
I quickly gave my husband a pep talk (he was hoping to PR on this fast, flat course) and we were off to start the race. The first three miles were easy for me. After mile three, I started getting tired. And then bored. And then it got HOT as the sun got higher in the sky. This was not going well. My legs started to feel so heavy and tight, probably from the day before. At this point I was so glad to have signed up for the five mile and not the half. There was no way I could've done the half.
I ended up running the whole five miles. The only things that kept me going were all of the people who live along the course who were out on their lawn cheering everyone on. There were also a lot of neighbors who set up their own unofficial bands to play music. All of this, along with the official course bands and high school cheer squads, helped distract me. I was thankful. By mile 4.5, I felt like giving up and walking but by this time, I was back near the Fairmont and the streets were packed and lined with tons of people waiting for their loved ones. Their energy pushed me to sprint the last half mile. Isn't it funny when you absolutely think you can't go on anymore but then find that you CAN? It's like whoa...where did that come from?! And where was that energy a mile ago?
The mini marathon was not timed but according to my watch, I finished in 48:28 mins. When I got to the finish line, I heard crickets. There was no one around because I was in corral 2 and was one of the first to start even though my course time is pretty slow/average. It was so strange BUT NICE to go through the finish line experience with only a handful of people vs. 16,000 other people. Five different volunteers tried to hand me my medal. Water, chocolate milk, gatorade were being offered to me left and right. I had my post race pic taken by event staff with NO line! The volunteers were so great. My most favorite post race offering at this event was FREE Jamba Juice. Ohhhh sooooo refreshing.
I had time to shower and get ready + get the kids ready in time to meet my husband for his finish. He ended up beating his PR by seven fricken minutes! Amazing.
 |
| My teen. We were just waiting at the finish line for my husband. But I wanted to post this picture because it is VERY rare that he agrees to pose for a picture! I just wanted to prove he exists. |
So with the SJR duathlon and the San Jose RnR it was a packed weekend! We even went to my teen's baseball game after RnR. I was exhausted. I gave myself a much needed break from running.
It has been about 2.5 weeks since that weekend and I've only run once...a quick 5k. I've been trying to do other things to cross train so that I can give the muscles I use for running a break. I'm about to get back into it though because I have a 10 mile race to run sometime in November. After the 10 mile, I have no other races scheduled for the rest of the year. I'm not sure if I should just give all these races a rest for awhile to avoid burnout. Having a goal of running a race helps keep me on track with my fitness though.
How do you mamas stay in shape year round? How do you work out? And what keeps YOU motivated day in and day out?
