Another great race in the books!
I came down with a cold on Weds that got worse not better by Thursday (I still have it too!) so I ended up taking Friday off work to sleep and relax and was able to actually get work done from home! I ended up going to the grocery store because I was craving fruit and then was able to get organized and eat lunch before heading out to Agoura Hills around noon. The drive took about an hour and I went to the Expo right away!
I came down with a cold on Weds that got worse not better by Thursday (I still have it too!) so I ended up taking Friday off work to sleep and relax and was able to actually get work done from home! I ended up going to the grocery store because I was craving fruit and then was able to get organized and eat lunch before heading out to Agoura Hills around noon. The drive took about an hour and I went to the Expo right away!
Expo-Bib and shirt pickup
EXPO
just as small and efficient as last year. I was able to park at the community center and was in and out in about 10 minutes. Picking up my bib had no wait and same with picking up my shirt. And score because the shirts were tech material this year!
I stopped by all the booths and was able to pick up my free bottle of Kool n Fit, fruit snacks samples from Dole and won a free water bottle from Cheesecake Factory!
One thing I love about this Expo is that they give you a bag full of goodies and flyers so the expo is smaller and there is no one bothering you about taking a flyer for your race-you already have them all!
just as small and efficient as last year. I was able to park at the community center and was in and out in about 10 minutes. Picking up my bib had no wait and same with picking up my shirt. And score because the shirts were tech material this year!
I stopped by all the booths and was able to pick up my free bottle of Kool n Fit, fruit snacks samples from Dole and won a free water bottle from Cheesecake Factory!
One thing I love about this Expo is that they give you a bag full of goodies and flyers so the expo is smaller and there is no one bothering you about taking a flyer for your race-you already have them all!
the expo!
I headed to the hotel which was about 5 minutes away. I really love this hotel-they have free shuttles to the race and also have all of the info that they give you at checkin. I'm a Spg member and we got free club room access-score!
I went to the room and unpacked and got everything ready for the race. I then was able to do work (I had a presentation to make) and also some homework before Devin and Brian arrived and we went to the club lounge to get snacks before dinner.
I went to the room and unpacked and got everything ready for the race. I then was able to do work (I had a presentation to make) and also some homework before Devin and Brian arrived and we went to the club lounge to get snacks before dinner.
Expo Swag
We ended up at dinner across the street at Grissini's where they have great gluten free pasta. Service was a bit slow but we made it back to the room around 815 which gave us plenty of time to prep and get in bed by 930.
Since I was sick, it was still hard for me to breathe and sleep so I got up twice to take meds and blow my nose but I still got 7 hours of sleep.
Since I was sick, it was still hard for me to breathe and sleep so I got up twice to take meds and blow my nose but I still got 7 hours of sleep.
cheers to a good dinner and hopefully a good night's sleep!
RACE DAY
We got up at 5:30 and got ready and head downstairs at 6:15 to catch the 6:20 shuttle and made it to the start line by 6:30. It was a bit chilly so I was glad I brought a long sleeve shirt. We walked around the outdoor expo, took a pic, saw Sean Astin head over to the corrals for the half, and able to use the portopotty. The half started at 7 and we were able to see people start which is always fun! However there were many late people and the sweeper kept having to lead people back to the start line so they could start the race. This is also why I was so grateful for the shuttle-traffic and parking is hard (as its all street and strip mall parking) and the start is uphill so you definitely don't want to have to deal with that.
We got up at 5:30 and got ready and head downstairs at 6:15 to catch the 6:20 shuttle and made it to the start line by 6:30. It was a bit chilly so I was glad I brought a long sleeve shirt. We walked around the outdoor expo, took a pic, saw Sean Astin head over to the corrals for the half, and able to use the portopotty. The half started at 7 and we were able to see people start which is always fun! However there were many late people and the sweeper kept having to lead people back to the start line so they could start the race. This is also why I was so grateful for the shuttle-traffic and parking is hard (as its all street and strip mall parking) and the start is uphill so you definitely don't want to have to deal with that.
Flat Jules is ready to race!
We waited about 10 min and took a couple of pictures(yay for free race photos!) then did the national anthem and it was wave 1 start time. They had about a 2 min head start on the rest of the field.
Pre-Race Pic
start line
RACE
the race starts on a downhill which is nice but it can be crowded as its through a neighborhood and there are still cars parked on the road.
Since I was sick, I figured I will go on feel and try not to over exert myself and try to keep the first few miles around 10:30 or so and then speed up.
One thing I did was wear compression socks. My calves and shins have been pretty tight since the marathon and I thought it would help during the race. And it definitely did! I plan on wearing compressions more often during my runs because I felt great.
The first mile I finished right around 10:00. Oops-faster than I had planned however since a lot of it was downhill I took advantage of it.
the race starts on a downhill which is nice but it can be crowded as its through a neighborhood and there are still cars parked on the road.
Since I was sick, I figured I will go on feel and try not to over exert myself and try to keep the first few miles around 10:30 or so and then speed up.
One thing I did was wear compression socks. My calves and shins have been pretty tight since the marathon and I thought it would help during the race. And it definitely did! I plan on wearing compressions more often during my runs because I felt great.
The first mile I finished right around 10:00. Oops-faster than I had planned however since a lot of it was downhill I took advantage of it.
My shins were a bit sore but it decided to hold on as long as I could. There was a water stop right after mile 1 which was much needed. Being sick I felt fine physically but I felt so thirsty.
The water stops are a major issue at this race. They are usually only one table on one side of the road which causes a big build up of people and causes a slow down. Even having people on both sides would help with congestion.
After mile 1 you head towards where you finish before heading back into farmlands. It's kinda mean to run by the finish line so close to the beginning but it was nice to know its a big loop and I'm done.
The water stops are a major issue at this race. They are usually only one table on one side of the road which causes a big build up of people and causes a slow down. Even having people on both sides would help with congestion.
After mile 1 you head towards where you finish before heading back into farmlands. It's kinda mean to run by the finish line so close to the beginning but it was nice to know its a big loop and I'm done.
After mile 2, the sun started to come up and beam right at us. This is the part of the course where cars can ride along right beside you so I was a bit nervous but never saw any cars. Another water stop with a huge backup but at least there was water.
This is where I noticed the hills were rolling a bit and I was trying not to over exert myself.
Before I knew it, we were turning towards the farm lands, gorgeous hills and horses!
At the half way mark, I started taking a clif shot until I hit the water stop. It was a bit warmer than I would have liked but I was trying stay steady.
This is where I noticed the hills were rolling a bit and I was trying not to over exert myself.
Before I knew it, we were turning towards the farm lands, gorgeous hills and horses!
At the half way mark, I started taking a clif shot until I hit the water stop. It was a bit warmer than I would have liked but I was trying stay steady.
After that we got to the u-turn part so I was able to say hi to Devin heading out and hi to Brian heading towards the hills. We headed towards the residential neighborhood and the hills.
Mile 4.5 is where the hills come alive and the first one was a doozy. I decided that I would try to do as much of the hills as I could but would stop once I felt I was exerting too much energy. I made it up about 10 steps and decided to walk the rest to save energy. I am glad I did because I was able to get up the next few hills.
Mile 4.5 is where the hills come alive and the first one was a doozy. I decided that I would try to do as much of the hills as I could but would stop once I felt I was exerting too much energy. I made it up about 10 steps and decided to walk the rest to save energy. I am glad I did because I was able to get up the next few hills.
gorgeous course
After the first few hills, my throat was burning and I saw a random water stop. Well the water wasn't pouring out and I debated skipping after a crowd formed but decided to get some because my throat was feeling very dry. I probably wasted 30-45 sec on that water stop for a small amount of water and once we got up the last big hill there was a yay you made it water stop. I ran up the last half of the hill and definitely felt it burn in my legs but I figured that I could hold off just a bit longer.
action shot
What goes up must go down so I took advantage of the downhills. The rolling hills were tough mostly because my throat was dry but I stuck it out.
After leaving the neighborhood it becomes a mini trail race. I walked over the rocks because I didn't want to fall and ran as much as I could. Leaving the trail there were more rocks so I walked those too as I didn't want to twist my ankle.
After leaving the neighborhood it becomes a mini trail race. I walked over the rocks because I didn't want to fall and ran as much as I could. Leaving the trail there were more rocks so I walked those too as I didn't want to twist my ankle.
Pretty much the rest of the race was downhill and I kicked it into gear to see how much speed I could get. My legs felt good so I kept pushing all the way to an average of sub-8 min mile pace for about 3 minutes. Once we got down the hill, we turned towards the finish and I walked for about 15 sec to catch my breath and then gunned it to the finish.
The finish ends in grass so I wanted to be careful not to trip but I was able over that last 80 sec to keep a 6:56 pace! That is really crazy.
The finish ends in grass so I wanted to be careful not to trip but I was able over that last 80 sec to keep a 6:56 pace! That is really crazy.
finish line shot!
I finished the 10k is 1:02:22 (same race time as on my garmin!) which is great considering the hills and the water stops and having a cold! Even better it is almost a 5 min PR over my time last year (1:07:09).
I've very happy with my PR on the course especially with me being sick and feeling I couldn't breathe going up the hills. My legs felt a little tighter than I would have liked, all things considered I'm very proud of my time.
It is only about 4 minutes slower than my PR (58:05), which was set on a flat and pretty cool morning.
I've very happy with my PR on the course especially with me being sick and feeling I couldn't breathe going up the hills. My legs felt a little tighter than I would have liked, all things considered I'm very proud of my time.
It is only about 4 minutes slower than my PR (58:05), which was set on a flat and pretty cool morning.
AFTER PARTY
compared to the epic food of last year, I felt a bit let down but I definitely had enough food to satisfy myself.
compared to the epic food of last year, I felt a bit let down but I definitely had enough food to satisfy myself.
- Starbucks coffee
- Banana
- Dole fruit cups
- Dole pineapple juice
- Dole fruit packs
- electrolyte green tea
- Refreshing berry drink
- Vegan chikin chili
- Apples, oranges, clementines from sprouts
- Power bars
- Kind bars
- Other samples
- Bread
- Pancakes
post race after party
Afterwards we went back to the hotel for real breakfast and also did the hot tub before showering and heading home.
Not going to lie, I needed this race. After the LA Marathon, I was doubting everything including my ability and felt like I wasn't improving. By using the same intervals I used last year, I proved to myself that I am faster and that I am improving.
celebration finish photo
Will I do this race again? Yes! 30 dollars for a 10k including free shuttles, free race photos AND a bangin' after party?
However next year I will be upgrading to the Equinox Pacific Half Marathon as I've always wanted to do it and it was rated the top half marathon in the entire USA by active.com. It's very hilly (an uphill of over 400 feet) but if I really want to get better on hills, I need to do more races with hills!
What's the last 10k you ran?
However next year I will be upgrading to the Equinox Pacific Half Marathon as I've always wanted to do it and it was rated the top half marathon in the entire USA by active.com. It's very hilly (an uphill of over 400 feet) but if I really want to get better on hills, I need to do more races with hills!
What's the last 10k you ran?
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