Wow. My first marathon in 9 months, and it was the HARDEST marathon I have ever run. And it isn't because I haven't run one in so long. It is because San Diego is HUMID and HILLY! With that being said, this course was a great challenge and I had a great time.

Let's start with the expo. It was at Road Runner Sports and was set up well. I went Friday afternoon so it wasn't busy at all. YES! Very well organized, good amount of vendors there and most everyone was helpful. The guy that got me my bib seemed very flustered, or didn't want to be there or something. But everyone else was pleasant. The swag we got was awesome! Pint glass, cool tank top and Knockaround sunglasses. We also got discounts if we bought anything from Road Runner.

Race day - getting to the start was pretty easy for me. My boyfriend drove me to the start. There was no where to park, only drop off runners. Everything was clearly marked and it went smoothly. If you wanted to park at the end (Green Flash Brewery) they had busses shuttle you to the start. Plenty of port o potties and areas to warm up. The start of the race started about 10 minutes late and was a little frustrating because there were so many runners and we were running on a narrow bike path. However, that cleared out pretty fast. Scenery was decent. To the right was the freeway (meh) and to the left was hills and canyons. The first 6 miles were rolling hills, mostly down hill so that was nice. Miles 7-9ish was through a neighborhood, still on the bike path and a little creek and I think a golf course. Miles 9-13 were through industrial areas, and HILLY! Oh my goodness...this was the hardest half I have ever run. But I liked the challenge.

The course was well marked, and traffic was well controlled. The aid stations were okay, well stocked but I would like more communication. The aid stations at the beginning didn't tell you what they have but towards the middle to end of the race they were calling it out. That is very helpful when you are running and not really paying attention to the fact that the cups are different. From mile 9 on they had aid stations at every mile. LOVE that!

Post race there was water in cups. I didn't see any bottled water. I prefer bottled water post race because the cups are just too small. Luckily I had my bf bring my water. They had small Larabars, bananas and chopped up bagels to eat and food trucks. The line for beer was really long so I skipped that - I also don't really like drinking beer that early in the day. But there were a ton of vendors at the finish line, food, drinks, corn hole game...lots of fun things to do.

Over all this race was well organized, a good challenge and you got some great swag. I'm looking forward to beating my time next year! I'll have to be training on more hills for that :)