Golden Snowflake Challenge

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?

Lexus Laceup - Riverside, Half 27/29

The Lexus LaceUp Riverside half marathon was probably the most well put together race I've ever been to!  I have a love/hate relationship with small races.  Being a slower runner means that I almost always come in very near the end of the race.  On the other hand, its really nice to see different parts of cities that aren't very touristy or even that are in my backyard and I never would have known existed!  This was definitely one of those races.  Overall I was 277/313.  14/17 in my age group.  Luckily I do these things for fun!

This was my third race in Riverside in a month and I knew going into it that it was an out and back course along the Santa Ana River Trail, which means a pretty monotonous run in terms of scenery.  I had never heard of this race series until I cancelled my Nebraska trip and found myself in need of a half marathon on one of the very few open weekends I had left in the year to make 29 half marathons on my 29th birthday.  Let me tell you, this race series has quickly become one of my faves!

Because it was sort of a last minute entry for me, I didn't really look at what was included in the race entry fee.  I knew a medal, and really that's all I cared about!  Boy was I pleasantly surprised when I saw that it included a free beer AND food!!  Not only that, they had plenty of seating so that we could enjoy our food and beverage.  I always feel bad that my parents go to my races only to sit on the floor in the cold for several hours.  This race had a small expo of vendors and plenty of tables, chairs, and umbrellas! My mom sat at one of the cloth-covered tables for the first 2 hours of my race and made friends with some other spectators.  She even got a beer and free meal voucher one of the runners wasn't going to be able to use!  Score one for madre!  We always go out to breakfast after my races, but it was nice to stay in the venue and enjoy a really good meal. 

As for the race itself, I was also pleasantly surprised to see that it was a section of the trail I had never been on before and was actually quite pretty!  It was out and back, so while I saw everything twice, the road curved quite a bit and there was a good portion that was tree-lined with a small stream running parallel to the trail.  Always lovely to be one with nature.  (And since I was close to the end, there weren't a lot of other people around so I really was ONE with nature, hehe).  

Definitely the best small town race I've ever been to and I look forward to doing more of their races next year!