BioFreeze San Francisco Marathon 5k & Second Half Marathon Race Report (July 2019) – SF, CA
Though I had known since winter (or thereabouts) that I would be running the BioFreeze San Francisco Marathon in late July — in what would be my sixth year as a social media ambassador for the race and my fifth go at the marathon course — I didn’t particularly begin training for it until the fam and I were in the midwest in mid-June. Back in the day, I used to run marathons in back-to-back fashion, so I figured having ~6 weeks between MTB and SF would be more than enough to train and race both well.
Aaaaaaaaand yeah. For whatever reason — and I have my theories — training in Illinois and later, in Ohio, for the six weeks preceding SF this time around was extremely difficult. After a lot of reflection (and a lot of text messaging), I made the decision to step down from the SF marathon and instead take on the second half. Even though I knew stepping down was the best decision in the figurative and literal long run, I still felt somewhat conflicted about it and as though I were squandering the opportunity that the race gave me.
The kids and I arrived back in California just a couple days before race weekend, making the weekend feel like it came fast and furiously and seemingly, out of nowhere. This year’s race weekend featured a 5k shakeout race on Saturday (in addition to the usual one on Sunday), so come early Saturday morning, I hauled north to SF to run the 5k for fun before working at the expo from 12-5.
Sandwiched between the Saturday 5k and working all afternoon was meeting up with Chicago friend Erin and her husband for tea; I hadn’t seen Erin since she was last here in ‘14 to run the race, so it was really great to catch up. By not having a marathon staring me down on Sunday morning, I wasn’t worried at all about running a 5k on Saturday, hanging with my friend, and then being on my feet all afternoon.
Meeting up with many of the other SF ambassadors on Saturday pre- and post-shakeout was really sweet. Anne and I were both doing the Saturday shakeout for fun (and both running the second half on Sunday), so we simply smiled the miles on Saturday and ran our mouths all morning long. It’s so funny how the internet has made the running community so small and personal.
Helping Elysha and filling in wherever I could made the day go by really quickly, and by 5pm, I was beginning to lose my voice after talking to runners all day long in the screenprinting booth (which was a bit of a hot mess but still pretty fun, except that one time an angry runner accused those of us in the screenprinting booth of discriminating against him and threatened “to tweet about it.” (SMH)). At any rate, it’s pretty impressive how many people come from all over the world to run one of the SF races, and it’s very cool to see so many people so amped about running. The enthusiasm is contagious.
Given that I wasn’t running the marathon on Sunday (and doing the requisite 3am wakeup for a 5:30 start), I opted to drive back home to sleep in my own bed and simply do the SJ-SF drive twice, instead of crashing at Erin’s for the weekend. The late 3am/early 4am wakeup two consecutive days wasn’t as bad as I anticipated, and not having any time goals at all for the half really lifted any pressure to perform; I simply looked at the race as a long run — perhaps my first for XC and CIM training — surrounded by a whole lot of friends. I didn’t care how fast or how slowly I ran; my only purpose was to run.
Anne and I easily connected again in Golden Gate Park before the race’s start, but since we had different race plans (she to pace a teammate to a ~1:34, me to simply smile the miles and finish), we parted ways as we entered the corrals. Prior to race day, I hadn’t done a long run since my 20-miler on July 11th, and my weekly run volume had been quite low when I was in Ohio due to a whole host of reasons (weather, childcare, helping my family, all good stuff). I knew that I’d be able to cover the distance aerobically, but in terms of my pace, I had no idea and figured I’d post around a 1:50 fairly comfortably.
There was a time in my life when I’d intentionally register for races and run them all as training runs or workouts, but it’s not really something I’ve done in recent history, probably because I’m more judicious with my time and finances than before. There’s no doubt in my mind, however, that running the second half for fun was the right choice to make; I knew I wasn’t in any real shape or fitness to speak of, and I didn’t want to wreck myself for no real good reason. I planned to simply try to smile during every single mile and enjoy the SF course in an entirely different way than I usually do when I race the marathon.
As far as I can tell, the second half’s course this year is the same as it has always been during the previous years when I’ve run the full. Just like last year, this time around, we didn’t loop around Stow Lake, and we spent nearly half the HM running in what seemed like never-ending, dizzying back-and-forths in GGP. I swear that sometimes it seems like running in GGP is akin to running in some weird Twilight Zone dimension; I always feel like we spend so much time there (especially during the marathon!) that one of these days I’m going to drop a birthday while we’re in there.
I was so eagerly waiting to be spit out from GGP atop Haight Street because I knew I’d see Erin soon (and because it’d mark about the halfway point); once I saw her walking her dog, I didn’t hesitate and zoomed over to the left side of the road to accost her with a huge, sweaty hug. Any time I’ve seen her during the marathon, I’ve only given so much as a wave or a holler; this time around, since time wasn’t an issue, I made a full detour and stopped to chat for a few. For real! I stopped mid-race to talk and just let my Garmin keep running. What a way to run!
It’s hard to give much of a turn-by-turn account of what was essentially a training run dressed up as a race — especially since the course was the same that I’ve run several times now — but it was fun, and all the usual water stop groups were out in force on what was a strangely warm-for-SF and sunny day. I repeatedly thought I’m so glad I’m not running a marathon today and I’m so glad I turned down that 1:45 pacing opportunity throughout my 13.1 sojourn, making me even more confident that I had made the right decision; it was great to only be responsible for myself and no one else. My body felt tired way earlier than usual — that’s what happens when you train very lightly, kids! — but there was nothing on the line; no A, B, or C goals; nothing. Just run.
I wanted to enjoy my supported long run, and I did. I squeaked in with a 1:49, right around where I figured and I would, and I both started and finished the race with a smile on my face. It was a pretty straightforward and victorious morning.
Shortly after I finished, I headed over to Marketbar to take advantage of the VIP Party (breakfast! A change of clothes! Real bathrooms!) and eventually met up with Meredith, who had run the 5k, and her friend, Katie, who had run the first half. They graciously gave me a ride back over to Erin’s, where I’d hang for the afternoon at her baby non-shower shower.
As usual, seeing many friends over the context of a race weekend was energizing (4am wakeups be damned), and when everything was said and done, my cup felt very full. Suffice it to say that I slept very well Sunday night.
The SFM has held a special place in my heart since moving here because it was through the ambassador program in ‘14 that I met some of my first friends in California. Because the running community here is so small — and social media makes it even more so — the networks formed from that initial ambassador program have led me to even more people throughout the ~six years my family and I have lived here. If I wanted to, I think I could probably trace many of my current CA friendships back to that ambassador program, Kevin Bacon-style.
I know we should never say never, but I think 2019 will be the last time I run SF for a while and participate in the race’s ambassador program. I think it’s time that I share this special race’s love with others and let someone else experience it for herself/himself; it’s kinda the same way I feel about not returning to Boston for a long time (share the love! Let someone else take a turn!). Plus, pragmatically speaking, as my kids get older, and our summers become more full, training in earnest for a big mid-summer race is getting harder to manage. Impossible? No. Challenging? Extremely.
By virtue of being a loyal runner (having run the race, in some capacity, in ‘10, ‘14, ‘15, ‘17, ‘18, and now), I earned a special “loyal runner” medal at the race, in addition to the one from Saturday’s shakeout 5k, Sunday’s half, and also in addition to the 5k+HM double medal (that I failed to pick-up, whoops). If you’re into collecting race medals, SF is usually a pretty good bet. As usual, the race offered a quality long-sleeve technical premium, and runners also had lots of opportunities to get additional premiums (such as beanies, arm warmers, or quarter zip-ups) based on which discount code they used during registration. I really like the quarter zip I earned from the ambassador program and foresee using it during the winter running months.
I think this race does a great job of taking care of its runners (and its ambassadors), and I think it’s a race that’ll continue to improve over time. Probably the most noticeable change in this year’s race was switching from nuun to Gen UCan, and holy moly, my stomach and I sure were ecstatic for that!
Obviously, the second half marathon has a fraction of the elevation from the full (#math), but I think it can still be conducive to fast times, particularly if you’re accustomed to undulating courses. We had weird, warm weather this year, but usually it’s much more mild and is probably the only late-July race in the entire country where you can find runners routinely wearing long sleeves and tights. (No doubt they were hot this year).
SF’s a fantastic and difficult race — arguably one of the most challenging marathons I’ve ever done — and also one of my favs. There’s something to be said for working really, really hard, and this race (and any of its distance offerings) sure is an excellent avenue for that.
It’s a little bittersweet to run a race knowing that I’m not planning to run it again anytime soon, but my several years’ worth of race memories from SFM are quite fond. I’m grateful for the experiences for sure.
