1/13/13: Allstate 13.1 Los Angeles

Half Marathon #8 and my first race of 2013 is done! I have to admit that this is my favorite distance! With the possibility of me running the Surf City Marathon in three weeks, I wanted to use this half as a training run. I am still undecided if I will run the half or the full marathon but regardless of the distance, I will still be running it for my Dad. I am scared to death about the full marathon! It has been a while and I want to be 100% both mentally and physically before I take on Marathon#3!

It was absolutely freezing cold out there! My feet were frozen and I could not feel my toes for the first three miles! Supposedly it was 41 degrees but I swear it was more like 20 below zero! I have never worn running tights during a half marathon but I did this time. I also ran with a long sleeved shirt and a light jacket. It took me a couple of miles to get warmed up before I even took my jacket off. 

This course was flat for the most part and nothing beats running near the ocean in California. The recommended parking lot was located really close to the start and was about a three minute walk to the starting area. It was $10.00 to park but it was close and convenient so I didn't mind paying. There were also plenty of bathrooms in the parking lot and near the Start. There were also lots of homeless people on the Boardwalk where the race starts and they were yelling out some pretty nasty words to the runners that start with the letter "F".

There were a few things that I didn't really like about the course. I think the part that I disliked the most was running on the bike path but only because it was full of sand. All of the runners dodging the sand and I hate the feeling of sand in my shoes. There was a couple of small hills once you left the bike path and that was a little tough for me to get through having been on a flat bike path for quite a while. This is just a "Sandy" thing and some of you may not care but I get really anxious on courses where you have to pass runners who are already headed to the finish. It just makes me anxious because I want to be them! Caroline also warned me about a really bad smell around Miles 7-9 and she was right. It seemed to be coming from the bathrooms but I am not quite sure what it was but it was bad! I was holding my breath!

Miles 10-13.1 were pretty flat but running against the wind was cold and slowed me down a bit. I did notice a decrease in my pace the last few miles and I was really glad to be done because I was still cold after running 13 miles! I also had the chance to meet Monica who blogs over at Run Eat Repeat. I spotted her on the course zooming past me the last mile. I had to say hello to Monica at the finish line and force her to take a picture with me that she was nice enough to post on her blog.

My friend Maura also ran the half and her husband was waiting at the Finish with this masterpiece that he made for us.

The race was well organized and the volunteers were very enthusiastic. I brought my own water but it was provided on the course about every two miles. I didn't notice any gels out on the course so I am glad that I brought my own. I GU'd at miles 5 and 10 and that kept me going. This race was not a PR but it was decent run for my training. I kept the pace comfortable and felt pretty good the entire time. My results are as follows:

Here are my splits according to my trusty old Garmin 305 which is soon to be replaced with something much prettier!

The medal is pretty nice and the little logo in the middle spins around and around!

After the race, we headed home and I gave into All You Can Eat Pancakes from IHOP! 

 I think I earned it!