Jalen Gooch

Read about my experience running the Oakland Half Marathon.

Two races down, three to go. 

Now that you’re somewhat fully committed to the challenge, it’s time to take things seriously. Two’s a coincidence, but three’s a pattern, right?

The goal is no longer to simply drag yourself across the finish line. You want to feel (and more importantly look) like one of the pros. This race will prove that the first two were not flukes, but that you are truly a runner.

With your experience behind you, and even greater obstacles looming ahead, you begin your next journey. 

The starting line is always closer than you imagine. 

You put on your running gear, tie the laces on your running shoes, and step into the brisk, morning air. You close your eyes, picturing the sounds of the people cheering, the runners surrounding you, the announcer counting down from ten. And just like that the San Jose Half Marathon has begun. 

Race Details

• Date: June 2, 2024
• Race Time (Chip): 1:32:16
• Race Time (Gun): 1:32:44
• Tummy Troubles: Horrendous
• Playlist: I Feel the Rush (San Jose Half)
• Results: 6th in M20-24, 49th of 1170

Training Begins

After the Oakland Half Marathon, the gap between the upcoming races shortened. This meant I had less time to train, and could no longer humor myself by taking weeks off after a race to “recover”.

Now that things were getting serious, I realized I needed to upgrade my training gear. At the time, I was running in a pair of flat-soled black and white Adidas shoes that I had used in high school that provided no support. (I was berated by my track coach at the time for wearing the same shoes, but that’s a story for another time.)

To ensure success in the upcoming race, (and to hopefully mitigate some of the usual training pains) I created an extensive Google Sheets, detailing everything I would need. From rain gear, gels, and racing shoes, I conducted extensive research (scrolled through Reddit) to find the best gear to turn me into a champion overnight. 

As the size of the list grew, so did the associated price tag, so I decided to prioritize what items would be the most beneficial for the upcoming race.  I invested in a Trigger Point Performance Foam Roller to use after my runs and hopefully alleviate the soreness I was starting to feel in my shins after running.

The most anticipated, and subsequently most expensive purchase, would be a decent pair of running shoes. After conducting, again, extensive research to rival that of the greatest academics (googling “what is the best training shoe for new runners?” and clicking the first result), I settled on the Adidas Adizero Boston 12. 

Within the first run, I could already feel the difference the shoes were making. I felt lighter and looser and easily increased my pace without any extra effort. (Unfortunately, the new shoes did not prevent me from sliding across the Berkeley pavement yet again)

While I loved my new running shoes, I’d be lying if it didn’t take a few weeks to get used to them. There were a few growing pains, such as soreness in my shins and ankles getting used to the new support. There were some new symptoms, like my toes going numb at the start of the run, but I had paid good money for the shoes and decided to ignore that.

As the weeks went on training went by smoothly. I witnessed a snake crossing the trail at the marina one morning (hopefully a good omen) and lost a contact while running another. The weeks flew by and the day of the race was getting closer.

As race day approached, things inevitably became more chaotic. Training distances began to steadily increase and the workouts became more physically demanding. Additionally, mere weeks before the race, I would finally walk across the stage, grab the flimsy sheet of paper pretending to be my diploma, and tie up any loose ends I still had in Berkeley.

After a hectic graduation weekend, I decided to spend a few weeks back home in Southern California. A key piece of information I had forgotten to take into account was that the weather at 8 am in the cool Bay Area is not  the same in Southern California. Instead of stepping into a cool overcast morning, I was met with 80 degrees of dry heat.

The first few days of training back home, I began to doubt my chances at the San Jose Half Marathon. Not because I thought I wouldn’t succeed in the race, but because the heat would kill me. 

After 3 weeks of being tortured by the sun, I drove back up to back to my apartment in Berkeley to spend my last few days before the race.

For this race, I wanted to again rep UC Berkeley, but this time I invested in an actual running top, and not one I manically cut the sleeves off the night before the race. (I had a $50 student store gift card and a dream).

The night before the race, having more than learned my lesson, I decided to ditch the spaghetti in favor of salmon, rice, and broccoli hoping that would quell the battle within my stomach. (This was successful for the first half of the marathon, but they came back with a vengeance during the second half.)

And just like that race day was here. 

Race Day

Like the Oakland half, I would not have the luxury of walking from my apartment to the starting line. Having learned from previous experiences, I also knew that taking the BART would not be an option this early in the morning.

I debated between driving myself using a GIG car and or calling an Uber, with my primary concerns being the price, and whether or not I would be able to physically drive myself back following the race.

In the end, I decided to go with Uber and was thrilled to see the $70+ price of the nearest car. (It ended up costing around ~$140 round trip, which is almost equal to the entry fee of the race, but the show must go on.)

As always, and mostly out of fear from the previous two races, upon arrival, I headed straight to the bathroom. Since there wasn’t as big of a line this time, I ended up stopping at least around 4 times before the race began. (You might think this is overkill, but you haven’t been on the battlefield like I have.)

With the race happening at the start of the summer, I anxiously watched the sun grow brighter despite it still being early in the morning. In previous races, at least for the first half of the race, I had the marine layer to protect me from the sun. This time, however, the sun had followed me from home determined to not make this an easy race for me.

Eventually, I arrived at the starting line and began to mentally lock in. Before long the voice of Whitney Houston singing the Star Spangled Banner yet again filled the air (again two is a coincidence, but three is a pattern). After the booming sound of cheers and chants settled down, they began to count us down. 3, 2, 1, we were off.

Despite the glaring sun, the start of the race proceeded relatively smoothly. While the hills were not as steep as those in Berkeley, I did find myself having to push a bit harder. After the first few miles, however, I was hit with a sudden wave of fatigue.

Was it the sun? What I ate last night? There were so many factors running through my head to explain why I was feeling this way. Compared to the previous races, I had to push myself significantly hard to keep what I thought was the usual pace.

At this point, I remember coming to terms that this was going to be one of my off days and not to expect too much from the results. I went back from wanting to look and feel like one of the pros, to simply aiming to finish the race on my own two feet and not in the back of an ambulance.

I remember rounding a corner on the last mile of the race, running the slowest I had ever felt, and fighting the urge to start walking. (This must have been a popular spot for racers to struggle at because conveniently, there were multiple photographers stationed at this one location.)

Being that I also had paid for the photo package, I put on my biggest smile and ran my most confident strides, doing my best to hide the visible tears forming in my eyes.

Finally, there it was. The finish line. I used the last of my strength to pick up the pace, knowing it would all be over soon. Just like that race three of the challenges were completed. 

All the pain and doubt I had quickly left my body was when I was handed the medal. Knowing it was only a matter of time before my body gave out, I took a quick picture with my medal, grabbed my bag, and immediately called yet another $70+ Uber home. 

Ultimately, while I felt as if I was running with an unused pair of legs at the beginning, I ended up shaving around 2 minutes off my previous time. Even though I felt terrible, the training had paid off and things could only get better from here.

Feeling the high of having scraped by not one, but three half-marathon medals, I decided to put my endurance and love for the sport to the test. The next race offered a new challenge, in that it was the first race in which the farthest distance was not a half marathon, but a full. 

After taking a few days to recover, I yet again opened the Nike Run Club App and started a training plan. Scrolling through the plan I quickly realized what I had committed to and the long road that lay ahead of me. 

With the great mountain standing before me, I did the only thing I knew to do. Tie my shoelaces extra tight and run the race before me.

Thank you for making it this far! I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic so feel free to comment below or email me at funemployedera@gmail.com. If you are interested, I also host InMyFunemployedEra, a podcast where I discuss similar topics. Thanks again for reading and until next time. Take Care!

Be sure to check out my experience with the other races in the challenge: Berkeley Half Marathon, Oakland Half Marathon