• June 21st, 2015
• Mammoth Lakes, California
• Mammoth Half Marathon
• Sharon: 2:37:23
• Tim: 2:47:04

 

47 down only 5 to go.

Only a month of races left! I know Tim is looking forward to not driving hundreds of miles every weekend. Besides the Auburn race (FOURmidable) this is the furthest we have traveled for a race since we moved to San Diego. I love the Mammoth Lakes area and wish we could have spent more time there. We stayed at the race hotel, The Village Lodge. It was one of the nicest rooms we have stayed at and I highly recommend it if you do this race, or are just visiting Mammoth. That said, even with the race discount, it was quite pricey.

Saturday night we ate at a Hawaiian themed restaurant whose name I can’t remember [Lakanuki – Tim]. I had the strongest Mai Tai I have ever had. So even though I planned on only having one drink, I’m pretty sure I had 3 or 4 in that one glass. I had Tim try it because he gave me the look he gives me when he thinks I am being too dramatic, and he said “Whoa!”, with raised eyebrows of agreement. In the past I have made the clear connection between eating fried food the night before a race and being nauseous during a race. I saw coconut shrimp on the menu. How does someone just forget that deep battered coconut shrimp is a fried food? I paid for it race morning.

The food was wonderful but it was the crazy surf art I really loved.

Except for packet pickup, which was a little chaotic, this race was extremely well organized. It was also incredibly beautiful with desert, lake, and forest views. Unfortunately, as we feared, the altitude set off Tim’s a-fib. It acted up even before he started running. We both woke up feeling headachey, tired, and nauseous. The problem with staying in a hotel with the most comfy bed ever is that we did not want to get up. Even though we were able to sleep in until 5am it was a hard bed to leave.

We caught the bus to the start almost right outside our door. It was really chilly Sunday morning. This race was handing out Mylar blankets before the race. Even though it was a fairly small race they had a drop bag option. Well done.

I both loved and hated this race. I hated it because it was hard to breath and run at altitude for the first half. Also, running 13.1 miles on the verge of puking (thanks fried shrimp and monster Mai Tai) is not fun. I loved everything else about this race. If I had been feeling better I think this would have been my favorite road race. The scenery was beyond incredible. I was grateful that this race was so well organized because I was in no mood for nonsense.

I chatted with a couple who convinced me that the Las Vegas marathon would not be a good first marathon. Our next project is training for a marathon so if anyone has a suggestion for a good first marathon please leave it in the comments.

I started to walk much sooner than usual during this race. I was surprised that I had breathing/elevation problems because I used to run at 8000 feet on Mt Lemmon and wasn’t affected. In fact, I liked the thin crisp air.

A nice thing about beating Tim is that I get to take a picture of him sprinting to the finish.

Yay, they had chocolate milk and watermelon after the race. That race director must be a runner. We couldn’t stay for the after race party because we had to get back to our room so we could shower and check out of the room before hitting the road.

Cons

• Packet pickup was confusing and choatic
• Trolly information gave us wrong directions

Pros

• Very well organized with attention to details
• Mylar blanket at the start
• Plenty of port-o-pots at the start and along the course
• Awesome scenery
• Wonderful volunteers and plenty of aid stations
• A couple of aid stations had pretzels and cool wipes!
• Signs at the aid stations with mileage to next aid station
• Fire truck sprinkler to run through
• Chocolate milk and watermelon (as well as other food)
• Nice long sleeve tech shirt
• Huge cool medals with moving parts

Unless you have a major altitude problem, I would recommend this race for everyone. This has everythng I look for in a race. It was well organized with friendly volunteers. The course was beautiful and had a net downhill. The shirt is wearable. If you are into medals, there is a special medal (with moving parts) for runners who did both the San Diego and the Mammoth HM. Both medals are impressive. Even with his afib problem and upset tummy Tim liked this race almost as well as I did. We even talked about doing it next year.

Short post this week because we didn’t get back from San Francisco until Wednesday night.

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• June 14th, 2015
• Chula Vista, California
• Wild Horse Half Marathon
• Sharon: 3:00:16
• Tim: 2:23:56

 

46 down only 6 to go.

I have this weird idea that I love trail running. I have this unfounded belief that I am a better trail runner than road runner. I’m not sure where I got this belief as it is clearly not the case. All my epic fail, pain fest, races have been on trails. I hurt for 5 days after FOURmidable and I almost came in last at The Enchanted Forest Wine Run. Only 2 women (in fairy costumes) came in after me. As you probably guessed from this intro, this weeks race was another trail race. And it was not my best race of the year. I have noticed that I have more frequent and more intense asthma attacks during trail races. I think dust is a trigger.

I did something really stupid last weekend. After having a great race we came home and went for a walk on the beach. I wore my flip flops and carried them as we walked in the surf. After about a mile I noticed that my feet were hurting. It hurt even more when I put my flip flops back on. By the time we got home I had a huge blister on both pads of my feet. How stupid to get blisters after a race. I have been trying to run a couple times a week but needless to say I did no running leading up to this week.

Sunday morning we got to sleep in until 4am. This sounds like a bad joke but we have had to get up at 3am for almost all of our California races.

This was actually a beautiful race. It was just an off day for me. I felt tired before I even started. This wasn’t an overly technical trail but I was in a clumsy mood. I kept tripping over rocks and roots. I wasted over 5 minutes trying to get sand out of my shoe. It would have made a good comedy skit. I took off my shoe to dump out the sand but I lost my balance and my foot landed in the sand, getting more sand in my shoe than I dumped out. I repeated this twice before I sat down rather than trying to balance one one foot. The trail was mostly single track with some out and backs and one small section of road. There were a couple sections of trail where runners were coming back on a single track trail that just didn’t fit two people. The bridges were really tricky with runners coming and going. I love bridges but these were a little in need of repair.

I like this series (it’s a Dirt Devil race) but I think they need chip timing. Gun timing makes us runners that start in the back seem even slower than we are. It also makes slow runners even less likely to make the cutoff. For really small races this isn’t an issue but for a mid sized race with age group prizes I think it is an issue. Just like the last Dirt Devil race we did (Foxy Half Marathon), I found this race well organized. I had a bit of a problem with a couple arrows that seemed to be pointing down 2 separate paths but Tim had no problems [except when I wasn’t paying attention and followed someone down the wrong path – Tim] so I think that is just my bad trail skills. At one point I actually waited for the person behind me to see which way they went. I had a pretty bad asthma attack and ended up walk/running the last half of the race. The weather app on my phone said the sun wouldn’t come out until 1pm, but it lied. The last 3 miles were in direct sun. Since living in Oregon I don’t deal well with heat.

We got another pint glass as swag after this race. We are getting quite a set. We also could have gotten a free beer but didn’t, Tim because he was driving and me because I just don’t want beer with breakfast. I sat in the shade and Tim got me water and a burrito. Tim is great – he always waits on me while I cool down and catch my breath. Burritos are great after race food.

Cons

• Gun timing only
• Lots of dust
• Some 2 way traffic on single track
• I found some of the markers confusing (but I think it was just me)

Pros

• Race day packet pickup
• Parking near start/finish
• Beautiful sceanery
• Enthusiastic volunteers
• Pint glasses (as well as a t-shirt and medal)
• Burritos and beer
• Free photos

In spite of having a bad day I thought this was a well organized, beautiful race. There are a couple reasons that this might not be the best race for slower runners. They have a 3 hour cutoff but they didn’t enforce it, however they were taking down the start/finish line after 3 and a half hours with runners still on the course. Also, it isn’t pleasant to be a slow runner at a trail race because you end up eating the dust of those in front. This race only had one real climb and then rollers so it would be a good race to do if you wanted to try out trails but didn’t want to climb mountains. Aid stations were a bit sparse so bring your own water bottle and watch your footing on those wooden bridges.

I know that some people have had a problem with the comments link. If this is you, please try again – Tim made a fix. If you still have a problem commenting and you know my email address please leave a comment there. I really want to get this issue fixed so any feedback would be helpful. I’m sorry I can’t post my email address because my mailbox would be spammed.

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Preview: Next week we are running in Mammoth Lakes on Sunday and then spending a couple days in San Francisco. Tim is there for a work conference and I’m there to shop.

• June 6th, 2015
• Long Beach, California
• Rock The Ocean
• Sharon: 2:27:10
• Tim: 2:21:28

 

45 down only 7 to go.

That was hard! Now I know how fast I can run when I try my hardest. Usually, when I start to hurt in a race, I slow down or walk. Not this race. Usually, I tell myself that I have to run next weekend, I’m not wimping out (right), I’m just being smart. I tell myself that all that matters is finishing, my time is not important. But this race time did matter. And I was determined to break 2:30. I ran as hard as I could. I’m so glad it’s over.

As always (it seems) that we had to get up at 3am to get to our race on time. I had my favorite race day breakfast of a banana with almond butter and a Mama Chia (apple flavor) as well as a large cup of coffee.

This is the exact same race course we did about a month ago (Beach Mania) where I got my HM project PR. Ever since then I have been targeting this race to break 2:30. Besides being a course I loved this was the closest race we could find. I like this course so much that we are doing it again next month. I know it might seem like it would be boring to do the same race more than once but I really like knowing what to expect. There’s a study which shows that if you are familiar with a course you will run it faster. I think I read that in Runners World. I recommend this as a way to gain an edge. Before my real PR (2:01:01) in Tucson I ran the course 3 times before race day. At this point, redoing a race is the only way for us to preview a course.

Saturday morning I was amped for this race. The weather was perfect and I felt good. Because the course was an out and back done twice it was easy to keep track of my splits. This course has the most perfect running surface. There is no dodging aggressive bicyclists because they have their own path. The running path has a slight elasticine feel. It’s like a track surface next to the beach.

I have 2 handheld water bottles so I came up with a plan that I hoped would cut a few seconds off my time. Hey, every second counts when you have a time goal. I left my second water bottle at the aid station so instead of stopping for water I just grabbed my full handheld at the halfway point. This was a beautiful run but I have to admit that I was looking at my watch and planning my walker evasive maneuvers more than looking at the scenery.

I waited until I was into the second half of the race to play my music. It helped. The last 4 miles were really hard. I had to keep reminding myself that it did matter. I repeated the mantra, “don’t walk” (sometimes out loud) rather frantically. With only two miles left I thought I was actually going to be able to run the whole race but a strange thing happened with just under a mile left. I came to a slight hill and my body just stopped running. There was no decision involved. I was actually surprised to find myself walking. It was the weirdest feeling. I only walked about 30 seconds. As soon as the tiny hill started trending downhill I forced myself to run again. It was not easy, everything hurt at that point. I was also feeling a bit nauseous. I had no end sprint in me. I ran across the finish line and collapsed on the curb while I waited for the darkness to stop swirling.

Usually after a HM I’m not hungry but after this one I was really hungry. One of the great things about Charlies races is the food. His aid station treats everyone like an ultrarunner. He has the perfect combination of sweet and salty foods. Never have pretzles and cookies tasted so good.

We meet the most interesting people at Charlies races. Check out this girls story. (Blanca Ramirez) She holds the world record for being the youngest girl to run a marathon on all 7 continents. She was 12 when she achieved this. She said New Zealand (so on my bucket list) was her favorite. She ran the HM and her 6 year old brother ran the 10k.

Completely off the topic of running: I’m sure everyone who knows me is thinking – WTF is up with that hair? Well my plan was to strip my hair then put a nice gold color on it. After stripping the color out my hair it was so dry that I decided to wait a week to put more color on it. I was afraid my hair would fall out. Hopefully next week I will be golden blond and not – a cotton ball and an orange mated on my head – blond.

Cons

• I had to cut around a couple groups of walkers

Pros

• We like the vibe of Charlies Races (friendly, low key)
• Parking right next to the start/finish
• Great running surface
• Scenic with no chance of getting lost
• Charlie keeps it inexpensive while still doing t-shirts, medals, trophies
• Fully stocked aid station
• Friendly interesting runners

I was very pleased with this race. And not just because I overnailed my goal and felt like the queen of willpower, but because Charlie puts on a good race. If you live anywhere near the LA area check out Charlie Alewine Racing. The only person I would not recommend charlies races for is someone who needs a lot of crowd support with aid stations every mile. Try one of Charlie’s races if you are looking for a more low key, personal race experience. This race was scenic, fun and I highly recommend it. Also being able to park next to the start/finish is a huge plus when you are exhausted and you just want to go home. See you next month Charlie.

Well damn – next month I have to run faster than 2:27:10.

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• May 31st, 2015
• San Diego, California
• San Diego Rock’n’Roll Half
• Sharon: 2:35:15
• Tim: 2:18:09

 

44 down only 8 to go.

Well damn, even when we do a race in San Diego we have to get up at 3am. We had to be at the parking garage by 5am to catch the shuttle to the start by 5:30am. We had to be there early because many roads were closed.

The Saturday expo was pretty impressive. Tim got a new pair of Altra shoes on sale as well as a bluetooth headphone set at a deep discount. I got a new sunscreen that claims to be healthier than the average sunscreen. Tim did a big running no-no, he wore his new shoes for the first time on race day. Luckily his feet didn’t blow up. In fact, he loved them.

We saw 92 year old Harriett Thompson being interviewed on the main stage. She started running at the age of 76 and has run 16 marathons. She is a 2 time cancer survivor and runs to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. She was very sharp.

We didn’t stick around to see Meb or Desi. Meb ran the HM and Desi was pacing the 2nd wave marathoners. There were some fast people in the HM. So fast that Meb came in second by seconds. We talked to a teacher who had one of Meb’s kids in her class. She said the whole family were the nicest people you could ever hope to meet.

We walked by a booth with a jumping contest. I talked Tim into trying and he took the lead in the over 40 age group. I didn’t play but probably would have if I had noticed how lame the over 40 womens jump was.

We had a lot of time to hang out before the race. Luckily there was music and quite a bit to look at. This is one of the only races we have done that had adequate port-o-pots. I have actually missed the start of a couple of races because I was still in line. Good investment, race director.

I was chilly even with my long sleeve shirt on so this guy must have been cold. He was also kind of creepy, not just because speedos are inherently creepy but because he was a little too touchy feely. On the other hand he was nice and did have great abs. Living by the beach I have seen men in speedos who make you want to yell, “put it on.” Men – never wear a speedo. Even if your body is perfect women will laugh at you.

This was a huge race. We were in corral 20 of 25. Well, I was in corral 20. Tim was in 19 but came back and started the race with me.

I made a conscious decision not to run this race too hard for a couple of reasons. I caught a mild version of what Tim had last week so I was feeling low energy, but mostly I wanted to focus on taking pictures and enjoying the run.

I didn’t think it was a particularly scenic course but it didn’t matter because the parade was great. These 3 were walking only a couple of miles into the race. And they did not look happy.

The crowd support at this race was amazing. There were people playing music, lots of signs and cheering and yelling and costumes and even some bandit aid stations with tequila, mimosas, beer, and whisky. I had a small beer. There were also many chances to high 5 kids (not to be missed).

There was also some great musical entertainment on this course. I didn’t get a picture of the woman who sang the national anthem but she had a lovely voice. Over the course of this project we have heard some intense, off key screeching so it was a pleasure not to wish for earplugs during the opening ceremony.

I did not like how crowded this race was. Usually a race with a lot of people thins out at some point but this race was crowded for my whole run. It was bottleknecked so bad in some places that we were walking. I was not able to run fast downhill, as I love to do, because I was dodging and route planning so there wouldn’t be any casualties.

During this race I had the worst experience of our HM project. Around mile 10 I had to use the port-o-pot. This guy coming out as I was going in muttered something like – I swear, I didn’t do it. I don’t usually write in initials but OMG. Apparently running effects aim. I tried to clean up the seat a bit because air squatting after running 10 miles is not an option. At least they still had toilet paper.

I thought this race was well organized until the very end. Once through the chute and after getting my medal people started handing me food. Unfortunately, there were more people handing me stuff than I had hands. I had to abandon my banana for chocolate milk. A bag at the finish line and someone directing traffic away from the finish line would have solved this problem. Instead people were milling around trying to eat the food and dropping stuff all over the place. It was a challenge to get out of there.

Cons

• Quite pricey (but you get a lot)
• Pricey Parking ($15 expo, $15 day of race)
• Not very scenic
• Way too crowded
• Beware of on course port-o-pots
• A bit of a mess at the end

Pros

• Great expo with free stuff, deals, and running celebraties
• Lots of port-o-pots
• Wonderful crowd support
• Fun costumes
• Music on course
• Great party vibe
• Bandit adult beverage aid stations
• enthusiastic volunteers
• Medal is also a beer opener
• Chocolate milk
• Well organized and executed (except at the end)
• Good after party

I would recommend this race if you are looking for a party and have a large race budget. We have done races that were cheaper than the parking for this race. Do not do this race if you are claustrophobic, hate hills, or want to PR (too crowded). Do this race if you want a big fun party destination race. You will never get bored during this run. If you thrive on crowd support you will love this race. Because your name is on your bib people will cheer for you by name. I like races a little smaller and more personal but an upside to an overcrowded race is that there is no chance of getting lost. A big plus for me.

On the subject of smaller and more personal (Tim and Charlie are now facebook friends) races, we are doing a repeat Charlie Alewine race next week. My plan is to run as hard as I can and try to break 2:30, so there won’t be as many pictures. I’m hoping that writing this will motivate me to push harder when I want to quit. I hope I haven’t just jinxed myself.

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