Race Report: Conejo Valley Half

A big "first", as well as what will probably be a "last" as well!

In preparation for running the Surf City Marathon this coming February, Chad and I signed up for a half marathon about 14 weeks out to make sure we were on schedule to start our real distance training in October. This race turned out to be the inaugural Conejo Valley Half Marathon, a hilly beast of a course (but very beautiful!) near Thousand Oaks, about an hour east of LA proper. The price was right, the timing was good, so off we went.

Chad hates when I do this.

The race itself is seriously no-frills: not many water stops, no port-a-potties, hardly any volunteers (I know this bothers some people, but I really couldn't care less.) It turned out to be the smallest race I've ever run, with the exception of the annual Cheapskate Half Marathon, but that's a story for another time. (Talk about no frills!) There were 80 entrants, 36 of whom were women. So, a tiny field. As we toed the starting line I joked with Chad that "maybe we can place!" He smirked and said "Uh-huhhh..." in that patronizing, pat-on-the-head way I love so much.

So off we went, and this course was not pulling any punches. The first mile was the steepest hill of the race, and I took it fairly easy, letting other runners pass me - knowing in the back of my mind that there were many more hills to come over the next 13 miles. I also comforted myself with the thought that later, since the course was out and back, I was going to fly down this hill right into the finish line.

I kept a pretty good pace throughout, despite the hills and surprisingly oppressive October heat. I would get passed on the inclines now and then, after which I would usually catch whoever had just passed me as I sailed down the other side of the hill. (I know it's murder on the quads & hams. I can't help myself.)

As I approached the turn around I tried to keep track of how many runners were in front of me, but lost count for both men and women. I figured there might be 4 or 5 women ahead, and I had been playing cat and mouse with 3 or 4 other women through the first half of the race, including Pink Tank/Black Skirt, Yellow Tank/Bun Head, and Blue Long-Sleeve Shirt.(I suspect every runner mentally names people in this way.)

The 6.5 back to the finish were tough, and I confess I had a brief power-walking spell or two up the big hills to refresh my legs a little. I was still playing cat and mouse with Pink and Yellow, but Blue had fallen back. Around mile 11 I saw two other women up ahead who might have hit a wall, so I picked it up a little to catch them. One of the women, Baseball Cap/Tight Shorts, started to pick up the pace and it was her, me, and Pink at the top of the final hill before the finish line. That's when I let everything go and just flew down the final hill towards the finish. Wow, that hurt! My legs were jello from the previous 12 miles of hill pounding, and each step was rattling all that lactic acid around in a not-so-pleasant way. But I kept moving, pushing towards the finish line and tried not to look behind me.

As I crossed the finish line (2:00:30, hardly a PR - in fact, a PW mostly due to the hills), I saw Chad standing there, having just finished himself, and heard the race director announce over the speakers that I was the second place woman overall!

Say Whaaaaat??

Joy! Shock! Ouch!

I was completely gobsmacked - I had no idea that I had made my way to the front of the pack. Not only that, the 1st place woman was only 1 minute ahead of me! I happily took my prize (a way-too-big sweatshirt that I will probably never wear) and felt pretty darn good about myself for the rest of the day.

I earned it.

Okay, so this was a very small race - I know that - but I honestly never thought I could even place in my age group in a race, let alone get second woman overall. So no, I will not be putting an asterisk next to this achievement, so to speak. I'm darn proud of myself, and while I do not expect to repeat this feat ever again, I have to admit I'm feeling more encouraged to train harder, go faster & farther, and believe in myself a little more than I may have in the past.

Surf City, here we come!

Feet: They Get You There

(...With a number extraordinary exceptions, of course.)

I'm on a new kick where I run places. That sounds a little simplistic, but what I mean is I'm actually running to places. As opposed to "going for a run", I am "running to a friend's house", or "running home from work", or "running an errand" (rim shot!). I'm starting to use my feet for the purpose they are designed to serve - human-powered, unassisted propulsion from point A to point B.

I'm finding this new perspective valuable in a surprising way. Namely, I am taking away my own excuses. No time for a good run this week because of issues blah, blah, and blah? Why can't I incorporate a run, short or long, into the blah? Stop putting up barriers like I don't have my good running gear, or I can't run with a backpack on, or It'll probably be too warm to run? Excuses like that are what keep me from reaching my goal mileage for the week, and they are easy to give in to once a pattern is set. If I choose not to run at all because of the weather today, I will continue to rely on that excuse whenever it seems like it might rain, or it might be too warm, instead of just getting out the door and seeing how far my feet take me.

So with that, I am hopefully entering a new, inspired era as a runner. And I'm hoping this blog will help me stay on track (rim shot #2!) and keep me motivated to grow and learn about myself as an athlete.

For now, I am doing that by remembering my new mantra: Feet: They Get You There.