Early in the year, back when this blog and I were in our newlywed stage, I blogged about all the races I was doing with vigor and enthusiasm. Oh, how quickly things can change.
The last race report I did was in May (coming up on 3 months ago) when I ran the Seascape 5k. In my defense, I haven't done as much racing as I was earlier in the year, so there isn't as much to post. Nevertheless, here's a brief overview of what's been going on running-wise.
The last race report I did was in May (coming up on 3 months ago) when I ran the Seascape 5k. In my defense, I haven't done as much racing as I was earlier in the year, so there isn't as much to post. Nevertheless, here's a brief overview of what's been going on running-wise.
Volunteer Event - Nisene Marks Marathon
For those that haven't been to The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park, it's a trail running paradise. I was originally planning on racing the Nisene Marks Half Marathon, but ultimately they were in need of volunteers and I decided to lend my time instead. In a way, it seemed silly to pay a lot of money to run a route that I run for free several times a year. In the end, I got the best of both worlds - when I contacted the race director, he asked me to sweep the half marathon course (run the entire route about an hour into the race to ensure that trash is picked up, people aren't injured, etc.), so I got to run it anyway.
As a result, I hung around at the start and then took off on a slow, meandering run through the trails that make up the course. It was nice just to run easy and not worry about time, and it was a pretty painless sweep because there was really no situation that needed my attention. On the whole, it was a pretty fun day.
As a result, I hung around at the start and then took off on a slow, meandering run through the trails that make up the course. It was nice just to run easy and not worry about time, and it was a pretty painless sweep because there was really no situation that needed my attention. On the whole, it was a pretty fun day.
Race Report: Superhero 5k & 10k
This race was put on by our local Fleet Feet and consisted of an out and back course that went into Nisene Marks (yes, when it's right in your backyard, you take advantage of it!). They have used this course for other races, including their fun run every Saturday, so it was a course that was very familiar to me.
I was going to focus on really racing the 5k, but our good friends, who are also starting to become serious about running, came to visit for the weekend and run the race with us. As a result, we decided to run the race together, with the guys leading the charge in the 10k and the girls pulling up the rear with jogging strollers in the 5k.
This ended up being a really fun race. The whole field really got into the superhero theme and wore costumes (the pacers were villains, which was hilarious), so the atmosphere was festive. I got to run with my friend Gavin while he hit a PR on the 10k course, which was pretty cool. And to top it all off, Sawyer got to run his first kids race, which was really cute and sweet.
I was going to focus on really racing the 5k, but our good friends, who are also starting to become serious about running, came to visit for the weekend and run the race with us. As a result, we decided to run the race together, with the guys leading the charge in the 10k and the girls pulling up the rear with jogging strollers in the 5k.
This ended up being a really fun race. The whole field really got into the superhero theme and wore costumes (the pacers were villains, which was hilarious), so the atmosphere was festive. I got to run with my friend Gavin while he hit a PR on the 10k course, which was pretty cool. And to top it all off, Sawyer got to run his first kids race, which was really cute and sweet.
Volunteer Event: San Lorenzo River Trail Run
Coastal Trail Runs (an organization that, as the name implies, puts on trail running events near the coast) has a cool system where you can earn free race entries by volunteering at their events. With that in mind, I decided I could spare some time on a Saturday to lend a hand, especially since this run was just down the road in Santa Cruz.
I had never done any race volunteering outside of the course sweep mentioned at the beginning of this post, so I was not sure what to expect, but I had a really good time. I started by checking people in and handing out bibs, then I moved to a couple of different aid stations throughout the course. I spent the bulk of the time at the halfway aid station for the marathon and 50k runners, which basically involved giving Oreos and sodas to people who looked like they were going to die. It was a lot of fun to talk to the runners and get to hear some of their stories.
The day ended the best way possible - with a free race entry and a beer from the brewery down the street.
No photos for this race unfortunately, but here's a link to someone else's.
I had never done any race volunteering outside of the course sweep mentioned at the beginning of this post, so I was not sure what to expect, but I had a really good time. I started by checking people in and handing out bibs, then I moved to a couple of different aid stations throughout the course. I spent the bulk of the time at the halfway aid station for the marathon and 50k runners, which basically involved giving Oreos and sodas to people who looked like they were going to die. It was a lot of fun to talk to the runners and get to hear some of their stories.
The day ended the best way possible - with a free race entry and a beer from the brewery down the street.
No photos for this race unfortunately, but here's a link to someone else's.
Race Report: Wharf to Wharf
I got a last minute bib to Wharf to Wharf (a six mile race from the Santa Cruz Wharf to the Capitola Wharf) from a friend, and I was excited because it's a very popular race that I had never run before.
I came into it with an aggressive time goal - I wanted to run the race as close to 50:00 as possible. I am aiming to break the 2:00 half marathon barrier this fall (a 9:09 pace), so I wanted to run the race somewhere in the 8:30 - 8:45 range so I could feel confident about my ultimate goal. In that regard, I didn't quite hit the mark.
I planned on starting slow and then speeding up throughout the race. That worked well through mile 3, but right at that point I started to feel really terrible. I never really felt like I recovered, and I ended up just suffering all the way to the end. The final time was just over 54:00 at a 9:06 pace.
There are a number of excuses I could throw out - It was humid! I was sick that week! The hills! I didn't run the course very well and added distance! - but when you boil it down, I just didn't feel up to what I wanted to do. That resulted in kind of a shot to my confidence, as I started to worry that all this volunteering, light racing, and lack of dedication is affecting my conditioning and making my sub-2:00 goal harder to achieve. It's kind of sparked a dedication to really focusing my efforts over the next couple of months.
I came into it with an aggressive time goal - I wanted to run the race as close to 50:00 as possible. I am aiming to break the 2:00 half marathon barrier this fall (a 9:09 pace), so I wanted to run the race somewhere in the 8:30 - 8:45 range so I could feel confident about my ultimate goal. In that regard, I didn't quite hit the mark.
I planned on starting slow and then speeding up throughout the race. That worked well through mile 3, but right at that point I started to feel really terrible. I never really felt like I recovered, and I ended up just suffering all the way to the end. The final time was just over 54:00 at a 9:06 pace.
There are a number of excuses I could throw out - It was humid! I was sick that week! The hills! I didn't run the course very well and added distance! - but when you boil it down, I just didn't feel up to what I wanted to do. That resulted in kind of a shot to my confidence, as I started to worry that all this volunteering, light racing, and lack of dedication is affecting my conditioning and making my sub-2:00 goal harder to achieve. It's kind of sparked a dedication to really focusing my efforts over the next couple of months.
Coming Up
As I've mentioned before, a sub-2:00 half marathon is the number one thing on my hit list right now. I have a 10-mile race during our trip to Hawaii scheduled as kind of a tune-up run before I tackle the Giant Race in September, where I will attempt the Great Feat.
If for some reason I don't succeed, my plan is to immediately sign up for something else a weeks later, then repeat that as necessary until I do it. I am planning on doing the Big Sur Half Marathon in November, so that's another potential venue for accomplishment, but if I fail in September, I won't want to wait that long to try again.
If for some reason I don't succeed, my plan is to immediately sign up for something else a weeks later, then repeat that as necessary until I do it. I am planning on doing the Big Sur Half Marathon in November, so that's another potential venue for accomplishment, but if I fail in September, I won't want to wait that long to try again.