I’m back from a really fun weekend getaway to San Antonio to race the Run The Alamo half marathon!
Why I Ran the Run the Alamo Half
I ran this race as a tune-up race leading up to my Boston qualifying attempt at Revel Mt. Charleston (April 6th). The race was 5 weeks before my marathon which is the perfect time to run a tune-up race to test my fitness, practice race fueling and get a really good marathon goal pace work out in.
The Run the Alamo race is a full weekend race with events for all types of runners. There is 5K and 10K Donut Dash on Saturday and a half and full marathon on Sunday.
So why would I fly all the way to San Antonio from San Diego to run a tune-up race? Well, my husband Mike is a marketing consultant (his firm is called Open Water Marketing) who specializes in doing marketing and running Facebook ads for events, and Run the Alamo is a client of his! We flew out so he could meet the race director and he could get some awesome video for future ads.
I was thrilled to be able to come run the race too! I had only been to San Antonio one other time – last year for our BODi Partner Summit It was nice to see the city from a different lens this time. Unfortunately there was a lot of construction around the Alamo and on the streets near where we stayed but the beautiful riverwalk was a little paradise under the busy-ness of the streets above!
Goals for Run the Alamo Half
My main goals for the Run the Alamo half race were:
- Practice race fueling and do a 1 day carb-load.
- Practice running my marathon goal pace (which is between 8:00-8:10).
- Practice my race day routine and mental strategies.
I’m in a phase of taking my running super seriously. After not getting into the Boston marathon because my buffer of 2 min 31 seconds wasn’t good enough, I got a huge fire under my butt to take my running to a new level.
And it’s been so fun! I’ve been reading more running books, listening to podcasts, and taking my training to a new level (mileage AND intensity). I’m also focusing more on my nutrition, recovery and my running form than I have in the past. (I’ll share more in another blog post soon).
Carb Loading for Run the Alamo Half
I did a 1 day carb-load with a goal of 500g carbs. Having to do this while traveling was GREAT practice because I will be traveling for Mt. Charleston (we arrive in Vegas Thursday before the Saturday race). It’s also really hard to know how many carbs you’re getting when eating out, so I had to eye ball it.
One lesson I learned was that I need to bring more snacks with me and I can’t rely on grocery stores (at least not in San Antonio, there is no grocery store downtown and we had a heck of a time even finding bananas).
Luckily, I had brought some crackers and Tailwind that I had before my 4 mile shake out run. I have to note that my legs felt heavy and I didn’t feel good on the run. I ran a 11/mile average and the 4 miles felt like they took forever. (NEVER judge a race by the shake out run!)
After the shake out, I immediately drank a bottle of Orange Juice (my fav way to get in liquid carbs) and then when mike was back from filming the 5K/10K Donut Dash on Saturday, we went to a french bakery called the Boulangerie and I got the deluxe breakfast (felt like we were back in Paris!) which included 1 croissant, a baguette (YES), 2 eggs, yogurt with fruit and granola, orange juice and coffee. Seriously this might be the perfect carb loading breakfast. (I wouldn’t recommend it if you aren’t running a half marathon the next day lol!) IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!
However, between breakfast and dinner all I ate was a banana and a packet of oatmeal. By the time we got our packets, I was starving. You should never be hungry the day before a race if you’re carb loading properly. We met up with my fellow BODI teammate Tracy who lives in San Antonio and always does the race. The packet pick up was simple – no vendors of expo. But the swag is great ! You get a nice tech t-shirt and a cute little bag.
We still had 45 minutes til dinner so we went to a german restaurant on the river and got a massive pretzel and a beer. I’ve been drinking less alcohol but it just sounded too good! No regrets. Then we went to our italian dinner and shared 3 dishes including pizza and butternut squash ravioli – again, leaving stuffed. I wouldn’t recommend eating 2 massive meals the day before a race – its better to spread out your carbs. But, in the end I don’t think it mattered because I felt amazing and had NO GI issues during the race.
Run the Alamo Race Morning
The race started at 6:55 AM and our hotel was right down the street, but I woke up at 5 AM because I really wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to use the restroom at least 2 times before. I stop on all long runs to use the restroom and in order to avoid this, I need to drink coffee and get some activity going before any race.
I woke up feeling full from the giant dinner. I had a scoop of Tailwind mixed with water and didn’t finish my oatmeal or banana. I dressed in shorts, my most breathable tank top & got ready to go!
About an hour before the start we met up with Tracy and she and I used the rest room again, did a short 1/2 mile shake out run, used the restroom again and then made our way near the start. I did my new pre-race routine, which is the same thing I do before my speed workouts: drills (butt kicks, high knees, etc), dynamic stretches and a few strides. I had planned to run farther than 1/2 mile before the race but it was so humid (about 96%!) that I was sweating and warm within minutes so I figured it was better to keep it short.
We lined up near the 1:45 pace group, which was very close to the start. I had looked at the results ahead of time and knew that I was possible to finish in the top 3 in my age group if I ran around 1:45/1:46, so I used that as extra motivation to stay focused. (I rarely place in races in San Diego but sometimes in small races I can).
A few differences in this race compared to any I’ve done: There was a prayer & instead of a singer singing the national anthem, the crowd sang out loud. The race started with a cannon blast and musket firing!!!
Run the Alamo Course & Race Recap
My adrenaline was SURGING off the start line thanks to the musket shots. I noticed immediately how GOOD I felt. Tracy and I had talked about running part of it together, but she had wanted to stick with the 1:50 pacer and I wanted to go closer to 1:45, so I just started running at the pace that felt good.
And it turned out, that pace was in the 7s! I actually had to tell myself to slow down, but also had to tell myself NOT to overanalyze. I saw Mike around 3/4 of a mile in, after we did a little loop through a park and back to the start, and he ran next to me and I told him how great I felt. It’s funny because he got some video of me and I don’t appear to be running fast at all hah! But, hey, its all relative.
After we left the start area, we headed north toward the Alamo and into downtown, then turned back south. This is where a lot of loops and out and backs happen. I honestly couldn’t keep it straight, I just focused on tangents and keeping my pace steady. But seriously, i felt SO GOOD. I couldn’t believe it. I usually don’t feel great from the start of a race. It takes me a few miles, sometimes even 5 miles to get into a groove. But not this day! I was just having so much fun!
I actually think all the turns kept my mind engaged. Between focusing on my form and the tangents and rocking out to my music, the miles flew by. I could tell there as a headwind/cross wind situation happening but also anticipated a little tailwind on the way back. The course is VERY flat in comparison to any race I’ve ever done so I can’t even say there was a single hill. Yes, there were some inclines, but no real hills.
I really enjoyed looking at the houses in the neighborhoods with pretty wraparound porches (so different than san Diego). and due to all the crazy loops and out and backs, I saw Tracy several times and I got to see the runners at the front of the pack and also runners behind me. I really enjoy seeing other runners so I liked this!
At some point we entered a park and started looping again.
Normally I carry a fairly large handheld water bottle with me for races but I recently have been rethinking it, mostly because its heavy and I can never really find a groove, and with my new arm swing, the bottle hits my body when I carry it. run-
For this race, I started the race with a basic plastic water bottle which I used to wash down my first Gel (a Spring energy gel which I took over the course of 2 miles) and then threw it away. After that, I used the aid stations for water. I would drink some, dump some on my head and my hands. It ended up working out pretty well and I think I will do this at my marathon.
During one of the park loops I started counting the women ahead of me. I noticed most of the people around me were men. I counted 8 women ahead. I figured there were several more WAY ahead, but I made a goal to start passing them. I felt really good at mile 6 (gel hitting the blood stream maybe!)? and ran my fastest mile (7:42). It was around here I also took my only caffeinated gel (a Huma Plus, which has electrolytes! ).
Around mile 10 or 11, we got onto the River Walk. I knew this part would be tougher as there was a slight incline all the way up. I didn’t really anticipate it being harder also because there were cobblestones on much of the river walk . AT mile 10, I was still feeling fantastic and hoped to run a sub 8 min pace for the final miles. But once we got on the river walk, I realized that may be harder.
Up until now, the race felt REALLY manageable, if not maybe too easy!? I had given kids high fives! Cheered every time there were spectators! Danced to my music! I had a blast!
But now I knew I needed to dig a little deeper. I told myself that I needed to practice finishing strong. I used my mantras and I focused on passing people (I had already passed 5 women at this point but there were none I could see).
When we left the River Walk, I told myself “fight for your podium spot” knowing that would motivate me to push. However, the incline left me feeling a little tired and my brain started to say “you did great, just finish.” I had to remind myself that this was practice for a FULL marathon and I needed to dig a little deeper.
But then…. a woman (definitely not in my age group, she as younger) came up RIGHT next to me. She was wearing a neon pink outfit. My competitive side came in.
She passed me and I hung on. As we made the turn to the finish chute, I KICKED with the only goal of beating her. And I did! She literally had no idea I was racing her, but thank you for the motivation!
I put my hands up in the air as I finished. I saw Mike there and said “It went GREAT!!!” with a big smile on my face.
Lesson: I Can Run A Great Race in Less than Ideal Conditions
I finished the race in 1:46:48, a 8:05 pace on my Garmin, which was right on the goal of 8:00-8:10 pace. I also ended up being 3rd in my age group!!! Woohoo!
I will admit – I was talking myself out of running marathon pace before the race for a few reasons.
1) Revel Mt. Charleston is a downhill course meaning my marathon pace will naturally be 20ish seconds faster than it would on flat. Also, Run the Alamo course has a LOT of turns , including u-turns and random out and backs and circles.
2) Revel Mt. Charleston will be MUCH colder with no humidity. San Antonio was in the low/mid 60s with 95% humidity!
3) I did not taper for this race. I ran 20 miles the weekend before and while I did take an intentional cutback week in mileage before the race, I still ran 39 miles that week (including the race).
But, Mike told me to go for it and I listened to him. I kept telling myself, even if I blew up, at least I would have run a number of miles at goal pace.
And you know what? I didn’t blow up. And I did it. I ran 13.1 miles at my goal marathon pace (8:05!).
I proved to myself that I can run fast even on a warmer day, on a not-so-fast course, and without a massive taper. As you’ve probably noticed, I tend to think of every detail. I OVER THINK too. I can’t help it. And I can’t help but try to look for every advantage when it comes to achieving my goals . As a result, sometimes I count myself OUT simply because the conditions aren’t perfect. This race really provided to me that I can run really strong in not so ideal conditions.
Run the Alamo Post Party & Free Breakfast!
At the end of the race, Run the Alamo provides breakfast! We got breakfast burritos (with salsa even!), rice and beans, a pastry, fruit and a brownie. There was entertainment and free beer (we didn’t have time to enjoy that).
Overall, the race was so well put together and I really, really enjoyed it! While I wouldn’t say the course is set up to be blazing fast to hit a PR, it’s a very scenic course and I loved seeing so many other runners out there. It’s well organized, the swag and food is awesome, and it’s a really fun time!
Mike and I had to hurry off to our hotel to shower and pack and get to the airport. I got my post race french fries and beer in the airport and then it was back to my healthy eating that night to focus on recovery for peak marathon training.
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