KP Half Marathon Race - Group Interview

- What did you eat the night before the race? Is this your standard pre-race meal?

A: I ate a big bowl of plain pasta. I always eat pasta the night before, but I wasn't full so I also had some toast AND a bowl of cereal :)

M: I tend to eat the same thing, including the brands. I ate a big bowl of Barrilla penne pasta (100% seminola, not that whole wheat crap on a race day) with Classico Four Cheese sauce on top.

K: I had whole wheat (sorry Maritza, I subscribe to the "whole wheat crap" lol!) spaghetti with ground turkey and basil tomato sauce and home made garlic bread...yum! This is typically what I eat before a race, pasta and bread, with some protein added in there.

T: I ate pasta plain with no sauce, just a little olive oil. I am not a pasta girl so it's rough for me to shovel this stuff down. I also ended up eating a Clif bar later in the night. This is what I typically eat, but since pasta is not a fav of mine I think I might make the switch to eating rice or some other carb heavy food before future races.

J: I had Chinese food. Lots of Hong Kong style Chow Mein… along with Peking Duck and General Chicken. And lots of rice. I don’t usually have Chinese food the night before but I was craving it!


- Do you have any mandatory pre-race rituals?

A: I always try to go to the porta potties 3 times. This race the lines were so long I made a trip to the bushes for trip #3 where I almost twisted my ankle and would have been done for the race... oops :)

M: I always put my shoe tag or shoe chip on my right shoe. I also leave my shoelaces untied (loosened enough so I don't trip in the meantime) until I actually get to the race start. I don't know why that's comforting to me, but it is.

K: Nothing mandatory, but I do visualize myself finishing and kicking butt - oh and eating afterwards. I just run better when I focus on the end before I've even begun.

T: I think of what outcome I want from the race....happy thoughts :) I also put my tag/chip on my left shoe. Cytomax goes on the leftside of my fuel-belt and water on the right :)

J: I try to go #2. It’s very important. I’m usually successful! ;-)



- What did you eat/consume during this race?

A: I drink gatorade/water at every mile (when my garmin beeps I take a sip), then I take gu every 4-5 miles, depending on the race, followed by plain water.

M: I carried lemon-lime Gatorade diluted with some water in my fuel belt. I also had 3 Gu Blueberry Roctanes. One 15 before the start, one at mile 5, one at mile 10. I think it was overkill. I might swap out a Roctane for a regular Gu.

K: I drank water and citrus Cytomax throughout the entire race, whenever I felt thirsty. I also reminded myself to drink anytime I passed a drink station. I had a regular Gu 45 minutes before race time and one at mile 5. I felt pretty good with that combo.

T: I drank grape Cytomax/water at ever mile or when thirsty. I also took a blueberry/pomegranite Roctane gu at miles 4.5 and 9.5 followed by water of course. Next time I would switch it up with one regular Gu cause I was having some major heartburn in my later miles!

J: I had a Roctane every 5 miles and lots of water. I always carry a 24 oz bottle of water during a race.

- How did you deal with any mental tough spots in this race?

A: I always play mental math games with myself. Counting down only having a certain # of miles to go helps towards the end, for example when I hit just over 11 miles in a half marathon i think less than 2 miles to go... once I pass a mile mark its always "less than __" and they just pass on by.

M: After Mile 7 it got kinda hot. I had to take my first walking break and kept yelling at myself in my head to toughen up and BTTW and ROWYCO. I made sure to not walk for more than 20 seconds. I picked someone in front of me and just paced with their shoes. I do this a lot - pick a pair of shoes and just focus on them, keeping my distance from them constant. It totally helps. I also turned up my music REALLY loudly.

K: Music for sure! Setting my iPod shuffle list before I began was mega smart. Mile 7 was a tough one for me too, it was super sunny and much warmer than I had anticipated, so I stopped looking at the pavement, and looked out to the Ocean. Running on such a beautiful day in such an amazing area definitely helped me to think how lucky I was to be a runner and how awesome I was going to feel after the race!

T: Mile 8 was a bit tough for me and I really had to think what was the best strategy to keep myself going strong for the next 5 miles. I told myself to slow down a bit and also to look out for the other girls since I knew I would be seeing them along the Great Highway. It was a good distraction trying to find those pink shirts in the crowd!

J: My biggest challenge during a race is self doubt and second guessing myself. I tried to focus putting one foot in front of the other and remember that this is a race against me. As for this half marathon, the worst time for me was around mile 9 thinking I still had 4 miles to go and was running to slow. I had to remind myself to enjoy the race… sometimes I forget to do that.


- What was your favorite part of the course?

A: I really liked the sections through Golden Gate Park, especially the downhills. I have a few bad memories of golden gate park but this was my favorite time I ran through it.

M: I loved the part where we exited Golden Gate Park by the windmill, and headed straight toward the ocean. (You make a left and then run along it for a while.) Coming out of the tree-lined park, to the openness of Ocean Beach, waves crashing, bright blue sky and the sun shining.....it was one of those moments where I just couldn't deny feeling happy to be healthy and alive.

K: The buffalo in Golden Gate Park!! Well, partly, but mainly I loved seeing the vast Pacific Ocean. It was just a solid statement to me that anything is possible. Seeing something as powerful and unrelenting as the Pacific will motivate anyone to take on a challenge!

T: The decline through GG Park that lead to the Great Highway since there was a lot of crowd support here and I was able to see all the RoHo's running strong!

J: I agree with Tara, the decline through the GGP was the best. Especially the crowd support! Of course, the END is always my favorite…




- What's the one thing you'll remember about this race?

A: All the people... I will remember seeing all my friends on the great highway, especially one of my best friends who was running her first long race. I was so excited to see her out there accomplishing this goal. It will also always be remembered as ROHO's first race together and pretty much the first race Chris and I raced together. Lots of people!!

M: It's the first ROHO group race!

K: How beautiful it was. It was a gorgeous day, very unlike San Francisco at this time, especially the Golden Gate Park area. Sunny, warm, people everywhere, and the ROHO's first race together!!!

T: That I PR'd by 6 min and 49 seconds!!!! Also that my knee/IT band did not hurt me once the entire race!!!!!!!!!!!!! and of course that it was the 1st RoHo group race :)

J: It’s our first official ROHO race together and it will always be very special to me. I love that we started together and all waited for each other. *sniff*


- If you could do one thing differently for this race, what would it be?

A: I would have started closer to the front. The first couple miles were such a pain to weave through people and my mile time really showed. I would have been even closer to a PR if I would have started that mile off where I wanted.

M: I'd definitely swap out a Roctane for a regular GU somewhere in there. I burped blueberry from miles 10 to the finish. :-/

K: Definitely train more! I was on vacation for most of November and December, and with the holidays I didn't get to train as much as I wanted too. My time was still fantastic and I'm super glad I did it, but I was definitely more nervous about it because I didn't feel that I had trained enough.

T: NOTHING!!!!!! lol kidding Even though this was a major PR for me I would have liked my miles to be more consistent that way I could really push it towards the end. I tend to crap out the last mile even though I know the finish is SO close!

J: I with I got more sleep the night before!!


- How did you treat yourself for a job well done post-race?

A: With a big sandwich and chips, plus lots of yummy super bowl food and a 40 :)

M: A big veggie burger with jack cheese and french fries. And then a few pints of Amstel Light at the bar while watching the Superbowl.

K: Cupcakes!

T: Veggie burger with fries followed by many pints of beer and enjoying the Superbowl!

J: Big fat juicy cheeseburger from Grubstake!! Oh and a nap after that.


- Would you do this race again? Why or why not?

A: Yes, even though I was not a fan of the last few miles on the Great Highway, it really was a beautiful course and a fast one. Plus it's an easy one for us bay area peeps to get to.

M: Definitely! It was scenic and local, and a pretty fast course through mile 8. Lots of downhills.

K: I am definitely doing this race again! It was such a great experience, great course and fun people. Even though it was crowded, people get me pumped so I felt like it helped me in the long run.

T: I would absolutely do it again! It's a fast course and close to home.

J: Oh yes! It’s local and well organized race!

- Use one word to describe this race.

A: Fabulous :)

M: Kickass!

K: Awesome!

T: Amazing!

J: ROHOriffic!