With apologies to coach, who has read through many different permutations of these thoughts already and who will no doubt read through these as well to see what important information can be gleaned, here is my recap of the 2018 San Francisco Giant Race.
Episode I: The Race Expo.
This race marked something new for me, namely my first ever non runDisney race. This marks the 9th year of the Giant Race and 2018 also marks the 60th anniversary season of the Giants in San Francisco, so there's a lot to celebrate including the 60 miles for 60 years medal, which I've already shared earlier here. With the expo open until 4:00pm and absolutely no race day bib pickup, my little sister and I arrived at AT&T Park around 12:45. The long lines they had warned us about never materialized. Being used to runDisney's efficient machine of pick up your bib according to your bib number, I was surprised to find them just handing out bibs. They looked at my registration printout, pulled a random half marathon bib out of the pile, noted my shirt size on the bib, had me pull some pins out of a large box full of them, gave me a wristband for my corral and sent us on our way.
We first checked out the official race merchandise table. Yep, a table. Not the aisles and racks and aisles and racks of everything under the sun you could possibly want and then some. I was pleasantly surprised to find race merchandise substantially less expensive than I would have thought. Noticed a few things, decided to think on them and head to the rest of the Expo. At the biofreeze booth, they were encouraging us to take as many small packets of biofreeze as we wanted. I think I'm set for Dopey now.
Next up came the first big surprise. The expo instructions noted that you could get a photo with the trophies. As both my sister and I have done this before, we were not really planning on doing it today expecting very large crowds of runners wanting to get photos with the trophies. Well, except there was literally no line. A far cry from the 10 minute line for stormtroopers at Dark Side 2018.
I could take pictures with my own camera, but the Giants also had a photographer on hand. After he told me to put my race bib in the 2014 trophy, I knew that I almost had to buy the photo. But in doing so, they gave me free downloads of both options. The 8x10 and 5x7 I purchased came with the field shot only.
Around here, these trophies are known as the triplets.
In case anyone ever visits this gem of a ballpark, this photo is an amalgamation of a different statues. The Giants erect a statue for every player/manager in franchise history who makes the Hall of Fame.
Next up we headed down to pick up our Bruce Bochy bobbleheads and got sidetracked by the vintage race shirts table. So yes, both of us bought Giant Race tech shirts from previous years for $5 each. Not a bad price for a tech shirt.
On the way, we stopped by the race merchandise table, where both of us bought the race jacket and Lou Seal race weekend shirts, and my little sister picked up a race visor, long sleeve shirt for marathon weekend and socks. I passed on the race visor since one size fits most always translates to never fits me. I would pick up a visor at the Giants Dugout Store. And it was a good thing I did.
After the Expo and now lugging a backpack loaded with 2 bobbleheads and a book designed to keep our photographs flat, we started the 2.5 mile walk to the hotel. In hindsight, I really didn't think everything through. My back had it by the time we reached the hotel. I should have chosen a hotel substantially closer to the ballpark. But at least there was a Subway right by the hotel, so we had lunch and dinner figured out. I'm so used to knowing what Disney restaurant I'm eating at before the half that this was a new adventure.
After reviewing all our options, we decided to walk the 2.5 miles to the race start the next morning. We concluded that if uber/lyft doesn't show up or public transit in San Francisco is impacted by the race, that we would have more stress than we needed to on race morning. So we walked the 2.5 miles to the race, me now carrying a backpack loaded with a book, 2 bobbleheads, 2 jackets (I had not planned on buying a jacket at the expo), and lots and lots of shirts. Clearly I didn't think this through very well. To top it all off, I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach on race morning. I hoped it was just nerves and it did go away after we dropped our stuff off at bag check, but I was still concerned. At least I had the weight of my backpack off my back. Thank goodness for bag check. I had feared that "small personal item" might mean I would have to run with the backpack and that would have been disastrous.
One last bathroom stop and we were on our way to the corrals. This race had 3 corrals. We were, as we expected, in the last corral. Given the 20,000 runners number, I was anticipating runDisney level crowds. I was wrong. I think 20,000 referred to the number of runners for the entire weekend, kids races, family fun relay, 5K, 10K, and Half. The race started at 7:00am and by 7:14, we were off. The 10K and Half races started at the same time.
And this is where problem number one occurred. FitBit decided that it didn't really want to connect to my phone. And then I completely forgot to tell Strava I was running. So now I can't really track how long I've been running aside from the time on my watch. But this also means that the only way I can track my intervals is in my head. This goes okay for a little bit, but the first part of the race is congested. Before long a greater problem comes up. I am not a morning person. Sometimes I can't even eat until 8:30am without getting nauseous. This won't work for races, so I've learned to tolerate applesauce on race mornings. Well this is going to be one of those mornings, only this time the phlegm is accompanied by the cough that won't go away. Thankfully, I don't actually lose the contents of my stomach, but a scary cough later and I'm off again. And things just continue to cascade from there. To top it off, the mile markers are not always visible so I have no idea where I am and how fast I'm truly going. Coach thinks I may have started out too fast. Meanwhile, my body wants nothing to do with running this morning and all sorts of aches and pains are manifesting themselves all over the place. Eventually, I settle into a pace that my body will agree to some of the time, but this pace does not allow me to run. The mental game gets worse when I see all the 10K runners going strong as they head down the home stretch on the back half of their face and I have yet to even see the course split. I wonder what would happen if I just gave up and joined the 10K.
But I registered for a half marathon, dang it and I'm going to do this thing. So when the course split finally comes, I do the right thing. I stay to the left and keep going. And then one of the very few steep climbs in this course comes. But I make it up the hill, recalibrate myself and start to go again. I'm finally settling in, but doing a lot more walking than I normally do. Oh how I wish this had been my day.
I will say that around mile 6, I told myself 20.2 miles to go. In the past that scared me. In spite of everything going down today the way it did, I accepted in this moment that someday that would be reality. Coach since has advised me that I need to work on correcting this mentality in order to have success in the marathon.
This is a very beautiful course. It proclaims itself as the fastest course in San Francisco and the least hilly. True on both counts.
Look at that view.
Running by the Golden Gate Bridge. Do you see a lot of runners on this course? Yep, neither do I. When this course opens up, it really opens up.
I've now passed the halfway point and it's not so bad anymore. Well at least for 2 miles or so. My cough returns again with a vengeance and I really have to slow down to calm it down. And then my back decides to scream. It has had enough of heavy backpacks and all this time on my feet. Now I abandon all pretense of even appearing to run and just start walking. I can barely tolerate this, but I can tolerate it. I see the medical tent and stop so they can spray biofreeze down my back. This helps, but not as much as I hoped it would. At this point, I just want the race to be over. My back wants me to stop now.
Although I did not fully realize this at the time, this race is precisely what I truly wanted. I signed up for this to test some things for Dopey. I needed to know now what worked. And more importantly, what did not work. In the moment, I understand that I cannot afford to neglect strength training for Dopey. I also need to make sure that I keep as much weight off my back as possible before Dopey. No lugging that Nikon DSLR around Disney World before the marathon. The long slow march continues.
And somehow as each mile marker gets higher, I look at when I started versus where I am now and realize that despite this day going all sorts of wrong, that PR could still actually happen. But at the same time, the pain gets worse. I fully accept that I cannot push for that PR so I just keep putting one foot in front of the other. And soon enough, I see a wonderful sight. The floodlights of AT&T Park in the distance.
Almost there. Stay on target. Almost there.
See what I mean about this course really opening up. Although maybe this is just me being used to runDisney.
I see a mile marker. The last one I saw was 10, so I really hope this one says 12. Happily it is definitely 12. Soon this will all be over.
The home stretch is finally here. Almost to mile 13!
And then at long last, I enter through right field of AT&T Park. I can see the finish line. I can see the photographer. I finally raise my hands in, well something, smile, and move across that finish line. Did I run across it? I don't know. Hopefully the race photos will be release soon. There might be a really good one of me all by myself.
Left field selfie!
And now I move to the race cool down area. The actual field. This is a dream come true. I'm almost choked up at how amazing this feels. I'm just wandering the outfield grass at AT&T Park. I call my little sister from the outfield grass and she finds me. Little Miss Smash Her PR by 10 minutes! has been wandering the field figuring eventually her slower older brother will cross the finish line. She hasn't told me what she thinks she's done yet. I find the refreshments. Yogurt, pretzels, and chocolate milk! I take two. Boy does that taste good. My sister also tells me that I can more or less explore any part of the field that isn't roped off.
And then I find out that they'll let me in the dugout. The actual Giants dugout!
Celebrating the race in the dugout!
Pretending to watch a close game in the late innings. From the dugout!
Not far from where so many Buster Hugs have taken place. As a refresher, since Giants catcher Buster Posey has caught 3 World Series titles, a perfect game, no hitters, to name just a few, the celebratory hug he gives the pitcher after the final out has become known as the Buster Hug. The 2010 NL West, 2012 NL West, 2012 NL pennant, 2014 NL pennant, and the only perfect game in franchise history were all on this field.
The 2018 Giant Race bling and 60 miles for 60 years bib. Thanks to the lady who brought hers and put it on the field so I could take this picture.
I took one last look around the field to make sure I hadn't missed anything. The 5K start was happening soon and I wanted to get home as well to just rest. And then I saw the World Series banners in the outfield.
Pretending to make a leaping catch at the warning track.
2010 World Series plaque outside the park entrance.
2012 and 2014 World Series plaques outside the park entrance.
2014 World Series Hero Madison Bumgarner banner.
The. Greatest. Of. All. Time. Willie Mays.
In 1958, a parade was held to welcome the Giants to San Francisco and the players rode the parade route in cable cars. The exact same route was repeated complete with cable cars for the 2010 World Series parade as it is the first World Series championship since the team moved to San Francisco.
Buster Posey window on the way to the ballpark.
