Valley Crest Half-Marathon

DATE: Sunday June 12, 2011

LOCATION: Mulholland Fire Road, Santa Monica Mountains

RACE BEGAN: 8:00 AM

FINISH TIME: 02:11:57 (Garmin)

I've stayed away from trail races. It's not that I don't like a challenge, but I figure that I can't even master road racing!! I once did a hybrid trail/road half-marathon at the Rose Bowl and liked it because it was "different."

"The Ukrainian" had been hinting that he wanted to do a trail race. I finally pulled the trigger and forced both of us into this. even if Fargo (5K + Marathon) was only a few weeks ago.

Pre-race dinner was semi-homemade sopes (remember?! -- posted the pic again below)!

So above is the lovely elevation profile. All things considered, I didn't do TOO badly. The race started off with a steep uphill and the few miles after that, I was feeling really good. At around Mile 3.5, we turned around, only to do a 3-mile death march up an everlasting hill. I was breathing obnoxiously loudly because of the thinner air, and with no earphones encouraged, I was left to listen to it.

Splits:
Mile 1: 10:34
Mile 2: 8:40
Mile 3: 8:31
Mile 4: 9:26
Mile 5: 10:07
Mile 6: 9:55
Mile 7: 10:56
Mile 8: 10:06
Mile 9: 12:13
Mile 10: 10:04
Mile 11: 9:33
Mile 12: 8:45
Mile 13: 10:56
Mile .1: 2:12

Overall, I did a lot better than I thought I would do. The weather was completely in our favor -- misty, not too windy, and pretty cool. The terrain wasn't very easy, gravel, loose dirt, and rocky areas necessitated the need to jump and weave, not to mention avoiding the users of the trail since the course was not "closed." The aid stations were decently spaced, but on a hotter day, I could imagine I would have crashed and burned.

When I finished, we went for watermelon and oranges and then waited around for the awards ceremony. With about 400-ish racers, it was small enough to want to see what some of the winning times/age group times were. Had I been just a couple of years younger, I would have won the 20-24 F age group... *sigh* I was disappointed that they did not reserve a tech tee for me (see the cotton orange shirt above), even though I had signed up for one. They claimed that they "ran out." The tech tee was a bright neon color, anyway, so I guess it was okay... I guess in order to get the shirt I want, I need to run faster next time.

Also, check out the coin-sized medal. I don't mean that sarcastically... I found it cute.

I'm not sure how I feel about trail races now that I've done a real one. I definitely felt less beat up than after running a "normal" half-marathon, even though I know my hips will be sore tomorrow due to keeping my footing. Thank goodness that I have a decently strong core!

Half-marathon #18 is now done... I'm actually going to reach 20 this year, if all goes according to plan.

Giveaway Winner! -- Sony W Series MP3 Player (Update)

Updated Post: 3/20/11 As promised, here are the Sony W Series giveaway winners: -- both have been contacted and prizes sent -- Please e-mail me at (Gmail) Nobel4Lit2 with your addresses, and I'll ship out the units soon! Thanks to everyone who entered. Stay tuned for another giveaway soon (maybe later this week)! (Note: I ended up putting everyone's retweets starting after the comments when it came to numbering the entries.) Original Post: 3/10/11 Sunday, March 20 2011, the day I will run LA Marathon for the 4th time (and embark on my 8th 26.2 journey overall), will also be very special because it will mark the 5th year since I did my FIRST training run with the intention of running a marathon. (Check out that life-changing post HERE ). Yep, on March 20, 2006, I went to the track and ran my first 3.25 miles with the dreams of marathon glory (or even half-marathon glory). I think it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I was a sprint/track

StyleScience Airfoil Sunglasses

Much too long after the death of my last pair of sunglasses, I managed to get my hands on another pair. This one comes from CVS/pharmacy. I figured that since a more expensive pair blew out on me, why not a drugstore one? So after going to speciality stores, I came upon this one that looks and feels good... StyleScience's Airfoil. I didn't notice until later that this is meant for men, but my large head circumference called for it, I think. Anyway, I like that the sides have some ventilation (via a large triangular hole). I hope not to break this one...

Sharkies Prize Pack (giveaway)

It's giveaway time! On a long run recently, I took a couple packs of Sharkies Organic Sports Chews with me to keep me going on a hot day. I got through those 15 miles eating these, versus normal gels. I've been opting to eat chews over gels in my running nowadays because I just find them more palatable and easier on my stomach for some reason. Plus, they do pack a few more calories, which is a good thing in this case. I normally associate cute little chews with candy, but these actually contain natural electrolytes. Plus, they were light to carry and very tasty, too! Each pack is about 140 calories. The only downside I found to the sport chews is that they stuck to my teeth a tiny bit more than my normal choices, and the packaging gave me a fight at times. This could easily be solved by conslidating them into a baggie pre-run, or eating them BEFORE running would be much easier than during. Want to win the prize pack below? It comes with these Sport Chews, a neat

Abby @ Have Dental Floss, Wil TravelApril 1, 2011 at 7:25 AM
Yay! Trail runs are great! You're going to have fun :)
BethApril 1, 2011 at 6:12 PM
Trail racing is a completely different beast. Its more about enjoying the run than getting there the fastest. So much fun!
JeanApril 2, 2011 at 5:15 PM
Trail races are fun. I agree with the other comments - they are different. Much more laid back, which makes for a fun experience. This Valley Crest Half sounds pretty cool.

I think you will enjoy Fargo, too. I've done both the half and the full marathons there, and the city really does a nice job with the event!
Glenn JonesApril 3, 2011 at 2:44 PM
Dang! Come join us the following week too. We're (Madison, myself and a few other friends) running the Billy Goat Half Marathon Hill Climb the following weekend!
Abby @ Have Dental Floss, Wil TravelJune 13, 2011 at 4:34 PM
Wait, how did I comment on this before you ran it? I'm so confused by blogger...

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