A Case of the Runs

EVENT: Laguna Hills Memorial Day Half-Marathon DATE: Monday, May 26, 2008 LOCATION: Laguna Hills, CA RACE BEGAN: 7:00 am FINISH TIME: 01:57:05 This race is formerly known as the Saddleback Memorial Day Half-Marathon. Saddleback/Laguna Hills was my very first race , and I basically finished 19 minutes faster this time. So anyway, it had actually been drizzling during the hour before the race. Luckily, my sister, who was a spectator this time, let us sit in her car until we decided to hit the port-a-potties. The long lines caused us to reach the starting corral about a minute before we took off. The rain stopped. The first mile was a little jammed as we ran through the Laguna Hills Mall parking lot. Since this race isn't all that big, the field cleared a bit starting at the second mile. I hammered the first two miles in 15 minutes. The hills in the first few miles were mellow. We reached some reserves, where the majority of the miles were, which started off downhill and then started ...

It is sort of embarrassing to be writing this sort of entry, but it is long due, so here goes: This was randomly bought at a Sports Authority in Vista, CA. If you're a chick, you'll know that having a slightly padded sports bra is important if you're going to be wearing any technical clothing to run, at least in public. Overall, these were a good investment. They were about $18, though they normally run for closer to $40. One thing that could be improved upon is the fact that it looks like something a granny would wear. They had black ones, but I am not that girth-y or well-endowed, so I had to settle for this one. Fortunately, the white one I got is still clean-looking, strangely enough. It doesn't soak up too much sweat.

EVENT : Santa Barbara Wine Country Half-Marathon DATE : Saturday, May 10, 2008 LOCATION : Santa Ynez, CA RACE BEGAN : 7:00 am (delayed start at 7:15am) FINISH TIME : 1:51:28 (51:58, 59:29) Instead of miserably studying during the weekend before finals, my sister and I headed to Solvang, CA (half an hour from Downtown Santa Barbara) to run this half-marathon relay. I really needed a break, and this quaint little town definitely took me away from it all. We had a fun day walking around, eating, and looking at merchandise that changed colors in the sun. And, of course, I nearly got a heart attack when we could not find our names at the registration table. Apparently, relay teams were listed elsewhere. Whew! First Portion Review (Nobel4Lit - 5.8 mi): I woke up at around 5 AM to get ready and head to the bus, which would take the first-leg runners to the start. I wound up waiting/standing in the cold or in a saloon for more than an hour. I checked in one of the hotel towels that was k...