Tag: Running

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 30/ Rock n Roll San Jose Training Week 2

Upcoming Races-

Vintners 5 Mile-7/28
SLO ULTRA 5K-9/2
Rock n Roll San Jose 13.1 (Thank you BibRave!)-10/8
City to the Sea 13.1-10/14
Rock n Roll Los Angeles 13.1 (Thank you BibRave!)- 10/29
Monterey Bay Half Marathon (Thank you Bibrave!)- 11/12

So close, so close! I almost hit every work out. But I didn’t. I tried rearranging to fit life, the heatwave and my leg and it just didn’t work.

The plan for the week was 4 Liift4 workouts and 3 runs. The runs were originally laid out as an easy 4, a 30 minute tempo and a long run of 6 miles. I knew I had a 5 mile race on Saturday so I figured that would be my tempo and I would just run another easy 4 to make up for the shortened long run. Well, that was the plan.

Monday- Liift4/ Fair Stupid mistake #1. Possibly 1 and 2. I should have done the Liift4 workout in the morning. I didn’t- I did it after the fair, finishing around 11. I wore flip flops to the fair- which might have been fine if it was just the fair but I also walked home. Everything below my left knee was pissed. The funnel cake was awesome though.

Tuesday- Liift4 I packed my gear to run but my leg was still pissed at me for the flip flops. In the end I decided another day of rest was best and met my mother for dinner instead. However that may have been a bad idea as I spent the rest of the night violently ill.🤢

Wednesday- 4 miles With the temps in hometown around 110, I opted to run in work town where it was a pleasant 66. I always feel super awkward running in work town for some reason but usually settle into it around 1.5 miles in- around when I hit the eucalyptus grove. I feeling good and running an easy pace but the 80% humidity was making my breathing sound like I was sprinting. That said, this was a rare time I powered up the hill back and felt like I could have done it again. I didn’t.

Thursday- Liift4 I wanted to run but it was another 110 degree day and a late afternoon doctor appointment in another town messed with my plan to run in work town again. Traffic getting home due to the Luke Bryan concert irritated me and I really wanted to run but the temps didn’t really cool until after 9 PM and not really even then. I don’t run at night let alone at night during the fair.

Friday- Rest The Liift4 leg workout was on the schedule but I remembered being extra sore last weekend afterwards. Which normally would be fine but with a trail race on Saturday and my leg still feeling funky, I decided to push the workout until after the race. Possibly mistake #3.

Saturday-Vintner’s 5 Mile Race Race recap to come complete with vines, dirt, rocks, barns and medal snafus. My Liift4 workout did not happen that evening.

Sunday- Rest Oh, what the??? Not only did I not do the Liift4 workout I missed, I did not run. Without going into too many details from Saturday, there are some lingering issues and anything weight bearing sounded and felt like it would do more harm than good. I wish I could say I made that choice easily but I kept telling myself that things were going to improve right up to 5PM. Nope. Crap.

So yeah, 9 miles for the week, 5 out 7 workouts. Which on the surface might not look so bad but I am a little for how it going to play out this week.

How was your week?

Rambling On 37

I need a nap. On a beach. In a hammock. Have I said that before?

Happy Friday!

I have a trail race tomorrow. Oops. I am hoping it is more fire road and less trail but we shall see. I know there’s a 350 foot climb at end of mile 2. What goes up must come down right? What else is it hiding? And I just read that we get to run through a barn so woo hoo!

Something about the fair always brings a heatwave to town. So let’s double the town population ( at minimum), make traffic nuts and weather 110. Yes. Don’t get me wrong, the fair does a good job and I’ve learned over the years that our small town has a damn impressive fair but by the end of 12 days I am over it. It doesn’t help that the fairgrounds are more in the middle of town than you would think. But my funnel cake made it worth it.

My boss is gone for the next few weeks so it’s back to not being able to leave the building for a while. In a way that’s a good thing- can’t be tempted to run down to Burger King for a quick meal on my lunch anymore. Besides, I rarely left during lunch anyways.

Oh and remember how I complained about my lack of reading?? I’ve since read 2 books!😀

What are you doing this weekend?

A Run by the Bay

Disclaimer: I received free entry to Monterey Bay 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!

In 2015 I ran a half marathon up in Monterey along the bay. Back then it was still called the Big Sur Half Marathon. By either name, it’s a gorgeous course.

It had ocean views, it had little rolling hills, it had a bike path, you ran down Cannery Row and through a tunnel! There was music playing throughout the course via bands or DJ’s, the aid stations were some of the best I had ever seen at the time. Actually, looking back- they still are.

Did I mention the elites? I literally ran passed Kara Goucher. Well, she was like an hour ahead of me and on her way to the finish line but she was still only a few feet from me.

When the opportunity popped up to run the race again with BibRave, I felt like a little kid. Pick me, pick me! Yay!!!!!

I am so looking forward to running Monterey Bay again. Both for the views and hoping for a better last half of the race. Last time I had some severe GI issues so miles 8-13 were a little rough, haha.

Also, if I miss my PR goal on San Jose, this a good second chance to try again. Not that I want to miss but it’s good to have a backup plan.

Want to join me??? Register here- https://bsim.info/MBHMbibrave
Use code BIBRAVE10 to save 10 on registration!

Ever run Monterey Bay?

Week 29/ Rock n Roll San Jose Training Week 1

That was a mouthful. All right, when I said things were getting serious, I wasn’t exaggerating. So let’s do this-

Upcoming Races-

Vintners 5 Mile-7/28
SLO ULTRA 5K-9/2
Rock n Roll San Jose 13.1 (Thank you BibRave!)-10/8
City to the Sea 13.1-10/14
Rock n Roll Los Angeles 13.1 (Thank you BibRave!)- 10/29
Monterey Bay Half Marathon (Thank you Bibrave!)- 11/12

Still with me? Ok, that tired me out just typing that up. But I have a game plan. I really do.

Remember how I mentioned in my San Jose post that I wanted to get as close to a PR as possible? That is still my hope. So with that in mind, I know I need to change things up. Oh, so many things.

The real title of this post should be Shit Just Got Serious.

As my social handle suggests sometimes I lack motivation. In my “about” section I mention that it was a competition with my mom that got me into the best shape of my life. Well, outside of high school but we can never go back right? 🤣

So I put my money where my mouth is and joined a challenge group. Now I have a partner I don’t want to let down as well as getting my jiggly butt back into PR shape. So how did week 1 go?

*If you’re interested, I am using Hal Higdon’s H3 training plan.

Monday- AM- Liift4/ PM- 3.77 miles
Look who worked out in the morning??? 40 minutes of weights and a little bit of HIIT. Who am I?

However, I may have hydrated way too much during the after that because I kind of bottomed out right before my run. That and my run was extremely uncomfortable as I felt like I needed to pee the entire time. It was supposed to be 4 miles but I could not hold it any longer. I needed to be done and I needed a bathroom. Lesson learned- don’t consume almost 200 oz of water in 9 hours.

Tuesday- Liift 4
More weights. However I woke up with a headache so I snoozed for another hour so this workout was done after work.

Wednesday- 2.5 miles
It was a rest day from Liift4 and even though my next running day wasn’t supposed to be until Thursday but it seemed perfect to move it up so I didn’t have to double up. I didn’t feel sore and the plan only called for 3 miles so easy peasy right? Haha! My legs quickly let me know they were not on board, all the soreness I had been missing suddenly showed up. I could barely move and was just getting slower and slower. I figured I wasn’t doing myself any favors and called it at 2ish laps of the lake path.

Thursday- Liift4
I slept right through my alarm- first and second ones- so that meant my workout was pushed until after work. However, my family ended up texting me asking if I wanted to join them for dinner. I am never one to turn down free food. 😛 Instead of being my usual Slacker self, that meant I was doing a shoulder workout at 9:30 at night. But I got it done.

Friday- Liift4
Once again, I hit snooze one too many times plus I had an early morning lab appointment. So after a long day of work, some slacking in the evening, I was again completing the workout after 10PM. Part of that was also due to some animal drama outside though.

Saturday- Rest
I thought about getting my long run in. I thought about going to the fair. Did I mention the Fair is in town? It’s chaos, just chaos. In the end, I did neither. I had the beginnings of a bad headache that I really didn’t want to turn into a migraine. So got my errands done, hydrated and just tried to rest.

Sunday- 6.2 miles
My fight to stave off the migraine failed. My alarm went off to get up and run and any movement made me either want to cry or hurl. I set the alarm for another hour and hoped for the best. Nope. Another hour and repeat. Nope. Finally I gave up and decided to push my run to the evening hoping the temps would drop enough- we’re under a heat advisory for the next week.

I headed out a little after 5 when the temps dropped to around 90. I knew I was going to be moving slower than normal and I was ok with that. That turned out to be true and it was hot but it was actually a decent run.

12.7 miles of the 13 on the plan. All Liift4 workouts completed. My training plan starts out on the lower mileage side and I am fine with that as I incorporate cross training in for the first time in years. Only time will tell if this pans out.

How was your week?