Silicon Valley Half-Marathon (Santa Clara County, California)

I arrived in downtown San Jose late last night and after getting checked into my hotel room, pretty much crashed in the bed for a few hours and now, just six or so hours later, it's time to rise and run a half-marathon. I'm pretty tired, but I set myself up for this hectic schedule of events and I'll see it through.

I walk down to the starting line, which is just a block away, to get my bib and then return to my room with a bagel and a banana that I picked up in the lobby. I've been training pretty hard through the winter, though I have slacked off a little bit in the past month or so, but I've still been running pretty regularly. I don't really have expectations of getting a personal record (PR) today, but I'd still like to show well.

About 10 minutes before start time, I head back down to the start line and get some stretching in. A crowd of a few hundred runners pack into the stall awaiting the countdown. This should be a great day for a race. The weather is very nearly perfect, with a light cloud cover and temperatures that feel to be in the low-mid fifties.

With a quick count, we're off. It always seems to take me a mile or mile-and-a-half to find my rhythm and today is no different. I'm at a good pace, but my breathing takes a few minutes to settle down. As we wind our way around the downtown area of Silicon Valley, I finally find my center and settle in for the next several miles. The city streets are mostly closed to traffic, which makes for a nice safe run. The scenery is pretty cool, as I kind of enjoy running through the towering cityscape.

In addition to the half, the event also offers a 10k, and while the two courses co-exist during some parts, they diverge in others. It's interesting to see the two groups split and then rejoin further down the route. I feel pretty strong throughout, but as I pass the ten mile mark, I can feel the fatigue starting to set in. I haven't been running long distances in quite a while and my body is reminding me of that. I continue to push on though.

Making the final turn, I head back towards the SAP center and the finish line. I cross with a time of 2:02:58, which is about four minutes off of the PR I set early last month in Napa. It's actually a little better than I had expected. I'll take it!