Wednesday, February 6, 2013

The 2013 30th Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon (SF): My Review. Event Date: February 3, 2013

Going in to the Kaiser Permanente 1/2 Marathon (SF), I was very concerned.  January 2013 had not been a kind month.  I had a weak mileage base.  I ramped up my mileage and was experimenting with different running shoes and shoe inserts; all of which together caused ITB issues, which I usually don't experience.

It was depressing.  I use to easily put in 8 milers without any issues.  And, suddenly, I was dogged with ITB issues as early as Mile 2.  The scary part was not knowing when it would all go away.


The lighting for most of the race wasn't great for pics.  It seemed the best pics would have been taken from the other side.

Pre-Race:  the Start.

The first mile is pretty congested, but the road does widen out.

The Conservatory of Flowers.

The race leaves Golden Gate Park and goes thru the Panhandle.  There isn't a whole lot to see.

The DMV.  License renewals, registration, etc.  Oh, wait...  I forgot this was Sunday.

 The race eventually turns back into Golden Gate Park before heading out to Ocean Beach.

One of the buildings in the Japanese Tea Garden.

Another building in the Japanese Tea Garden.

It was a very nice day to run.  It was not too hot, and the sun was up.

Somewhere in all that glare is the California Academy of Sciences.


The race then made a left turn, and what happened next felt like Ground Hog Day.

We ran back to the start area, going under the arch, out and back the other way.


The race headed towards the fastest mile down hill.

We then went by the pretty Rainbow Falls.

After zooming down hill during the fastest mile of the race, I was very happy my ITB issues didn't flare up.


We went by the Northwest Windmill.


The race turned onto the out and back portions on the Great Highway.  Beware of the potholes.

While running on the Great Highway, one can enjoy the lovely ocean views.

We then went by the San Francico Zoo.  Fortunately, no lions and tigers were on the loose.

The race then turned back into Golden Gate Park, towards the Finish.

Finally, the Finish.

I was beyond thrilled just to finish without any ITB issues.  My worst fears along the way were that I would get hobbled by ITB issues and have to walk the rest of the way, battling course closures and the course time limit running out.

I was OK with the course.  Nothing stands out to wow me back to running it again, again and again.

For this year, the event organizers brought back the bling for their 30th running.  Several years ago, for one year, they awarded finisher medals to only the 1st - 6,000 finishers, and the year after that, they eliminated finisher medals completely.

My bib and bling.

Next year is a question mark whether or not finisher medals will be awarded.

Wog on, running peeps!


2 comments:

  1. I thought San Francisco Zoo = Bay to Breakers....

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Glenn Jones - ha, ha... Bay to Breakers is definitely a SF running tradition of a zoo.

    ReplyDelete