Carlsbad Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon

Went out with the 1:35 pace group and felt great for about the first 7 miles. Our pace group was a little ahead of pace and I was feeling good, so I pulled ahead some. However, at around mile 8, I could feel my quads starting to tighten and by mile 10 they felt like they were filled with lead and my left calf started to hurt. I stopped to try to stretch at mile 10 but it didn't help much. I fell back in with the 1:35 pace group and tried to run the last 3 miles without using my left calf (by not pushing off w/my foot). The last 3 miles were very tough, but felt good going downhill the last mile (the cool breeze helped). I managed a kick the last 0.1 mile and passed a few people.

I was happy to finish under 1:35 but I think I could have shaved at least 2 minutes off my time if my calf didn't start to hurt (though my quads still would have slowed me down some).

Enjoyed the scenery on the 1st half, but after mile 8, I could only focus on the few feet in front of me.

Grabbed water, stretched, then sat down to wait for my sisters/mom and cheer them on.


Think I need to do some more longer distance runs (14-15 mi) in training and some more tempo runs as part of my longer runs in order to improve my time. I had averaged over 30 mpw the last month and a half before the race, with a long runs of 11, 12, and 13 miles, but I still didn't feel as prepared to race as I would have liked.

It would probably help if I kept my mileage above 20 mpw in tri season so when I ramp back up for my next half marathon, it's not as much of a jump in mileage.


Got a PR, since it was my first HM. This really is a great race with a lot of cheering supporters and a beautiful course. Also, it was great to have pace groups, since I usually start out way too fast and pay the price later in the run.