This weekend I ran the Holiday 5k and Holiday Half Marathon in Pomona, CA. Together, these races completed the Golden Snowflake Challenge, which granted the finisher with a lovely golden snowflake medal, in addition to the 5k and half medals. Never one to shy away from extra bling, I put this race on my calendar early on in the year.
This was my second time running this particular half marathon. I think it was my 6th half marathon ever 2 years ago, and I remember hating every minute of those hills! The course starts at the Pomona Fairplex, loops through a neighboring residential area, back up through the Pomona Speedway, out around Brackett Airport, and then through Bonelli Park. Bonelli Park is lovely. But it has a lot of hills. They're not absurdly steep, but the number of them really does a number on you physically and mentally.
About half the race is spent in and around Bonelli Park, so when you finally leave, the Fairplex is in sight with only 2 miles to go. I forgot to turn my podcasts on until Mile 2, which is odd for me, but also nice to know I didn't absolutely need the distraction. I took very few pictures and although I tried to push through, both races ended up a bit slower than my most recent races.
I took a recovery week this week, on the advice of my coach. I do feel stronger as a runner overall, but I think all the racing the last 3 months has really done a number on me. With LA Marathon just two months away (EEK!!) and 6 races before then, I don't think I'll get much opportunity to rest. I've got no races next weekend and I'm super excited about it, because it means I finally get to do something I've been meaning to do for months now.....get a haircut!!! I have literally been too busy to do something as simple as get a haircut and although I love running, it's nice to take a breather every now and then.
Did you run any races this weekend? How'd you do?
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