Marin Endurance Festival Half Marathon Race Recap
I originally registered for the Marin Endurance Festival Half Marathon in 2021 to run as part of a 500 mile race series I was working on. However, I was also signed up for the Tahoe Triple in 2021 which was rescheduled to the same weekend as the Marin Endurance Festival Half Marathon because of the fires. Luckily the race director let me roll over my registration to 2022 so I got to go this year!
This was my first race since completing the Last Call 50 Miler. I felt a little rusty when it came to racing. I’m also still attempting to recover from an injury I got this earlier this year from increasing my mileage too much too fast. I know, I know, BIG mistake. I should’ve known better and I’ve definitely been paying the price for it all year.
I wasn’t sure how this race was going to go. I also didn’t want to push myself to run it too hard. I’m planning to run the Flying Monkey Marathon in Tennessee later this month and do not want to make my injury worse before then.
I decided to go into the race with the goal of just enjoying the day and enjoying the course. I wanted to take my time and not push myself to reach a specific time. Plus, the more time you spend on the course, the more you get for your race fee 😂
The morning of the race I got up early enough to catch the first shuttle to the starting area. I thought the race day packet pick up was going to be more crowded and hectic, but I was able to get my bib and shirt within a few minutes. I had about 1.5 hours to kill before the start.
I got to watch the sun rise over the bay and enjoy the views for a bit. Which was nice since I’ve been cooped up in the Central Valley the past few months and don’t have a whole lot of scenery to see out here.
The morning was perfect too. It was cold, but not too cold and VERY foggy. I love water views and fog around me. It feels very calming to be in.
Once we got closer to the start time, they led a quick warm up before we lined up at the start line. Then we went off through the finish/starting chute and went uphill, out of the park and onto the main road.
The first half of the race was on pavement. The first turn around came really fast too. Along the way, the fog was so thick we couldn’t see the Golden Gate Bridge from the road. I managed to get a photo of the bridge from the shuttle ride back to my car after the race.
View of Golden Gate Bridge from the shuttle
Shortly after the turnaround, we went back down into McNears Beach Park, past the start/finish line and started up a steeper hill to head out of the park once again. I started to power walk the uphills. But on the downhills, I let go and let gravity take me downhill. It was fun to just let myself fly downhill.
From there we ran a few more miles on road. We had gorgeous views of the Bay along winding roads that lead us to the trail section. During this section, I took it easy. I walked any steep hills, took my time at aid stations when I needed to slurp an energy gel and took some time to take pics of the views. I did my best to savor each and every moment of this race and truly enjoy as much of it as I could.
About half way through the race, we reached China Camp State Park and got to run on the trails. It was so liberating to be running on trails again. Where I live, I’d have to drive at least an hour one way to reach any trails.
Normally by mile 8 of a half marathon I feel the exhaustion set in and start counting down the miles to the finish. This race was different. Instead of thinking “I still have 5 miles left” I was thinking “I ONLY have 5 miles left.”
I wanted the race to last as long as possible. For the first time, I was in no rush to reach the finish line and collect my finisher’s medal. I wanted to be out on the trails running and hiking for as long as I possibly could that day.
This is one of the final races I have planned for the year. I'm not sure what 2023 is going to look like race wise because of my injury. I really miss having a long roster of races planned out and experiencing them all. I did my absolute best to truly savor this race and make it last as long as possible.
The last mile or so we were back on pavement heading towards the finish line. By that time I could faintly hear the band playing at the finish line.
My watched beeped for mile 13 just as I was approaching McNears Beach. I jogged downhill back into the park and through the finish line. By the time I finished I didn’t feel tired or feel any soreness that I normally feel at the end of a half marathon. The uphill walking breaks helped with that.
I had an incredible time at the Marin Endurance Festival Half Marathon and highly recommend this race if you’re looking for one in the Bay Area. I was a little sad on the drive home and wished I could re-live the day I just had. I still have one more race planned this year and I will take what I learned from this one so I can savor it in the same way.