5 Favorite Half Marathons

Today's Friday Five 2.0 topic is Favorite Races. A blogging friend, Jennifer at the Fit Nana, visited Valley of Fire when she was in Vegas for BlogFest. Her post on IG reminded me of the half marathon I ran through that park back in 2013. It definitely ranks as one of my favorite races.

I love the half marathon distance! There are some really gorgeous courses out there!! I've actually only run 12 halfs since my first back in 2002. I relived each race preparing for this post and want to include each of them as a favorite, but I'll limit myself to 5. 😃

My Year in Race Bling 2016

Today's topic for Tuesday's on the Run is Your year in race bling and/or pictures. I didn't run a lot of races this year, but here's the bling I managed to snag.

I didn't write a recap for all of them, but click on the pictures to read the recaps that I did write.

PJ 5k Recap

The PJ 5k takes place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and is the only time Glittering Lights is open to foot traffic. It's 3 miles of really cool holiday lights and displays.

This was my 3rd year running this race, and it just keeps getting better!

FroYo 5k Recap

It's was a beautifully cool morning on May 9th. Perfect for a 5k.

The FroYo 5k started at 9AM, but I always worry about parking and race morning packet pick-up, so I wanted to leave early. This was a local race, but it was at a park that I'd never been to before. I'm glad I left early because I *may* have gotten a little lost on the way. And I was *so* close to the park. So close that I was on part of the course. lol.

I finally arrived and there was still plenty of parking. Whoo hoo!

And I was still early enough that packet pick-up was a breeze.

After hanging out and killing time for a bit, George and I met up with some friends.

The whole group. I only knew 2 of these peeps before race day.

An official photo of a few of us. 

As you probably know I've been kind of chasing a sub-25 minute 5k, so in the back of my mind, I was kind of hoping this would be my race.

And then I saw this the day before the race.

You see that elevation profile? Crazy, right?!

I'm sure there are hillier courses out there, and steeper hills as well, but my 5k PR was on a very flat course, so I wasn't holding my breath for a PR.

George and I started with the 9:00 min pace group. The first hill was crazy! I wanted to walk some of it. So. Bad.

But I didn't. Good thing it was at least cool out; I was wearing arm warmers, after all.

I'm kind of a flat running girl. Uphills make it hard to breathe; downhills hurt my knees (and I fear that I'll fall). But after about the first mile, and slowing down too much on the uphills for my liking, I decided that no matter what, I would try to push myself on the downhills at least. Something I rarely do.

It actually felt pretty good! And that I could give myself a tiny break on the next uphill. :-D

There were a few times when I was pretty tempted to walk, but I DIDN'T! I just kept plugging away. Easing back a tiny bit on the uphills and flying (to my mind) on the downhills.

Probably around mile 2.5 or so, I took off my arm warmers. I was cruising! And getting a little warm. lol.

I could taste the finish line ... and the FroYo ... so I kept pushing it and pushing it.

Suddenly, it was within sight.

George: Ready to really push it to the end?
Me: No yet.
Me: But you can go ahead, if you want.

A few steps later...

Me: Okay, I'm ready. Let's do this.

And we took off to finish STRONG! Shortly after, a little kid ran onto the course and almost tripped George. :/

But we kept going, and we finished HARD.

It might not look like it here, but trust me, I was booking it!

After walking around a bit, so I could catch my breath, we headed to the FREE FROYO! That was the point of the race, after all.

I got cheesecake FroYo with a couple toppings (gummy bears and ???). It was good, but maybe not the best FroYo I'd ever had.

So, do you want to know how I did? Did I beat that PR?

No.

But I did come in 54th overall out of 782, so I was pretty pleased with that.

My time was 26:38. Which when you think about it, it's that not that far off from my PR of 26:33. And did I mention the hills?

Of course, the course was a little short, closer to 3 miles than 3.1, but I'm still very happy with how I did at this race.

As we were eating our FroYo, another woman said to me, "I tried to keep up with you at the end. You passed me, and I just couldn't keep up. Great job!"

#BestComplimentEver!

It was a beautiful morning and a super fun race (despite the hills), and I'd probably do it again.
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Ride the Wind 16-Mile Recap

On May 3rd, I ran a 16-mile race. Ride the Wind.

It's kind of an odd distance for a race, so automatic PR for me! Whoo hoo!

But wait... It gets better...

I was 4th overall and 2nd female to finish... out of 7 overall and 4 females. :-) Yeah, it was also a super small race.

Since it was so small, I really felt no pressure at this race. Which was good, since it was a last minute decision to register/run this race.

Ready to hit the trails!

I was just happy to be out there on the trails. It was so quiet and peaceful and gorgeous!

Sometimes you'd turn the bend to a view like this of Red Rock in the background.

Absolutely breathtaking.

Around mile 2, we passed a couple of girls and a couple of guys that were running one of the Ultra distances. It then became our mission to stay ahead of those 4 for the rest of the race.

About 4-5 miles in was the first aid station.

Yes, that's a tarantula

Me: Is that a tarantula?
Volunteer: Yes. It was hanging around right over there.
Me: Oh. I thought maybe you'd brought your pet.

After fueling a bit, we took off again. We didn't want to linger, as the girls we'd passed were closing in on us.

The next 5 miles were filled with uphills...

 And downhills.

And more gorgeous views.

We were rewarded with a 2nd aid station around mile 10. This station was unmanned, but fully stocked. As we were signing in on the check-in sheet, one of the girls we'd passed early on caught up with us. So much for staying ahead of both of them. We fueled up a bit. I applied a little more sunscreen to my face, just as the 2nd woman we'd passed was hitting the station. We reminded her to sign in on the check-in sheet, and we were off.

Off to face 3-4 miles of a big, relentless hill.

They warned us about the hill at the beginning of the race, but I kind of didn't believe it until I was out there. Running walking the hill. The hill that didn't seem to ever end.

And then there was the wind...

Ride the Wind? More like Fight the Wind. While I appreciate the breeze, why does it have to be a headwind UP this relentless hill? Would definitely love a tailwind to help push me up the hill instead. :)

At the top of the hill, we had about two more miles to go. I must have looked pretty hot and tired, because George gave him his instant cooling towel that he'd been filling with ice at the aid stations.

Downhills aren't always my best friend, and I knew that George wanted to fly down the hills, so I told him that I was in no fear of not finishing. That he should just run down the hill.

I sucked down one more gel, saw the 2nd girl that had caught up to us at the unmanned aid station rounding the bend, and took off down the hill. There was just no way I was going to let her catch me. :-)

I wanted to take a couple more pictures during those last couple miles, but well, I didn't want to stop even more.

The course was very well marked throughout the race with pink ribbons and sometimes orange arrows on the ground.

The only spot where I was a tiny bit confused, and almost went the wrong way, was at the very end. I chose the correct way. :)

The finish was a little lackluster, but I can't really complain. There were only a few runners, after all. And the finish support was awesome! They had so much food and a whole cooler of ice.

Cuz everyone should jump in an ice cooler after a 16-mile race in the desert.

Overall, I really enjoyed this race. It was small, yes, but very well supported. It was a warm morning, but not unbearable.

I would definitely run another race put on by Elemental Running.
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Catch the Leprechaun 5k Recap

This past weekend I ran the Catch the Leprechaun 5k just outside of Vegas.

Pre-race. All smiles. :-)

Wow! What a completely different race experience than my previous 5k.

The before and after race were fun, but the actual race itself was TOUGH!

Dirt trails, rather than paved, will always result in a slightly slower pace. It's physics. ;-)

And most of this race was on a well groomed dirt path. Not really a trail per se, but enough to slow me down slightly.

But I can't really blame the terrain. No, my body just wasn't feeling this one. Everything felt TIRED - my legs, my feet, my mind. There were many times throughout the race that I just wanted to stop.

But my C Goal - no walking - kept me going. If I hadn't made that one of my goals for this race, I know I would have stopped to walk. Probably more than once.

Around mile 2, I got a pretty nasty side stitch that simply wouldn't go away. Still, I pressed on. I kept trying to push myself to go faster, but it just wasn't in the cards.

Around 2.75 miles, the course had to cut back over to the paved trail through the park. This part of the course wasn't nearly as well groomed. Larger rocks in the gravel. Traversing across some grass.

And a twisted ankle. :-(

Nothing too serious, though. When I hit back on the paved section to head to the finish, I was finally able to give it my all all I had left.

Official time: 28:04
Splits: 8:39, 9:07, 9:38, 0:40

Nowhere near a PR for me, but I'm still happy with my time. I did make my B Goal (sub-30), after all.

After the race, we stuck around for the awards - something we normally never do - but we're so glad we did this time! You see, my friend, George, won first in his division and walked away with this neat award/vase.

And everyone who ran got this really cool medal.

And this really cool medal also got us a free Mimosa (or champagne) at Rachel's Kitchen, so naturally, we had to go out for breakfast after the race.

I wasn't very hungry, and I mistakenly thought that pancakes would be a bit lighter. I was wrong. They were delicious, but SO FILLING! :-)

It was a pretty good start to the weekend, even if the actual race wasn't my favorite.

Did you race this weekend?
Ever have an off-race, where nothing was clicking?
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Catch the Leprechaun 5k Goals

Happy Friday!

Before I forget, THANK YOU to everyone who entered my giveaway for Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts. And...The winner is Yuen Chik! Congratulations!!

A couple days ago, I signed up for a last minute 5k this weekend.

Even though it wasn't really planned, I figured I should set a couple goals for the race.

A GOAL: Sub-26:30
B GOAL: Sub-30
C GOAL: No walking

My A Goal  would be an ever so slight of a PR. After blowing my goals out of the water during my last 5k, I decided I should probably have my A Goal be at least a PR - even if a tiny one.

That said, I'm not really hopeful of a PR, since this course isn't going to be as flat and smooth as the Big Game 5k.

Course Description:

The course heads along a short asphalt path next to the lakes until reaching the dirt trails of the park. This is a flat, scenic trail that meanders along beautiful desert landscape and gorgeous views of the majestic Sheep Mountains. Everyone will see lots of ducks, peacocks and birds.

Since it's a mix of trail and asphalt, and trails usually slow me down, I'm thinking that my B Goal is much more realistic. :-)

And, of course, I've got to put in a pretty easy goal, so no matter what, I feel pretty good about myself at the finish. LOL.

My last several runs have included a little walking, so I'm hoping that I can push through for an actual race - thus my C Goal.

Tuesday's run a few days ago was slow. My legs felt super heavy and uncooperative, but yesterday's run was slightly better. Yesterday's average pace was 9:35 - including some walking, hills, and traffic lights - which made me feel much more confident about this race.

I haven't done much speed work or strength training since the Big Game 5k, and with the course description, I'll be very surprised if I get a PR.

Stay tuned throughout the weekend for updates on Instagram and Twitter!

I'm sure I'll at least be wearing something cute and green. ;-)

Anyone else racing this weekend?
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Big Game 5k Goals

Happy Friday!! Are you excited for the weekend?

I guess it's possibly a big weekend for a lot of people. I don't follow football at all, so I don't even *gasp* know who's playing this year.

BUT, I actually am doing more to celebrate the Super Bowl this year than, well, since before I can remember. :) What crazy plans do I have to celebrate?

Running my first race of 2015!

Would you even guess anything else?!

My first race is a 5k. There was a 10k option as well, but since I'm trying to work on speed this year, I opted for the 5k.

I've not been too consistent about writing goals for races in the past, and probably never for a 5k, but it's a new year. :-)

Goal A: Sub-30:00
Goal B: Sub-31:00
Goal C: Sub-33:00

Not even the A Goal would be anywhere near a PR, but at this point, I would be elated for a sub-30:00. I feel like it's been a very long time since I saw that happen.

I kind of took it easy in January after my marathon in November, followed almost immediately by the #RWRunStreak. I knew I needed to focus on something other than running, to give my body time to fully recuperate.

So, I did strength training and yoga with 1-2 easy runs a week. No speed work. No tempo runs. Just one-foot-in-front-of-the-other runs. Good runs. Meh runs. But no real challenging runs.

I'm using this first 5k of 2015 as a baseline race. To analyze where exactly my speed is at, and how far I have to go to meet my ultimate goal - a sub-25:00.

I'll also be counting this 5k as my first virtual race in Laura's Spring 5 by the 5th virtual race series. It's a fun race series. You run either a 5k or 5 miles in the first 5 days of the month from Feb to May. I think there are monthly prizes up for grabs, too. You should join the fun!

Anyone else racing this weekend? Running a Super Bowl race? Going to a Super Bowl party?
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Ultimate Coffee Date - January 2015

I'm super excited about the Ultimate Coffee Date in 2015! Mostly because I've decided to do these coffee dates on YouTube.

So, if you want to join me for some catching up and chatting, you can check out my vlog.

Or you can read on, if video isn't your thing.

If we were having coffee today... I'd tell you that I was actually drinking tea this morning. Celestial Seasoning Candy Cane Lane tea that I received complimentary from Influenster in my #FrostyVoxBox. Verdict? It's really tasty! Kind of a subtle flavor - not too overpowering. I also used a coupon I received to buy some Caramel Apple Dream tea, which I am super excited to try out. I'd ask if you ever drink tea and what your favorite variety is.

If we were having coffee today... I'd tell you complain a little about the DOMS I'm experiencing from yesterday's workout. One of my January goals is to do strength training 2x a week. Yesterday was my first workout. It focused on arms and core, and man, am I ever feeling it today. AND IT FEELS GREAT! I'd ask if you secretly love the DOMS as much as I do.

If we were having coffee today... I'd tell you how much I'm in love with makeup and nail art right now. I went a little overboard with new makeup last month, and my makeup drawer was getting a little out of control.

So, we bought a makeup organizer.

I love it, but there isn't really room for it in either of our bathrooms. Hopefully we'll find a house that we love that will accommodate this organizer. :-)

There still isn't enough room for all my nail polishes and art, so we might get another organizer as well. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw my Christmas trees, Peppermint Swirls, Gold gradient, and NYE nails.

So much fun! And the best part is that a couple days ago, Jeff mentioned how impressed he was that I was getting into nail art. He seemed really sincere, too. Whoo hoo.

If we were having coffee today... I'd tell you about all the fun things I'm looking forward to in 2015. Buying a house. A huge road trip this summer. Ragnar Zion. Trails of Fury. I'd ask you what you were looking forward to in the year ahead.

If we were having coffee today... I'd invite you to join me for #RaceShirtFriday. Just share a pic and tag me on Twitter (EnjoytheCourse) or IG (Enjoyingthecourse). I'd love to see all your different race shirts. And hear your stories.

Well, that's all I've got this month! If you want to hear me ramble on a bit more about all of these things, be sure to pop over to my YouTube video.

And don't forget to stop by all the others who linked up for the Ultimate Coffee Date over at Confessions of a Mother Runner.

If we were having coffee today, what would you tell me?
What are you most looking forward to in 2015?
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Sprinkler Sprint 5k recap

This past Saturday, Jeff and I met up with some friends for the 2nd annual Sprinkler Sprint 5k. Last year's race was on my birthday in Aug, and we had so much fun running it, that we knew we wanted to do it again in 2014.

We bought another Groupon for the 2 race entries, which meant no shirt this year, so we just wore the ones we got last year. :-)

We biked the 3+ miles to the race start to make the 5k into our own little duathlon. We hadn't ridden our bikes in forever, so we left with plenty of time to take a nice, easy ride. It was a great warm-up!

Trails of Fury Race Recap

Saturday morning, I got up bright and early - so early, it wasn't even bright yet actually - to head out for Trails of Fury. In a moment of insanity, I'd registered for the Dirty Double - which meant a race in the morning and a race in the evening. I'd decided on the Half Marathon to start the day and a 5k at night. Since I'm still a little new to trail running, I didn't want to push it any more than that.

And it's a good thing, too, since I ended up exacerbating a little injury during the half. I don't think I could have done any more than I did. More on that later.

Race #1 - Half Marathon
What a gorgeous morning for a race!

Ready to run!

The race started with a pre-race briefing.

Going over things like the race course and some basic trail race rules. You know. Stay on the trail. Unless you see a desert tortoise or a rattlesnake. Or a wild horse. Or if you need to step out of the way, so another runner can pass.

The course started out on a single track trail, actually the majority of the race was on a single track, so it was a little crowded at the start.  We started out a bit faster than usual, and I knew I wouldn't be able to maintain that for the full 13.1, so I stopped off to the side and let a few runners pass.

Desert Dash did a fabulous job marking the course. They felt it should be a race - not an exercise in orienteering. :-D

The course was absolutely gorgeous!

The weather was perfect. For me. Others probably thought it was a bit too hot, but I loved it! It was in the low-to-mid-70s with a nice cool breeze. I never really felt too hot and uncomfortable. Like I said, perfection.

George and I had previewed part of the half marathon course the week before, so we were familiar with about miles 2-5. These were some of the toughest miles of the course, in my opinion.

There were aid stations around miles 2.75 and 6. We ran right through the first aid station. I still had plenty of water and didn't really need anything. I did pop 3 ShotBloks from my own stash around mile 3, though.

We took advantage of the 2nd aid station, though. I grabbed a bunch of pretzels and some M&Ms. Plus we just took a short breather.

Shortly after that 2nd aid station, we ascended Satan's Escalator. This was most aptly named. Haha!

Actually, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. George zoomed up the switchbacks as I slowly plodded my way to the top.

Finally near the top of Satan's Escalator

View from the top of Satan's Escalator

Miles 6.5 to 8 was a fantastic, mostly flat, savanna stretch of the course. It was so fun to just run and enjoy the beauty all around me - without feeling like I was going to fall down the hill or die struggling up the hill.

The 3rd aid station was around mile 8. We spent a bit of time here. They had all kinds of goodies. Bananas, oranges, Oreos, potato chips, pretzels, water, Coke, Island Boost, Tailwind. There might have been more, but that's all I can remember. I tried most everything. :-D

This aid station was located at Wilson's Tank, which has a gorgeous view of the Vegas valley. You can see the Strip WAY off in the distance, but I didn't get a great picture of that.

I was way too mesmerized and excited about the WILD HORSES down below.

Sorry it's such a bad picture. They were so far away! 

I'm not sure why, but I'm incredibly fascinated by the idea of wild horses. Until a couple years ago, I never really knew that wild horses still existed. Apparently, if I were a stronger, faster runner I would have seen one up close. The volunteers at the aid station said there was one right in the trail for awhile that startled several runners. Then the horse moved off the trail and hung out behind the volunteers for awhile. I wish I could have seen that!

Way down there in the valley are some WILD HORSES!

5 more miles to go!

Probably about a mile or so later, my butt really started to hurt. It's a pain that I've been ignoring for awhile too long now. After looking at some images, I'm guessing it's my sacrotuberal ligament or obturator internus muscle or maybe piriformis muscle. It's basically a nagging pain near my tailbone.

It got progressively worse the further I went. And maybe it wasn't the smartest idea, but I kept running along - thinking if I kept going, at least it would be over that much sooner.

George started to have some IT band issues and kept stopping to walk. I kept running ahead, but then I knew he wouldn't have left me, so I stopped and ran/walked with him to the finish.

Around mile 10.5 or so, we got to a really pretty part of the course. I wanted to stop and take pictures at nearly every step.

The beginning of some absolutely breathtaking views

Probably around mile 12, a girl that we'd leapfrogged with the first half of the race had caught up to us. That was enough motivation to keep running with no more walk breaks.

The finish line was bittersweet. It was wonderful to be finished! The pain in my ass had moved down into my knee for the final miles, and I was in a good deal of pain, so it was good to be off the course.

But the course was so beautiful and the weather was so gorgeous that I could've spent the whole day out there!

Time: 3:25:44

The post-race treats were great!

I had some salted watermelon, a banana, and a quarter of muffin. It was a perfect spread.

After the race, we headed back to George's car, which had been broken into. Booo! He had a credit card stolen and some cash, and they stole one of my credit cards as well. There were a few other cars that had been broken into as well. So sad.

I wasn't going to let it damper the rest of my day, though.

We headed to the M Resort's pool. We'd reserved a cabana for the afternoon. I'll save a recap of the pool for another day, but it was a lot of fun!

Unfortunately, even splashing around in the water irritated my knee. I knew it was going to be slow 5k.

Race #2 - 5k
Jeff met us at the M pool and we hung out there until around 6:45pm, when we headed back to Cottonwood Valley for our 2nd race. George had left the pool earlier, so we met up with him back at the race.

The race started with the Race Director doing a roll call to make sure everyone was there. I'd never been to a race where they called off everyone's name. It was kind of neat. Roll call was followed by the race rules. Pretty much the same thing as the morning, so I know I didn't pay as close of attention this time around.

About 1/2 mile in, we turned right for the 5k loop. The 10k-ers did this loop twice; the 30k-ers did this loop at the beginning and again at the end. Not too sure of the 50k course, but it started with the 5k loop as well. :)

I knew I was going to have to walk most of this race, as my knee and butt were in a lot of pain now. George and I started way in the back, and we stayed there for the full race. I think there was just a slow walker behind us.

We were both A-OK with walking, but we did try to keep up a good pace.

Only pic George took of the 5k; I took none.

The downhills were much worse for me, and probably half of the course was downhill. There were some downhill switchbacks after dark. George's IT band apparently didn't mind the downhills as much, so he took off while I slowly made my way down. It was difficult to see in the dark, and I'm pretty sure that I missed part of the trail and cut across the rock. Oops!

We were passed by a couple of the 10k-ers, who started at the same time we did. Oh well. We still finished strong and under 1hr. Yay!

Time: 55:02

Oh the things we runners do for bling! I love that I got a medal for the 1st race and a pilsner glass for the 2nd.

Despite my injuries, this was a fantastic race! It was my first Desert Dash race, and I would definitely register for another one of their races. Their signage was perfect and very helpful for both distances. The aid stations were nicely stocked with all kinds of goodies and provided a perfect breather. The weather was amazing, though Desert Dash didn't really have much control over that. :-D The volunteers were awesome as were the race directors.

Now, it's time to focus on healing this injury.

Did you race over the weekend?
Have you ever pushed through pain in order to get to the finish faster?
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Mustang 50th Half Marathon Recap

If you follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or if you read yesterday's post, then you already know that I had a great time at the Mustang 50th Half Marathon on Saturday. :)

In a nutshell, I was simply out there enjoying the course, but I also pushed myself several times throughout the race. I enjoyed the scenery and the fact I was running on the speedway! I enjoyed the conversations I had with some of the other runners on the course. No PR, but I wanted to finish around 2:15, and I came pretty close. A PR would have been 2:11.

Overall, I'm very happy with the day and the race I ran.

Fitness Friday 4/11 - Race Updates

HAPPY FRIDAY!! Anyone else ready for the weekend?

It's going to be a great one! I'm hoping to get in a couple runs tomorrow, and then Jeff and I are volunteering at GREENFest. We'll be working in the Green Vehicle area from 10-2, so if you're around, come and say hello.

And then, I may join  a few girlfriends for a  GNO. :)

Definitely a fun and exciting weekend ahead.

Here are a few other things that are exciting me this morning...

Why I don't believe in goals

Do you know what tomorrow is? LOL. If you've been around these parts at ALL in the past few weeks, then you know that tomorrow is my 3rd marathon and 1st in 10 years.

I'm beyond excited. Obviously.
Even despite the nasty cold spell that has descended upon the race course.

When I started training, I set a goal to run a sub-4:30 marathon, but about 7 weeks into training, I decided to scrap that idea.

Training had already started to be tedious, and that just wasn't any fun. I'm not ashamed to admit that I run for fun! I'd wanted to run at a 10:00 min/mi, but too many of my training runs had fallen closer to 11:00 min/mi paces. I was starting to stress out about that, and I didn't want to spend the rest of my training with that kind of pressure.

Instead I choose to run by feel.

Some runs are faster and some are slower, but as my blog name suggests, I prefer to just be out there enjoying the course.

So, I don't set race goals. Unless you count having fun a goal, but I prefer to think of it as a state of mind. :-)

My hope for tomorrow is simply to have fun, stay warm, and finish.

Even though I don't have a race goal time, I know that Katie was hoping to get a sub-5:00 at Chicago, but ended up having some issues and didn't run the race she'd hoped for.

I do think we have a pretty good chance of getting her a sub-5:00 this time around for 2 reasons.

1) It's fricken cold outside. Nothing like 20-degree to put a little pep in your step.
2) It's a mostly downhill course. Not the kind the kills your knees, just the kind that doesn't kill your lungs.

But even if we don't. We're going to HAVE FUN!

And, though my training wasn't all I'd hoped it would be, I know I'm ready enough.

Anyone else racing in the cold this weekend?
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Marathon Monday #16

This week's training ended so well that I'm inclined to say it was PERFECT.

It wasn't. Not even close.

But all's well that end's well, right?

Here's what it looked like.

	The Plan	The Reality
Mon, 11/11	2	REST
Tue, 11/12	6 Hills	REST
Wed, 11/13	REST	REST
Thu, 11/14	7 Speed	3
Fri, 11/15	REST	REST
Sat, 11/16	13.1 Valley of Fire Half	13.1
Sun, 11/17	REST	REST
TOTAL	35	16.1

My overall mileage was about double from the previous week, but far from my plan. But I listened to my body, and allowed it the rest that I needed.

You might remember that on Thursday, I'd decided to downgrade to a 10k. I felt really good about that decision. It alleviated a lot of stress and helped get me really excited for the race.

If you follow me on social media, or read yesterday's post, then you know I threw that plan out the window when I got there, and change my mind back to running the Half.

It might sound weird, but I really think this was the BEST DECISION FOR MY BODY. I experienced NO shin pain during or after the race. In fact, running the half really made me feel so much stronger. I was only planning on wearing my compression socks during the drive there and then on the drive home, but I ended up running in them as well.

Yesterday, I shared how the day started. Very early wake-up. Picking up a new friend. Driving the hour to the race. Hemming and hawing on whether or not to change to the Half.

After talking to the RD about switching distances, we headed back to Genie, so I could put on my number and gather all my stuff.

I'd brought my new Camelbak Ultra LR hydration pack - even though it wasn't necessary for a 10k. Perhaps subconsciously I always knew I'd switch distances. I'd never run with it before, and I wanted to try it out. I plan on writing up a full review of it later, so let's just say it was difficult to get used to. It kept rubbing again the right side of my neck. It was annoying, to say the least. I kept re-adjusting all the straps, but nothing worked. It has two front pockets and finally a few miles in I had an epiphany. Move my phone to the right side pocket. It worked! It was just enough weight to keep it from rubbing my neck. Phew!

So, I dealt with that for the first few miles of the race, but it is simply so beautiful at Valley of Fire that it was completely bearable.

The beauty of the park also kept me going through the massive hills. The first big hill came pretty much right away. I asked the RD afterwards about it, and she said it was probably at 16% grade. That's steep! And there were many more like it throughout the course.

I thought it was a simple out-and-back course, but just before mile 2, we jutted off down a side road. About two miles on unpaved trail. It wasn't too bad. A bit rocky, but not super sandy like the other trails in the state park.

There were so many views I wanted to take a picture of, but I knew if I did, I'd want to stop all. the. time. So, I first stopped after we were back on the paved road.

As I was pulling out my phone, a fellow runner asked if I'd like him to take my picture. Sure!

The hills were pretty tough, but since I was doing this for fun and trying not to push myself too hard, I walked up most of them. And down the really steep ones as well.

As I approved mile 6, I'd forgotten about the 2ish mile loop we'd done early on. I kept looking for that turn-around sign, and it wasn't coming. Probably around mile 6.5, I realized the turn-around point wouldn't be the same as the halfway point. Duh!

No big deal. I was still jamming to my music. Enjoying the beauty around me. Running my own race. I was feeling great.

We finally turned around at 7.6 miles. This is was the first aid station I stopped at. With my camelbak, I had plenty of water, but I wanted some fuel. They had an apple cinnamon gel that I sucked down and little cups of plain M&Ms, which I slammed. And then immediately started running again. Not my best idea. I was trying to chew, not choke, and run all at the same time.

After turning around, I started getting a little chatty. 

I'd been playing tortoise/hare with a young boy for the previous several miles. We were running the same pace just after the turn-around, so I asked him how old he was. 13. It thought that was pretty awesome. I told him he was doing a great job with the hills and asked if he'd run hills a lot. He told me not really. He also told me about the last half he'd done, how his family had gone camping in Valley of Fire over the summer, and then his mom found this race. His mom was out on the course, too, but further behind us. We ran together for a few minutes, but then I slowed down and never caught back up to him.

Next up, I talked with an older man from Quebec. I thought it was a long way to travel for such a small race. It was fun talking with him for a bit, but eventually, I started walking and he kept moving along.

Then there were two guys who I'd seen earlier in the race. I think we'd passed each other a few times back and forth. Since it was the same weekend as Rock 'n Roll Las Vegas, my first question was always, Are you running tomorrow? These two were! They underestimated how challenging this course was, and I assured them that Strip at Night would be a breeze after this one. :) They were having a tough time, so after a couple minutes, I put my ear buds back in and continued down the road.

I glanced at my watch every mile. Mostly because it would beep at me. But I never really looked at the cumulative time until 2:05. Could I finish in 2:30? Maybe. But I'm not going to push. Seriously, it was just too beautiful. I'm not sure I would've wanted to run much faster than I was. I was just enjoying being out there. Enjoying the course, you know.

I probably should have turned off my music altogether. I wasn't really feeling it, and I ended up losing some time trying to find something that would really grab me and pull me to the end. That never really ended up happening. Meh.

After walking down most of that first nasty hill, I managed to finish pretty strong.

Passing the 13 mile marker, and knowing how the finish line was set-up, I knew that I needed to turn into the parking lot, but it would've been nice to have a volunteer down there directing runners at this final turn. Maybe it was just me, but at that point, I wasn't really thinking straight, and I hesitated about turning in.

I didn't quite finish in 2:30. My time was 2:31:47. I'm totally happy with that.

This was a very small race. Less than 300 runners for all 3 distances. But the support along the course was fantastic! And the finish line was fun with lots of goodies. I had some chocolate milk, crackers, chips (for the ride home), a Clif bar. Plus there were more things, too.

Also, they announced your name as you crossed the finish line, welcoming you back. I still had my ear buds in, so I'm not sure if they did it for me, but they did it for most of the people that finished after me.

Overall, the race was very well organized, the RD was right there to answer any questions, the volunteers were supportive and encouraging, and the course was beautiful. I definitely plan to run this one again!

Here's a short video I took while running.



It's the same company that's putting on the Tri-States Marathon in less than 3 weeks! Running this half only made me more excited about the marathon. It is going to be so. much. fun!

Up this week? Taper time has begun. Sort of. I'm going to try to stick to my training plan, which is decreasing mileage, but I do have 15 miles on the plan for Saturday. Hopefully that's do-able. I also hope to focus on core and strength exercises to further prepare me for the marathon. These are things I know I should have been including in my training all along, but I've neglected them. I figure taper is the perfect time to increase that focus.

Did you race this weekend?
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