I only signed up for the America’s Finest City Half Marathon the Tuesday before the race. I was really unsure if I wanted to run after being sick with a minor cold and just feeling a bit bleh. Over the last couple of weeks, I had cut down my mileage because I do want to start training for a marathon soon. You would think that means I felt amazing, but my legs were kind of in that phase where they felt heavy and tired. I wasn’t super worried about it, and my goal for the AFC Half Marathon was to run goal marathon pace (around 7:10). I was hoping that would feel “doable” on tired legs and with the hills of the San Diego half marathon course.
The America’s Finest City Half Marathon course profile is 2 miles of rolling hills, then 1 mile of downhill, followed by a very steep mile of downhill. Miles 5–10 are pretty flat with a couple of small hills, then 10.5 to 13 are very hilly with a .1 downhill finish. It is very easy to take the AFC Half Marathon out too fast and suffer the last 5k because the hills at the end are brutal. So no, this is not an easy San Diego half marathon.
Before the America’s Finest City Half Marathon
I thought about driving down to San Diego the Friday before the race, but I needed some downtime that night and decided to drive down Saturday morning. If I had known what Saturday would bring, I would have driven down on Friday. Ultimately, they closed down most of the lanes at the Cajon Pass, so I had to go up and around Los Angeles to get to San Diego. It took about 5.5 hours for the normally 3-hour drive. I almost said, you know what, it’s not worth it, but I made it down there with about 30 minutes to spare before packet pickup ended.
I wanted to get to bed early because the AFC Half Marathon starts at 6:15 am and the last bus leaves the hotel at 5:30. I was up the next morning at 3:30. I felt groggy and tired, but I figured some adrenaline would boost me. I arrived at the race start around 5:30ish. It’s really hard to warm up at the America’s Finest City start line because it’s at Point Loma, so I just decided I would skip a warmup. For a half marathon where I was going for a goal time, I would probably make something work, but I wasn’t too concerned here. Plus, my goal was to take it out easy which is easier to do when you haven’t warmed up. Was this the smartest move? Maybe…maybe not.
America’s Finest City Half Marathon Race Recap
The race went off, and immediately I could tell my legs did not feel good. I knew it would be a struggle each step of the way. I was hoping I would not count down the seconds until the finish line. Luckily, I thought the race went by pretty fast.
The last time I ran America’s Finest City Half Marathon was in 2021, shortly after moving to Edwards. I had forgotten the first two miles are actually rolling hills, not downhill. I ran a 7:07 and 7:08 respectively. I knew that was right where I wanted to be, but I also knew there were some serious hills at the end.
The next two miles are downhill with mile 4 dropping over 200 feet. You feel like you’re “so fast,” and I focused on holding back because I didn’t want it to bite me in the butt later. I ran a 6:44 mile 4, which was fine. I didn’t feel like I exerted much effort that would come back to hurt me later. I was trying not to compare it to my previous time running the AFC half marathon course and how fast I ran it.
The next 6–7 miles are pretty flat. There are a couple of small hills but nothing crazy. I realized I kind of had to pee (my hydration strategy the day before was not the greatest after spending 5.5 hours in the car). So I figured I would do that somewhere along the way. From miles 5-10, I ran anywhere from a 7:02–7:06, minus when I stopped to use the bathroom and ran a 7:33 (around mile 7.75).
During that bathroom break, the 1:35 pacer passed me…which I thought was strange because I was still under that pace. I’ve come to learn the pacers at the AFC Half Marathon like to bank time, so they were pretty far ahead of schedule. (I remember being passed last time by the 1:30 pacer when I was running a 6:25 mile). I think they ultimately came in around 1:34:15. Anyway, from there I was just trailing them by about 20 seconds.
Miles 6–8 are probably the most beautiful of the AFC Half Marathon because you are right along the San Diego waterfront enjoying the views. It’s funny, I recognize so much more since living here for four years, things I just bypassed in 2021.
Mile 9 came with some danger. I don’t know if the half marathon was missing a cone, a volunteer, or both, but we had to cross oncoming traffic coming off the highway unprotected. Then we were just running on the side of a busy highway with no cones. The problem is, that traffic was coming to the airport, so many were unfamiliar with the area, and it’s easy to get distracted. Plus, it was off an exit ramp so they weren’t going slow. It was the most dangerous thing I’ve seen at a race in a long while…maybe ever?
After that, I was in a bit of a funk and I knew the hills were coming, so I just pressed forward. I crossed mile 10 of America’s Finest City Half in 1:11, and I was hoping to average under 8-minute miles for the last 5k. That sounds nuts, but the hills are not kind. There is a train crossing at mile 10.5ish, and I was actually the last person to make it across before the train came. It’s not a long train, and I could have used the ten-second breathing break, but I was proud of myself for (safely) hustling across.
From there were just the 2 miles of hills, each with steep climbs around 100 feet. I just focused on one foot in front of the other. I actually wasn’t feeling terrible. I ran a 7:39 and 7:37, which was faster than 4 years ago. I passed a couple of people, and by the time I knew it, around 12.5, we were at the top of the hill in Balboa Park. From there I just focused on the finish.
When I saw mile 13, I pushed as hard as I could and ran a 5:57 final .1. I’m happy with the effort and I’ve been working on my kick. I crossed in 1:34:39 and as 16th woman overall.
America’s Finest City Half Marathon Thoughts
I’m happy with the effort and meeting the goals I set out. It’s also nice that I just ran a 1:34:39 half on tired legs, on a tough San Diego course, and really didn’t think I was putting a ton of effort into it. Of course, I was working hard, but I wasn’t maxed out or feeling good. I’m looking forward to stacking some fall training and seeing what kind of fitness level I can get.
If you’re considering running the America’s Finest City Half Marathon, just know it’s not a PR course. But if you want a beautiful, challenging half marathon in San Diego that showcases the waterfront, Point Loma, and Balboa Park, this is one worth adding to the list.
You can see Strava here and all race recaps here.
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