Exploring the Course

This Saturday past I was lucky enough to run a preview of the Half Moon Bay Marathon course, sponsored by the Coastside Running Club. What a treat! While I have been to Half Moon Bay many times, I have never had the opportunity to run there. And the bonus was having some very knowledgeable runners by my side, providing insight on not only the marathon course itself, but the quaint little town to boot.

Alyssa and Aron came to join me! Though they are not running in the marathon (it was already sold out) they wanted to run with me for support, as well as run somewhere they had never ran before. They ran 12 miles as they are still in recovery mode from the San Francisco Marathon, while I was set to run 18 miles. I left them at the Half Moon Bay Brewery, where I was to meet back up after I finished. One of the organizers Amanda was kind enough to run the last few miles and show me more of the marathon course. It was awesome to run with her, for while I was very tired, she entertained me with historical and local facts about the town she had come to know and love for the past three years. Perhaps we were feeling a bit ambitious (okay maybe her more than me), but we ended up running 19.65 miles! With the last couple of weekends of running over 15 miles, I am starting to feel more confident about this long distance running thing. Isn’t that what it is all about?

Amanda, Aron and I wondering where we turn next or I, looking like a doofus.

Aron, Alyssa, me and the ocean

It was certainly a beautiful day - Overcast while running, yes, but the sun broke out through the clouds in the afternoon. And you really can’t beat those ocean views! What a great opportunity it was to run a preview of the course before the actual race, which is at the end of September (Yikes – Scary). The course is really unique as it is not all on paved roads that I will be running on, and I am really glad I know, for I can better prepare myself.

I love living in the Bay Area! I am so fortunate to have so many beautiful places available for me to run, hike, and bike. Not only that, but there are still places I have yet to explore. And speaking of exploring, while I had a wonderful weekend with some fabulous company, I discovered a few gorgeous wineries within 10 minutes of driving from my house. The whole weekend was just amazing really!

Had to sneak a few wine tasting pictures from Sunday into the mix - Saratoga, Ca.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend? Do anything worth mentioning? I am also curious if you have ever previewed a race course before the actual race. Did you find it helpful? Or are you the type who wants to be surprised come race day?