San Ramon Half Marathon & 5K Race

I was very disappointed! This time they were not organized at all! They started late; Parking was horrible, there were bunch of obnoxious people leading before the race started. And worse of all, I didn’t get the T-​shirt size that I wanted. I look forward to this event every year. But unfortunately, this year, it wasn’t what I was hoping for, at all! And this is not going to stop me from participating next year! Thank you!

Event Date: 03/​30/​2008
This small hometown half marathon was a perfect training ground for my upcoming Santa Cruz run. The course consisted of 13.1 miles of residential streets and valley roads with several rolling hills. The start and finish line was at the San Ramon Dougherty Community Center and organized by the city and local residents. This was its second annual half marathon with nearly 1,000 participants making it a perfect start for first timers and heavyweights like me. This was cool because I was able to work on my pace and breathing without being distracted by elite runners. I was able to stay focus and really concentrate — getting into the zone and testing my limits. I did really well the first six miles. My past injuries didn’t resurface. My momentum stayed consistent. And my thoughts of the Santa Cruz Half Marathon were in motion. Once I reached the ninth mile, I started to run out of gas. The fear of fatiguing out was upon me. I took a short pause, fueled up (gel pack), and finished up at 2:35. Not bad considering that this had several tough hills. After crossing the finish line, I was totally surprised that they had finisher medals! OMG! I totally stoked!
Moments after the adrenaline faded away I fatigued out and felt a sharp pain on the arch of my right foot. I suffered a minor injury that’s going to take my off my feet for three days. Now I got two weeks left before Santa Cruz and a bottle of Motrin to ease the pain.
Thanks Omar T. for joining me at this event. This was his first half marathon and he kicked ass. Onward to Santa Cruz my brotha!!!
Notes:
All flat course. No. Inclines ranged from 15 – 25.
Running shoes: Merrell Overdrive Continuum
Timing chips: No
Restrooms: There was only one portable at the seven mile marker
Water stations: Two.
Will do this event again next year? Yes. It’s a great warm up to future events, but wear long compressions (spandex). It’s cold as hell when you «Run Like the Wind» in San Ramon.