Nike Womens Race Day!

I know this post is LONG overdue. My days seem to be flying by and I don’t seem to have enough time to sit down and just type.

Race day! (Pure Craziness)

We arrived downtown San Fran early early. On the way to find our corrals we stopped at the Walgreens on the corner to use the rest room. I am sure the manager was sick of seeing all these women racers coming in. Hopefully they did get some sales out of the deal.

We then headed to find our corrals. This adventure was new for me. I would  guess since this is a HUGE event and over 40,000 people participating this was the best way to line up. Once you find your bubble with your time you enter they have volunteers there checking your wrist band to make sure you are where you are supposed to be. Porta potties lined up along the hill not to many people waiting as I passed by. I then walked to the starting area for my coral. BURRRR! One big lesson I learned is that San Fran is COLD! When leaving the hotel we saw a few girls with the paper hospital gowns on to keep them warm. I was wishing I had one at this point and time while waiting for the race to start. We arrived around 5:30 race start was 6:30 and my corral started about 7:30.

Lining up!

For this race I would recommend running with a friend and for fun. It’s very crowded the entire race. I enjoyed watching all the girls stop and take photos. The course was a blast! We started at union station and ran along the pier towards the Golden Gate Bridge. Yes we had A LOT of hills!

Start photo provided by Nike!

Nike Photo of the hills of San Fran!

 

They had donation boxes around mile #5 but I had already dropped my sweat shirt before I saw the boxes. One thing I love about a race like this is all the supporters along the route cheering you on and the great signs they make. “You just missed Channing Tatum, run faster and you might catch him.”

Running in San Fran was very wet. The trees were dripping down on you during parts of the course. I guess coming from the desert this was something new for me. Dressing in layers is a very good idea for this race and I highly recommend not dropping that sweat shirt.

Between miles #9 & #10 Verizon had a contest. You were to guess what your mile time would be. This is a huge downhill run. The winner would win $4,000 and you had to be within a minute on either side to qualify.

This race was a blast! Not my personal best run but that happens. I enjoyed the atmosphere, the people and the sights.  When I crossed the finish line it was very crowed. You get your “Finisher” T-shirt and “Tiffany Necklace” and picture opportunity with the Firemen. 

Finish Line!

Then it was time to try and find my friends….We were to meet at the boutique…Haha there is 40,000 people trying to buy Nike garb. I never did find them. My cell phone didn’t work so I couldn’t text or call. I was asking people around me if they had service and non of them did. My suggestion is if you are going to meet up after the race meet at the medical tent. I was freezing cold and just ready to get into a hot shower. So I headed for the shuttle line. This took over an hour and a half just in line. One bad thing about this race is having to wait in line FOREVER. When I finally got cell service I had 50 million calls texts and messages. Luckily my friends were on a shuttle too. We met up at the hotel and did a group picture there since I was lost in the crowd at the finish line. 

WE DID IT! What a fun time with new friends, great city and great race! 

Nike Photo

I’ve been working on something new. Stay tuned! I promised I will post about it before 2014!