This year marked my third time running the La Jolla Half Marathon, and it was my slowest. But that’s okay. It’s also my third fastest. I really enjoy the race, although it’s super hilly and you have to be prepared for the hills. They did make some changes this year and, to be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about them.
Before the La Jolla Half Marathon
As I’ve mentioned in a few places, it was a busy week for me. I arrived in La Jolla the evening before, and I was honestly just tired. Even with some decent sleep, I was still in the hole. As they say, stress is stress. The 4:30 alarm came bright and early, and I probably could have slept another hour or two. I got ready and arrived at the start around 5:30. From there, I used the bathroom and warmed up with a mile. My warm-up did not feel great. In fact, I struggled to even run a 10-minute pace. I thought, “Wow, this is going to be a tough day.”
This year, the La Jolla Half Marathon went cupless. I wrote about it in my newsletter this week, but I’m honestly not sure how I feel about it. You carry a reusable cup and fill it up at aid stations. I love the idea of not having hundreds of wasted paper cups. But it also slows down your time. I had 25 seconds of non-moving time during La Jolla. For the future, I will just bring my own hydration.
For me, the big issue was the lack of labeling for their electrolytes versus water. I had no idea they even had electrolytes until I randomly got some in a cup.
La Jolla Half Marathon Race
Once the La Jolla Half Marathon started, I didn’t feel as bad as during the warm-up, but I did not feel great. I decided early on to run the race rather than race it. Because of the 900 feet of elevation gain, the La Jolla Half Marathon is one of the hardest road halves in the US. But it’s also one of the most scenic and perfect for enjoying a beautiful view.
I hit mile one of the La Jolla Half Marathon in 7:23 and was pretty surprised. We climbed a small hill and then headed back down. Around 1.77 miles, the 1:40 pacer (or 7:38 pace group) passed me. We were going at a 7:04 pace! It was a humbling experience, but I let it go.
The next couple of miles in the La Jolla Half Marathon have rolling hills. I could see some carnage already during the race, and I was sad because the hills get tougher in the middle of the race. I just focused on myself and kept plugging along. The Mile 4-ish water stop of the La Jolla Half Marathon was probably where I lost the most time, and I ran an 8:13. If I were to guess, I spent 15 or so seconds stopped at the water station getting water.
The other problem with the La Jolla Half Marathon water stations is that I think they had electrolytes, but I’m not totally sure where they were. All but one of my refills were water (it was hot and humid, so they could have used electrolytes). One stop I got electrolytes poured into my bottle, but I had no clue what they were.
Mile 5 of the La Jolla Half Marathon has a pretty steep downhill, and I knew it would be fast. I ran a 7:05. I kind of wish I had pushed it a little bit more as we headed into the mile 6 climb up Torrey Pines. It climbs over 250 feet, and it’s really tough. I haven’t been running as many hills lately, and I ran 8:45. But it actually didn’t feel too bad.
Mile 7 of the La Jolla Half Marathon feels like it flattens out, but it actually still gains over 100 feet. Because you’re so tired from the previous mile, it feels even harder. I passed several people and just continued on.
From there, it got kind of quiet, and I congratulated myself for making it halfway. Around mile 9 of the La Jolla Half Marathon, I actually started to feel a lot better. I was like, “Wow, I needed 9 miles to warm up for this race.” I decided to pick it up to the best of my abilities. I knew there was a huge downhill (down 300+ feet) at mile 10, and I wanted to make up some time from the hills.
I ran a 6:20 down the hill and was happy. I hoped I could crush the downhill even more, but I figured that would do. (Who knew careening down a hill with 300 feet of elevation loss in a mile was faster than running on flat ground…I digress).
Mile 11 went along La Jolla beach, and there were plenty of surfers and people hanging out. The path was sandy, and it reminded me of the desert. The section can be fast, but with all of the sand that day, it wasnm’t.
The final mile of the La Jolla Half Marathon is actually the hardest (in my opinion). No one wants a 100-foot hill at mile 12. You’re tired and you just feel like the race never ends. Still, I didn’t feel too bad and just pushed up and over. It was actually my fastest of 3 years running up that hill/ Once we reached the top, I knew it was all downhill, and I just ran as fast as I could to the end. I finished the last bit at a 5:56 pace and crossed the finish line in 1:39:00.
La Jolla Half Marathon Thoughts
Of course, I would have loved to feel better, but I can’t really complain. It was a busy week, and I was tired. I am looking forward to shorter races for the summer. I also had my fastest finish of the 3 years I’ve run, averaging a 6:49 pace for the last 5k. (I know because the last 5k is timed, as they have a stand-alone 5k during the La Jolla Half too).
If you are considering running the La Jolla Half Marathon, it’s such a beautiful race. I truly believe it’s one of the most scenic out there. You just have to recognize that it will not be your fastest half marathon (there are always exceptions) because it is so hilly.
You can see Strava here and all race recaps here.
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Questions for you:
What is the hilliest half marathon you’ve done?
Have you done a cupless road race?