CA Classic Weekend Half Marathon- Race Review

The CA Classic Weekend is a two day event in Fresno, CA. On Saturday, the city hosts a 35 miles, 60 miles and 100 miles bike ride. The runs (Half Marathon, 5k and kids race) takes place on Sunday.

*** this is just a review of the Half Marathon***

The expo:
The packet pick up was on Thursday and Friday, which is kinda a hassle but they stayed late from 3- 7pm. The pickup itself was super easy. I went on Th at 6 and was in and out in 5 minutes. Seriously, it took me longer to find a parking spot.

The start:
The stadium bathrooms were open- which meant CLEAN Bathrooms with running water- Big Plus! There were also plenty of port-a-potties at the start line. There were a few pacers on the course. I noticed that they lined up really close to each other on the starting line. Also, there was no real corral with meant walkers lined up in the front and made it difficult for runners to get around.

The race:
The course was great. The first third was downtown, heading north towards the zoo. The 6th mile was in a very shady park around the zoo and then we ran into the zoo. We weren't there very long but it was cool to see the giraffes, sea lions and zebras. The last part of the race was back towards the stadium. The course was flat except for one or two on ramps.

There were tons of water stations. They were staffed with a few volunteers but I never felt like it was difficult to get water or gatorade. There were also tons of small local bands and small cheering sections.

The stretch was a very cool run into Chukchansi Park and down the baseball diamond. There was also a jumbotron capturing the finish line.

The after party:
The volunteers had ice cold water!! Best thing ever!! especially after a hot race. After collecting water and the finishers medal, runners have to walk up the stadium to get food or meet with family. I saw that there was a finishers breakfast with a pancake, eggs, banana. There was also a beer garden. I didn't fell like eating anything so I didn't grab anything. There was also a Coldstone Ice cream- I did grab one of those.

Overall, I think the race was well organized, the volunteers were awesome and the experience was a good one.

running on a bummed hip

Yesterday I ran the CA Classic Half Marathon. The CA Classic Weekend held in Fresno is a two day event. Saturday starts off with a bike ride (three different distances 35 miles, 60 miles or 100 miles) and Sunday is the run (5k, Half, Kids run). It's a great weekend for Fresno. I really want to learn how to ride and hopefully race once day. 

My day started off at 5 am. It took me a while to wake up. Coffee and oatmeal helped. It's about a 30 minute drive from Dinuba to Fresno. My parents drove with me and we got to Chukchansi Park (baseball stadium for the local Fresno Grizzlies) at 6:15. Parking was super easy, we found a spot about a block away from the stadium.

I like races that start at a venue because they have real bathrooms. They also had port-a-potties set up and it looked like there were plenty and the wait wasn't long. 

The race started a little after 7:00. It was already a little warm outside. 

I have been dealing with a little injury. My hip has been bugging me and so has the back of my knee. I was worried about the pain during this race and had told myself that I was just going to take it easy. 

Of course, once the race started and every one took off, I followed. I had to tell myself to slow down multiple times. i started off to fast and slowed down to an 8 min/mile pace. I also kept checking in with myself, making sure to ask "is this pace comfortable".. "is it too fast". I tried to keep an 8:30 min/mile for the first few miles. The first 5 miles were through downtown and some residential areas, as we made our way to the zoo. 

The course was great. I really enjoyed the zoo and wished I had a camera. We ran past sea lions, giraffe and zebras. Did you know it would take a giraffe 25 minutes to run a half marathon. 

After the zoo, I started to feel hot and dehydrated. I grabbed water at the aid station; drank half the cup and dumped one on my head. That helped but my pace started to slow down, 8:30-8:40 min/mile. 

After mile 10, my hip and thigh was cramping. I knew that I wasn't going to be able to keep moving as fast as I wanted to. It was really disheartening because the race was almost over, I had felt so great earlier and I couldn't keep it up. 

The last two miles were a 9:50 min/ mile. I couldn't lift my left leg high enough for a good stride. I felt like I was taking little bitty steps. 

AHHHHH! I was so upset with myself, and my leg. 

I told myself not to stop. It didn't matter if it took me an hour to run those last two mile, I was not going to walk. It was a conscience effort to put one leg in front of the other. But, I finally got there. When I saw the finish line, I tried to sprint but it was more like a painful jog. 

The good news is that I finished. And that I ran a lot of the race at a decent pace. I was really worried that I would be in pain after 3 miles. 

Eat my Pixie Dust

I ran the 2nd annual Tinkerbell Half Marathon. The race runs through CA Adventures, DisneyLand and then through the city of Anaheim. 

Sunday morning, I woke up at 3AM and headed towards Disneyland. I spent more time in traffic trying to get into the parking structure than I did on the freeway. The race starts at 5AM, it was still dark. 

The first few miles were really congested. There were millions and millions of people. Well, technically not millions but A LOT. I tried to take pictures throughout the race, all my pictures look like this… blurry. 

Blurry picture of Cinderella :)

The first 4 miles were in the park and slow, it was hard getting around slower walkers/ runners and settling into a nice pace. Plus, I slowed down a lot in attempts to get pictures of the park and the Disney characters, which was a massive fail since all my pictures turned out blurry. 

After mile 6 we headed out into the street and I felt confident so I speed up. The rest of the race was pretty fast, between 8:05 and 7:50 min/mile pace. Overall, I'm okay with the time. I had a fun time. 

Place	Name	Bib	Age	Div Place	Gender Place	5k Split	10k Split	15k Split	Clock Time	Net Time	Hometown
181	DENESSE SEGURA	366	27	18	118	26:43	52:16	1:17:37	1:50:02	1:48:03	LOMITA, CA

The race medal is MASSIVE and super cute. Surprisingly, I was completely comfortable running in the tutu. I'm looking forward to more tutu-races. 

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Ever run a Disney race?

What's your earliest wake up call? 3 AM for me. too early. 

Disneyland or CA Adventures?

sleepless nights

I had such a hard time falling asleep last night. AHHH! I hate when that happens, my mind was just working over time.

This morning I did 4 miles. Instead of taking them easy, I decided I'd redeem myself from my sluggish speed work on Tuesday and try to get all 4 miles under an 8min/mile pace.

The self- induced guilt worked and I did okay. 1. 8:09, 2. 7:18, 3. 7:35 and 4. 7:40

Last night I took a break from CrossFit and I feel so much better- rested and calm. I'll go back tonight. I already looked at the WOD and I'm tempted to take another rest day. No, I won't.

A. 5 rounds for time: 5 deadlifts, 400m run
B. 100 kettleball swings, 100 double unders

This weekend I am running the Tinkerbell Half Marathon at Disneyland. I've heard it's really special and I've decided to really enjoy it, take it easy and take tons of pictures. The race runs through Disneyland, the city of Anaheim and California Adventures. The only down side is that the race was super super expensive and the race entry does not provide race into the park.

I'm working on a DIY Tinkerbell costume and post coming soon.

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How many rest days do you take a week? Usually I take 2 days off from running. Wednesday and Sunday.

Favorite Disney character? 

When's the last time you have been to Disneyland?

Camarillo Half Marathon REVIEW

The Camarillo Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K was held on January 6, 2013. This is the third year this race was ran. Previous years had been criticized over the race course and organization. This years race seemed to have some of those kinks worked out.

The Start: The Marathon started at 7am, the Half Marathon at 7:30. There was a free, and easy to find parking lot right next to the start line. I arrived at 6:30 and stood in a quick 10 minute line for my bib and t-shirt. There were also public restrooms which beat port-a-potties.  The announce said they're were 150 participants for the full marathon and close to 300 for the half. The race started on time and without any problems.

The Course: Have you been to the Camarillo/ Oxnard area? It is covered in strawberry fields and other types of agriculture. Yes, the race course is boring. I didn't mind it. I grew up in an agriculture based community so for me it was like a game of trying to guess what kind of plants they were. The race was run along side of the road, so many areas were not closed off and you did have to be careful with traffic. I hate it when races do this :( The course is flat but because of the rain it was also muddy which made me fearful of slipping so that was not fun. The race course was difficult to figure out. I pretty much had to follow the person in front of me. At one point, there was nobody in front of me and I did feel confused as to what direction to take. My suggestion would be to make sure the path is clearly marked.  At one point, we needed to turn around but I wasn't sure where to make the turn so I ended up running further than I needed to and added a whole 0.2 of a mile to my time :(

There were not many volunteers and some water stations were self-served. But I want to make sure and thank those who are out there in the chilly weather.

The After Party: After finishing, I got my medal and headed for some water. There was a small booth set up with water, bananas and pretzels. It was small but not congested at all. It was a small race so I guess people got what they needed and moved on. Shortly after, I walked to my car and was back on the freeway in no time.

The race is small and the course is not awesome, it needs a little help with clearly marking the path. Overall it was a decent race, the weather was nice and the volunteers were really nice.

11 miles after a half

Yesterday I ran the Camarillo Half Marathon. It was a flat course which is suppose to be fast? I don't know about that. I finished at 1:49 and it felt hard. I was really struggling to maintain a good pace plus my hamstring was really tight and made it difficult to get into a good rhythm.

The rest of the day was spent limping around. Anthony came over and brought me chilaquiles that his mom made for breakfast, they were delicious and super spicy. For the rest of the day, we ran some errands and watched 300 before falling asleep watching The Biggest Loser.

By the way, who else is excited that Jillian is back? OMG, I love her. I wish I could get an hour workout with her- she'd yell, I'd cry and throw up. Wow, that would be awesome.

This morning I woke up late and sore. I ran 11 slow miles in an attempt to do two long runs back to back. I've read that this is a better way of training than one mega long run (20 miles). I'm not sure if thats right. I feel like I get more out of mega long runs but in cases where I can't fit in 20 miles, the alternative is a good deal.

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Have you seen 300? It's my fav.

Thoughts on The Biggest Loser?

How was your weekend?

Operation Jack Half Marathon

The Operation Jack Marathon and Half Marathon and Satellite Run benefit Train 4 Autism and the Operation Jack Autism Foundation. Train 4 Autism helps people raise money for autism related charities.

The Cost: If you sign up before 9/3 the cost for the full is $55 and the half $45. After September 4, the price goes up by $15. After November 26, the price rises an additional $10.

The Expo: The race is small so there wasn't a big expo. Race packet pickup was before the race. They were very efficient in handing out bib numbers and cotton t-shirts. There wasn't a long line or a lot of people so it was easy to grab your stuff and go.

The Start: Again, because it was a small race there wasn't a problem with crowding. We were encouraged to stay on one side of the bike path but once the race started and people started to spread out, it wasn't a big deal.

The Course: The course was along a bike path on Dockweiler Beach. It was beautiful and scenic but after a while it was a little dull. The ocean and beach start to look the same after a few miles. The weather was also great.

The Volunteers: There were great volunteers. They were there before hand setting up in the rain. There were water stations every three miles which was too far apart. But the volunteers were very helpful and I wish there would have been more water stations.

The After Party: After the race we got a cool dog tag finishers necklace. There was a small booth set up for water, chocolate milk, cliff bars, bananas and oranges. It was small but efficient. I got plenty of water and didn't have to wait in any lines.

The first three women and men finishers each received a prize made by a child with autism. I thought this was a great touch.

Overall: I think this is a great cause. The money raised helps the Train 4 Autism and Operation Jack Organizations. The course is beautiful and tranquil for the half marathon. I think it would be hard to run this race as a full marathon because of the tranquil course and lack of spectators, fuel stations and support. I would definitely run this half marathon again.

Holiday Half Marathon Race REVIEW

The Holiday Half Marathon, 5K, Kids race at the Pomona Fairplex is held on the second weekend of December. The 5k and kids race is held on Saturday and the half on Sunday.

The Expo: The expo held at the Fairplex and it is sponsored by Kool n Fit (It's a muscle relieving spray). It was set up on Saturday from 7-12 during the 5k and kids race and on sunday from 6-12 during the marathon. It's small, with a couple of vendors and local organizations. Bid / t-shirt pick up was really effective. You have to look up your bid number (they send you an email or you can look it up on a list they post outside the pick up tent) and the numbers are very effectively organized so the volunteer didn't have a problem getting my stuff.

The t-shirt is really cute, although white is not my favorite color for something I'm going to sweat and get dirty in.

The Start: The race starts/ends at the Fairplex. The downside was the $10 parking. But other than that it was an ideal choice, there were plenty of clean bathrooms around the place. I used the potty twice and never stood in a line. #winning. There were also many big rooms (I think I was a gym or something) where we could hide from the cold until the start. 20 minutes before we walked to the starting line and tried to get a spot near the front.

Student run LA were also in attendance. I'm pretty sure there were 3,485 students and 324 staff members. The students started 10 minutes after the half. Around mile 5 or 6, I started to see a few of them pass me. They are super speedy.

The Race: The race started 15 minutes late but it wasn't a boring wait. The announcer did a little costume contest with the racers in costumes and kept everyone excited as we waited for the gun to go off.

The course starts at the Fairplex and at some point we run through a hilly park before continuing through the parking lot and out of the Fairplex (mile 1-3). There was a flat, fast stretch on the streets towards a park (3-5). The park had a few rolling hills throughout and one giant uphill climb (5-10). It was one of the longest hills on the whole course. After you run out of the park, it is a flat path on the street as we make our way back into the Fairplex parking lot (10-11) and down towards the finish line for another mile or so.

The course was very scenic. The park had all the fall colors, it overlooked a lake, and the hills reminded me of a tame trail run. There were not many spectators. The only time I remember people is at the end towards the finish line. The volunteers were great. There was water set up every mile or every other mile. I don't remember. The race was not congested and I was able to get water at every station. There were no port-a-potties but there were tons of bathrooms in the park and the Fairplex.

The After Party: After finishing, I got myself a mylar blanket and a really cute medal. I'm glad they had the blankets because I was soaking wet and as soon as I stopped running, I felt really cold. They handed out water, bananas, pretzels and Cliff Kids Z bar. There was also a beer garden and a booth providing massages. There weren't many freebies and the booths from the previous day were set up again.

Overall: I thought it was a challenging course. I enjoyed the run through the park and although there weren't many spectators, it was not boring since there was beautiful scenery. I would definitely run this race again. I loved it (I could just be biased because of the whole PR thing)

7 minutes faster

Sunday morning I ran the Holiday Half Marathon in Pomona.  And set a personal record !

Half Marathon

Runner Details	Race Results
Bib: 4627 Name: Denesse Segura Gender: F Hometown: Lomita, CA	Overall: 357 out of 4851 Women: 59 out of 2357 F 25-29: 10 out of 179 Age/Grade: 62.35% Place: 355 Finish: 1:45:36 Pace: 8:04 Tag Time: 1:45:36
Split Times
5 Km: 25:15 Pace: 8:08 7.9 Mi: 1:03:23 Pace: 8:02

Ernie and I had talked about running a half together before he went off on vacation at the end of December. The week before he suggested an 8min/mile pace and that really scared me. That was too fast. On race day I told him that I would stick to a 8:20 min/mile pace. 

The morning started off chilly and at the start I questioned my outfit. I was freezing and worried I wouldn't warm up. 

I started off too fast and I felt it. The first two miles involved hills, not big ones but hills none the less.  At mile 3, I started to get comfortable and warmed up but I still felt like I should slow down or else risk hitting a wall later. 

At mile 4, Ernie told me to go ahead because his knee was hurting and he was going to slow down. I kept going and hit a flat stretch where I felt like I was flying. 

I told myself to do 7 miles at this pace (under 8). I felt good, like maybe I could run this fast. I started to think of the possibility of actually doing this in 1:45. This was a faster pace than I had planned and that I had ever raced before so I knew that even if I slowed down for the last 5 miles, I would still do good. 

I got to mile 7 and I felt ok, I was tired and my shin and thigh were achy but I told myself to get to 10 miles. I wanted to stay close to an 8 min/mile pace for the next 3 miles. 

After mile 10, I was done. I felt tired. My legs were heavy and my stomach felt nauseous. I still wanted to do the last three at the same goal pace and it was harder to keep myself going. At that point I took it a mile at a time. "just one more at this pace, then you can slow down. promise" 

Mile 11 had a crazy hill. I felt like I had slowed down a lot. But I kept passing people and that kept me motivated. I'm competitive so I was not going to let anyone I just passed pass me. Although a bunch of speedy kids from Students Run LA totally schooled me. 

When I saw the mile 12 marker, I speed up. I was hurting but what's another 8 minutes. I told myself "the faster you finish, the faster you can rest"

I finished at 1:45:40 9 (according to my garmin). That's the fastest I have ever ran a race!! I'm super excited. 

The whole time I was keeping track of my pace but I never looked at the time. At mile 11, I actually made a conscience decision not to look at it because I didn't want to know if I wasn't going to make it. When I was running towards the finish line I saw the display clock and I realized that I had done it!

1. 8:06       6. 7:58       11. 8:10

2. 8:07       7. 8:04       12. 8:14

3. 8:13       8. 8:04       13. 7:44

4. 7:46       9. 7:44       .01. 7:01

5. 7:51     10. 8:06

I was extremely proud of myself. I didn't think I could do it and I did. I maintained an 8:06 pace. Wooo!! I know that I have to work on keeping a more consistent pace. I totally felt that mile 3, 11 and 12 were slow and the time reflects it. I still have a lot of more work to do, but I'm excited about the improvements that I have made 

Last month (Malibu Half, 11/10/12) I ran a 1:52 half marathon. I improved by 7 minutes :)

weekend photo recap

This weekend was fantastic! I got "Congratulations you're done, now stop all the stress-induced eating/ nail biting/ hair pulling scariness" flowers from Anthony. 

Then, we celebrated my MS in Biology at The Melting Pot. Dinner and fondue :)

(In this picture, I look so much like my mom- it's a little eerie but awesome because she's amazing)

 yummmm…

On Saturday, I picked up some new running flats at the Pomona Holiday Half Marathon Expo.  I raced and PR'd in them on Sunday! More to come but I shaved 5+ minutes from my previous PR on a hilly and tough course. 

ACB Holiday Party before a race = winning. Not scientifically proven but I think it contributed, plus we had a great time with friends,

and with the 2011 and 2012 MLS Championship Cups!

(awesome picture except for my crooked bangs haha)

Malibu Half: cold weather apparel

My outfit completely changed overnight. I went to Malibu to pick up my bib on Saturday and realized it was windy and cold in Malibu and I should consider wearing more than a tank top and a running skirt. 

Plus it was going to be a long wait before the race started. I had to be in Malibu by 6:00am and then take a shuttle to the starting line. The race wasn't suppose to start until 7:30 so I figured I should wear something warm. 

I ended up wearing a cold weather headband (roadrunners, $13) and this long sleeve top (target $15)

I'm not sure if you can see but I also wore long leggings. I got these at target for $10 but I was afraid to wear them because they are a little form fitting and I felt insecure about running/ jiggling in them. I also wore compression socks and my acsics that are about to die ( 2 full marathons plus a year of training = retire the shoes)

I woke up at 4am and had toast with half PB and butter and some coffee. I didn't eat the banana and then I was hungry by 7.  I headed out at 4:30 and made it to Malibu by 5:40ish. 

Once I parked I got on a shuttle which drove us to the start line. We got there at 6:30. I used the porta-potties, stretched and tried to keep warm. I waited out by the cold, beautiful beach for an hour and a half! That's crazy and bad race organization. 

The race started late (almost 8!!) and it was freezing. When we started the race, my felt felt numb and my back was starting to hurt from all the shivering I was doing. It took me a good two miles to defrost and I started those 3 miles around 9min/mile. It was hard to move faster, plus I felt like my feet and shins were numb. My shins started to hurt and immediately I freaked out and told myself to take it easy, I didn't want to hurt myself. If you have ever had shin splints you know how painful that is and I didn't want to risk any damage.

After the third/ fourth mile I started to feel like my self and my pace started to even out. I ran the rest of the half at 8:30-8:40 and finished at 1:54. 

It wasn't my best race, but I am glad I eased up a little when my shins were hurting and that I waited until everything felt okay to push myself. Plus, there were tons of hills and I felt so strong going over them. (That made me really excited about my 5 am wake up call every saturday)  I ran 10 miles the day before and I knew this wasn't going to be a flat, fast race so I'm happy with my performance. 

The rest of Sunday was pretty relaxing. Anthony and I tried to cook lunch before heading out to the LA Galaxy Game.

I made squash spaghetti and was surprised by how yummy it was. We also had shark (!) and it was delicious.

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I have a hard time getting rid of clothes/ shoes? Anyone have that problem?

Have you ever had shark?

Favorite thing to do on a Sunday?