Fit Tip: Nike Women's Marathon & 1/2 Marathon

Ok folks. I wanted to let you all know my thoughts of the 2010 Nike Women's 1/2 and full marathon, that I participated in Sunday! Having just completed the Lake Tahoe Full Marathon 2 weeks ago, with almost a personal best time, I felt like I would be adequately prepared for the hills of San Francisco. Well... they were tough. I did have a PR for my 1/2 marathon time, but those hills were brutal! Overall, it was a great race, and I thoroughly enjoyed running it. I would recommend this race to others (both men and women can run the Nike Women's Marathon, so women, get your husbands or partners to run this race, you know they'll have to give you the Tiffany's finisher necklace anyways! Or run it together, so you can have 2 necklaces!)

Here are some pro's of the Nike Women's 1/2 Marathon:
-took me only 4 minutes to get to the start line, amongst the 20,000 runners
-got to see a lot of SF on 1 run
-It's not just for women! Men are welcome too!
-well, the Tiffany's finisher necklace
-well organized finish line area, with plenty of volunteers
-nice finisher shirts
-GREAT crowd support!
-Great volunteers
-Plenty of port-o-potties along the route
-weather was cool and great for running. A few sprinkles along the way. (tank top and shorts was sufficient, though I was fine in capri pants and a long sleeve coolmax shirt and running hat).

Here are some con's of the Nike Women's race:
-water stops: whose idea was it to use plastic cups in a running race? The point of paper cups is so that you can squeeze the cup and make a funnel, so that you don't splash yourself with water as you run! You can't squeeze plastic. Plus, people trip on them and they crunch. Tripping hazard.
-race expo had a line wrapped around Union Square to get in. (we refused to wait in line, so went to dinner instead, then went to the expo closer to closing when the line was shorter).
-race expo was crowded and very corporate. Not like a typical race expo where you can find neat running memorabilia or merchandise to purchase. It was all about nike's shoes and corporate clothing, from what I saw
-First 3 miles were very crowded. Lots of weaving in and out of people.
-First few water stops were so crowded and only on 1 side of the road, so you could completely miss it if you're on the left side, unless you want to risk your life by cutting across the running traffic those first few miles

Tips for future runners of this race:
-Train for hills! Take one of my hill running workshops! (www.liveforitall.com)
-Be aware of crowded first few miles
-BRING YOUR OWN WATER/FLUID SO YOU CAN AVOID THE WATER STATIONS
-Have a friend or spectator pick you up at the finish so you can avoid taking the shuttle busses! (as goes for any race, if you can!)