Race #4 of the 52@52 challenge is officially done, and this one was a pure “from home” adventure – half planning, half improvisation, and 100% proof that gym work and stretching are becoming my new best friends.

Route from home

For this race, instead of driving somewhere special, the plan was simple: leave from home and stitch together 21.1 km of calm streets and pretty spots using RunGo, the route-planning app that lets you design and follow custom runs with turn‑by‑turn directions. The original idea was a mix of quiet neighborhoods and green stretches, but mid‑run I spotted a more interesting shortcut under the highway and decided to ignore the script and stick closer to the Penitencia Creek Trail, a mostly paved parkway that follows the creek across San José neighborhoods toward the eastern edge of the valley.​

Penitencia Creek Trail vibes

Following Penitencia Creek turned out to be one of the highlights of the day, with a mix of urban views, creekside sections, and park areas that made the “just running from home” plan feel like a mini city‑to‑nature escape. The trail itself is part of a larger network in the area and is known as a linear parkway that passes through green spaces like Penitencia Creek Gardens and Penitencia Creek Park, which added some very welcome scenery breaks in the middle of the half marathon distance.​

Solo run & audiobook – a great mix

Unlike some of the earlier races in this challenge, this time there was no running buddy and no action video – just a solo run, a GPS line, and plenty of time to enjoy the route. To keep the mind busy while the legs did their thing, I spent most of the run listening to the NOS4A2 audiobook by Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son), a creepy, imaginative horror story that has a very interesting chronological mixed narrative. When running solo, audiobooks like this have become the perfect trick to avoid getting anxious about the remaining distance: instead of counting kilometers, I just follow chapters and scenes until suddenly the watch says “half marathon done.”​

Stretches – I’m not 20 anymore

The big good news: that annoying leg pain from races #2 and #3 did not show up in full force this time. Around kilometer 18, there was a slight sensation in the old trouble spot, but it stayed more in the “I remember you” category rather than actual pain, and from that point on traffic lights became stretch breaks where a few extra movements helped keep everything happy – suddenly red lights weren’t so bad anymore. The recent addition of new strength exercises at the gym is probably part of the reason for this improvement, and the message going forward is clear: keep doing the exercises, add more stretching, and accept that the body now requires a bit more maintenance than in the “I’m still a kid” phase.

Tracking and stats

For anyone who loves diving into maps and numbers, the full tracking for Race #4 is available on all the usual suspects: Garmin Connect shows the detailed activity with distance, pace, and splits; Komoot displays the route in a more adventure‑style format; and Strava has the social layer with kudos waiting. All three capture this home‑start, creek‑side, audiobook‑powered half‑marathon #4 in the 52@52 journey.​