Category: BibRave

Best Dam Race

Disclaimer: I am promoting Run Laughlin as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Ever run a race in 2 states?

How about 2 times zones?

I first heard about Run Laughlin about 2 years ago. It first jumped out at me because it was one of the places we would vacation or drive by as a child. If there was a lake nearby, odds are we spent some time there at some point. It sounded like a great trip for me and my dad for memory lane but I couldn’t make it work with my schedule for 2016. Boo. Sadly, it’s not in the pocketbook in 2017 either- but I can dream right?

LAUGHLIN

I mean the race boasts views of Lake Mojave, the Colorado River, the Heritage Trail, the Davis Dam and the Black Mountains. Lake Mojave and the Colorado River take me right back to childhood- I grew a up a lake baby- swimming before I could walk. Family vacations were spent in Nevada and Arizona but I haven’t been back in years. More like decades. 😛

The race starts and finishes in Laughlin, Nevada but miles 8 and 9 take you over the Davis Dam… and into Arizona. How cool is that? And because Arizona remains on Mountain Standard Time all the time- the time on your watches and phones may get screwy. While I think this is equally cool- the mileage data nerd in me wonders what it does to your mile splits? 🤔 But it gives you an awesome story to tell!

Even better- if you are looking for a last minute half marathon PR for 2017- this course boasts a net elevation drop of 433′. Now there’s a good hill in the beginning but that just makes things fun right?

Dang, now I wish I was running this even more. Hmmmmm.

Want to run it? Use BIBRAVE20 to save 20%! Then tell me all about it!

Where did you vacation as a kid?

2017 City to the Sea 13.1 Recap

What do you do when need to run a long run and need the motivation to get up early? Sign up for a race!

Let’s count the things that did not go like planned-

Had stomach issues on Saturday but hoped they would go away by race morning.
It didn’t, it was even worse. To the point where I had a complete change in wardrobe plans. If I could have run in a dress I would have. I needed the least amount of pressure possible.
Ran in a skirt I haven’t worn in 2 years, probably qualified as something new on race day. Ditto to the Camelbak I decided to use.
I was late leaving the house, then spent too much time at a Chevron station using the facilities due to above mentioned GI issue.
Lost one of the zip ties for the timing chip. Found it again after tearing apart car.
Strolled up to the start with 3 minutes to spare.
Ran the race on Zero calories.
With my back issues, I was thinking this would be slower than long run pace. My parents were meeting me at the finish line- I told them over a 2:30 finish.

And yet-

Miles 1-4 9:38, 9:39, 9:44, 9:58

The race starts off downhill so I figured the first few miles would be my fastest but I had been thinking high 10’s. Mile 1 clocked in and I remember thinking “what the hell legs? We can’t maintain that”. Then mile 2 took freakin’ forever. I’ve run this course 5 times and I couldn’t figure why the hell it was taking so long so I finally looked at my watch. Mile 2.86. Oh I missed the mile marker, good to know I am not crazy. I was trying to not look at my watch but I knew my legs were still running a pace they had no business running. My friend Bix came up behind a little after mile 3. We chatted a bit before she pulled ahead a little after mile 4. I had to crash soon right?

Miles 5-8 10:20, 10:44, 11:13, 9:34

Mile 5 starts a long slow climb which I like as it loosens up any leg tightness I may have. I also took my first walk break as my back gave a tiny twinge. Mile 6 saw lots of walking as those stupid stomach issues came rearing back. Are you kidding me?!?! The last aid station at mile 4 and the next one wasn’t until past mile 7. I also was suddenly surrounded by people. What the hell? It was the 2:15 pace group. Wait, I was in front of the 2:15 pace group for 6 miles? What year is this? 2015? 😛 They pulled ahead but I kept them in my sights until the bigger hill on mile 7- more walking thanks to a cranky back. I wasn’t worried as I knew there was a downhill coming and I love downhills. As you can see by that mile 8 up there.

Miles 9-11 10:48, 12:34, 10:26

Catching up to the pace group was short lived. I lost them on the Bob Jones Trail. I was slowing down but what else do you expect when your longest run in 2 months has been 8 miles? I ran on the dirt on the side of the trail hoping it would lessen some of the pavement pounding but by mile 10- the biggest hill- my back was very not happy. I walked a lot and it shows in my mile time. I tried to stretch it out as I walked. Mile 11 was pretty good actually but I felt like I was crawling.

Miles 12-13.1 10:51, 11:40

Come on back, I’m so close! 2 miles to go! Run til I feel a twinge, walk it out, repeat. Ran alongside a woman for a bit, we commiserated over pains. She was having Plantar issues. She pulled ahead. Finally I hit mile 13 and all I had left was the longest .1 ever. Seriously- I swear this .1 is longer than any other race I have other run.

Finish- 2:18:59

How, now? Under trained, messed up back, hot mess of a morning and I finish my fastest race in 2 years? In fact, my fastest race since City to the Sea 2015? How does that even make sense? I just decided to let my legs and back fight it out. I took my head out of the equation.

Maybe I need to try that more often? 😛🙂

#SKINSorNOTHING

Disclaimer: I received a pair of A400 Compression Shorts from SKINS to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

I normally try to come up with catchy titles for my reviews but nothing can really top their own hashtag. 😀

When the chance came up to test compression shorts from SKINS, I was excited. The brand I was wearing no longer made the style I owned and my pair was getting a little ragged. The weather here was staying pretty warm so shorts would be fine for a few months.

The website has a handy little size calculator which I took advantage of but I was still a little concerned when the shorts seemed really small upon arrival. Then a little more concerned when they seemed snug around my calves when pulling them on. Ummm, my thighs are bigger than my calves, how is this going to work? Surprisingly well- the material is like magic! Silky soft and stretchy but tight in the right places. How do they do that?

Ok, let’s get technical-

Innovative ADAPTIVE Technology keeps you warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot
A-Seams for comfort and durability without chafing
360 degree reflectivity
Lower rise sits comfortably on the hips
Easily accessible waistband pocket
Wider waistband for comfort

Dynamic Gradient Compression

SKINS most advanced compression technology increases muscle oxygenation, stabilizes active muscles and reduces blood lactate build up, to enhance performance and speed up recovery time.

Now, I am a big fan of compression so what did I think of these?

They were longer than I thought they would be. They felt a little snug on the first run- maybe too snug. Either that I was just now realizing how badly my last pair had worn out. After a few miles my legs felt great. That was the only time the legs felt too tight. Every other time has been golden. I’ve worn them for short runs, almost every long run since (dang laundry issues!) and my trail race. In fact, the only parts of my body that didn’t hurt post trail race with all its’ hills were the parts covered by the shorts. Coincidence? Probably not.

I feel like the longer my run the better my legs feel in them. My upper legs have felt great on my long runs lately. I credit the shorts because the rest of me is falling apart.😛

I wash them after each run and they’ve held up great so far. I do line dry them. But I line dry 80% of my clothing so that’s no big deal.

My one gripe is the waist. If you check the data I pulled from the website up there⬆️ it says “lower rise sits… on hips”. Umm, not so much. At least not for me. The shorts go up to my rib cage. That is high people! Now I don’t know if I just have an odd shaped torso or if I need a smaller size. I honestly don’t think I could fit into a smaller size but maybe I’m wrong? Maybe I should try folding down the waist band. We’ll see.

Waist height aside, I kind of love these shorts. 🙂

Check out more opinions- some people tested the full pants-

Lindsey— Jessica

Want your own? Use code BIBRAVE20 to save 20%.

What do you run in?

Kick the Dust Up

Disclaimer: I received a pair of Horizon RTT from Under Armour to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!”

Surprisingly enough, dirt and trails are a few of a my favorite things. I say surprisingly because in some ways I am a huge germophobe and if I’m not in running gear, odds are high that I’m in a dress and heels. Get me on a trail though and I turn into a 5 year old and run free. Sometimes a little too free but that’s another story.

When I had the chance to try the Horizon RTT’s from Under Armour, I almost jumped for joy. My current trail shoes were trashed and it had been way too long since I had run recklessly down a mountain. I needed it. Then they arrived and they were so pretty. But hopefully they wouldn’t stay that way for very long, I wanted to get them good and dirty.

Ok, let’s cover the technical details first-

Ok, first impressions.

This is a serious shoe. So much sturdier than my previous trail shoes. How was that going to feel on my feet? Ok, where’s the dirt? 😀 My first run in them was a couple laps around the lake. Not bad, nice traction, good grippy feel, I never felt like I was going to skid out in the loose dirt.

Next adventure- 3 Bridges Preserve, a new trail with a little more zig-zag up than I was expecting. 😛 The shoes felt good, kept me sure footed on the path and helped me explore a little more of what run town has to offer.

Other adventure- An unexpected illness turned a planned Bishop’s Peak hike/run into a calmer ocean trail adventure where I took the shoes over paved paths, hard packed sand, sandy dunes, boardwalk, gravel and roads. No problems at all. And something else I noticed that day? This hike was done with my mother and she had just purchased a new pair of trail shoes that day. Her shoes and socks were full of dune sand when she took them off but mine weren’t!

Overall, I wore the shoes for about 20+ miles of mixed routes and surfaces since I received them. Full disclosure, that unplanned sickness kept me from testing them in my favorite way. My favorite part of trail running is careening wildly down a mountain side in a barely controlled fashion. Yes, people usually look at me like I am crazy but I love it. I need a trail shoe that grips tight so I can run free. Being sidelined kept me from 2 planned mountains. Boo. So as soon as I can run crazily down a mountain, I’ll be back with an add on to this review. And probably a big smile on my face. 😛

That said, I do have some thoughts on the shoe. While the outsole is great for traction, I feel like it is very stiff on your foot. Now maybe I have just become used to a more cushioned shoe lately thanks to my everyday running shoes. I have a tendency for taking the wrong turn on trails and turning a 5 mile run into 9 or 10 and I think more cushion in the sole would be nice. This can also probably be corrected with a good pair of inserts, I’ve just never had any luck with those. We shall see. However I plan on putting in many more miles in these in the months to come. 😀

Want to hear more? Check out these thoughts by other Bibrave Pros-

Tedrick– Lindsey– Jessica– Casey

How do you run on trails?

Salinas Valley Half Marathon Recap

Disclaimer: I received an entry into the Salinas Valley Half Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

The morning dawned dark and early. With the race starting at the Soledad Mission, I was up early and heading north. After getting a little turned around (all my fault- it was literally straight up the freeway) I arrived early enough to pick up my bib, debate what pack to use and use the port a potties. I had woken to a very angry stomach and had to use the facilities a few times before the race. Lovely. I headed to the start line to the beat of an ipod and an upbeat announcer. The weather had been predicted to start in the 70’s and be in the high 80’s by race end so I was very excited to see a heavy cloud cover that kept the temps about 10* cooler.

Miles 1-3- 10:01, 10:07, 11:04

The course started off nice and flat. Which I appreciated for about 1/2 a mile. My legs were already fussy so by mile 2, I was running in the dirt on the side of the road. If there’s dirt, I will find it. 🙂 My shoelaces on my right shoe came untied in mile 2 as well. I was moving surprisingly faster than I thought I was going to be though. Mile 3 saw my first walk break as well as my shoelaces coming untied again. What gives?! I was enjoying the scenery. We ran past crop fields of Cauliflower and Peas. I was taking pictures while running.

Miles 4-6- 10:44, 11:01, 10:45

Here’s my main gripe- the first water station wasn’t until mile 3.3. For a race in CA in August, I thought that was too far in. I carried a larger bottle of BeachBody with me but I still like water at each station. We started into a little rolling section of the course which was giving me slight downhills which was slightly helping my pace. This was cool because the walk breaks were becoming more regular. My legs were starting to get super stiff though. My brain may have seen the road as slightly rolling but legs were telling me it was flat. I needed a hill!

Miles 7-9- 12:47, 11:59, 10:48

A hill! My legs were thankful, the rest of me not so much. I walked all of it. No shame, I knew this was going to be a slower race so there was no point in making my heart rate go crazy. 🙂 That climb started in 7 into 8 and partly into 9. Honestly it wasn’t even a big one, I just took it easy. The sun had also come out and temp instantly jumped 10*. Yikes! Water! I was still taking in the sights of the course and enjoying the music stations along the course. Then in mile 9, I got a little downhill to enjoy.

Miles 10-12- 11:58, 11:49, 11:36

The sun was shining in full force which made the scenery awesome but did no favors for my pace. I started rocking out. Literally. We came upon a hill the race calls the “Beast of Eden” and I ran up it playing an air guitar the whole way. It was also the only hill I ran up. 😛 I then sang and played an air guitar or drums for the next 3 miles. I gave thumbs up to race photographers (which actually turned out to be a terrible picture). There was a strawberry station at mile 10.2 and while they looked amazing, my stomach was starting to cramp up and I passed on them in fear of a repeat of the morning.

Mile 13- 11:42

Ok, I was done. I felt like this mile took 20 minutes. The finish line was never getting closer. I was hot, thirsty and tired. We ran past the buses to take us back to the start and man they looked tempting. I was walking so much. We turned left but still no finish line. Just an uphill. Waah. I was walking towards the last little turn to the finish and the announcer called me out! Seriously! Just make it obvious when I start running. Thanks dude.

Finish 2:28:44

Considering how I thought this race was going to go, hell yeah! If the sun had stayed away, I think I may have been about 5 minutes speedier. It warmed up really fast once the sun came out and I wish there had been another water station or 2. I drank water at every station and had my bottle. Once across the finish line, I downed a chocolate milk and a bottle of water. Normally drinking that much that fast would have me feeling very ill but I felt fine. Like I said, it was kind of warm those last miles.

Overall, I really enjoyed the race. It was kind of nice to go into a race mostly relaxed and barely even glance at my watch. I enjoyed the backroads, and the crop signs and Steinbeck were an added touch, The only thing I would change is more water stations.

Half marathon #27 done. 😀