Today was the day–the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon. From doing the 5K the day before, we realized that the course wasn’t as flat as we had anticipated. There were going to be a few good hills followed by some nice downhills. The weather was perfect. It was in the 60s and overcast; no fighting the sun today. We walked from the hotel to the start line, which was about a mile and a half away. The walk gave us a chance to warm up our legs and to wake up.

When we got up to the start line and looked for our corral, we realized that the corrals were out of order. Corral 30 was in front of Corral 25, and Corral 22 was in front of Corral 20. How did it get this messed up? This was a first for us.

We decided to find an area with space and to jump in with that group. This actually ended up being a good decision, because we found ourselves not avoiding as many walkers as we had on the Nashville course. We kept pace with the runners around us. Note to self for upcoming races, need to be in earlier corrals to avoid the walk/runners.

The race started at Balboa Park, headed out towards North Park and all-around the beautiful city. Unfortunately, none of it was by the ocean. It was all inland, but the  neighbors were out in full force. Unlike other Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathons, there were fewer bands on this course and more cheerleaders. However, there was one band playing Cage the Elephant when I ran by. That was a boost.

At the halfway point, Steve and I realized that we were on pace for personal bests. As we got to the Glukos stop between miles seven and eight we somehow got separated. I grabbed my Glukos chews and kept running. I opened the package and started to chew. It was then, I realized that I’d bitten down on something hard. I swished my tongue around my mouth and felt a tooth missing. While running, I started spitting out the chews and digging around in my mouth for the hard piece I’d felt. I pulled out a crown! Trying hard not to panic and to stay calm enough to figure out what to do next, I put the crown in my pocket and kept running. My initial instinct was to freak out and have a meltdown in the middle of a half marathon. I’d just lost a $1,200 crown! I thought I should text Steve, but wait, he’s not a dentist. He’s on his way to his personal best. He’s almost 9 miles, and he’s got this. I need to let it go. If I keep my head, I can get my personal best. Just. do. it.

I regained my focus and picked up the pace but not long after I started hearing thewords, “Low battery,” on my wireless headphones even though I’d charged them the night before. (I’ll withhold the brand but have been disappointed with the purchase.) Fortunately, at the end of the race, there was a DJ playing music and lights shining in a tunnel headed towards the finish line. That was the boost I needed to get me near the finish line where even more music was playing loudly. We did it! We had a personal bests!

We claimed our finisher medals, grabbed our jackets, put the crown in a plastic baggie and went to claim our Remix and Roadie heavy medals. We each earned four medals total for the weekend.

To continue enjoying our high from the race, we walked along the waterfront and looked at the old ships. After stopping at Starbucks for an afternoon coffee, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for brunch. Because after half marathon, there is a brunch.

We went to brunch at Searsucker. The food was OK. I suggest looking for another option unless you really like mimosas. After brunch, we grabbed our bags and went to Old Town. We had been told by a couple of people that we needed to visit this area. We walked a few blocks, drank a quick margarita, hailed an Uber and headed to the airport to fly back to Nashville. Five half marathons down. Ten to go. Hall of Fame here we come!