Carlsbad Half Marathon

seeing my family at mile 11 along Hwy 101

.

The Carlsbad Half Marathon has become my favorite 13.1 race. You just can't beat the scenery, the size (10,000 runners today, but it doesn't feel like it due to the wave start), course support is unmatched and the weather is always perfect for running. This morning I ran it for the second time -- last year was the first. I'll be running this one every year for as long as we live here!
.
This morning's race was my 10th half marathon since I started running them 8 years ago. My first half was finished in 2:32. Today's finish? A new personal best (by a full 2 minutes!) of 1:52:29. The 8:35 pace felt very comfortable and my overall pacing was pretty consistent. The first 7 miles I ran with the 1:50 group. My strategy was to stick with them through the entire race and then kick it up at the end to finish just under that mark. However, I slowed to take some GU with water and never caught sight of them again. I'm very pleased that I was able to continue at that pace for the remainder of the race.
.
Next up: Carlsbad 5000 in April and the world-famous Camp Pendleton Mud Run (10K) in early June.

2009: 1019.87 miles

After knocking out 1019.87 miles in 2009, it feels a little strange to be starting back at 0.00 miles. Today I ran a quick and easy 4 miles up and down Hwy 101 with the glow of the gorgeous sunset alongside me. Looking at my 4 miles and thinking about my goal of 100 miles a month this year, well... it feels a bit overwhelming, but I know I'll get it done.

December: 70.3 miles

November: 58.80 miles

Ouch. You'd never guess I'm in the middle of marathon training with such low miles... :(

October: 106.57 miles

September: 100.40 miles

Carlsbad Marathon

Twenty-six point two!

Sweat, smiles and great fun -- whoo hoo!

I signed up today!

August: 80.40 miles

America's Finest City

The AFC Half Marathon in San Diego was yesterday. I knew it'd be a challenge given the last few weeks of icky runs, two weeks away from home and the course itself. It was tough. The course is a point-to-point, beginning at Cabrillo Monument out on Point Loma and ending in Balboa Park. The 7am start meant everyone had to be shuttled to the start which meant I woke up at 3:30am and carpooled with friends to the start since we live 35 miles away. It made for a tough morning and one I was not familiar with in terms of when to eat, drink, how much, etc. But the course itself is a good one. The first mile is scenic... then you run downhill for about 3 miles... miles 4 to about 11 are pretty flat and all around the Harbor Island/airport area... then you start climbing from downtown to Balboa Park... the last .5 miles or so are downhill again to the finish. We were fortunate the sun stayed away for much of the race or it would have been pretty warm out there. I was ill-prepared and not focused at all. I didn't even get across the finish line in under 2 hours. !!!

.

I would love to try this one again, but only to prove to myself that I can run it much better than I did yesterday but that early start with the shuttle is tough. I'm thinking my races are going to be more local and definitely not require a shuttle at the start.

July: 118.07 miles

Goal was 120 miles -- pretty close!

Orange County Mud Run & Eco Fest. 2009

during the race ~ after rinsing off

.

A woman I met last month hurt her back this week so she offered me her race bib for today's 10K Mud Run. I had wanted to run the Camp Pendleton Mud Run last month, but the event was full within two days of opening registration. Today's event had all the good mud run obstacles like water bodies you wade through, hills to run up, short walls to climb over, tires to high step through, mud pits to crawl through, tunnels with sand and it was a great first experience, but I'm still thinking that Pendleton has to be on my race schedule next year. I need to mark my calendar now to ensure I have a spot when registration opens in January.

.

Time today looked to be about 54:30. I'm pleased because it's actually quite a bit better than I had expected. Getting out early towards the front of the pack was key since some of the tighter spots like the tunnels got really bogged down for folks who got there later than I did. It was also a very warm morning in Irvine, Calif.

.

I won't do this specific event again because I thought it was so poorly organized, but I'm definitely up for another Mud Run challenge!

Coronado 15K

Finish today was 1:20 for this pancake flat 15K. I had hoped for a little faster pace but it just wasn't the day for it. My finish was still a personal best by almost 4 minutes. Today I learned many things...

• Running with a tummy issue is not good or fun. The pharmacist two days prior had told me when she gave me my prescription that it might cause diarrhea. It did.
• I've become too dependent on my Garmin. A low battery today meant the thing didn't work. Grrrr.
• The pockets in my running skirt don't really hold things, they only pull the skirt down when filled. I ended up carrying my cell phone in my hand today. Ugh.
• The core exercises I've been doing are definitely paying off.

June: 107 miles

May: 100.02 miles

It has been THREE years since I've had a monthly mileage total this high. Wow!

April: 59.70 miles

Carlsbad 5000

Ran the Carlsbad 5000 this morning. Actually, my race started at 10:20am. !! It was weird to wake up lazily, eat breakfast, drink a grande Starbucks coffee, play with the kids, shower... and then drive over to the race with the whole family. Very strange, but something worked despite the warm weather and I improved my time from the Turkey Trot 5K in November. That one was my first 5K and today's event was my second -- today's time was about 1.5 minutes less. I finished in just under 24 minutes! Setting a goal like that and achieving it felt really, really good.
.
Official results:
#107 out of 1228 and a chip time of 23:53

March: 75.65 miles

February: 64.54 miles

Started March with a nice 6.3 mile run... you know, one of those really good ones where you lose yourself and completely forget about time, pace, etc... yeah, I had one of those today.

thinkin', thinkin', thinkin'...

I've driven this course, but mostly in the opposite direction from La Jolla to Del Mar. And I've driven up the hill in Torrey Pines State Park that makes the quick 420' climb in approximately half a mile. Just thinkin'...

January: 78.42 miles