One of my friends suggested to me the night before the AFC Half Marathon that I should set my alarm for 6:30a and get up to run the 13.1 miles by myself along the beach in order to avoid all the hassles of running in a big race. She is wise beyond her years.
I chose to run in the race, waking up at 4:30a to get to Balboa Park by 5:30a to wait in line to use the Port-O-Potty to wait in line to catch the bus up to Cabrillo National Monument, to wait in line to use the Port-O-Potty again to wait in line with the rest of the cattle for the race to start. Seriously? There was a two and a half hour lag time between my wake-up call and my first running steps. That’s a bit too much for me.
I ran a blazing first nine miles and then hit a giant brick wall. It didn't help that a significant portion of the last two miles were uphill. When all was said and done, I finished in just over two hours. Disappointing time but I was glad when it ended. And then I had to wait in line to get out of the parking lot. Eek.
