Well I did it. I signed up for my fifth marathon! I said I wasn’t going to do this one again this year, but then they changed the course, and that changed everything for me. I’m talking about the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon. I’ve done this marathon the past 2 years, it was actually the first marathon I ever ran. I really enjoyed running this race and there are plenty of positive things to say about it, but there was always one huge negative and it’s name was Fiesta Island! Let me describe this place where the marathon went to die. It is a sandy little deserted island by Mission Bay and Sea World. There is nothing to look at…oh wait, except the finish line which is still 3 miles away. It teases and taunts you with the cheers of the crowd you hear in the distance congratulating all the runners finishing. But no, you are still running and suffering through the most difficult part of the race. There are almost no spectators on the island and the runners are spread thin at this point. Here is a picture of me from last year on the land of no Fiesta.
The last 3 miles of a marathon are the most difficult physically and mentally. The legs don’t understand why they are being forced to continue moving and the brain is just fried. Trying to get them to work together is almost impossible! I have caught myself near the end of races talking out loud telling myself to go, luckily though I have heard other people doing the same thing so I don’t feel quite so crazy. Anywho, back to why I signed up for this race again. Here are my top 5 reasons.
1. No Fiesta Island!!!!!!!!!
2. Downhill finish that ends downtown in Petco Park.
3. Separate start time from the half marathon, less congestion.
4. The weather has been great both times I’ve done the race.
5. Always lots of spectators at this race with tons of cheering, it really does help!
I’m really excited for the race and the icing on the cake is being able to spend a couple days in San Diego with my husband afterwards relaxing and enjoying the beach and good food! Another perk this year is that we will be staying at the Britt Scripps Inn which is 1 block from the start of the race. This is going to make for such a relaxed race morning, I can’t wait!
We stayed at the Britt Scripps on our honeymoon, it is an amazing Victorian home that was remodeled and restored. They have the most comfortable beds I have ever slept on and the breakfast, well I can’t say enough about how incredible it is. My favorite part was the delicious scones they served with jam and a little bit of whipped cream. It will be the perfect breakfast the morning after the race and I might be able to get my husband to grab me a scone to have when I finish the race, that’s what I call motivation to finish faster!
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