Category: Recap

SLO Ultra 5K Recap

A part of me almost upgraded to the half during the week leading up to this race. Now, I’m so glad I didn’t.

Race morning came and my stomach was being a total asshat. Not too unusual so I just got ready like normal and hit the road. While I drove, I had some ginger mints hoping to calm my stomach. I thought it helped.

The race was held in a combo of El Chorro Regional Park and Dairy Creek Golf Course, parking was across the highway at the community college. It was stressed heavily that we either had to pay for parking during registration or have cash on hand on race morning. I paid during registration. Yet on race morning there no sign of anyone to take cash, so half the runners didn’t pay. Grrr. I ended up talking about it with with a couple. I spoke with a volunteer as I left the lot, chatted with another as we waited to cross the highway. Actually, this was the most I’ve ever talked at a race and some of the friendliest people throughout.

The start was about a mile away and I arrived in time to see the delayed start of the half marathon. Turns out the inflatable arch had a little issue. The 50K had started at 6:30. I got in line to use the port-a-potties which is when I had my sad sunglasses incident. Boo. After some announcements and the National Anthem, we were off and running.

Mile 1-11:07

Oh, god, I’m nauseous, why am nauseous? Where did that come from? And I’m breathing like I’m sprinting but I’m not. What is going on?? The first mile wound up a back road away from the park towards a ranch. It was paved but in poor condition and you were dodging cow dung along the way. It was a tiny incline but all of this would have been fine had I not been feeling like I needed to find a bush to throw up in. I slowed to a walk about 3/4 a mile in and tried to walk it out. I wasn’t upchucking in public!

Mile 2-10:48

More walking. Still nauseated. The road had switched to dirt and the incline picked up a bit. Part way up the road was blocked by a gate- it wasn’t open. We had to climb over it. Single file. Surprise! I think the complete stop I came to while I waited for my turn helped a bit because I picked up the pace on the other side and ran a bit. Then walked a bit, then ran. We had a little downhill and I was able to pass a few of the people who had passed me previously. Truthfully at this point, I didn’t care.

Mile 3-10:46

I’m still not feeling right but I just want to be done. I take water at the one aid station and hustle on. The next 1/4 mile was the “trail-iest” section of the whole race. We climbed a small hill and could see the finish line a ways off- across the golf course. My watch was already at 3 miles. Grrr. I ran past a few people (even sick, I’ll take advantage of any tiny downhill) then it was sidewalk and golf course running to the finish line.

A little boy and I had been playing leap frog for 2 miles- he’d pass me every time I’d walk. We were both powering to the finish and it’s sad that instinct is telling you to win. 😂 I pulled up and let him cross first.

Finish-36.23 Garmin Pace-10:49*3.4 miles Official pace- 11:44

For once in the numerous times I’ve run races by this organization, water and snacks were easy to find at the finish. Yay! I grabbed a bag of salty chips thinking they might help with nausea. I chatted with some other runners and we helped each other take finisher pics. Then I started the trek back to the car.

*I am normally never one to say the course ran long; I know I suck at tangents. However, I really couldn’t go wrong during the first 2 miles and mile 3 was more of a follow the leader with no course markings. Plus, thanks to Strava I know that I am not the only one who measured it long. All the public users did- so I am going to call the course long. Doesn’t change the official pace though, it is what it is.

This wasn’t a bad race. I really wouldn’t call it a “trail” race, I know the other distances were. It wasn’t the great views of last year and I missed those. The organization was better than previous races and the medal is a good one. Bling makes everything better right?😀

Vintner’s 5 Miler Race Recap

Dang those targeted Instagram ads that sneak up on you. I was scrolling my feed one evening when a cute wine bottle shaped medal jumped out at me. I don’t know why- I don’t even drink wine- but I saw that it was in Santa Barbara, fit my training plan, reasonably priced and vineyards usually meant dirt of some sort. So I clicked through and registered.

As race day loomed, I was tired and fussy and wondering why I even registered. They said the proceeds were for the Santa Ynez Valley Aquatic Foundation so maybe they could just use the donation? Then I noticed the winery wasn’t actually in Santa Barbara but Lompoc and spoiler alert- it wasn’t really there either. However I laid out a lazy flat runner and tried to get some sleep for the early morning drive south.

Race morning was actually a bit chilly in home town and made me question my shorts choice. After a little driving shenanigans, we arrived at the race location- Sanford Winery and were directed to parking. Then I had to decide on what shoes to wear. If you’ve never run in an actual vineyard before, they can be a mixed bag. They range from super nice fire road to ankle rolling hellish nightmare. I didn’t know what this was going to be. I wanted the cushion of my Levitates but chose my trail shoes. Smart choice.

Picked up my bib and shirt, used the port a potty and waited for the start. It was around 60 and overcast but at the last-minute I tossed my long sleeve layer to my mother. I normally run cold but something told me I wouldn’t need it. After a few announcements that I couldn’t understand over the spotty PA system, we were off through the winery.

Miles 1-2 10:14, 11:29

Dirt roads- yes! But woah, that is some loose dirt. And what the hell, my shorts just turned into underwear. I’d never had that problem with this pair before. I spent the next mile or so pulling my shorts down every 20 or so yards. It was super humid so my lungs weren’t happy and I was breathing hard but I wasn’t out there to set any records. Mile 1 had the cutest mile marker- a wine barrel with 1 foot painted on it. By mile 2 and the wine barrel with 2 feet on it I figured out the pattern but I am a horrible blogger and failed to take pictures of any of the mile markers.

Mile 3- 15:12

On the upshot, my shorts calmed down and behaved the rest of the race. Downside #1, we started a 300 foot climb. Downside #2- I hit a rock with my bad foot and rolled it in a bad way. Colorful words spilled from my mouth and I slammed to a halt. Then I hobbled my way up and on, trying to make sure that I didn’t step on any more rocks. The route was still mostly dirt path but the rocks were getting bigger. This also made them easier to avoid but I had to focus on where I was landing my feet. What was I thinking running a race?

Miles 4-5 9:36, 10:42

Mile 4 started by running through a barn and for some reason I found a second wind. We had a little bit of a downhill but because my foot was being an asshat I couldn’t really RUN downhill. I was still trying to watch where my feet were landing before they landed and avoid all rocks. As well as check out the cool outbuildings and the scenery in the vineyard as the sun had come out and it looked super pretty. I managed to find another rock coming down a little bump in the last mile and let another string of words fly. A guy running next to me asked if the hill was too steep, I refrained from being a smart ass and replying that it wasn’t even a hill in my opinion and just said I had hurt my foot a few miles back. The last bit of the race had us running literally in between the vines. Oh holy hell of rockiness. There was nowhere to put my feet that didn’t hurt. I damn near walked it but I was so close to being done. As it is, I slowed way down. Finally another few curves and there was the finish line!

Finish-57:44

If we consider this a true trail race- it was my fastest 5 miler by 7 minutes but as it only had 400 ish feet of elevation gain, I am not sure if I do.

Once across the line, there was some confusion. Registration claimed it came with a medal and wine glass for every participant but neither was anywhere to be seen. Now, I downgraded from the festival to just the race so the lack of wine glass was not a huge deal to me but the lack of medal was a little confusing as there had been zero announcements.

I was not the only one confused as evidenced by Facebook comments post race. We eventually received an email that said there had been a delay with the medals and that they would arrive Monday, then the race would be in touch with us after that. However it is now Thursday and that was the last time the race reached out. I have run numerous races with no medals but it’s another thing to say you are going to do something and then not do it.

Communication issues aside, I really did like this race and would consider running it again.

Week 25- Of Heat and Headaches

What’s up party people?

Yah, no, I’m never saying that again.

Last week was a typical work week. I got in a few miles, did some yoga (say what?), probably watched too much TV, probably ate too much food, definitely consumed too much popcorn while watching Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Oh and I Twitter stalked the Western States results. As one does.

Monday- 2.32 miles I headed for the lake path after work hoping that the combo of the dirt trail and the flatness of the loop would be good for my foot. It was a little warm- mid 80’s but I was only out there for a short time so how bad could it be? Good lord, I was sweating so bad in those short 2 miles- what gives? 😛 However, as long as I focused on my form and how I landed on both my ankle and my left foot, it wasn’t a bad run. I was feeling a little encouraged.

Tuesday- Rest I wasn’t going to be stupid though and push it.

Wednesday- Rest I was actually supposed to attend a business mixer after work but I ended up feeling super nauseous and sick to my stomach towards the end of work so I ended up just going home. Which sucked because I was planning on running after the mixer too. However when I got back to town, I realized those plans would have been scrapped anyways as town was blanketed in smoke due to a brush fire on the army base.

Thursday- 3.14 miles It was 60 degrees in work town and 100 in home town, where do you think I ran? Yeah, I never claimed to be a genius. It actually didn’t feel that hot but I tried to be smart and made sure I took walk breaks consistently even if I didn’t feel like I needed them. I also made sure I had plenty of hydration on me. Overall, this was a decent run and I only one odd twinge from my foot.

Friday- Hey, migraine, I didn’t invite you to the party.

Saturday- Yoga My migraine was still an unwanted visitor when I woke up in the morning and it never really eased up. It was another really hot day so I wasn’t going to push it with my head already being on the edge. Instead I started a yoga series in the evening.

Sunday- 5 miles/ yoga Temps in the 80’s felt pretty marvelous after the previous few days. I wasn’t feeling like running though so I kept putting it off. Truthfully I just wanted to take a nap. But I made myself change and lace up my shoes and get out there for a few miles. I told myself to do 3 but I was feeling ok so I ended up doing my neighborhood “easy” 5. I shouldn’t call it that… the hills make it feel the opposite of easy. I later did the second yoga video.

10.5 miles for the week. Well, at least the number is going up and I think my foot is starting to cooperate. Fingers crossed.

How was your week?

2018 Rock n Roll San Diego 13.1

Disclaimer: I received an entry into Rock n Roll San Diego 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!

Last year I loved this race and I jumped at the chance to go back. The course is great, the crowd support was awesome- sign me up! However, I also knew that I was would be one month out of Big Sur, so realistically I had no idea how that would affect me. So I was going in with the only goals of having fun, enjoying the race and crossing that finish line.

I joked in my previous post that with 8 aid stations this would be the race to try running without carrying water however I knew I was too paranoid to actually do that. Except I forgot my flasks. I didn’t figure it out until after the expo so it was too late to buy anything. I thought about carry a plastic bottle but that just didn’t sound appealing to me. Guess I was relying on aid stations after all.

Race morning dawned all too early after a poor night of sleep. I was ready fairly quickly which was surprising as I was having major indecision about what to wear on my bottom half, I settled on my Skirt Sports skirt, made a quick compression sock change and was out the door to meet Kate. I love my hotel because the race morning shuttles pick up 1/2 block down and the finish line is 3 blocks away. Met up with Kate, we boarded a bus and in less than 10 minutes we were at the starting area. We wandered for a bit before getting in a porta potty line. We missed the National Anthem- too noisy- and separated to our corrals after that. I appreciated the new larger corral markers- it made it easier to find mine (17 of 33) but we were still packed in like sardines. I also started to question what the hell I had put down as a finishing time. The 2:15 pace group was in the corral behind me. Say what?! But we steadily made our way up and then we were off!

Miles 1-3 10:17, 10:44, 11:43

I love that there is a man shouting encouragement though a bull horn as we run past .25 mile in. It can pretty crowded in the first few miles but my goal was to just keep my effort steady. I had told my mother that I wasn’t really concerned about my finishing time but in the back of my head, I figured 2:25 ish wouldn’t be too off the mark. However during mile 3 things started to get rough and I realized there was one thing I forgot to take into account- humidity.

Miles 4-7 11:21, 11:03, 11:36, 12:01

I was still running just a lot slower. It was so damn humid. It was mile 4 and the people running near me looking like their shirts could be wrung out. The men running shirtless looked like they just got out of the shower. I happened to pull out my phone to text my mother that is humid- actually I used much more colorful language- and she reminded me to use my inhaler as humidity is one of my asthma triggers. But when I pulled my phone I saw that it showed 80% humidity. What the what? I am used to like 15%. The sun was pounding down on us and I could tell we were all struggling. I texted Kate and told her to be careful. I did all this while running, haha. I was still enjoying the race, I love running through North Park and Normal Heights. Mile 5 also brings us the Wear Blue- Run to Remember section and I like to try and pay more attention in that area.

My strategy was to run everything but walk the entire aid station- getting water and Gatorade at each one as it was offered. Clearly this was not the race to not carry my own water.

Miles 8-10 11:57, 11:49, 12:41

Oh my gawd, I was hot. Temp wise, it wasn’t even hot but the humidity was kicking my butt. I was now taking more time at the aid stations. One cup of Gatorade and one cup water. If the station only offered water, I would get one cup of water at the very beginning, drink it while walking the station slowly, then get another to drink at the end. I took off my hat and dumped water in it before putting it back on. The stations were also struggling to keep up with demand from the runners- in fact I would be surprised if the one at mile 9 lasted the entire race.

I took my first non- aid station walk break around mile 9.5. I just had to. I was starting to feel nauseous. Kind of like I had consumed too much water. Which I coudn’t see how as I wasn’t carrying any and they don’t fill those cups up too full. But I skipped an aid station just before mile 10.

Miles 10-13 111:56, 11:30, 12:22

From then on it was a run- walk to the end. Which is a bummer because I really like the last 3 miles. We come back into Balboa Park, run under the big guitar guy, up a hill past some Taiko drummers, by a golf course, then there’s a sweet downhill that brings you back into the city. I may have been feeling rough but I was still trying to enjoy as much of my surroundings as I could. Then it was through downtown with a slight down hill to the finish-

Finish- 2:33:38

I honestly hadn’t been looking at my watch at all so I had no idea where I was at time wise until after crossing the finish line. That time is fine by me. So fine, I’ve already gone and input my results into Athlinks. 😊

I stood around for a couple moments needing a moment if that makes sense before getting my medal and heading out of the chute. One of the volunteers became my new favorite person as she was handing out bags of ice. I stuck it on my head as I walked to the meeting point to find my mom. I still felt way too hot so I jammed back to the hotel for a cold shower before flying back to the finish line to see Kate. Success.

The weather may not have been my friend but I still love this race and it was only made better with friends out there too. And Kate got a PR!!!!!

What’s your weather nemesis?

Big Sur Marathon Recap

Disclaimer: I received an entry into Big Sur International 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!

Race morning began dark and early. Seriously, setting my alarm for 2:45 the night before had made me want to cry. But, truthfully, I had slept so poorly, that I was awake before my alarm went off. I got up and got ready, popped a Dramamine and we were out the door by 3:40. Thanks to my hotel snafu, my mother had to get up early too and drive me to the bus pick up. Thanks mom!

My bus ticket was pretty specific about the buses leaving by 4:15 but I was in line for almost 30 minutes and didn’t even board a bus until after 4:30. While I was waiting in line, a guy in front of me mowed down a bagel and then a cookie. I realize I am odd in that I don’t eat before races but I still questioned his choices knowing the road we were about to drive on. Once on the bus, I somehow was (un)lucky enough to snag a sit with a wheel well so my knees were in my chest the whole ride. Then I closed my eyes and tried to doze off in an effort to fight off any potential car sickness. I know how windy Highway 1 is, combine that with a school bus and I wasn’t taking any chances. Unlike the man who was chowing down in line who almost lost his cookies 30 minutes into the drive. Once we arrived, we had to walk a ways up the highway to get to the starting area. By the time I tossed my gear bag to the volunteers (literally), used the porta-potties and seeded myself in the corrals, my Garmin showed that I had walked 1.5 miles.

Being so unsure how this race would go and so nervous about the cut off, I admit I did something I never have before. I seeded myself in Wave 2- which was for runners hoping to finish under 4:45. I mentally needed those extra 5 minutes! I did put myself all the way to the back though because I felt guilty. Then listening to a few runners talk about about their average times (4:00’s) and how they were just hoping to finish after driving the course and seeing all the hills the day before didn’t help calm the nerves. But after the National Anthem- it was go time. I was running my second marathon. Little did I know the next hours would see both a PR attempt and my first almost DNF.

Miles 1-10- 10:19, 10:41, 10:17, 10:56, 11:23, 11:35, 12:00, 12:14, 12:27, 10:38

I was not watching my watch so I had no idea what my pace was. I focused on keeping it comfortable. I was enjoying the woodsy feel of running through Big Sur with all the trees along the Highway. I was very surprised by how many people were using the port-a-potties 100 yards from the start line. There were also a ton of guys peeling off into the woods to relieve themselves. No fair. As you can see by my splits, I wasn’t feeling a lot of the hills. They were there but I didn’t walk until mile 6 and that was only because I told myself to not be stupid and tire myself out as I still had 20 miles to go.

We could now see the ocean to our left which was awesome. I was taking water at each aid station as well as drinking from the 2 bottles I had in my pack. I also had to pee. Crap. But the lines were so long at all aid stations! Not only that, there were music spots set along the highway and each performer had their own port a potty too and runners were lined up at those! I didn’t want to stop yet so I just kept going. I knew the BIG hill was coming and that could make or break the race. We were climbing a hill in mile 8 and I heard a woman ask if this was the worst one- I was wondering if she had looked at the course map- but a man responded- yeah no.

Miles 11-12 15:04, 14:12 The Climb

You could see it coming for over a mile. Runners were sprinkled like confetti as they wound around and up. I was torn between trying to run it and conserving energy. As my mile splits show, I walked 98% of these miles. I had checked my overall average pace before starting the hill and it was at 11:20, these miles dropped it to 11:3something. My Garmin says we gained 600 feet, but my Garmin is also a little screwy as it says the overall elevation gain for the race was 3000. Strava does agree with these 2 miles though. I just put my head down and power walked my way to the top. The drummers almost at the top made me smile. It also rained these miles with crazy winds- why had I tossed my gloves back at mile 5??

Miles 13-16 10:10, 11:05, 13:32, 12:59

What goes up must come down but it was a shorter downhill than I would have liked and led us right into another hill. Smile, Fallon, you like hills. 13 also brought us to Bixby Bridge. The day was overcast but the bridge was still pretty and I made myself slow down and take pictures- partially to prove I didn’t freak out. 😛 A camera crew and piano player were stationed on the other side of the bridge.

15 was where the pain started. My back was hurting pretty badly but I was hoping a run/ walk strategy would loosen it up. At 16, I checked my time and thought if I could hold onto 12:00-12:15 miles, I had a solid PR in my grasp, my back just needed to cooperate. In retrospect, that was naive and I probably jinxed myself.

Miles 17-21 13:50, 13:41, 13:39, 14:19, 14:11

I damn near quit. The course was gorgeous, I wasn’t tired but my back hurt. The more my back hurt, the more I walked. The more I walked, the more my hips tightened up and my knees started to hurt. WTH?! I stopped twice and tried to stretch out my back. Each time a SAG wagon drove by, I considered flagging them down. But I kept going. Cell service was horrible out there but occasionally texts from my mom and Kate were getting though and those were so needed. I had also turned my music on in an effort to block out my doubts and thoughts.

Miles 22-26 14:50, 13:11, 14:47, 14:37, 14:15

They say if you don’t reach mile 21.2 by 11:50, you are not allowed to continue and are swept from the course. To back this up, there were 3 school buses parked at mile 21.2. I hit 21.2 at 11:15. I’d made it this far, I was damn well going to finish. My back was still hurting, my hips were squawking and now my feet hurt. Around 24, I briefly considered tossing my shoes and finishing in my socks. Couldn’t hurt any worse, right? The course was still full of hills but in a way I think I that helped me. I think a flat last 10 miles would have broken me, the constant up and down was at least letting me use different muscles. However every single picture of me is from the last half of the course when I’m struggling and walking. Thanks guys. There was a photographer who had a sign warning that they were ahead so runners could smile- or in my case, run- so I picked it up to hobble run past him only to round a small corner and see the finish line. RUN!

Finish- 5:36:52

Give me my medal and someone take these shoes! Just kidding, I didn’t say that. I thanked the volunteer for the medal-which is awesome- and smiled (grimaced?) for pictures before getting all the food treats and meeting up with my mom.

Some say that you should expect to add a minute per mile to your marathon time at Big Sur, I was only about 30 seconds each mile. It wasn’t the race I had hoped for but it also wasn’t the race I had feared either. I also proved to myself that first one wasn’t a fluke. I can do hard things, just need to stop breaking myself along the way.

Maybe I’ll you see you again one day, Big Sur.