2 Races in Less Than a Week: Knott's Berry Farm 10K and Wicked Wine Run!

Two races within one week. I definitely didn’t plan this but my boss offered me a free bib and I didn’t want to pass that up. And I’m in training for a half marathon anyway, so I would have been running regardless. And races are fun, so why wouldn’t I want to do two races within a week!

Knott’s Berry Farm 10K - Renegade Racing - March 8, 2015

I was really excited for this race for multiple reasons: 1. The medal featured Snoopy and Woodstock, 2. Running through an amusement park is always a good time, and 3. Tyler agreed to run with me again and he always makes races fun. The race was a good time but I gotta say the volunteers could have stepped it up a little bit.

I went down to Buena Park a day early to pick up Tyler and my race bibs. The website clearly said in order to pick up a bib for another person I needed a signed waiver from the participant as well as a copy or photo of the participant’s ID. Turns out I didn’t need any of this. The packet pickup was littered with blank waivers and a list of all the participants and their bib number was posted on the wall. So when I went up to pick up the bibs and all the volunteer asked for was my name, bib number, and a signed waiver without asking for any form of ID, I was a little upset. Anyone could have walked up, picked a name and bib number off the wall, forged a signature on a waiver, and picked up as many bibs as they wanted.

The volunteers were also lackadaisical when it came to checking bags, noses in their phones until we got their attention. Also, the bags were marked with flimsy tape that could have easily fallen off. Also, and this has nothing to do with the volunteers but was still an annoyance, timing was done by chips that we had to twist tie to our shoes and return at the end of the race before we could get our medals. If we lost the chip, be would be charged for losing it. Now, most timing chips are attached to the bibs so it was a stressful that I might have to pay if I lost it. Tyler and I picked up a lost chip along the course so that runner wouldn’t have to pay the fee.

But enough of that, on to the good parts! Tyler and I were treated to free massages before the race, and lined up in our corral. We were somehow in two different corrals even though we submitted the same pace time at registration and even though I was in corral 5 I had to drop back to 7 to run with Tyler. Eventually the corrals got all smushed together and we had the chance to start with corral 6, but Tyler didn’t want to cheat and we hung back until corral 7 started.

The start was signaled by an old-timey Westerner who shot a shotgun up in the air and we went

right into the park. The park was playing its usual park music, which was old-timey Western-y and highly featured a banjo. We ran through the coasters and soak city (which I wished was open so I could cool myself down in the water while making progress). It was fun and our energy was high. We even modified our intervals, running longer than three minutes before we took a walk break.

The course then took us on the roads of Buena Park which was nice though not anything too interesting. There was a strip of roads that I noticed that were named after the planets with the first row on the block called Planetary Road. The volunteers on the courses were great, putting their phones in the orange cones marking the course so that the music playing from them was amplified. They also gave out copious high fives. There was music at some points and Tyler discovered a song by The Cure that he enjoyed (“Close to Me”).

When we got to the six mile point, Tyler wanted to sprint the last .2 miles. I tried best I could but he was way faster than me. He did hang back and cross the finish line with me though and after we clipped our timing chips off our shoes we received our medals and got in a long line for the free boysenberry pie. The line went fast and we got our pie and sat and enjoyed it. We also enjoyed our free chocolate milks that we picked up at the expo before the race and Tyler carried during the whole run because I was worried all the free milk would be gone after the race (which it was). After getting some race photos, we took a stroll around the small expo and headed home.

It was a fun race, but I hope they tighten up the packet pick up. It wasn’t the cheapest race so it would really be a bummer if someone’s bib was picked up by another person. We had an incredible pace, 11:30/mile, and it felt really easy which gives me huge hope for improving my pace in the future and gaining some new PRs!

Wicked Wine Run 5K - Europa Village, Temecula, CA - March 14, 2015

So my boss offered me her bib for this run because she couldn’t make it anymore. When I found out how far away Temecula was I was hesitant but hey, I wasn’t doing anything and it was a free race so the distance wasn’t that weighty of an excuse. I made my way southeast to Temecula, enjoyed the beautiful mountainous drive, and arrived at Europa Village.

After a pretty hefty $15 parking fee (though I couldn’t complain too much because again the race was free) I parked, picked up Jena’s bib and enjoyed the hour and a half before the race start. The car was close enough that I was able to walk back and forth to it, dropping off some freebies I picked up at the small booths they had there. There were food trucks but I wasn’t going to fill my stomach with heavy food before running.

I spent most of my time in the winery’s courtyard before the race. It was HOT (90 degrees) and I was searching for as much shade as I could get. There was plenty in the courtyard and they were also misting water which was a great relief. I picked out a spot and sat in the shade and mist, drinking two full water bottles before the race even started.

About 15 minutes before the race I headed to the start line. I grabbed what little shade I could there but immediately regretted not bringing some sunscreen. People were slow to arrive to the start line so I got a great spot right up front in the first wave. And honestly, I probably needed it.

See, my sister had run her first 5k that morning in Ohio and she had finished with a time faster than any of the 5ks I had ever run. Granted, she is 14 and she’s got the more athletic genes, but still, I’m the runner in the family! I wanted to see if I could match or even beat her time. I wanted to increase my run/walk interval from 3 mins/1 min to 4 mins/1 min and I had a great time the previous week during the Knott’s 10K so I wanted to push myself.

This was NOT the course to do it on. There were nasty nasty hills, and hills set off my exertional asthma in the worst way. And even though I knew this, I pushed myself too hard on the very first hill and the rest of the race was super painful for me. I walked a LOT. There were numerous hills and even when there weren’t the heat and my asthma made running really hard. So not my best race. And I learned, once again, that I must WALK all hills. Otherwise, it makes for a terrible experience.

Luckily, the course was beautiful featuring expansive views of the mountain ranges while winding the the winery’s vineyards. I didn’t end up with too terrible a pace, 11:55/mile, and I did get a free glass of wine at the end, though I had to wait to cool down and catch my breath before I could drink it. The winery was a wonderful place to relax after the run; there was a live band playing and friends were enjoying bottles of wine (which made me start planning on coming back with friends in the future). I stayed and took it all in for about an hour after I finished before heading home. And after snapping a few pictures of the sunset, I bid ado to the pleasure and the pain that was the Wicked Wine Run.

Star Wars 10K: Fireworkin' for the Weekend

Notable costumes:

Star Tours ship with R2D2 pilot

Jar Jar Binks

Cute Ewok hats

Barf

Fast Pass Tickets

Hoth Leia

Admiral Ackbar

Have you ever lived in a war zone? Well, it felt like one last night in our hotel room. Apparently, the fireworks (which you can “see from the pool area” according to Kevin the front desk guy) are launched right next to our hotel. It sounded like the building next to us was getting bombed. Tyler mentioned that he was glad I wasn’t asleep because I probably would have woken up screaming.

The fireworks ended pretty quickly and it was time for sleep! 3:30am came bright and early and we were up, but not with as much gusto as Friday. We got dressed and ready and headed over to the race. It was colder today for me as I was not covered in fur.

We headed straight for the corrals again since we were in E, the last corral. I was sad to see that E did not get the same pleasures as B: no speakers, no big video screen to show the announcers. We huddled together in the quiet and cold for about 40 minutes before we started shuffling up to the front. It was a long walk to that start line.

Like the day before, R2D2, C3PO and the race announcers started us off! I think we were closer to the stage this day because we passed right by the droids and it felt like they were really there with us.

Then started the endless dodging. It was so crowded and no one was paying attention to the fact that there were runners or that it might be courteous to NOT walk 5 across. We started on the road and that was difficult because we were constantly dodging the little reflectors in the road. Then we got into the park and we were dodging people. It felt like people took up the whole middle of the course to walk and runners had to try and squeeze by on the sides.

But we got through it and it was a GREAT course! I was unlucky/lucky enough to have to go to the bathroom part of the way through. I knew I wasn’t stopping at the first, second, or third restrooms because these all had LONG lines. But right as we came into California Adventure, I was able to experience what it was like walking right into a top of the line Disney park bathroom, immediately doing my business, and getting back on my way. It was glorious and I wish all race bathrooms were like this.

Disney had a great written message going on their marque encouraging runners that the force was with us. We got a new version of the “sharp turn ahead” message warning us that the road was dividing ahead (which we didn’t notice). Lots of people were jumping into empty ride cars, even in the backlot, to take pictures. It was pretty cool getting to go into areas marked “Cast Members Only” and experience what the backlot of Disney was like. There was a building for every little thing, and even cafes for the employees to dine at. We somehow smelled spaghetti somewhere along the way. The water stops came right when I needed them and the volunteers were great about cheering us on, using a choreographed cheer to do so.

I really enjoying running in my Queen Amidala costume, or as one of the third shift janitors called out, my “Princess Amidala” costume. I got a lot of great comments on it from other runners :) It was really a treat to run in. Though there weren’t as many photographers (and it was hard to get a picture sometimes because of how crowded it was) so I hope I get at least one good picture of me in this costume.

The run was really easy and was a super quick 6.2 miles and we kept a pretty consistent 12:00/mile pace. We leisurely crossed the finish, after some stormtroopers noticed me and gestured with their guns to move along. We got our medals and pictures and I stopped at the medical tent where a very nice man from the Florida hospital wrapped my knee in ice. It was a long walk back to the hotel because of this because I couldn’t bend my knee!

Back to the hotel, where I grabbed breakfast still in costume. Tyler took a nap while I showered. When Tyler woke up his legs hurt bad so I suggested an ice bath. He was a baby about it. I filled up one of our runDisney bags at the hotel ice machine and forced Tyler to sit in the cold water for 20 minutes. He moaned and groaned but got through it and felt a lot better afterwards.

Then we walked back over to the expo to stroll around again and take pictures with our two medals. Tyler made a purchase at the merchandise store. When we entered the register area a woman stopped us and asked our names. “Tyler and Kristyne,” we offered, and the woman turns around and announces “Tyler and Kristyne finished the race!” All the cashiers clapped and cheered for us which was so surprising and felt so good. We left with huge smiles on our faces. Then we had lunch, complete with beverages in Stormtrooper mugs, at ESPNZone where we got 15% off our bill for running the races.

Back to the hotel for a nap, then off to dinner with Jena and some TNT people at Marri’s Italian restaurant. Dinner was a lot of fun. We talked about this race, past races, and future races and all the experiences that came along with them. Jena and a couple others had just finished the Dopey Challenge a week before in Florida (5K, 10K, Half and Full Marathons) and they were relating all their stories. I met a couple new friends from DC that had run the Dopey challenge with them.

We’re planning on catching the fireworks in the hot tub tonight and then re-tape some KT Tape, and then off to bed. It’s 8:19pm and all the clothes are already set out and ready to go. One more race left!

Fitness 4 All's Valentine's Day 10K: February 14, 2015

So after the high of Star Wars, and after deciding that my next race would be the Cedar Point Half Marathon in June of 2015 I decided that I still wanted to run races (short races) and, most importantly, earn medals. With my budget, I figured I could afford one race a month. So for my February race, I thought it would be a good idea to do a Valentine’s Day race; since I couldn’t revel in the love of a significant other, I figured I would revel in self love and start the day off feeling good with a race and some earned bling.

I found a Valentine’s Day race in Long Beach, the only one in the area that didn’t market itself as a “couple’s race.” It was limited to 100 participants, and I liked the idea of a small group. I signed up. A day before the race, we were informed that the bike path we were supposed to be running on was under construction and because of this we should be prepared to run on the sand. I freaked out. If you’ve ever walked on the beach you know that sand is VERY difficult to navigate through. And I was expected to run 6 miles in it now. I hoped that this construction meant we would only have to be in the sand for short stretches…they couldn’t expect us to run the whole way in sand, could they?!?!

I was also nervous because for the past week I had been very sore. I had started a strength training workout program that was kicking my butt and the runs I had done during the week weren’t my easiest runs. I was very much looking forward to being at the end of this race.

The morning came and I made the drive down to Long Beach. I had never experienced downtown Long Beach before and it took me by surprise. It’s a beautiful city and I was grateful for the chance to drive through it and experience it. And they have a wonderful beach front. VERY visitor friendly. And FREE PARKING. I gotta say, I was loving Long Beach from what I was seeing. 

The runners gathered around a tiny Fit car with the “Fitness 4 All” banner draped over it  and a Valentine’s Day balloon attached to it and checked in with the founder of Fitness 4 All. He gave us a pink “Fitness 4 All” bracelet and then we runners took so time to stretch before the race. Before starting, the owner explained a little bit about his company and about the run. Fitness 4 All is a 9 year old non-profit company that provides fitness programs to the less fortunate: women’s shelters, mental health institutions, etc. By running the race, we were helping to fund these programs (which are free for participants). Then the owner talked about the course. He told us that there was no bike path to run on and that the whole race would be run on the shoreline, down in the packed sand.  Ok, this sounded reasonable. Packed sand was easy to walk on so I figured it would be easy to run on too. The 5K runners were to turn around at a large apartment building that stood alone on the road and the 10Kers were to turn around when we hit the rock wall. Basically, we turned around when we hit the end of the beach. It was time to run so we were sent off!

A tiny distance on what was left of the bike path brought us to a path that led down to the ocean. We had to cross about two feet of soft sand to get to the shoreline and then we followed the shoreline the whole way. It was pretty incredible. I had never run that close to the water before and it was an absolute thrill. I could tell I was excited because I started the race off FAST, too fast for my liking. But the adrenaline from being that close to the ocean was just pumping through my veins. I mean, we had to dodge the waves coming up upon the sand. I love the ocean and this was just too amazing for me to handle. We were running over and past shells, crabs, dogs on the dog beach, cute little ocean birds all the while treated by the views of the oil rig boats and islands, downtown Long Beach, and the Queen Mary in the distance. 

Despite this, it was a challenging race for me. 
As I mentioned, I started off way too fast so I  was hurting way too early. I thought the small group of runners would be nice, but in reality once everyone spaced out it was kind of lonely. And most of the runners at my speed turned around at the 5K mark. I was left chasing the footsteps of the runners in front of me and wishing that I was fast enough to be with them. In addition, the beach was always at a slight incline, so one foot was always a little above the other, which resulted in my toes rubbing together and blistering. And my legs getting sore quicker since that was something they were not used to. The last challenge was the most difficult for me: you could clearly see the rock wall turn around in the distance, which did not help my mentality. I kept thinking “oh, this will be easy, because I can see it, so that must mean it’s close!” But as I ran and ran and felt like I wasn’t getting any closer my spirits suffered. I tried to keep my head down and watch the sand underneath me so I wouldn’t psyche myself out. The sand was actually wonderful to look at. There was one point where it looked zebra striped which was pretty cool. 

I finally got to the turn around and felt elated when I touched the rock that signified my halfway point. It was all downhill from here. 

Except now I could see the finish and I had the exact same problem as before. Because I could see it, the finish seemed way closer than it actually was. And it was starting to get hot. I knew I had to adjust if I was going to shake the misery that sometimes creeps up while running. So I focused on the sand in front of me again and focused on breathing, relaxing, and taking it easy. In fact, around mile 4 I started repeating in my head “breathe, relax, breathe, easy,” in time with the breaths I was taking. I started trying to enjoy where I was; the sand was sparkling in the sunlight, the ocean was constantly trying to catch me, and the beach was alive with action. My pace slowed, which helped a lot, and I got through the second half with more ease than the first. To beat the heat I would sometimes stick my hand into the ocean water and slick back my hair with the cold water. It was a nice cool down. 

I had been seeing the most beautiful shells during the race and near the end I picked one up to take home as a souvenir. When it was time to get off the beach for the tiny stretch of concrete at the end my legs gained a power that I didn’t have a minute earlier. They knew they were almost finished. It felt SO GOOD to be on concrete again as opposed to sand. Although the packed sand was MUCH preferable to the soft sand, it was still a little too squishy for my taste. I like the rebound you get from running on roads; it feels like I have to make more of an effort to bring my foot up when I run in sand or grass. 

I got got to the finish, collected my medal, chatted for a bit with the founder of Fitness 4 All, took a couple pictures, and was on my way. I felt AMAZING. It was definitely a great way to start off a holiday that I probably otherwise would have felt kind of bummed out about. I treated myself to some Chik Fil A for breakfast since I was starving (and the sandwiches were shaped like hearts! So cute!) and had a great rest of the day relaxing. The race was a little bit of a struggle, but it was a great experience :)

Training for the Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend

I had a fun idea while training for the Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend: Why not write down some thoughts and take a selfie after every training run to see how I progressed over the weeks of training? I really enjoy tracking my improvement in things that I do, so with the help of the RunKeeper app I started to do just that. 

What follows is a collection of my runs, my thoughts after each run, and a selfie from each run.

Sunday, September 28th, 2014
3.23 miles, 12:45 pace
No note

Tuesday, September 30th, 2014
2.65 miles, 11:56 pace
Butt hurt at the outset. Shoulders felt tense. I focused on keeping shoulders loose and keeping a steady breathing pattern. Almost got run over by a white Land Rover. What a jerk.








Friday October 3, 2014
2.62 miles, 11:49 pace
Knocked 15 sec off my pace which is surprising because I had a hard time breathing. My throat, mouth, and lips were really dry. Was listening to "Gone Girl" audiobook though. Never listened to an audiobook while running so maybe it's good to listen to and made the difference in my pace.




Sunday, October 5, 2014
3.76 miles, 13:22 pace

Easier run than I thought, though I did take it easy due to the fact that my body is sore all over from the batting cages yesterday...and from being hungover...but my pace really suffered. I listened to music. Dunno if that was a factor in my slower pace.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

2.57 miles, 11:50 pace

Started off way too fast because of emotional trauma. Nice change of scenery with the new course though.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

2.65 miles, 11:49 pace

No note

Sunday, October 12, 2014

4.57 miles, 13:23 pace

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witness, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith." Hebrews 12: 1-2

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

3.18 miles, 13:14 pace

Listening to Mosaic podcasts is making this easy.

Sunday October 19, 2014

6.36 miles, 12:53 pace

Took about 25 minutes to get into it and I was not relaxed at all. The second half was easier than the first. Nice going down the creek trail.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

2.87 miles, 12:59 pace

Something's in my head that's making this seem like work. I gotta work on my mental game.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

3.34 miles, 12:54 pace

No note

Saturday, November 8, 2014

3.11 miles, 17:01 pace

Electric Run! Didn't run very much but it was a super awesome time with great friends...and I danced afterwards so that made up for the walking ;)

Sunday, November 9, 2014

6.18 miles, 12:27 pace

Tried a 3:1 interval today and it went well. Fell into a nice groove. Will probably keep that pace going forward unless my knees start hurting. Felt some twinges in my OS one today but I think I'll be ok. Will maybe ice it.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

3.27 miles, 12:58 pace

Adult errands!

Friday, November 14, 2014

3.31 miles, 13:23 pace

I think my mentality has changed. It's no longer what I notice that is hard, that needs improving, but rather what new things I notice seeing or experiencing while running. Like Tub's Chili. I'm going to get chili there soon.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

7.22 miles, 12:18 pace

Air was dry, or pollen-y. Hard to breath sometimes because of my asthma. But the second half went by so fast.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

3.23 miles, 12:37 pace

I will not be a wanderer. I will not be a prisoner. I will not be a fool. I will be an adventurer, courageous enough to explore the deep waters of God's love.

Friday, November 21, 2014

3.77 miles, 12:43 pace

Feet hurt. Very tight. Started listening to Serial. Very interesting and also very scary…

Sunday, November 23, 2014

8.04 miles, 11:45 pace

I wish my runners high would hit me BEFORE I got to the 4 mile mark...first half was a struggle, second was a breeze.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

9.02 miles, 11:49 pace

Pain in the groinal area. Gonna have to take special care of that. Same as always, second half easier than first. I think it took exactly 48 minutes to hit my groove. Good run.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

3.56 miles, 12:29 pace

Ran with Tyler. It was nice having a partner.

Friday, December 5, 2014

4.49 miles, 12:35 pace

Saw parts of Santa Monica I never saw before. Big wide quiet streets, beautiful houses. Talked about being adults and living life.

Sunday, December 7, 2014

5.98 miles, 12:07 pace

Unable to go to Santa Monica as my car was blocked in. Had a LOT of trouble breathing...I think there's a cold trying to take hold of my throat. Not a bad run though, but the groin pain is back. I didn't have a problem with it when I did 2/1 during the week, so maybe the 3/1 is too much. We'll see.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

3.91 miles, 12:45 pace

Mystery machine and film set. Cool and easy run.

Friday, December 12, 2014

4.84 miles, 12:56 pace

Rainy run; it was fun! A fellow runner have me a thumbs up tonight which made me smile :)

Sunday, December 14, 2014

8.03 miles, 11:41 pace

Used KT Tape for the first time since the LA Marathon and it was a HUGE help. VERY good run. The river looked beautiful today. Sub 12 min pace baby!!!

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

3.91 miles, 12:53 pace

Good run. Little struggle. Lots of cars pulling in and out of driveways got in my way.

Friday, December 19, 2014

4.80 miles, 12:57 pace

Annoying that I had to dodge a news camera in front of Sony. Sharp pain in my right glute. Boo. I'll try to relax it.

Sunday, December 21, 2014

11.07 miles, 11:42 pace

Super pain in the right groin. Second half was a limping struggle because of this. I gotta learn to let go of measuring time and distance early on so I'm not working myself up and getting nervous for no reason.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

5.08 miles, 10:46 pace

Western Reserve Frosty 5 Mile on Christmas Eve. Ran with my brother Patrick! That boy has never talked to me more than when we talked during this race :)

Sunday, January 4, 2015

12.08 miles, 12:51 pace

Ouch. Hard. Not easy running 12 after a week and a half not running and maybe being sick. Glad it's over.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

8.05 miles, 11:43 pace

Last long run before Star Wars. Swift as the coursing river :)

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

5 miles, 12:32 pace

Manetaya. Last run before Star Wars! So excited!!!!!!