Another 13.1 miles complete!

On Sunday I ran the San Jose Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon, my second half marathon to date, and had a great—albeit sweaty—time.

With 90°+ temperatures all weekend, I knew I’d get hot during the race, but I didn’t fully realize how challenging it would be to run in the heat all morning until I was mid-race. Much of the course was exposed to the sun, and, due to a relatively late start time of 8 AM, I spent most of the race either on the hunt for Gatorade stations or daydreaming of cannonballing into a swimming pool.

Besides the heat, the San Jose Rock ‘n’ Roll was a great race. Admittedly, I didn’t make my goal time (my race time was 2 hours exactly), but it was a great learning experience that taught me a lot about training for my next half marathon.

Mostly, I started out way too quickly. During my practice long runs I focused on running negative splits, but on race day I let my excitement get the best of me and ran each of my first three miles 1-2 minutes faster than I should have. By Mile 10, I was exhausted, and the heat really took its toll.

If you can pace yourself better than I can, I highly recommend this race for fellow beginners, as well as anyone looking to PR, due to its flat, easy course.

It was also a very well-organized race. Tons of volunteers staffed water, fuel, and sponge stations, and the 20+ waves at the start line were well-staggered, which meant I never felt crowded or like I was running as a part of a herd.

My only big complaint is that there wasn’t as much live music as I anticipated. For a “rock ‘n’ roll” half marathon, most of my race would have been silent had I not prepped my own race playlist and brought my headphones.

Overall, this was a great race, and I would love to run it again! The month following my first half marathon at the Oakland Running Festival, I ran very little and felt momentarily disenchanted with running, but this time around I feel more dedicated than ever to improving my speed and training smarter.

After a day of rest, I’m back at it and looking forward to finding another half marathon to train for!