Category: Run!

Wine Country Half Marathon Santa Barbara Recap

Disclaimer: I received an entry into Wine Country Half Santa Barbara 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 dawned clear and sunny. The night before had shown projected temps to be in the low 40’s at the start and only reaching 60 around 10. I planned for a tank with long sleeves. It was a little warmer than predicted in the morning but I stuck to my plan. As I mentioned in my last post, I woke to an unpleasant surprise on race morning, oh the joys of being female, so I knew I was going to be a little more sluggish than I had planned. With 2 weeks of next to no sleep and an extremely achy left leg, I was already planning on taking it easy. I told my mother 2:20-2:25 but I also knew Ashley was pacing the 2:30 so I figured whatever worked.

The start was in Santa Ynez and we were running to Solvang. My mother was able to get me within a block of the start line and damn it was windy and cold!

I found Ashley at the 2:30 sign and we chatted before the start. It’s been so long!!! I met another BibRave Pro too, Carolyn but I didn’t think to take a picture until after. Duh, silly Slacker. After a little more shivering, the race started just a few moments behind schedule.

Miles 1-3 11:04, 11:01, 11:19

The first few miles were pretty crowded, this wasn’t a large race but the neighborhood streets were smaller. That said, it looked pretty cool just seeing a crowd of runners ahead for the beginning miles. The race profile had made the course look like a gradual incline through mile 7 but I quickly realized it more flat. At least by my standards. My calves were feeling kind of tight but they loosened up around mile 3. Those first 3 miles also had some of the cutest furry race spectators ever- a woman was standing on a corner with her pet goose. Seriously, this goose looked so chill while thousands of runners ran right by. Further down, 2 goats came running to a fence and looked like they wanted to run with us. Then there were the miniature horses!!! So cute.

Miles 4-6 11:35, 11:11, 11:33

I was staying steady, sluggish but steady and that was fine. The course so far was more back roads and neighborhoods, I was waiting for vineyards. I was actually surprised that the roads were completely closed- it was awesome but I was surprised- I’m only used to that at races with much bigger crowds. A little past mile 5, we were running into the town of Los Olivos- it’s so small, it’s so cute! Crowd support picked up too because mile 5.8 was the relay transition point. I won’t lie- getting a medal at 5.8 looked pretty awesome. I knew we were almost to the end of the “climbing” section but since the uphill hadn’t been so up, I wasn’t counting on much of a downhill.

Mile 7- 12:29 Corkscrew Hill

Oh holy hill. Found the elevation gain, it’s all in mile 7. Seriously, my Garmin shows an elevation gain of 235 in mile 7 and really maybe all in a half mile. I knew the hill was coming but not like that. I rounded a corner and saw it with runners dotting the way all the way up. Just as I did, my headphones were playing Papa Roach and Jacoby sang/shouted “I don’t want no part of this, None of the above”. Dude you have no idea. 😛 Knowing I was tired and that I still had 5+ miles left, I walked it.

I knew it was the smarter choice. Ashley and the 2:30 group caught up to me and passed me. The hill may have been kicking my ass but now I was hopeful for at least one good downhill somewhere thanks to this monster. I’m used to hills but this was a beast.

Miles 8-10 9:33, 10:08, 11:20

Thank you downhill! I caught up to Ashley and her group again, said hey and continued running on. We were now running through vineyards which I love but it was a little warmer than I would have liked. Correction, I shouldn’t have been in long sleeves even though I was thankful every time the wind had a crazy strong gust. 😛 I took my phone out around mile 9 to take a picture only to see the low battery alert and that it was at 10%. What the hell?!? I sent a quick text to my mom letting her know I was turning it off, shut off my music and turned off my phone. Boo. I also realized 2:25 wasn’t likely anymore.

Miles 10-13 11:32, 12:51, 10:58

Ok, the last 4ish miles without music is way different than the first 4 without. It made things feel so much harder. Well, that and my stomach was starting to cramp. Stupid stomach, stupid hormones. That last real hill was mile 12, it wasn’t even big just steep but for some reason I crawled. We were out of the vineyards and back into neighborhoods, I knew the finish line must be close- I was so ready for it. I admit I was walking more than I wanted to. The crowds were picking up as the finish line neared. A fire truck also ripped through the course but I didn’t pay it much attention- I had a 1/4 mile to go.

Finish- 2:28:46

Slower than I had hoped for but it’s all good. The course was super pretty- yes I would have preferred more rolling hills and less of a beast in the middle- but I say I like hills, right? I wish I could have taken more pictures but I’ve known I need a new phone for while now, wasn’t expecting it to crap out on me like that though. And I got to catch up with a good friend. It was a good race.

*This may sound more positive than I normally am because in all honesty as I was crossing the finish line I realized where that fire truck had been headed. Reading about things happening at races and seeing it real life are 2 entirely different things. It puts things into perspective. I’m also choosing to believe that no news is good news and there was positive outcome.

I met up with my mom post race. We hung out for a bit and I tried to find the other BibRave Pros that were running it but it was too much of a madhouse in too small of a space. The finish was in Solvang Park but it is a small park. It got crowded fast.

Overall, this was a good race. I really liked the course and the aid stations were all run by very enthusiastic kids and teens. This is one I would look forward to doing again…just maybe a little less tired? 😛

Half #25 in the books. 😉

Week 19- Taper?

Upcoming Races:

Destination Races Santa Barbara 13.1- May 13
Rock N Roll San Diego 13.1-June 4

Yeah, that’s it- lets call it taper.

This week was good, short and odd but good. I’m still sleeping poorly and stinkin’ tired, but that happens sometimes, right? One thing that didn’t help was I somehow screwed up my GERD medication. With the ownership change and insurance change at work, I tried to make sure I had all my medications stocked in case there were delays or issues yet somehow I forgot the most important one. Then when I went to refill it, I had no refills and the doctor response was delayed. Holy mother of heartburn people, my chest was on fire for 5 days straight. That sure helped the lack of sleeping, ha! Healthy eating went out the window quickly too, vegetables and fruits just made it worse.

I also got locked out of my blog on phone so I am behind on replying to comments. I’m catching up, promise!

Anyhow, with the race being on a Saturday which is odd for me, I had a plan for the week. Whether or not it worked remained to be seen.

Monday- 3.75 miles Wardrobe hell. In an effort to get over my issues and deal with the heat better, I ordered some new shorts. I love my Fancy Stride (Oiselle) shorts but let’s be real, I’m feeling a little too fluffy to wear them comfortably right now so I figured I would go or something with a little more give. Ha! I ordered the Roga from Oiselle because I have never heard a bad thing about them. Oh my freakin’ A! I spent the next 4 miles picking them out of my crotch with every 3rd step. I finally gave up on running and walked it back in when I realized I was running so damn oddly my knees were starting to hurt. Back to the drawing board.

Tuesday- Rest Instead of running in some crazy wind I decided to do battle with my hair. The brown is really hanging on! My roots are freaky light and the bottom is dark so I’ve been trying to lighten the bottom. I’m not winning. 😛

Wednesday- 1.15 miles The lack of sleep over the past 2 weeks was kicking in and I was super tired. It was about 20 degrees colder after work than I had planned for and my family started texted about all meeting up for dinner. It didn’t take much convincing to have me only run 1 lap of the lake path. That said, the short period of time I was running was pretty good. Then at dinner, my dad expressed his displeasure with choice of hotel locations for this race trip- Lompoc- my mother agreed. So at the last minute, I was changing hotels and cities for Friday night. 😛 Side note- everyone at work was happy I moved hotels too.

Thursday- Rest I wanted 2 rest days before the race. Plus a Saturday race meant that the road trip started on Friday so I had a few last minute things to get ready. Thankfully, my medication was finally ready so I was able to get that after work. Plus I had to finish packing.

Friday- Road trip!! I took the day off work and my mother and I headed down to Santa Barbara to do a little shopping before packet pickup. Per usual, I was able to have my carb loading pizza for lunch. This is becoming a staple. We shopped a bit before heading back North to Solvang for packet pickup. Ever been to Solvang? It’s so cute and Danish but the tourists are crazy! People were literally standing in the middle of the street to take pictures and glaring at cars trying to drive by. One woman kept waving me on at a stop sign and getting mad that I was messing with her picture but she was trying to wave me through 20 pedestrians, ummm no! I had been feeling oddly nauseous at varying points throughout the day so after bib pickup it was off to the hotel to get some rest.

Saturday- Race day! And what a great surprise to wake and discover that the lovely time of the month had come calling… again. Wait, didn’t I race like this 2 weeks ago?!?! Grrrr, so this was going to be fun. Recap to come. 😛

Sunday- Rest It felt weird having raced a half marathon on Saturday. I felt like there was something I was forgetting to do. Part of me wanted to run but I didn’t budget time wisely. I slept in later in an effort to try and catch up on all my missed sleep. Then there were all the usual weekend errands I didn’t do Saturday to get done before an early Mother’s Day dinner with the family. Since my quads were feeling the hills from Saturday, I decided the rest wouldn’t hurt.

18.1 miles for the week. Not too bad considering the measly 1ish mile run on Wednesday. Especially when you compare it to last week. 😛

How was your week?

Ever change hotels last minute?

How was your Mother’s Day?

Wine Country- On My Way

It’s race weekend!

In one way I feel like it snuck up on me too quickly and in another way I feel like it’s been a long time coming.

I’ve heard nothing but good things about this race so I am excited to finally be running it. The course starts in Santa Ynez and ends in Solvang, so Santa Barbara is a bit of a misnomer unless they’re going for the county. 😉 My grandparents used to live in Santa Ynez so it’s kind of like a return to childhood for me. Except I wasn’t into running then. 😛

The scenery looks to be back roads and vineyards which are my favorite kinds of roads. And the elevation profile looks fun-

SB Elevation

Now, part of it’s called Corkscrew Hill and while that sounds ominous, I don’t see it up there? Except maybe that last bit to mile 7?

Now the last couple of weeks haven’t gone according to plan so I will likely be taking it easier than I planned. I would to shoot for 2:20 but the lack of sleep and a medication mix up this week have left me a little lagging. Ashley of Rather Be Runnin’ is pacing the 2:30 group so maybe I’ll just hang with them and catch up since it’s been so long. Plus Saturday races seem to confuse my body. Or maybe it’s all in my head.😛

Anyone else racing this weekend?

Thoughts on Saturday vs Sunday races?

Rambling On 8

Friday!!!! Yay!!! Oh wait, it’s Thursday. But it’s my Friday, I have a 3 day weekend! Woot Woot!

I’ve started this post multiple times over the past 2 weeks but dozed off while writing it…oops! I’ve been so damn tired these past 2 weeks. I have no idea what’s up. Can I blame the weather? This is the weirdest damn May I can remember. On day it’s on fire, the next it’s freezing and misting. Grrr, just pick one already, me and my allergies can’t take it.

I think the universe is telling me to watch less tv, half the newer shows I watched this year were canceled. With Bones and Grimm gone too, my background distractions are all gone. How can I multitask now? 😛

Work has been going well with the new company. Yeah we have our days of “huh?” but for the most part things are going well. It’s hard to complain when they treat to breakfast and lunch. 🙂 Well, my waistline may have some complaints soon but yumm.

Share something random!

What are you looking forward to?

Week 18- Step Back

Upcoming Races:

Destination Races Santa Barbara 13.1- May 13
Rock N Roll San Diego 13.1-June 4

The beginning of this week was full of late work meetings so with the lingering effects of SLO being felt, I figured it was a good reason to use the time to rest. Otherwise I probably would have tried to run too soon. My left ankle was very sore and achy so taking Monday through Wednesday off was probably the smartest thing to do. But it was hard, I still packed running gear and took it to work every day. 😛

There was also the lack of sleep. What I didn’t mention was that pre-SLO, I only slept for about an hour. I generally sleep poorly before races but rarely that bad, I didn’t feel like it affected my race performance though. I was looking forward to sleeping on Sunday night… except I couldn’t. I managed less then 5 hours. Grrr. Monday night was more of the same as was Tuesday. By Wednesday I was running on fumes but it didn’t really hit me until Thursday when I was driving home from work. I started to get sleepy. Like so sleepy I had to change my running plans because I wasn’t going to make the whole drive home.

That’s not to say it was a bad week, it wasn’t at all- it was a good week. I just had some speed bumps. I ate some super yummy food this week and that’s never a bad thing, right? I did start a Random Friday post but dozed off part way through. Oops!

Monday- Rest Day 1 of the planned 3 days. I had a meeting after work so I knew running was very unlikely. Which was good because damn my ankle was sore.

Tuesday- Rest Day 2 but like I said I carried my running gear with me every day. Optimistic or in denial? My ankle was still achy. I stretched and foam rolled and planked that night.

Wednesday- Rest Day 3 Car show sponsor dinner. I learned last year that this would be a late night so there was no way running would be happening. But with an awesome dinner, who can complain?

Thursday- 3.5 miles I ran! But I damn near fell asleep on the drive there. I planned on running in home time but halfway there I realized I wasn’t going to make it. So I made an emergency right at the lake path and hoped the fresh air and a few miles would wake me up. Thankfully it did. As for the miles, I was sluggish and a little sore to start but once I got going things loosened up. I still made sure to foam roll and stretch really well that night. I also iced, just for GP.

Friday- Rest I worked open to close so I knew it was going to a long day. We were treated to breakfast which was yummy Acai bowls which almost turned bad. I took a bite of mine and it tasted off. I took another bite, nope- it still tastes wrong, tastes like nuts. Turns out they messed up my order and gave me the wrong base, which wouldn’t be so bad except the 2 main ingredients were peanut butter and almond milk. Umm, I’m allergic to nuts. I was just going to say whatever and have a cookie because you don’t complain about free food but a coworker took it back and the store corrected it to my original order. She’s awesome. (I can’t leave- I swear I’m not just lazy 😛)

Saturday- 6.2 miles My overall fatigue level for the week never really improved so I made the decision on Friday that I was not running long this weekend. I was doing 2 6 milers and I was comfortable with that. Rest is important too. A cold front came in so I was able to sleep longer and head out for an afternoon run. Running wise, it was awesome. Smashrun says it was my fastest run in 6 months. However it was freakin’ chaos- it was moments of running calmly interspersed with moments of running for my life along with some walking. It started out normally but went weird soon. I noticed that a tiny house I’d been watching had recently sold and the new owner had a dog. I wondered if the dog was nice because dogs like to eat me. 1/2 mile later I was running past a couple of parked cars when 4 pit bulls tied in a truck bed decided I looked like a good snack. I freaked out and jumped into the middle of the street. The owner said nothing and just looked me. Asshat. 2 miles later on my way back I stopped at an intersection because I realized I don’t really know a 6 mile route from my house and was wondering if my mileage was going to work out when I heard a loud BANG! It sounded like a gunshot and it was right near me. What the hell?! I know it wasn’t a gunshot because that is actually not an abnormal sound on my longer runs (rural area) but I bolted like a bat out of hell. I’m running neighborhoods, what is going on? Then is started raining on me. Seriously, just get me home.

Sunday- 6 miles Rest It was raining in the morning so I planned on running in the afternoon. At least that was the plan. I ended up super dizzy and nauseous in early afternoon and it lingered into the evening. I kept trying to force myself to get out and run but I am clumsy on a good day, who knows what damage I could do to myself if I tried to run while dizzy?

9.7 miles for the week. Perhaps more of a step back week then I planned post SLO but maybe my body was trying to tell me something. With a race next week, I chose to listen for once. Who knew?

I did go and see Guardians of the Galaxy 2- Freakin’ awesome!

Oh- who watched Breaking 2? What did you think? Kipchoge was so close!

How was your week?

What was the last movie you saw?