I have run the San Jose Half Marathon 3 times before in 2008 (1:36:59), 2009 (1:36:53) and 2010 (1:29:53 – PR) so it was nice to be back for the 4th time. When I initially registered back in January, my goal was for this race to be the peak of my racing season but like most of the time when it comes to long distance running, plans change.

Coming into the race, I had taken close to 3 weeks off running in September as we were traveling in France and England (that is the large white empty space above) and had only been back on schedule for 2 somewhat light weeks so I had low expectations for today. In addition, I woke up this morning feeling somewhat queazy, some kind of soreness in the throat.

My plan was then to start slow and see if I started feeling better. The first few miles did not feel good for sure. I even had to stop at a port-a-potty for a break. I still managed to average a 7:30/mile pace for the first 9 miles while keeping my heart rate in the mid-170s (a bit strenuous). Things got a bit better past that mark and I started finding my legs. Not sure why, maybe the runner’s high kicked in?

Anyway, I managed to complete the 4 last miles at a 7:10/mile pace for a 1:38:44 finish time. That is my slowest time ever in San Jose. Still, not too bad considering the circumstances!

This weekend, I ran my 15th half marathon: the Water to Wine Half Marathon between Sonoma Lake and Healdsburg, CA.

Since finishing the Pleasanton Half Marathon in 1:40:14 (7:41/mile), I have been following a new training program that got me running 580 miles in 14 weeks so I had high hopes of getting back down to my early 2010 times in the sub 1:35 zone.

The course is point to point with a net elevation loss though it is mostly rolling hills all the way. The weather was perfect with temperatures in the mid-50s. The race started 5 minute late at 7:05AM to give the lone wheelchair participant some welcome head start. Based on my expected finish time and last year’s results, I decided to position myself toward the front of the pack of 1200 or so runners so I crossed the start line 3 seconds only after the gun.

After a fast first half mile, I managed to settle at the 7:15/mile pace necessary for a 1:35 finish time and successfully maintained it for the first 6 miles.

Since I was feeling good, I accelerated a bit to 7:10/mile average for the next 5 miles, then down to 6:55 for mile 12, and again down to 6:30 for the last mile to finish 52nd in 1:33:53 (7:10/mile average).

Of course, I am now hoping to run another sub 1:30 like I ran in 2010 at the San Jose Half Marathon. My next race is actually the 2013 version of that event so we will see where I stand then.

Today, I ran my second half marathon of the year… in Pleasanton. Right, I was somewhat surprised as well to hear about it but I have to say it was very well organized.

The course is very flat and we had perfect running weather one more time. The race started promptly at 7AM with around 700 runners. I started a bit faster than 4 weeks ago in Santa Cruz running 7:50/mile and had to keep looking at the watch to not run too fast and shatter my race plan. After 10 miles, I used a similar strategy than in Santa Cruz and accelerated to around 7:30/mile catching up with a bunch of runners to finish in 1:40:14 or 7:41/mile average.

The post-race party was very well organized. The food was tasty including warm burritos! The medal and technical shirt are very nice. I even managed to get in line at the chiropractor’s tent that gave me an awesome dynamic stretch. My legs definitely appreciated the special treatment after pounding the pavement for 13.1 miles.

My hat off to the organizers and volunteers. I hope to run the race for many years to come.