This past weekend we stayed at our friends’ house in Calabasas, about 30 mins from Camarillo, so I got up at 6am, had a cup of coffee and left at 6:30am. I got to the race right after the full marathon started at 7am, and the half started an hour later.
It was a pretty small race so I was able to grab my bib and t shirt quickly and then went off in search of a long-line-less bathroom and do some stretching. not in the bathroom.
I forgot to bring any gels or Clif bars, so for the first race in a couple years, I didn’t eat my standard breakfast. Instead I had 2 Chex Mix Turtle bars that I grabbed from the house; I figured the calorie count for 2 (260) would be about the same as a Clif bar.
The weather was cool and overcast, perfect for running. We started right on time and took off through the farm fields and “country” roads. (I don’t know if anywhere in SoCal is really “country” but it looked like it. sorta)
One of the hard parts of getting back into shape (besides feeling out of shape) is knowing what kind of pace you can sustain and push yourself at without needing Josh Duhamel to come revive you mouth-to-mouth.
I started out running 8 min/miles for the first 3 miles and then slowed to around 8:15 for the middle of the course. Mile 7 was hard; the road was a little rough and I was bored and getting tired, but at mile 8 I picked it up and finished the race running sub-8′s.
Like I said, I didn’t bring any gels and there weren’t energy drinks at the water stations so I thought I’d be dragging by the end, but those turtle bars did the trick, I guess. Redbull doesn’t give you wings; turtle bars do.
The course was super flat and super boring, but the weather was great, I felt good, and was able to push hard at the end. I finished in 1:44:25, 7:59min/mile average, 52nd overall and 6th female.
A much stronger finish than last week’s race… and right now, that’s what I need to focus on: pacing myself well so I can finish mentally and physically strong. And never making that ugly face again.
A fun thing about this race: I was spotted by and met two readers, Chacha and Lisa, who I think is in the blue shirt in the above picture. (Did I get your name right, Lisa? I hope so) I also saw ChicRunnerwho was busting out a full 26.2 along with Lisa.
Meeting readers makes me feel like a celebrity… A Z Lister that no one knows, everyone hates, and is generally just a turd, but still.
After the race our friends made us a gourmet brunch back at their place.
Like hand whipped cream for the Belgium waffles topped with fresh fruit.
Like bacon and ham, veggie, and avocado stuffed egg scrambles.
Like overflowing mimosas.
Fun times. Races are all the more fun when you get to celebrate with friends afterwards. Thanks to me for being so fabulous Thanks to our friends for being such fabulous hosts this weekend!
