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2015 Berkeley Half Marathon race recap

2015 Berkeley Half Marathon race recap

A week and change ago, along with a few thousand other runners, I ran the Berkeley Half Marathon through the mean streets and hills of Berkeley and the Cal (UC-Berkeley) campus. The same company that manages the BHM also manages the SF Marathon, and I was fortunate to be a social media ambassador for both races this year (and have my races comped — thank you!). My family and I have lived in the Bay Area now for nearly two years, but I’ve spent virtually no time in Berkeley (and hadn’t run there at all), so I was excited about the opportunity to run the “not flat” course, using it as yet another fitness/endurance assessment of how my running was faring at about 3.5 months postpartum. A big bonus was that Chicago-turned-Berkeley galpal Meredith lives a block-ish from the race’s starting/finishing area, and Portlander Austin (whom I somehow had managed to not see in over a year) would be in town that weekend as well. I had also learned that SF buddy Travis would be running, so we made arrangements to rendezvous pre-race at Meredith’s with Austin, Meredith, Travis, and Jen. Big Sis was also along for the ride on race morning, since she’d be hanging with everyone not running, so while there were a lot of moving parts, it was bound to be a good (albeit complicated) morning.

I wanted to get a decent idea of how my fitness and endurance were coming along, so while I didn’t actually train for this race as I properly should for a half marathon — I’m talking about both HM specific intensity (speed) and distance — I knew that the mileage  and time on my feet I put in, a la long runs on the weekends, would more than likely cover me. Truth be told, I’ve never actually properly trained for a HM and have only run them during marathon training cycles, so without consulting with some experts, I wouldn’t know how to train for one … anyway. Tangential.

My goals for the race were two-fold: a) to finish the thing (always) and b) to post a 1:4x, probably somewhere in the 1:42+ range. I based that number mostly on whimsy but also somewhat on some very unscientific intuition and reflection. My thinking was this: my first half post-baby in 2011 was about 5 months postpartum and was a 1:44 on a very flat Chicago course, with a very different training/speed/volume history leading up to it (and with much more time off during pregnancy and postpartum). The BHM would be a tougher (hillier) course, no doubt, and I wouldn’t be as far along PP (about 3.5 months versus 5 months+), but my running training/speed/volume since 2011 looks virtually nothing like it did pre-2011. It’s not to say that I thought a 1:42 was in the bag (because newsflash, it never is), but my educated guess was that it would be doable, barring catastrophe.

Half-Marathon-Course-Map-15-01-01
what I was getting myself into

On race morning, A and I arrived to Meredith’s shortly after 6:30 and chilled with everyone before Travis and I left for a warm-up. I was so excited to be running and racing again, and while I did my usual pre-run/pre-race song and dance and ate/drank my usual stuff, my body was still throwing me all sorts of the pre-race nerves, like making me think I had to pee or poop 1000 more times (negative) or that I wasn’t physically ready to run (nope) or that my milk was going to come in and make me all engorged for a couple hours (nada – fed the baby in the wee hours and pumped before the warm-up). Minorly annoying, kinda funny, but also strangely satisfying to have these feelings again before a race for the first time in a long time. You know what I’m talking about.

Travis and I had similar time goals, so we decided to start the race together, though we soon got separated after about mile 1 or 2. The “not flat” course posts most of the its hills in the first 5 miles (and many seemingly right out of the gate). The first few miles also weaves you through downtown Berkeley (I think … or a downtown that’s very near the Cal campus) before taking you through campus and some neighborhoods. It’s all hilly, but in late November, especially through some of the ‘hoods, it’s also quite beautiful with some probably hella expensive homes, the tree cover, and the foliage’s changing colors.

free race pics FTW. I don't know where this is on course, but here's a pretty picture of a tree with pretty leaves.
free race pics FTW. I don’t know where this is on course, but here’s a pretty picture of a tree with pretty leaves.

As I do for probably more worse than better, I rarely looked at my watch and instead just took everything on effort, especially during the first five-ish miles when it seemed like we were climbing hill after hill, with very few flats in between. I kinda vowed to catch back up with everyone who was flying past me on the few flats between each ascent, though I don’t think my vows actually materialized. More than anything, I felt in control, ascending wasn’t all that gruelling, and I was having a blast. Sometimes when I run in a new-to-me location, I feel disoriented because I don’t know where I am, nor do I know where I’m going, and even though I had no sense of direction or orientation during the BHM, I felt strangely liberated by it. (Sidenote: sometimes I wonder if I fare better at races where I don’t know where I am. Does anyone else feel this way??).

again, not sure where this is (maybe Cal, judging from the building in the background?), but I am obvs stupidly happy
again, not sure where this is (maybe Cal, judging from the building in the background?), but I am obvs stupidly happy to be there. (sidenote: sandal dude behind me!)

I took a few gels around 4, 7, and maybe 10 — I had written the mile markers/aid station stops on my hand so I’d remember when to take them — and felt pretty solid. I had begun catching up to people through the back half of the course and, from what I could tell, was ahead of more people than were people ahead of me (if that makes any sense). I knew I wasn’t going at what was once my usual HM speed, but I wasn’t dwelling on it or comparing how I was doing now versus how I did before. I was fine with where I was and told myself, at the risk of sounding kinda silly, that I belonged in the race and belonged at the paces I was posting. Fun and gross fact: in basically all of my HMs I raced (or attempted to race) in 2014, my stomach threw a veritable shit storm and relegated me to port-a-potties or bushes mid-race with wonderful bouts of diarrhea (you’re welcome, and sorry). I got nothing to say for it except that running can sometimes hurt like hell. Fortunately, throughout the BHM, my stomach wasn’t throwing me any Code Browns, so as far as I was concerned, I was winning the thing. Feeling in control, having fun, not feeling the imminent need to go defecate in public somewhere — what more could I ask for.

and not choking on a gel mid-race also makes me happy (note: that guy's neck must have hurt like hell later... ouch)
and not choking on a gel mid-race also makes me happy

Around mile 10, on the out-and-back portion, I first saw Travis (and successfully side-5ed, wohoo!) and later, many folks in my RunningAddicts group who were there pacing. I kept feeling like my body was trying to surge and saw that I had dropped something around a 7:11 pace for mile 10, but I knew I couldn’t sustain that for the final 3 miles and kept trying to reign things in a bit. Though we had finished most of the climbs, there were still a little bit left, something like only 200′ over the last 3 miles — not much, for sure, but enough to make you feel it after running 10+ miles and climbing some in the first 5 miles.

For whatever reason, probably since I first learned my multiplication tables, I always tend to think that 8*4 is 36. I know it’s not, but for some reason, I always think that it is — I think everyone has a thing like this, be it with math or spelling — and around mile 10, when I started to feebly do some mental math, I initially got incredibly dismayed because I didn’t think it’d be physically possible for me to break 1:40, a goal that I had somewhat kept to myself because I thought it was completely unrealistic, if not irresponsible, for the training I’ve done lately. However, once I remembered the actual product to that 8*4 bugger, I damn near rejoiced because I thought that it was actually feasible — barring catastrophe — though I’d have to be very careful and intentional over the final few.

Those final couple hundred feet of climbing felt monstrous, though I was catching up to and passing people right and left (giving myself a huge confidence boost in the process), and ultimately, as I was coming down the finish chute (and after hearing Austin’s booming voice on my right) and saw Travis on the other side, I kicked with anything that I had left and came up with a 1:40:11 (fuck) for 13.17 miles — just missing breaking 1:40 and running almost-perfect tangents. Damn,  how quickly I forget the feeling of “really happy but just a tad miffed.” Racing, how wonderful and tough you are, you sly minx. (Garmin stuff here).

Austin got this great one of Travis just steps from finishing 13.1
Austin got this great one of Travis just steps from finishing 13.1

 

final: 317/3575 OA; 42/1722 women; 11/539 AG (30-39)
looks like my hair is on fire. final: 317/3575 OA; 42/1722 women; 11/539 AG (30-39)

As I suspected, it ended up being a really fun morning. Once I finished, I quickly connected with Travis and Jen, Meredith, Austin, and A, and grabbed A and walked with her and Travis through all the post-race vendor stuff. Travis and I each earned a special TSFM/Berkeley Challenge medal (for completing each race), which was neat, and before long, we all met up again and reconvened at Meredith’s before parting ways. While Travis and I were racing, apparently A and Austin, Jen, and Meredith were busy having a blast at some of the playgrounds nearby. Good morning for all 🙂

YIB0D7R7
PC: Austin

I’d definitely recommend the BHM. I had a really positive experience, and it definitely gave me the feedback I needed to figure out how things are coming along for me postpartum. Seeing friends always sweetens the experience, of course, and being able to bring Big Sis along also made the morning more fun. Thanks for the opportunity, BHM gang.

And with the feedback from the BHM (and the other races I’ve run this autumn as fitness/endurance assessments) in mind, and after a few more days of hemming and hawing (or heeing and hawing, because that makes me think of cowboys, which makes me laugh for no good reason) this eventually happened:

here we gooooooooooo!
here we gooooooooooo!

 

Thanks again to the fine folks at the Berkeley Half Marathon for allowing me to be a social media ambassador for your fine race in 2015. It was a blast, and if you find yourself in the Bay Area in the future during the BHM weekend, definitely look into the race. It’s a good one.

guest post on The San Francisco Marathon blog – gratitude & running

guest post on The San Francisco Marathon blog – gratitude & running

Hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving! A little bit ago, I wrote a guest post for the Berkeley Half Marathon’s blog about gratitude and running (in the spirit of Thanksgiving and all). I ultimately ended up repurposing some of that original content into a similar post for the San Francisco Marathon’s blog, which you can see here (or below). I actually suggest reading it over on TSFM’s site because many of next year’s ambassadors also wrote similar entries, and I think they’re pretty awesome. 🙂 I’m an ambassador for TSFM again for ’16, so if you’re considering running any of its races, you can save some cash money with my discount: TSFMERIN2016. You’re welcome 🙂

——–

Gratitude and Running

 

Alum Rock - SJ CA 11.4.2015For as long as I can remember, Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. Maybe it’s because I lived in the Midwest for the first few decades of my life, and November is a beautiful time to enjoy the area’s changing landscape. It might also be because I have an early November wedding anniversary and birthday and like to celebrate all of them all month long. 🙂

It might be all of this, or it might just be because as I’ve gotten older (and maybe just a little wiser), I gravitate toward Thanksgiving simply because as a runner, I give myself plenty of opportunities to reflect on all that I’m thankful for in my life. I totally dig that the most popular day of the year for running is Thanksgiving (think nationwide turkey trots). Gratitude and running is a fantastic marriage, as far as I’m concerned.

I get excited for Thanksgiving each year because it’s the singular day of the year when all of us – runners and non-runners alike – give pause to the busyness of our lives and reflect.

I’m just as guilty as the next person of getting caught-up in the unnecessary busyness of life, but I think November – the season of gratitude – and running together create a dynamic, desperately-needed meditative duo.

We can all be a little strung-out at times. Running and its concomitant endocannibinoids often bring a “runner’s high” or moments of clarity, which for some – myself included – can result in an almost Zen-like state. With the month of November being about slowing down and acknowledging all the good stuff and good people in our lives, it makes a lot of sense that running fits so effortlesslErin G - Monument Peak - Oct 2015y into the puzzle. For me, it’s often when I’m literally on the run when I think about the aforementioned good stuff and good people, and it’s when I give thanks.

Though I’m stating the obvious, as runners, we have a lot to be thankful for. Not only our desire to run – to lace up our shoes day in and day out – but also our sheer ability to run – to put one foot in front of the other, hundreds of thousands of times – are both attributes that not everyone in this world shares.

The fact of the matter is that because we both can and want to move our bodies, we should give thanks. It’s often not until we can no longer or choose to no longer run – because of illness, injury, or simply because we’re feeling burnt out and need a break – do we realize how incredibly lucky we are to run at all. I’ve been there, and I’ve done that. It sucks.

The season of giving thanks also gives us an opportunity to be thankful for all the people “behind the scenes,” the folks who enable us to run as we’d like. Though we might like to think otherwise, none of us are little islands unto ourselves; that is, our running impacts more than just us. Many of us are not only runners but also significant others, parents, children, employees – the list goes on – and consequently, our running hobby affects a lot of people.

We can’t run without the unwavering support of those around us, so here, too, is a reminder, or another opportunity, to express gratitude toward the many folks who support us. Many of us, myself included, say that running allows us to become better versions of ourselves and therefore allows us to be better significant others, parents, children – to name a

fErin G - family-proew. I know I sure as hell can’t run like I do without a lot of support, and I’m very grateful for it.

I’ve run thousands of miles over my lifetime, and one reason I continue to run and push myself is because running gives me limitless opportunities to reflect on my own mortality. That’s not to say that each time I run I am thinking about how or when I’ll die – it’s not that at all, really – but instead, running, and its subsequent moments of solitude and reflection, remind me of both the sanctity and brevity of life.

Running gives all of us endless opportunities to see and experience the world differently, as well as numerous occasions to give thanks in ways that might be lost on us otherwise.

I hope you’ll be able to get out for a run on Thanksgiving Day this year. It doesn’t matter if you’re running around the block for a few minutes, participating in a turkey trot, hitting the treadmill, or getting lost on your favorite trail. As you’re out there, I encourage you to take an extra moment to convey your gratitude for running: for being able to do it and for all the people in your life who support you. I know I’ll be doing the same.

Erin Mink Garvey has had the pleasure of running TSFM’s 26.2 twice (in 2010 and 2013), its 5k (in 2014) and is absolutely stoked to be running the 26.2 again in 2016. Since 2007, she has ran 25 marathons, qualifying for Boston 13 times and NYC once; more than 30 half marathons; and a trail 50k. She obviously loves the running community and the sport’s transformative effects on people’s lives. When she’s not running, you’ll find Erin spending time with her husband and two daughters blogging or cooking and baking vegan deliciousness. She and her family recently relocated to San José, California, after living in Chicago for more than a decade.