My History with the OC Half Marathon

I will be running half marathon #21 next week! I have never actually "raced" this half and it always seems to be that way. When I ran the OC Half Marathon back in 2012, it was a comeback race for me after a hamstring injury so I ran it very cautiously and finished right under 2 hours.

In 2013, I speed walked/ran the half marathon with my friend Caroline who was injured at the time. Speed walking is no easy task let me tell you. I don't think I have ever been so sore in all of my life after a race. The weather was perfect that day and I am glad I made the decision to stick with her because for me running isn't always about a personal PR or goal. 

I did not run the OC Half Marathon in 2014 but I will be back to run it again this year. In 2015, I find myself in a similar situation once again. I have been having issues with hip bursitis and a knee cyst so it is kind of hit and miss. My hip seems to stay happy as long as I do my exercises and keep the pace easy on longer runs. It really gets me down sometimes because I am not sure if this is going to be something that I will just have to deal with long term or if it will go away. Maybe I am just getting old but as long as I can run I am grateful. It is tough at times but I know that I have to stay positive and optimistic.

Keeping a 9:00 pace or under on longer runs seems to be the key to keeping my body parts in check but it gets tough sometimes because I feel like I have the energy to run faster. It is not worth the consequences for the days to come so I have to run smart. I would love to run this race and give it my all but I don't think I can do that right now. Being out on the race course gives me a boost of energy and adrenaline that I don't get on my training runs. I can't lie. I know I will be tempted. My last long run went pretty well. The weather was perfect and my mental game was where it needed to be. The last five miles of my run were the best and my confidence level was lifted enough for me to feel like I can run my 21st half marathon.

Pace has not been my reason to run lately. I have kind of putting that on the back burner for now and I am just feeling grateful that I can run. You have to keep things in perspective during these times. If you have ever been injured, you know what it is like to not be able to run at all, right? I don't have a race plan for Sunday. I think that would just be too overwhelming for me right now. What I can tell you is that I will finish the race and I will run with my heart and be thankful that to be out there. I am really excited about my second Beach Cities Challenge medal that I will earn on top of the medal for just running the half marathon! Race bling always gets me excited!

Who else is running the OC Half/Full? 

Beach Cities Challenge?

12/16/14: Las Vegas Rock "n" Roll Half Marathon

We really enjoyed the race because it was our way of celebrating our 15th anniversary. We were looking forward to the little getaway even if it was just for a few days. We arrived in Vegas on Saturday afternoon and headed over to the expo right at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

We picked up our bibs and quickly found the KT Tape booth. He got his calf and ankle taped and I got my knee taped. We were both kind of a mess so this made life a little bit easier.  I will talk about that topic later. Overall the expo was an easy and fast pick up and very organized.

We had originally signed up to run the full marathon but my other half changed his mind. We tried to change to the half a few weeks before the race but they told us to just run the half and the timing chip would automatically pick us up as running the half. It did so I guess it works. 

This was my first night race and it was a different experience. I wasn't sure how to fuel before the race so we had lunch around 11:30 am, had a small snack in between and then ate bananas right before the race started at 4:30 pm. 

It was cold at the start. We had to take a potty break at Mile 3 because we were cold. It was also a little windy at times during the race. 

There were like 4o corrals and they counted each one of them down and released them one at a time. We started in corral 14 so it took us about 20 minutes to cross the start. By Mile 3, we were pretty warmed up and we ended up taking off our jackets for the remainder of the race. The course has a small incline from Mile 9 to the finish so I slowed down a bit because I was worried about my knee. We kept a 10:00 pace for most of the race and that felt comfortable. 

The course was pretty crowded the entire time. We were weaving around runners the entire time and I was surprised at how many people who started in the same corral as we did were actually walking. It made it difficult for others. I am not sure why people do not start in the correct corral. The time went by really quickly because the course is never boring. Most of the race is on the strip and there is lots of lights, lots of crowd support and bands for entertainment. 

My other half did really well. He never walked like he thought he was going to need to do and he felt strong the entire time. I think he could have done better without me but I told him that I didn't want to push it because of the knee pain that I have been dealing with for the past few weeks. My knee felt good the entire race but I grabbed some ice for my knee at the finish because I was afraid that if I didn't I was going to be in trouble.

The snacks at the finish line were great. They gave chocolate milk (my favorite post race drink), Gatorade, pretzels, beer, Justin's nut butter, Pure Protein bars and bananas. The food wasn't bagged so it was hard to carry it all if you didn't have a bag.

We finished in 2:13:22 and I was very grateful to have been able to run this race. My other half doesn't care about time so we were really able to enjoy this race. The medal is nice and heavy and I think it even glows in the dark. The race was well organized and had plenty of water stops, porta potties and course entertainment. We would definitely run the half marathon again but I am not sure if I would enjoy running this full marathon at night because a large portion of the marathon course is off of the strip and I heard it gets dark and lonely out there. 

It was about a 4 mile walk back to our hotel and it was cold. I was really glad that I decided to run in pants and not my shorts. I would have froze on the way back to the hotel had we not stopped at a Starbucks for a little break. I think the hot shower I took after the race was one of the best showers ever!

Have you ever ran a night race?

Do you run with your significant other?

My Plan for the Ventura Marathon

When I first talked about my running plans for the summer I knew that I wanted to run the Ventura Marathon or Half Marathon since it takes place on my birthday. I didn't want to put any pressure on myself and I just wanted to enjoy my run since it will be a while before a race falls on my birthday again. 

For the past few weeks I have been dealing with pain in my left hip. It never hurts while I run but seems to be sore the next morning. I self diagnosed myself with hip bursitis so I took nine days off from running to see if it would get better. I have been faithfully doing these exercises at home twice a day. I decided to go for an easy 6 miles run on Monday since I needed to make a decision by Tuesday and still had some minor soreness. I also saw my doctor on Tuesday and he confirmed that I have a case of hip bursitis. 

The good thing is that I have already been doing the exercises he recommended and taking anti-inflammatory meds so I am a already a lot better. He told me that I should not run as long as I feel the pain which is what I expected he would say. The words that us runners hate to hear!

My deadline to defer my race was Tuesday so I had to make a decision or take my chances and lose my money. I honestly felt like I could still run the race if I ran at any easy pace which was my original plan to begin with. After much thought and listening to the advice of others, I decided to defer my entry to 2015 because it is the smart thing to do. I have to listen to my body and think of how this will affect me long term. I also have to practice what I preach. I still have my heart set on running Long Beach with my friend in four weeks so I need to focus on getting better for that race. I already have a 20 miler under my belt so I think I can pull it off if I allow myself to heal. My doctor thinks that I should be feeling 100% in the next week or so since I already took some time off.

So if you are running Ventura I won't be out there running in my birthday outfit. I won't have a chance to run a race that falls on my birthday for quite a few years so that is kind of disappointing. I think I am at peace with my decision and am grateful that I am already feeling a lot better. I am a little sad that this is my second DNS for 2014. I almost feel like I am jinxed but hopefully this is the start to something even better for me.

Have you ever ran a race on your birthday?

Citrus Heritage Half Marathon: 1/11/14

This was an inaugural race and half marathon #17 for me! I am always a sucker for inaugural races but that is not the main reason why I chose to run this race. I chose it because I wanted to celebrate Caroline's 45th birthday by doing one of the things that we both love...RUNNING of course! 

Not only was it an inaugural race but it was pretty close to home. No hotel needed and same day bib pick up which is always a plus! My other friend Megan also registered for the race so I had to do it! My only hopes for this race was NO WIND! Last week's half marathon was pretty crazy with the strong headwinds!

We arrived for bib pick up around 7:00 am and there was no line at all. They gave out long sleeve tech shirts to the half marathoners which was pretty nice. Since the race started in a park, they actually had real bathrooms. There were no lines, they were clean and they even had toilet paper! 

I met up with Caroline, Megan and Suzanne shortly before the start and we made Caroline wear a "Another Year of Fabulous" sash since it was her 45th birthday and her 25th half marathon. Pretty impressive woman if you ask me!

The national anthem was sang and then we were off. I was thinking that I was running a fast and flat course but not so much.

After last week's windy race, I was hoping that I would be able to run a better race this week since the weather conditions were much better. This race I did something that I have never done before and it was pretty hard for me. I ran this race by feel. I did wear my Garmin but I set it to distance only and never checked my pace. 

I really liked the course. It started at Arlington Heights Sports Park and then took the runners through Citrus State Historic Park and through the orange grove areas of Riverside. It was not an easy course for me but it was very pretty and mixed things up. There were times when we were running on asphalt, then on dirt and mud through the orange groves, then on trail, then rolling hills, and then some flat surfaces. The uphill parts of the course were not brutal but the uphill finish was. That was a first for me!

I started out faster than I should have but since I was not looking at my watch I had no idea. I am really bad at knowing my pace without looking at my Garmin. I kind of felt that I was pushing it a little too much for the first mile so I slowed down a bit. I am glad I did.

Mile 1: 7:51
Mile 2: 8:15
Mile 3: 8:16
Mile 4: 8:14

I met another runner on the course around Mile 5 by the name of Norm and we started chatting about running. I stayed with him until Mile 8 and then he took off and left me on the downhill mile. He was a little bit older than me but swore we were in the same age group! Norm's best half marathon time is 1:39 so obviously I could not hang with him for very long! I don't think he was wearing a GPS watch because he kept asking me what pace we were running and I had to keep reminding him that I was not looking at my pace. Miles 5-8 were the hardest since they were not flat and they just kept gradually climbing so I am glad that I had some company.

Mile 5: 8:37
Mile 6: 8:23
Mile 7: 8:56 
Mile 8: 8:55 

GU was handed out at Mile 8 which was the end of the slow uphill climb. I think I backed off way too much on Miles 7 and 8 and had I looked at my Garmin this probably would not have happened. Mile 9 was all downhill and I took advantage of it and ended up passing quite a few runners who were ahead of me. 

Mile 9: 7:42
Mile 10: 8:18
Mile 11: 8:23

I had to refill my water bottle around Mile 11 so I lost a little bit of time there. The last two miles were one long stretch to the Finish Line. My legs were a little tired but I knew that the race was almost over and I had to keep my mind in it. As I was gathering my thoughts to finish the last mile, I was told by a race volunteer that I was the 7th place female overall. I wasn't sure if I heard her correctly or not but just the thought of it was enough to keep my legs going so I pushed myself to stay with it!

Mile 12: 8:09
Mile 13: 8:10
.10: 6:59

With one mile left in the race, I spotted the arch of balloons sitting at the top of a hill. Yes, the finish was uphill! There was a slight downhill and then a slight uphill to the finish. I told myself to pick it up a little on the downhill and try to maintain the same pace going back up. I was able to hold on and I gave it all that I had to the finish with the last .10 at a 6:59 pace!

My official time was 1:48:48 (8:18 pace) which is about 20 seconds faster than the half marathon that I ran last week. I was also the 7th overall female out of 241 and 36th overall out of 857 runners. Gotta love these small races!!

The weather was great for this race but the course was definitely more challenging! My calves were sore the next day which is always a sign that I ran a good race.

Isn't the medal super cute? My son was not impressed with the medal but was more impressed that the Bat Mobile made an appearance!

Have you ever ran a race by how you feel?

Anybody else race this weekend? 
I saw lots of posts on Instagram about the Dopey Challenge!
They made 48.6 miles look like a lot of fun!

Camarillo Half Marathon: 1/5/14

My first race of 2014 is done! My motivation has been lacking lately so I signed up for this race in hopes of finding my mojo again. I almost thought that this race was not going to happen since I has some strange knee pain the night before. I stepped out of my car and felt a sharp pain in my knee and it was not pretty. I iced my leg in my hotel room, took some Advil and said my prayers. I was feeling pretty disappointed since I did not want to start the year out with an injury. Thankfully I woke up pain free on Sunday morning with hopes of running the race.

The race did not start until 7:15 am and we stayed in a hotel that was a couple of miles away from the start. I set my alarm for 5:30 am and headed to the start around 6:15 am. It was about 40 degrees at the start so we decided to wait it out in the car. The parking lot was really close to the start so we waited until 6:45 am to hit up the bathrooms. There were a total of four porta potties and the line was pretty long. They did have some "real" bathrooms as well since the race started at a park. 

The course is flat and fast but the problem is that it was extremely WINDY! I think someone posted on Facebook that the gusts were 24-35 mph! Not fun! Most of the race was windy and when the runners caught a break it did not last for long. I would love to run this course less the winds since I think it would be a great PR course. The marathon is a double loop of the half marathon course so I really have respect for those who ran the full marathon.

The first mile was a test of my knee to make sure that it was going to hold up. I already had my mind set on turning back if I felt any pain. From the smile on my face, you can see that I was grateful to be running without the knee pain.

Mile 1: 8:16
Mile 2: 8:06
Mile 3: 8:26 Windy!
Mile 4: 8:27 Windy!
Mile 5: 8:01
Mile 6: 8:04

My goal for this race was to average an 8:35 pace and I did accomplish that but not without a struggle. The part that sucks is that I was able to run at a decent pace when there were no headwinds so I think I could have done a lot better... less the winds that is. My knee felt fine but my IT band started to bother me around Mile 9 and then I went into survival mode. I am busy nursing my IT band back to health with lots of icing and foam rolling.

Mile 7: 8:13 Windy
Mile 8: 8:01
Mile 9: 8:30 Windy!
Mile 10: 8:39 Windier!

The last 1.5 miles were horrible and water cups were flying everywhere. No matter how hard I pushed, my pace was slowing down and I felt like I was running hills!

Mile 11: 8:06
Mile 12: 8:25 Windy!
Mile 13: 8:51 Windiest! I thought I was going to blow away!
.12: 7:38

I tried to pick it up in the end but I was pretty tired from battling the winds and I think they won! I finished in 1:49:07 which was good enough for 6th in my age group out of 52. A female won the race in a time of 2:52:43 and the results also showed that a 99 year old woman ran the half marathon in 2:15:05. I doubt that is true since the race director didn't mention it but but I did see the first place female out there and she was kicking some serious butt!

I know that every race will not be a perfect one so with that thought in mind, I am hoping that my next race will be a better one. It doesn't a have to be a PR but just a good run! Having said that, I will be running another half marathon this Saturday to celebrate a birthday with this wonderful lady who will be turning 22.5 for the second time!

Divas Half Marathon: 12/8/13

I love to end the year with a fun race where I don't have to worry about time or put any pressure on myself. I was not planning on running this race but it kind of came together at the last minute and it was my close friends first race back since her husband passed away on September 5th. I wanted to be there to support her because I knew that it was going to be tough for her since he would not be there on the sidelines to cheer her on as he always did.

This was an inaugural race and not too far from my house which is always a plus. The course was flat and fast and probably a great course to PR if you like this type of course. The only time the course was not flat was when we crossed over a freeway overpass and it was not bad at all. We had to go over it twice since the course is an out and back. The course was well marked and there were lots of staff and police out on the course. There was not much course entertainment except for a few DJ's playing music and a cheer squad from a local high school.

The race started the Ontario Convention Center so the runners were able to use the "real" bathrooms inside the Convention Center and keep warm until the race started. This was indeed the coldest race that I have ever ran. It was about 37 degrees at the start and I was a little worried about how my body would respond to the cold. 

 

I wore pants and a long sleeved shirt with a tank underneath and I did not take my shirt off until Mile 10. Normally, any layers are off by the first mile because I warm up really quickly when I am running. We all wore matching pink tutus which made it really fun! We all planned on staying together for the entire race with no set pace in mind.

Around Mile 2, I noticed that my friend was not with us and she had dropped back. We did not see her until the first turn around and she was quite a ways behind us. I told the others to go ahead because I was going to wait for her at the next water stop since I was not sure if she was going to be okay on her own. She spotted me at the water stop and from this point on, it was just the two of us. She had her music on so we did not talk much but I was entertained by all of the pink and cute costumes out on the course. The course is not a very scenic one but since it is close to the mountains you do have that view for most of the race. I also spotted Linz from See Sharp Run around Mile 6 and asked him to pose for a photo.

We saw the rest of the our pack at a turn around near Mile 9 and we cheered each other on. They were pretty excited to see us as you can see.

 

Mile 12 was the roughest mile for my friend because she knew that her husband was not going to be waiting for her at the finish line. She wanted to quit but I encouraged her find the strength to finish the race for him and she did. 

 

We finished the race together and waited for the others to come in. We finished in about 2:02 and my other friends all finished within a few minutes of us.

There were lots of fun things at the finish including crowns, tiaras, roses, sparking apple cider and of course medals which were handed out by muscular men  in jeans with no shirts!

 

I am not sure how those poor guys were surviving out there in just there jeans because it was only 45 degrees at the finish! We took lots of fun photos together and I have to say that it was a very well organized race. I would definitely run this race again..in pink and a tutu that is!

 How often do you run races just for fun?

Anybody else run a race this weekend?