We went to San Diego to run! My first Rock n Roll race was the Dallas race and I loved the experience so much I had to go again. I had no idea that San Diego would have so many people racing. There were a lot of people. Plus, Willie decided RnR San Diego was going to be his first half marathon! This made me so very happy, but I’ll talk more about that later.

On Friday we went to the expo to register Willie and to pick up all of our stuff. This expo was really nice and we got tons of free stuff by way of samples. Think Thin, Nuun, Bare Naked, Power Bar, Jamba Juice, etc. were there giving out tons of samples. When it’s “free” we took it. Saying we have enough bars to last for a while is a complete understatement.

We met a really nice lady, Kim, at the Nuun booth. She asked me about my shirt and we told our story. We had a great chat and she said some really nice things about us inspiring her. That really meant a lot to me especially because she said if Brad Pitt came into the expo she would rather talk to us. I am just so glad we can share our story with others so we can hear the stories they have to tell too. We are blessed!

I bought some stuff and tried everything. Plus we had to go back the next day because our friend Jeremy became FAMOUS.

His chocolate milk ad was revealed. Doesn’t it look amazing? I was very proud to call him a friend and be there to witness the moment. This was a very big moment for him and he’ll always remember we were there to see it. I’m sure it meant a lot to him to have me, Willie and Dawn there to support him.

My mom was also feeling a little playful at the expo. This was probably one of my favorite moments of the strip when my momma wanted to take this picture. She was having a great time!

Before the big reveal, Willie and I walked all over downtown San Diego for food. Willie has been on the search for good ramen for a long time and he found a pretty good place, Underbelly! I was really hesitant about it eating it, but by the time we talked the 2 miles there I was starving. I had to eat it and I’m glad that I did. This was hands down some of the best food I’ve ever eaten…and it wasn’t too salty. I had the kim chi ramen with carrots and Willie had the Belly of the Beast.

The night before the race we carbed up with Dawn and Jeremy at Fillipi’s Grotto in Little Italy. The best italian food I’ve ever had.

Dawn ran her very first marathon and Jeremy ran the marathon too. He’s run a lot of them. It was nice to be able to share this experience with our friends from home!

Race day was pretty rough. We had to wake up at 2:45 am so we could catch the Coaster into San Diego by 4:00 am. There was a butt load of people waiting to catch the train and then get on the shuttles to the race. By the time we finally made it to the race at 5:30 am we needed to use the restroom. The only problem with that was is that all 20,000+ people out there needed to use them too. I think we waited in line for over an hour, but we finally got through the line in time for the race. Good thing we weren’t running the marathon because it started at 6:15 am and we would have missed it.

I started with Willie in his corral because I wanted to run with him a little bit. He has a history of starting out too fast and I wanted to keep him steady. This was just a very proud moment for me. I was so happy to be there with him…and running a half marathon. I am seriously proud of that man! He NEVER thought he would even want to run a race and now he’s doing half marathons. It’s just really great to be apart of his journey.

I ran with Willie for the first 3.1 miles. I was having a hard time with my tights; they kept falling down. My racing belt was too heavy with my shot blocks, phone and camera. So I started running with the camera in my hand. That solved the problem a little bit but my phone was still too heavy. I really had to hike up that belt to keep it from messing with my paints. Yes, I was that girl who was reaching in her shorts for the first 3 miles and pulling up her pants. I’m sure some people got a kick out of that.

I had a moment when I looked over at him and I started to cry. I knew at that point I needed to leave him before I became an emotional wreck for the next 10 miles. I blew him kisses and left him at that point.

There were so many people racing and walking. It was kind of hard to even go at a good pace because it was a constant game of bobbing and weaving. About mile 6 I started to feel some pain. I wasn’t sure if it was normal pain or serious pain so I backed off a little. I realized it wasn’t that bad but I proceeded with caution. After the race, I found out what my problem was after talking with people: the slant in the road. Apparently this was a new course for RnR San Diego. This race course was seriously messing with my IT band!

At that point I just wanted to finish the race without hurting myself.  Mile 7 was the worst for me because I wanted to give up and just walk the rest of the way.  I REALLY wanted to walk, but I kept pushing as long as the pain was minor.

I kept pushing. I’ve learned that running 13.1 means nothing to me anymore. I was surprised when I came to the end of the race. I remember it being such a struggle and dreading the last 3 miles, but now that’s my favorite part of the race. This particular course was down hill at the end and I was rolling. At the end of the race everyone was complaining about the down hills and were crossing the finish line and b-lining to the medical tent for ice. I thought they would be use to down hills, but I was wrong. The hills really didn’t give me a problem except for one and I decided to walk it.

I was still feeling some pain so I didn’t push too hard but I’m satisfied with my time. I finished in 2:18:14! That was five minutes faster from last week and five minutes slower than my best! I have no complaints because I got to run in San Diego and have a good time with my friends and family. Willie had to make a couple of bathroom stops but his official time was 2:59:05! Under three hours and I’m wicked proud of him. If it wasn’t for those darn bathroom stops he would have finished 20 minutes earlier. The lines were apparently long!

In the end, we got the bling and posed for some pictures and got the heck out of dodge. We were going to stay for the finisher concert but we were cold and there were a LOT of people. We still had 45 minutes back north. But we did get on one of those bike taxis which was so cool. Those people get an awesome workout and REALLY swing you around the corners. It was totally worth the money I paid to get us back to the coaster station because I was exhausted. There was no way we were walking all that way.

After the race, we met Jeremy for round two at Underbelly! We had to share our ramen experience with someone who would appreciate it. While we were there we met this guy, who also ran the half marathon, who holds to world record for running the mile in a bomber suit! How freaking awesome is that? You know what is more awesome about it? He thinks it is no big deal. He made for some good company!

This was a good race.  Well organized, filled with fun people and the drummers at whatever mile that was, were awesome!  I really enjoyed this race and we’re already planning on going back next year!  I just hope the restroom situation eases up just a little bit though. The only thing that bums me out was I didn’t get a chance to meet Monica from Run Eat Repeat!  This totally would have made my day but it just didn’t happen. Sad face!

But I loved being in San Diego, meeting the people, and experiencing Willie’s first California trip with him.  We did some great things and had lots of fun!