Walla Walla Half Marathon Recap

Walla Walla Half Marathon
Sunday, October 14th, 2012: Walla Walla, Washington

My mom has lived in Walla Walla for the past 6 years, and I've only visited once. When it comes to family get togethers, would you prefer Christmas in sunny San Diego or (sometimes) snowy Walla Walla? Exactly.  Anyway, I figured I was due for a visit.  Once I found out Walla Walla hosts a marathon and half marathon in October, it was decided.

San Diego weather the past few weeks had been unseasonably warm, as in 100 degrees in October.  This is not "normal".  So I was excited to get out of the heat and up to Washington for some Autumn weather.  The weekend did not disappoint.

The Walla Walla Half Marathon is the second smaller race I have participated in.  There were approximately 400 runners registered in both the Half Marathon and the Marathon.  Packet pickup on Saturday was held downtown in one of the nicer hotel lobby's. It was well organized and didn't take too long, even though there was a small line.  After picking up our bibs, we decided to drive the race course just to get an idea for any inclines, boring sections, etc.  This is the second time I've done this for a race, and I have to say I kind of like it.  I like being able to mentally prepare myself for what I'm in for.  It also seems to make the race go a bit faster, as I know what's up the road.  Needless to say, I was excited and ready to go!

My cousin drove down from Spokane to run this race with me.  I was excited to see her and to catch up, since it's been a few years.  What better way to do that, then to run 13.1 miles together.  I wasn't really sure if I would be able to keep up with her, but I did my best.

The race started at 8:15 a.m. on Sunday, just after the Marathon at 8 a.m.  The starting line had only 3 porta-potties.  That, right there, should tell you the small size of the race. The race started and ended in Pioneer Park. There was a lot of parking around the edges of the park and in the neighborhood nearby.   We started around the middle of the pack, not really knowing what to expect from the other runners, but it turned out to be a good spot.

Seeing as it has taken me a good 2 months to finish this race recap, the play by play has escaped my mind, but I'll give it my best shot.

The first 2 miles were in town, zig zagging through a the streets briefly before making our way out into the farm lands of Walla Walla.  Around mile 3.5 we made a short detour off the main road in a local neighborhood.  The houses in this area were beautiful, large sweeping lawns, horses and cows.  It was a welcome distraction to say hello to the cows as we went by.  Up until this point, the race was relatively flat.  Just before mile 6, we went down a small hill with a bit of a steep decline.  Stopping at the water stop for a few minutes, I realized that the rest of this race was going to be painful.

I had decided earlier in the week that it would be a brilliant idea to go to "leg day" at boot camp.  I figured, "it's Wednesday, I should be fine by Sunday". Wrong answer. My calves hated me for the rest of the week, and my IT band was irate.  Never again.  I figured I would give it my best to keep trucking, and try not to walk, since it would only take longer to get to the finish line that way.

Mile 6-9 is pretty much a straight away with the exception of a little jont in the road around mile 8.  The scenery is beautiful, looking at the foothills outside of Walla Walla. But I have to say, driving down the road the day before made it seem a lot easier.  Don't be fooled, there is a very slight incline, so while it looks flat it isn't a simple stroll.

The only significant hill was right around mile 10. It's short, though, and not too bad at all.  Walking my way up the hill, cursing the lungs and squats I had done 4 days before, I was focused on the finish line.  The remaining 3 miles of the race are very similar to the beginning 3: returning to the flat streets of Walla Walla on the way back to Pioneer Park. 

I'm not going to lie, I was very disappointed with my performance during this race.  I was originally really excited about the course because it was most flat, had great scenery and was completely different than any other race I had done.  But my legs just weren't in it that day.  Regardless, I crossed the finish line feeling accomplished and excited to receive a medal to add to my collection.  Every race is a learning experience.  I would love to do this race again next year. 

Me & Running

Writer's block has gotten the best of me in the past 3 weeks. So I'm stealing this idea from my friend #runmeganrun, who may or may not have borrowed it from one of her friends. :-)

All you ever wanted to know about me and running:

1. Best Run Ever: 4th of July Coronado Independence Day 15k.  I was stressed for the two weeks leading up to the race because, for the first time, I had a course time limit that I was worried I wouldn't meet.  A few friends were doing the race with me, and soon after the start, I was left to run alone, hoping I would make it to the finish line in time.  The adrenaline definitely helped out and though they may not have been stickler's about cutting off the course, I made it to the finish line and wasn't the last person in.  This race really helped boost my confidence.

2. Three Word to Describe My Running: unexpected, independent, and consistent. I never thought that I would enjoy running. It was always something I wished I liked and never saw myself running a full mile, let alone a half marathon.  I usually run alone.  Every once in a while I have a partner, but even then I tend to stick to myself, consumed in my own thoughts.  That's not to say that I don't enjoy having a running partner, but I like to run alone more often than not. I'm the same way with shopping.. I enjoy a partner in crime, but feel rushed when someone joins me.  For the first time since rowing in high school, I've found a something that keeps me motivated. If I haven't gotten out for a run in a few days, I get antsy and can't wait to get my shoes on and out the door.  After 8 relatively sedentary years post-high school, this is unheard of! Just ask my friends.

3. My Go To Run Outfit: capris (I don't do shorts), tank top and my Brooks Adrenaline 11's.

4. Quirky Habit While Running: during races, I like to compliment people on their outfit choices/covet their outfits, resulting in planning a shopping trip to the nearest Road Runner. 

5. Morning, Midday or Evening Runner? Either morning or evening.  Ideally, I love running in the evening just before the sun goes down.  I love early morning runs, but I hate alarm clocks.

6. I Won't Run Outside When  It's.... HOT! I don't do well when the temperature climbs above 80. Don't get me wrong, I love warm days when I have nothing to do but lounge at the pool, but I don't want to run in it.

7. Worst Injury & How I Got Over It: *knock on wood* I have yet to experience a serious injury related to running.

8. I Felt Most Like a Bad-Ass Runner When... I finished my first half marathon.  I wanted to call every P.E. teacher I had in high school and tell them about my accomplishment.

9. My Next Race Is:  Athleta Girl 10k in Del Mar, CA over Veteran's Day weekend OR Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot at Lake Murray, San Diego, CA

10. Potential Running Goals for 2013: Participate in at least one relay, hopefully a Ragnar; improve on my speed so I am able to shoot for a 2:15 half marathon time; if I lose all sanity, I would love to train for a marathon!

North County Wine Run Recap

North County Wine Run
September 22nd, 2012: Battleground, Washington

Because running two half marathons in 3 weeks sounded like a good idea, I decided last minute to sign up for the North County Wine Run.  It didn't hurt that I would get to visit a good friend at the same time.

Leading up to the race, I had made an effort to get in a few long runs.  I hadn't run more than 9 miles since the Fourth of July, but I figured it wouldn't be too hard, right? A 7 miler here and an 8 miler there, and I was ready.....

We went to packet pick-up the day before at Bold Training in Battleground. It was definitely a different scene than the Rock 'n' Roll expo I had attended in June for my last half: A small table with the registration packets and no line.  With our bibs and extremely bright neon green race shirts in hand in minutes, I realized this would be a lot smaller race than I was used to.

The Half didn't start until 10am, definitely the latest race I've participated in.  More time to wake up, more time to digest breakfast, more time to stretch, and more time to get nervous.

Because the race started (and ended) at one of the local wineries, The Rusty Grape Vineyard, runners and spectators were asked to park at an elementary school about a half mile down the road and take a shuttle to the start.  When we arrived, about an hour before the race start, there was a rather long line of runners waiting.  And the shuttle bus was pretty tiny.  So instead of waiting, we were dropped off.

The race started promptly at 10 a.m. There was also a 10k going on that morning, so it looked like there were a bunch of people running the race, until they had the halfers line up at the start. I don't think I've ever been that close to the start line when the gun went off.  Overall, there were 253 runners participating in the half marathon.

Now, I knew we were in for some rolling hills on this course, but I have to say, I am spoiled by my flat beach running paths here in San Diego and I definitely need to get myself into some more hill training.

Mile 1 started with a gradual uphill and then flattened out.  The weather was perfect, definitely cooler than what we've been having in San Diego the past few weeks.  I hadn't run in a long-sleeved shirt in months, so it was a nice change, though that didn't last long and I had it tied around my waist about 10 minutes in.  I seemed to be keeping up with the pack enough to not feel discouraged right at the start.

At about mile 2.5 we started down a rather large hill.  It felt great going down, until I began to think about the course map and realized that we would be trekking up this thing on the way back to the finish, right around the time when I usually regret living.  I pushed that to the back of mind and decided I would deal with that when it came.

Miles 3-6 were smooth. I've come to the realization that these are usually my best miles.  My breathing evens out, my body finally realizes that "we're running here" and I am able to find a comfortable pace.  These were probably some of the most mild rolling hills of the race, as well.

At mile 6, we visited our first winery.  And by visited, I mean the course took a detour off the road, through a grassy vineyard, a barn, and back out on to the road.  There was also a water stop somewhere in between.  Now, I understand that it is a "wine run", but the jont through the barn was a little odd.  If I were going for a time here, and let's be honest, I'm not that person, this might have been an annoyance.

Starting up the road from the winery is where I started to lose it.  Miles 6-8 were more of the same scenery (houses, open fields, trees, etc.), very pretty yet somewhat sparse. I wish there had been more support from the local residents to keep us going.  This is also the point in the race where everyone started to spread out.  There was serious distance between myself and the runner in front and behind. It made for a reflective run, that's for sure.

Side note: the roads were not shut down for this race, which meant that traffic was flowing freely down the road in both directions. This is probably one of the only things that really bothered me about the race, as sometimes the cars/large farm trucks didn't really have consideration for runners and blasted down the road at higher speeds.  Because of this, a lot of the race was ran on the shoulder of the road in single file. It's a good thing we were out in the country.

At about mile 8.5 we happened upon the second winery, again taking a stroll through a barn and back out to the main road.  At this point, I was walking through water stops and giving myself a few minutes of walking on the opposite end to convince myself I was ready to start going again.  The lack of spectators made it really easy to just keep walking.

A little further up the road, about 9.5 is where it all went downhill.. and by downhill, I mean up hill..a lot.  At this point, I decided that I could walk faster than I could pretend to jog, and that's exactly what I did. 

I caught up with my friend who was also playing the jog/walk game at about mile 10.5.  We decided to walk the uphills and jog the rest.  This made it a bit easier having someone beside me who was doing the same thing.  We made it all the way to the ridiculous incline (that I ran down so freely at the beginning). This hill was much larger than I remember it being, but we made it to the top slowly but surely. 

Once we conquered the hill, we decided to continue with the "slowly but surely" phase of the day and did some power walking through to the last half mile. The end was a reverse of the beginning with a gradual downhill to the finish. At that point, we could see the finish line and ran it in.  I have to say it wasn't the most satisfying finish, but at least I finished. My final time was 2:41:25. It was times like this when I wish I had a Garmin to accurately track my miles. I wonder what my race would have looked like had I not lost it towards the end. 

Once we collected our medals, we made our way to the free food and wine. Rusty Grape was providing all runners with a glass of wine and a pasta lunch.  The other two wineries we visited on the course were also available for tastings with our race entry.  After lunch and a bit of relaxing, we made our way back to the car so we could take advantage of the tastings.  There was also a bus available to take runners from winery to winery (for a fee) if you didn't want to drive yourself. It was nice to be able to enjoy the wineries throughout the afternoon.

Overall, I would say it was fun race. Well organized, well marked and well supported on the course.  The scenery was beautiful and the weather was perfect.