Carlsbad Half Marathon

If you run in San Diego, you're aware of the "Triple Crown" race event-- you earn the Crown by running the Carlsbad Half/Full Marathon, La Jolla Half and America's Finest City Half Marathon.  Due to race schedule conflicts in 2015, I wasn't able to earn the Crown so I was excited when I realized I would be able to do it in 2016.  

The day started early-- I was meeting up with Erika and Smitha to run a few miles before the race (We were aiming for 20 miles that day) Erika was gracious enough to wake up early and run with us even though she wasn't running the event.  She also met us after the race to run back to her house.  

Smitha and Erika

ProCompression's Sock of the Month with Smitha and Linzie

Off to the start

But first, let's take a selfie.....

And we were off.  I went into the race thinking I might actually be able to PR.  Then something happened-- I'm not sure when it was, but I hit a wall.  And I hit it hard.  The race course was beautiful and the company was awesome, but I just didn't have it in me.  And I struggled.  But the fun was still had.  And look at those views!

One race down, two to go. 

After the race, I will admit that I was disappointed.  I had let myself down and I felt like I had let other people down.  Looking back, I know that idea is silly.  It took me several days to recover-- I honestly think I increased my training too much in a short period of time as I prepare for the LA Marathon.  It was a humbling lesson to learn.  I've taken a week to rest and recover-- though it's been hard not to run, I appreciate the run so much more now.  

Have you ever been disappointed after a race?  What did you do to recover from that?

Until next time, happy running.

Jenn13.1

Virtual Runs: Yay or Nay?

It seems that lately there are more and more virtual runs taking place, whether attached to a "live" race or through a virtual race company.  I've run a few and here are my thoughts:

I Ran Rock N Roll's First Virtual Run

What is a virtual race?
A virtual race is a race that takes place any time you want it to-- some have specific distances attached to them and some leave the distance up to the runner.  They can take place on a specific day or happen over a time period (usually a week or two).  After you've completed the run, you post your information on the run's website and you're done.

What do you get?
Like live runs, every virtual run is different.  Some send you a bib, a shirt and medal.  Some give you the option of what you want to get.  Some of the race bibs are downloadable, while others are sent via mail.  Virtual races usually have a theme and can be a fun way to get fun medals.  I'm a Harry Potter fan, so I love the Harry Potter themed virtual runs of the Hogwarts Running Club.  

Why do it?
Every runner has their own reason for running virtual races.  One of the reasons I like them is for the bling-- I won't lie, I like bling.  Virtual races also help with my training schedule-- when I'm signed up for races, I tend to train more.  So they are motivational for me.  I also like that you can participate in races when you don't live in the city the race is in.  For example, San Diego's Finish Chelsea's Run has a virtual option for their 5K.  (get more information here: Finish Chelsea's Run )  It can be a great way to give back and participate in events with your running friends, no matter where they are.  

What are the cons?
For me, the only con of a virtual race is that there aren't other runners running with you (unless you run them with a group of friends) and you don't get the satisfaction of running across a finish line. 

What are your thoughts?  Have you participated in a virtual run?

Until next time, Happy Running.
Jenn13.1

It's a New Year: 2016 Goals

As I look back on 2015, I try to remember what goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year and I know they all focused on numbers: run a 8 minute mile, lose 10 pounds, etc...  Although I was able to make a few of those goals, I discovered that having such concrete goals (especially in regards to running times) was more frustrating than helpful.  That frustration got in my head, which had a negative impact on some of my goals.  So for 2016, I've decided to do something a little different.  So here they are, in no particular order:

Meet More People
I was fortunate to meet some awesome people in 2015 through social media and I'm looking forward to meeting even more in 2016.  I even have a few "running selfies" that I'm hoping to get with people this year (for now, the people will remain nameless, but I will definitely be all about it when it happens!) 

Run Happy

In 2015, for most of my races, I was worried about the time.  "Get the PR," "run it under this time," etc.  So instead of having fun and enjoying the races as much as I could have, I paid more attention to my watch.  During the later half of the year, I abandoned some of my goals and just had fun with my races.  And you know what happened- I PRd my last half.  So instead of worrying about my time, I going to worry about having fun.  My next half marathon has a beautiful course along the ocean and I plan on enjoying every 13.1 mile of it!

Run a Marathon

Before the end of 2016, I will run a marathon.  I am currently signed up to run the LA Marathon in February-- due to some recent changes in my life, that may not be possible.  So if it doesn't happen in February, I will make it happen before the year is over.

Run a Trail Race

I love to run.  I love to hike.  I want to experience the best of both worlds!  I have friends who love trail running and it does look like a blast!  I will admit to being a little nervous about it-- I worry that I might trip on a rock or miss a step and end up on my face.  I realize that's a risk with any run, but the risks seem heightened on the trails.  In 2016, I'm not going to let those nerves stop me.  I'm fortunate enough to live in an area that has beautiful trails and I can't wait to experience them.

Those are my goals for now.  I'm sure I'll come up with more as the year progresses.  We're only 4 days in, so I have a little time :)

What are your goals for 2016?

Until next time, happy running!!
Jenn13.1

San Diego Holiday Half Marathon

2015 was a great race year for me.  As December was coming to an end, I decided I wanted to do one more Half and signed up for the San Diego Holiday Half Marathon, taking place the weekend after Christmas.  I had heard great things about this race and was looking forward to it.  

Bib pick-up was the day after Christmas at Road Runner Sports-- I was a little bit nervous about this.  A retail store the day after Christmas?  Yes, it was crowded, but everything was well organized and I had no problems getting my bib.  I even picked up a few goodies with the coupon that came with out packet.

Flat Jenn ready for race morning!

I woke up race morning ready to go.  It was a cold one--thank goodness for the gloves and mylar blanket that came in our packets.  A definite win!  I left early to give myself time to find the race area and parking-- both were easy.  I made my way to the start line and discovered the neighboring Double Tree Hotel had their ballroom open for the runners, which meant warmth! Another win.  I met up with Michelle and we caught up a bit before heading to our corrals.  7:30am came and we were off!

The 13.1 miles were pretty uneventful-- we had been "warned" about a few hills in the pre-race communications, but other than the hills, I found the course to be a bit boring.  It wasn't a bad course, just not anything I found to be interesting.  A lot of the course is along traffic and the freeway-- there was minimal crowd support.  (The people out there were awesome. ) They had a good amount of water stations and on course restrooms, which is great.  I will say the best thing about the course is the 3 minute PR I got from it.  

At the finish line area, I waited for Michelle and explored a bit--there was definitely a great post-race energy and the post-race treats were great!  (Although it looked like they ran out of things for some of the runners)  The race finished in Torrey Pines-- I went over to the water area to take pictures with my medal-- the finish area was definitely beautiful.  They also provided post-race shuttles back to the the parking areas which was great!  

Michelle at the Finish Area

Overall, I would do this event again.  The shirt and medal were awesome.  I would like to see if I can PR the course again.  How did you finish your race year?

Until next time, happy running.
Jenn13.1

PS: See that new badge on the right?!  I am happy to announce that I was selected as one of the 2016 Pro Compression Ambassadors.  I am so excited to be joining the team and can't wait to see what 2016 brings.

My Top 5 Running Moments of 2015

As my 2015 race season nears it's final race, I've been reflecting back on my year of running.  I am truly blessed for the experiences that 2015 brought me and I'm looking forward to seeing what 2016 has in store.  I've narrowed down my top 5 running moments from the year, in no particular order:

Nike Women's Half Marathon

The Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco is the first lottery type of race I've ever participated in.  I applied and honestly forgot about it, thinking I wouldn't get in my first time.  I was pleasantly surprised when I got the e-mail telling me I was in.  I had never been to San Francisco and had heard great things about this race.  The city was amazing-- I definitely want to go back.  And the course was beautiful-- without doubt the prettiest race course I'd ever run.  Nike recently announced that the race series would not be heading back to San Francisco for 2016 so I am definitely glad I had this experience.  I look forward to seeing which city they go to next.

Rock N Roll San Diego

Rock N Roll San Diego was the first time I enjoyed the entire race experience.  I went to the expo, listened to speakers, shopped, met Meb and did more than just pick up my bib.  I ran the 5K and the Half Marathon during the RNRSD weekend and had a blast at both.  After the 5K, I went to the ProCompressionon meet-up and met some awesome people.  Before the Half Marathon on Sunday, I met Harriette Thompson- the oldest woman to complete a marathon.   If that doesn't inspire you, I don't know what will.  San Diego is my city and the crowds did not disappoint.  The crowd support was by far the best of any race I ran in 2015, from the shots to the funny signs, it was awesome.  I enjoyed all my race travels, but like they say, there's no place like home.

My Fastest Mile

This didn't happen during a race-- just a typical training run.  When I run, my goal isn't to be fast.  My goal is to finish and to improve from my last run.  And then this happened.  I was shocked.  Not because it's insanely fast, because let's face it, it isn't.  But for me and how far I've come as a runner, it is fast.  Do I think I can run severals miles at this pace? Not yet.  But seeing what my body is capable of gives me a goal and something to strive for.

RunDisney Avengers Half Marathon Weekend

I signed up for the Avengers Half Marathon Weekend because I wanted to do another RunDisney event (My first was the DIsneyland Half Marathon).  I haven't seen the movies and didn't know what a "Gauntlet Challenge" was, but I was ready to have fun.  And fun I did have.  I went to the We Run Social meet-up on Friday and met some awesome people.  Over the next two days, we would see each other again, running the 10K and Half Marathon.  I ran the Half Marathon with three of my new friends and I can honestly say it's the most fun I'd ever had during a race.  I usually run alone, so running with other people was an experience for me. But it was a blast.  I can't wait to see them all again at our next RunDisney race!

Rock N Roll Chicago

When I signed up for Rock N Roll Chicago, it wasn't just about running for me.  I got an e-mail about the race shortly after my mom had passed away and something in me said I had to sign up.  My grandmother grew up in Chicago, so I heard stories about the city growing up and watched Cubs games with her all the time.  Even though I had never been to Chicago, I felt a connection and I knew that RNRCHI would be a great way to experience it.  I made a vacation out of it, staying a week so that I would have time to explore and see things other than the race part of my trip.  It was amazing.  I fell in love with the city and felt a sense of peace that I hadn't felt since my mom had passed away.  The race experiences were amazing-- from the people to the course.  (Although I could definitely do without the midwest heatwave we had!)  This trip far exceeded my expectations and have me just what I needed in my life at that point.  I will forever be grateful for the experience and everyone that was involved in it.  I can't wait to go back for RNRCHI in 2016.

I hope everyone had a great race year! Until next time, happy running.
Jenn13.1

San Diego Santa Run Recap

After scoring a pair of ProCompression's Ugly Sweater Socks, I decided I wanted to rock them at a holiday run.  I made a last minute decision to sign up for the San Diego Santa Run, joining thousands of Santas as we took over the streets of Pacific Beach (PB).  

Packet pick-up was the day before the race-- there was also race day pick-up, but I honestly like having my bib the day before.  So I made my way down to Pacific Beach and located the pick-up-- it was in a random parking lot, but surprisingly, parking was relatively easy to find and packet pick-up was well organized.  With your race bib, you are received a Sunny Claus suit, sunglasses and some other goodies. 

Start Line

The day before the race a rain storm hit San Diego and I was a little nervous it would still be raining on race morning.  I woke up to sunny, blue skies and was ready to head down to PB for the run.  Since parking in PB can be a bit tricky, I headed down there early.  I'm glad I did-- I ended up parking a mile away from the start line.  I made my way to the start line, which was easy to find-- you just had to look for the Santas.

So many Santas!

I have never seen so many people dress as Santa and one area and the energy was amazing.  RunMC was providing pre-race entertainment and was on point.  I could tell this was definitely going to be a fun race.  The race had a 5K, a mile speed race, a kid's race and a Santa's Little Helpers race (for dogs and their owners.)  I was running the 5K and it began promptly at 10:00am.  

I decided to be El on a Shelf!

The course was a typical street course-- it had more of a gradual incline at the beginning than I was expecting, but that also meant you got to run back down and I love a good down hill run.  There were random spectators and a lot of people taking pictures--- how often do you see that many Santas running down the street.  It was one of those races where you couldn't help but smile.    

As I was looking at my Garmin, I realized I was on target to PR for a race 5K, which helped push me to the finish.  I was a little disappointed to discover that the 5K wasn't quite a 5K (my watch read 2.9 miles)  

Overall, this was a very fun race. High Performance Movement definitely puts on a good race.  The energy was amazing-- this race can definitely turn any Grinch into a Santa!  I'm definitely planning on doing it again next year and am hoping I can talk some of my friends into running it with me.  

Always fun to see Carlee at races

One more race left in my 2015 race season!  Until next time, happy running.
Jenn13.1

Opting Outside

When REI announced that they would not be opening on Black Friday and were encouraging people to go outside, I decided that's how I wanted to spend my Black Friday. (A recent change in my life meant that this would be the first Black Friday I wasn't working in 18 years- I was ready for something outside of shopping.)  I've done the Black Friday thing and though I've had a lot of fun and found some awesome deals in the past, I wanted something different this year.

My original plan was to to hike Mt. Woodson on Black Friday, but the sudden rain that visited San Diego changed those plans.  I decided to explore Torrey Pines State Reserve instead-- I've seen pictures but this was someplace I'd never been to.  

It was cold!

The "hiking" at Torrey Pines was what I was expecting.  It's easy pathways which makes it great for all level of hikers.  I like that there were different path options.  The plan was to visit a few of the trails, then make our way back via the beach.  The high-tide changed our plans, but it was still a beautiful hike. We ended up hiking about 6 miles total and rewarded ourselves with lunch at a local taco shop. 

There were a lot of people out on the trails-- all ages and a lot of families. I loved this!  I don't know if this was a result of REI's #OptOutside campaign, but I loved seeing so many people out enjoying nature.  

I enjoyed my time at Torrey Pines, but woke up Saturday morning still craving a little bit more of a challenge.  After a last minute decision, I found myself on my way to Mt. Woodson, more commonly known in San Diego as the "Potato Chip Rock."  It's around an 8 mile hike so I made sure to bring my Camelbak and hiking snacks.  The weather in San Diego can be a bit unpredictable at times-- on Friday I was in long sleeves, pants and a beanie.  On Saturday, I was back to shorts and a tank.  Regardless of the temperature change, it was still a beautiful day.

The view from about half way up the mountain.

 The hike at Mt. Woodson was definitely more challenging than the day before-- I was a little sore from Thursday's running and Friday's hiking.  There were people out, but it was never too crowded.  One of my favorite things about Mt. Woodson is that it presents enough of a challenge to keep me motivated but not too much that it makes it hard for my fitness level.  I am not an expert hiker by any means, but do love to explore the trails.  And San Diego has some awesome ones.

When we got towards the top, we noticed that there was a long line at the top for people to go out on the "Chip."  This is a popular spot and the top can get busy at times.  (There are two ways to the top of the mountain, so it's hard to anticipate how many people will actually be up there)  We decided not to wait for a picture and headed back down the mountain.  (I've been here before and have a picture on the rock.  If you've never been here, wait in line-- it's worth the wait!) 

The view from the top of Mt. Woodson

If you've never hiked Mt. Woodson, I would definitely recommend it.  If you go during the warmer months, make sure to bring water.  There are signs posted that recommend at least 2 liters per person or animal. (It is dog friendly)

Do you hike in San Diego?  Where are some of your favorite places to hike? 
Until next time, happy running!

Jenn13.1