Simi Valley Half Marathon Race Recap

Last night we stayed at our friends Reese and Jim’s in Calabasas so I didn’t even have to get up that early for the 8am race start.  I got up at 6:30am, grabbed a cup of coffee and hit the road a little after 7am.

I won’t be in town for the 4th of July so Pam, who was also running the race, suggested we dress in red, white and blue hence the Nike soccer socks.  Ross, $1.99 by the way.

I got to the start around 7:40am, ate 3/4 of a Clif bar, made one quick porta trip, found Pam and then it was time to go.  This was the inaugural race so it was a relatively small half marathon with about 200 half runners and 600 total.

It was already warm out, and I knew I was pretty much going to die and be uncomfortable the whole time.  But hey, misery loves company:

Right before the start I saw this guy toeing the line wearing a full body Luchador spandex outfit.  If I was going to be hot, he was gonna be hot boxing it the whole time in that tight thing.

We started right at 8am and if it were not for Pam, I would NOT have ran as fast as I did.  I would have started way way slower, but she pushed the pace from the start.  Our first mile was 7:26 and I was pretty sure I was among the living dead – I was already tired.

The course is all on a paved bike path in Simi Valley except for a few dirt sections.

It took me a solid 4 miles before I really felt like I got into the groove and I could breathe without struggling for air.

I think our second mile was around 7:35.  For an injured runner (Pam) and an out-of-shape runner (me) we were kicking some serious red, white, and blue.

The first 3 miles were horrible – they seemed to last forever and I couldn’t even imagine sustaining the pace that we were running.  But around mile 4 I started relaxing and feeling more at ease and just better in general.

I took a gel at mile 6 and just focused on staying with Pam and trying to talk enough so that she wouldn’t think I was anti-social.  Or worse, boring.

It was definitely getting warmer out, and I grabbed a water, Gatorade or both at every aid station.

Miles 6-8 seemed relatively easy; we were passing people while talking and having a good ‘ol time.  And…. then came the rest of the race.

Miles 9-12 were tough; it was hot and I was so ready to be done.  My body just isn’t accustomed to running that pace right now, and it was such an effort to keep going.

I just told myself to stay with Pam.  Honestly, she was a pacing savior – she was pushing it when I would have pulled back if I had been alone.

I took another gel at mile 10 and for the last 2 miles kept repeating the word “Stay” to myself…. stay at this pace, stay at this effort, stay right here and complete what you started.

The last mile was pretty miserable: I almost felt a bit dizzy, but I pushed with the little energy I had left and finished in something like 1:38:20ish.  My garmin says 1:38:26, and Pam texted me the official results, but I left my phone at Reese’s house and I can’t find the results online.

I was first in my age division, 3rd woman and 20th overall; like I said, it was a SMALL race.  Pam came in 2nd in her division and 4th woman overall!!

It was about 80* when we finished.  sweat to the fest.

I ran faster than I thought I could because of Pam; I would have started much more conservatively if it had not been for her.  All thanks to Pam!

For right now where I am with my fitness and cardiovascular shape, I’m super happy with today’s results.  It was by far the hardest, hottest run I’ve done since I’ve been back home, but it felt good too… once it was done and I was sipping an ice cold mimosa. seriously.

What’d you do this weekend?  Anything crazy??

Tagged as: blogging friends, hot weather running, race recap