#notmyshoes: A Rock 'n Roll San Diego Recap

Rock 'n Roll San Diego

May 31, 2015 | San Diego

I know some of you were very closely following the #notmyshoes shenanigans via my Instagram on Sunday morning, so finally… the full story.

I worked all day Saturday, so had my bags packed (at 5 am, mind you) and ready to go to hit the road to San Diego after work. Doug’s sister brought him out my way off the 15 freeway, so we could head straight down the 15 from there. We got checked into the Courtyard Marriott, which was just 1.5 miles from the start line and less than a mile from the finish. I normally cringe at paying such a rate, but for the ease of things, I thought it was well worth it (and, as this story continues, they were well worth it!). We got into San Diego just about 8 pm. I was bummed to have missed the entire expo, but you know… paychecks call. We stayed near the Gaslamp District, so grabbed dinner at the Hard Rock Café. Funny story: all I had grabbed was my debit card and my phone, but at the last minute tried ordering a drink – because of all the guests in town, they were super strict on checking IDs so the manager came to apologize that he couldn’t give me a drink because I didn’t have my ID with me. #babyfaceproblems He offered dessert instead - I mean, that's still a win in my book.

I was so tired from 13 hours of work that I pretty much passed out once we got back to the hotel, given a 5:20 alarm clock and all. I needed to get up to the start line well before the 6:50 half marathon gun time since I had to pick up my bib still and get situations. I also hoped to find Michael, Carlee, Brian and some of the #WeRunSocial folks so I could say hi to them all!

Alarm goes off… and I slowly get up, get moving, get dressed. I put my socks on and am starting to put my shoes on when I notice they’re laced differently (we had tried this method recently on my current pair of Brooks) – one had come unlaced?! No… I had grabbed TWO LEFT SHOES. I have two pairs of Brooks Pure Connects in the same color, so… I had grabbed two shoes and assumed they were the newest pair. Not correct. “Babe!” I yell. Doug stirs…

“BABE!” and he springs up and all I can say is, “I’m not running today…”

“What? Why not?”

*pouts* “I brought two left shoes…”

“Wait, what, how?”

And then I just throw my arms down in total defeat and pout and start to cry a little. I’ve never DNSed a half, and my only DNS ever is a 5K… not now, please not now.

Thankfully, Doug is often the brain for the two of us, so he starts to think… what stores are open at 5:45 am on a Sunday? Walmart… nearest is a mile away, but turns out it’s only a Neighborhood Market. CVS and Rite Aid are around the corner, surely I could find something. CVS has flip flops, Rite Aid is closed. And then I just stand in the middle of the street, trying not to cry as all these runners are walking by, heading up to the start line. I’m supposed to be going in that direction…

Doug asks if I just want to wear my Skechers from work and walk the race. “No, now I’m just over it. I just want to go back to the hotel and go back to sleep, and whatever…” So we walk back around the corner to the hotel and Doug suggests that maybe I should ask the hotel front desk if there’s another store or something nearby. I figure, one last opportunity, so why not – Conor’s working the front desk and I (assuming very pitifully), I go up and ask…

“Hey, what’s the chance that the hotel has a store where someone might buy… running shoes? Or a store nearby?”

“Hm… well, we don’t… but there’s a Ross around the – “

“ – they’re closed.”

“Hm… I don’t know… well, I can call housekeeping and see if they have anything left behind?”

So Conor, as I’m in total awe at the genius idea, calls housekeeping but being that it’s 6 am on a Sunday, there’s no one there. So he turns to behind the front desk, opens a cabinet and pulls out a box of lost and found items. He digs for awhile, as I’m holding my breath, and pulls out a large plastic bag. In it? A women’s running jacket and a pair of size 8 Asics. What size am I? You guessed it.

#notmyshoes : maybe Asics are worth a try!

So I’m trying them on, they fit good enough to call it a win and that I at least can get across the finish line and he laughs and says, “They’ve been here since February…but when you’re done, you’ve gotta return them.” That I can do.

Got to two of them! Richard &
Michael. 

I think I was just totally amazed that a) Conor even thought of this idea and b) that in sheer luck, there was a pair of shoes in (generally) my size. Befuddled and seriously just amazed, I said the biggest thank you ever to Conor, said bye to Doug and then took off. I bolted up 6^th Avenue to Balboa Park, grabbed my bib and book up to Corral 2 to try and catch up with some of the crew before we take off. I found them the minute the anthem started, we got a few pictures and boom, like that, I was in corral 2 and off we were! In the hustle of the shoe drama, I left my Garmin in the hotel room. I ran Map My Run, but couldn’t hear a word of it, so I ran as I pleased, walked when I felt like it and had a great freaking time.

I've never gotten do this course and having gone to grad school in San Diego (Go Aztecs!) it was great running in a city I love so much. This course has a ton of amazing course support, great cheer stations and neighborhood love and pretty much everything you could want in a race. The city really comes out in full force to support the runners. Bands were great and certainly pumped me up as much as they could! 

Mile 11 runfie. Duh.

And the shoes? They were awesome. By the end, my toes hurt a little (so maybe I'm an 8.5 in Asics like I am in Brooks) but for what they were, they served their purpose to a tee. 

Doug was waiting at the finish line for me, after he got to knock out a little bit again after the shoe drama, and brought me roses "because I had a rough morning." I'm a lucky girl... and I've never gotten flowers at a finish line (and have always secretly wanted to)! Winner. We hung out for a bit in Petco at the finish line festival but then got hungry, and I needed a nap, before we went on to our afternoon adventures.

And thus... the shoe saga. I can only laugh, as I normally set myself out the night before a race, but honestly I was so tired I probably wouldn't have even noticed then. At least it makes for a good story!

#26 in the books!

Because he's the best ever. <3

Have you ever forgotten your shoes for a race? Or better yet, brought two lefts?