Check out my recap from the Expo!

We got up at 6 and got dressed quickly and made breakfast. We stopped by the lobby to get coffee and the crew (Mallory, Devin and Brian) took the shuttle to the start for the 10k while I took an uber to my race start since it was up on Paramount Ranch. The GPS mapped us a weird way with lots of closures and after 10 min ended up about 2 min from the hotel haha. I got to the race start at 6:55 and waited in line for the real restroom and finished my bagel.  We had eaten so much the night before and I just wasn't hungry. I had 75% of my bagel and didn't touch my banana. 

I then stretched on a fence (we were at Ranch after all) and finished my Ucan vanilla with protein and was feeling very full. 

​I decided to use the Porto again as we had time to kill and the line was short. I walked over to the start line (adorable!) and then decided to fit in a 10 min warmup. I ran through the old western town and back to the parking lot before stopping at the porto one last time (I really didn't want to have to stop on the course) and finished my warmup and got to the start line with 5 min to go. I tossed my Mylar blanket (which wasn't needed but better safe than sorry) and turned on my electronics and tried to find a place close to the 2:10 pacer but far enough ahead of the 2:20. 

We just started-no national anthem or anything. The race had 529 finishers in it and no corrals. We made a sharp left through old town past the Parking lot and onto the road. The pace was all over the place but I tried my best to stay steady and save energy for the massive hill at mile 3. The rolling hills weren't too much and I was able to keep my heart rate level. We turned on the big road and I knew the hill was coming. We also hit our first water stop at mile 2. After that we did a steady climb until the big hill. 400 feet elevation gain in one mile! My mental game was all over the place so I decided to run as much as I could, power walk when I needed to and stick to my intervals. I changed my music which helped but that hill was a doozy! When we got to the top, we had a water stop and then downhill! The downhill was incredible and I had to work hard to slow down so I wouldn't trash my quads. 

MILE SPLITS: 10:09/10:07/10:34/11:32/9:12

The downhill spilled over into small rolling hills where I was starting to feel good and could tell a PR could actually be within in my reach. Here is where I went wrong.
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Not totally wrong but I could see my average pace and I was thinking I needed to get to a 10:08 pace but really needed closer to a 10:12 pace. I was running on feel but I may have played it differently had I done the math correct. 

This part was gorgeous! Still couldn't see much but we went past mansions and themed restaurants and I loved it. 
One thing of note was we were on one lane and cars were next to us. At every cross street there was a cop or volunteer helping with traffic. Sometimes I had to go outside of the cones to pass people but I always made sure to check for cars first. Since the race was small, we actually spread out pretty well and I never felt like I was boxed in or couldn't control my pace which was a first for me! 

Around this time is where I passed the 2:20 pacer and other people. I was feeling strong. I continued to pass people and was getting in a good groove. We headed back to where we started and continued through the rolling hills. I knew the hills in the beginning we're a bit tough but going over them the second time hurt! There were a few hills I took a bit too hard as overestimated how steep they were which made me take longer to recover. Basically I would recover and have to do another hill!
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MILE SPLITS: 9:48/9:42/10:08/10:16

I decided since my legs were tired that I may need fuel and took a Clif mocha shot. It did help but I knew my legs were tired and the hills and inclines were getting more and more. I decided to stay steady, pump up the music and do the best I could. 

We turned off the main road and towards the finish. People were struggling and slowing down and I was trying not to get too discouraged and just keep focused. The incline was not fun but we hit the last water stop, crossed the freeway and headed towards where the 10k finishes. 
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We went through the Old Agoura ranch and through a very quiet neighborhood and I knew I had enough left in the tank to push the pace and see how close to 2:15 I could get. We went through a few more hills (which I had to walk!) and up to the dirt trail close to the finish. I knew how close we were so I decided to give it everything I got. The trail has rocks everywhere so I had to be really careful not to fall. We hit the tail end of the 10k people so I had to weave a bit but we came off the trail and to the street where we would merge with the end of the 5k crowd. I decided to give it all I had. I was huffing and puffing down the stretch and knew I would be so close. We didn't merge with the 5k until the very end and I had to be careful not to run into anyone. 

The end of the race finishes on grass-gah! So I tried my best but knew I would just miss my PR-dang it! The clock said 2:14 so I knew I hadn't started a minute after the start so darn! 
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MILE SPLITS: 10:07/10:49/10:19/9:36/7:20 (FINAL .24 MILES) (holy crap-that last .24 was way faster than my 400 repeats) 

I found Mallory as soon as I finished and was not feeling well and had a crazy coughing fit. Trying to get water and the medal were crazy with the amount of 5k that finished with me (it was around 45 min so a ton of families were coming in). All of the food lines were long and there was not near as much food in the past so I settled with what I had from Dole (banana and smoothie pack) and we headed out. We went to try and get on the shuttle but after 5 min just gave up and walked which took about 15 min. We packed, went to soak in the hot tub, showered and headed to a delicious lunch at Woodranch. I then went home and relaxed before writing some more of my dissertation. 

One thing that sucked was this half marathon is supposed to be gorgeous. With the heavy fog and high humidity, I couldn't see anything but right in front of me. I couldn't enjoy the hills like I would have liked! 

See below for the elevation map-wow, it was a lot and I did pretty well through most of it (including the incline at the end). 

Overall, I'm happy with my performance but I'm of course reanalyzing everything. I can think of a few seconds here and there that may have made a difference. I could have done math better and realized how close I really was to a PR. But it comes down to it was a tough course and I did the best I could! Everyone I talked to said it was not the course to try and PR and I came pretty close! I'm happy with my performance and know I'm in good shape for a half marathon PR on a course with flatter elevation and maybe a bit better weather (85% humidity even though it was 60 was much worse conditions that I was expecting). 

My stats: 
2:13:53 (39 seconds off my PR)
Place: 225 out of 529 (top 42.5%)
Gender Place: 100 out of 309 (top 32.36%)
F25-29: 10 out of 40 (top 25%)

I would recommend this race to anyone that wants a fun and uncrowded race but also wants some hill training. Next year I already signed up to do the Great Race again but only the 10k. The downside to the half is that the post race food was SO crowded and I love to eat after. Also then I have a bit more time after the race to get ready and relax. 


Have you ever done a really hilly half?

I was explaining the PR and race I had while he was in Japan and how great the after party was to Devin a bit ago and how I wanted to do the race again next year. I sent him the website and it had the updated dates! Woohoo!

The 30th annual Great Race (5k,10k, trail run, half marathon and kid races plus the best after party ever!) will take place on March 28,2015!

I added it to my calendar and just like this year it will be 2 weeks after the marathon so I great way to keep running after the 30th LA marathon! Hopefully I won't have to work that weekend and can participate again.

Not to mention, it is affordable. This year it was 37 bucks (tax included!) and room rentals were 99 dollars with a free shuttle to and from the expo and race and the cutest Italian restaurant across the street.

Is the Great Race on your bucket list? Do you plan on running it next year?

A 10k carb load is very different than a marathon carb loading (which I totally just realized I never posted! I will do that this week. Silly me). You don't need as much as it's a much shorter race.however it is still important to carb load to tap out your glycogen stores.

I've never really carbloaded before a 10k before so I thought I would see how it would work. And boy did it work-I PRed the race!

All week I made sure to eat semi-clean (my jack in the box meal not counting but it was an insane craving I had!) and make sure I had a good amount of protein and fruit as well as stretching and relaxing.

Personally, I have been focusing on how to correctly carbload as in the olden days, I would just eat a lot of pasta the night before, which caused me to feel a bit sluggish the next morning.

After consulting Mark's Daily Apple and Runner's World, All you need for carb loading is an extra serving or two of carbs at each meals for 3-4 days before the event. I also learned in the Tinkerbell Race Guide that carbs eaten need to be consumed about 12 hours before race start time. 

Carb loading can take any form: vegetables, root vegetables, potatoes, rice, quinoa, couscous, bread, pasta, tortillas, etc.

FRIDAY

Breakfast-Ralph and I went out for breakfast at Portos and it was great. We both got the breakfast special with an omelet with pepper jack cheese, potatoes and peppers, black beans and amazing pico. I also had a horchata coffee.

Lunch-I was pretty full from breakfast but wanted to eat before leaving. I had leftover gluten free pasta (so good!). On the drive over I had vanilla yogurt and a banana.

Snack-all the ones they gave us in the goody bag. A kind bar, amazing chips, dole mango pieces and dole strawberries. And some goldfish I brought. I also had 5 cups of tea! So good (don't worry-it was decaffinated).

Dinner- fried mozzarella sticks, bread and gluten free pasta in alla vodka sauce. And a nice glass of wine to get me sleepy :)

SATURDAY

pre race- piece of bread with peanut butter and a banana and English breakfast tea.

After party- so much! Burrito, chips, so many things of fresh juice, coffee, pasteries, lemonade, oranges, banana, etc

Lunch- leftover pasta, more oranges and fruit, a glass of wine, avocado yogurt dip and chips,

Dinner- frisée, fennel and crockpot chicken tikka masala

Sunday-Disneyland celebration! Ice cream sandwich, meatloaf with veggies, and mashed potatoes, and popcorn!

How do you carb load for a 10k?

After the easy breezy Expo and my PR in the 10k, I was so ready to eat! This after party is rated as the best one in the country by Active.com (even though I think Wine and dine may be this-we will have to see!) so I couldn't wait to see if it lived up to the hype!

The after party was everything I had hoped for and it was all included in the cost of running!

As soon as I got my medal I also got water, a banana, pineapple juice, peaches and a smoothie (thanks arrowhead and dole!).

After that we also got to sample some delicious natural ice cream and juice.

We also hit up erewhon and got juice, chia drinks and bars. At this point out hands were full so we went to visit the UCLA tent and got a free bag to help out.

Our next stop was Round 1 of food:

• Freeze dried corn
  
• Granola
  
• Salad from an awesome local cafe
  
• Juice
  
• Pastry

Round 2 of food:

• Burrito and chips and salsa from sharks
  
• Lavender lemonade, oatmeal and iced coffee from rabbit hole
  
• Free coffee from Starbucks

Round 3 of food:

• Another banana
  
• Juice from whole foods (beet juice then apple juice)
  
• Sample of a cookie
  
• Water and sliced oranges from Albertsons
  
• Lemonade from Alex's lemonade stand
  

We definitely ate a LOT and it was all so so good! Definitely got our money's worth

Afterwards we walked to the shuttle and chatted with the lady next to us who happened to a DL passholder so we told her to sign up for avengers half! We also met some rundisney peeps, one who just completed dopey and highly recommended it.

We went to the hot tub and met some runners who had done marathons all over the world so they were giving us great suggestions, especially for ones involving wine in France!

After that we showered, packed up and headed home in the traffic to LA!

I would definitely recommend this race to anyone! The 10k was gorgeous and the half is rated the best in the country!

Have you ever attended an epic food after party?

This is rated as one of the Top 10ks in the country so I knew I wanted to do it. A colleague at work had told me about it last year and I was definitely interested in it so when Mallory told me she was running it, I was all in! Here is Mallory's recap! 

The night before we had a nice dinner at a cute Italian restaurant across the street from the hotel. It was so nice to walk to and from dinner and we even had a glass of wine! We headed back and were asleep by 10:00 for a 5:50 wake up call. 

Got up and I was feeling good and positive. According to my fitbit, I slept 7 hours and 42 minutes! That's a new record for me. I was also very positive today was going to be my day, I would PR!

Got dressed, made a quick cup of tea and peanut butter sandwich and off to catch the shuttle. It was so nice to have a shuttle and so relaxing. We got off and walked over to bag check, bathroom break and up to the starting line. 

It was the most interesting course start I have ever seen. As we walked up the hill (on a residential street nonetheless) we heard the national anthem and then someone screaming to move. the half marathon people were coming TOWARDS us. People were shocked by this as was I but it was nice to see them off. We had about a 25 minute wait until we started. 

It was getting warm so I took off my long sleeve shirts and was debating if wearing pants were the best choice but not much more I could do now! I double tied it around my waist so it couldnt fall. 

We had a good DJ.  I am still shocked that they let there be a DJ and announcer on a residential street before the race. 

It was 7:30 and wave 1 took off and then 1 minute later, we did! I knew I wanted to try my hardest to PR (even though I knew there were lots of hills and the announcer even said this is not the race to PR) so I ran 2:10/30 seconds (thank goodness I tested this interval this week). 

OFF WE WENT! downhill-woo-hoo! I tried my hardest to stay steady and not go out too fast like everyone around me was. I was ready to run my race and I knew to get those hills between mile 4 and 5, i would need to be slow. 

I decided my motto for the race would be "conceal dont feel" as Elsa says. Conceal my speed for a bit, don't feel the need to go out to hard or fast. 

Mile 1 was pretty flat, and we headed back into the mountains and parks for 2 and 3. it was insanely gorgeous but also really dangerous as there were cars everywhere. we had one small water stop with 5 volunteers that got crowded quickly but did the trick. 

I was checking my mile splits at every mile marker and was hitting 11:20, 11:03 and then I DONT KNOW FOR THE THIRD MILE BECAUSE MY IPOD RESET. i was calm and just reset it for a 5k knowing i had done 34 minutes. yeah, i need  a garmin (and to take my ipod to the genius bar!).

At the 5k, i took out my citrus shot and started taking a bit of it. we hit another water stop and i knew i would be good to go minus the fact my big toe on my left foot with numb and then my calf. i knew i needed to will it away and it worked (listening to let it go also helps!)

After that we got to mile 4 and i knew it was do or die. the mile with the hills and magically let it go came on! i listened to it twice in a row and i knew it was what i needed for the hills.

And were the hills ever tough! i decided i would go up as much as I could, and then walk briskly and then run the downhills regardless of interval. and it worked-i was flying past people (including the people with strollers! that was insanity to watch). at one point A CAR WAS LEAVING. i knew i had to pass it as we were about to hit mile 5 and the water station and i did not want ot get stuck behind it. 

the car eventually left and it was pretty downhill from there. i was pretty tired from hills so I walked a bit more to recover here. i knew my time was good and I was going to PR! i heard the 1K warning and knew the PR was mine. i had to remember to take good walk breaks to not burn out and to hold back the tears. 

I waved at all the people outside their houses (the kids were so cute!) and headed back towards agoura hills high school where the finish line was. we hit gravel and I knew i needed ot be careful but then it would all be downhill from there. I could feel it on the downhill, i felt GREAT and could give it a bit more so I was going. i decided to insert a final 10 second walk break because you never know. We turned and saw the finish line (in the grass-kinda weird) and that was it. I GUNNED IT (I know you arent supposed to do this but I have never had the opportunity and felt great) and was behind happy to cross. 

i saw the finish line clock said 1:08! I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT! I didnt know what time i crossed but soon found out I PRed with 1:07:09 and I could not be prouder. my goal was 1:09 the whole time and i was so happy! I worked so hard on this and was so excited to be able to celebrate. Considering the killer hills-it was a huge accomplishment! I waited for Mallory and we headed to the After Party and it was EPIC! 

When I got home, I did laundry, prepped dinner and caught up on magazines. and of course I watched Frozen as Elsa was my girl of the day!

I still can't believed I PRed and as big as I did with hills! I am very tempted to try and run another 10k,a flat one, within the next month to see what I am capable of. I think it would be super fun as well :)

Tomorrow I will post about the after party as it was EPIC! 

How do you celebrate after a PR?