This is actually the third time we've ran this race. The first time was in 2014 and then we ran it again in 2016.
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| Left: 2014 / Right: 2016 (Apparently we love matching our socks ;)) |
The 10K course is pretty grueling, but the hubby loves the trails so I opt in even though I know it's gonna be a hard fought battle each time. Not to mention, if they use your picture in the email blast you sort of have to run it, right?!
Normally the night before a race consists of laying out my flat runner, stretching, foam rolling and an early bed time.
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| My #FlatCarlee: #TwoPairDontCare PRO socks, red Handful bra, comic book Sparkle Athletic skirt, Skechers tank, homemade BOOM hat (thought it went with the skirt), red and blue QALO silicone wedding bands, lime and purple Momentum Jewelry wraps, my Garmin Forerunner 735XT, Nathan handheld, and my Brooks Ghost with lightning bolt Shwings. |
Well, Nike decided the best time to run the #Breaking2 race would be at 8:30pm PST Friday night, which meant it was a late night (obviously I had to stay up to see if the two hour barrier for a full marathon could be broken... and then I was too jazzed from the event to go to bed right away). The unfortunate part was the alarms came too soon for my liking...
I love that this race allows for race morning pick-up. Check-in started at 6:30am and the 10K was set to start at 7:30am, so we shot to be there around 6:45am to give us plenty of time to grab our bibs, use the potties and get to the start.
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| Easy breezy! The wait was non-existent and everyone is super friendly! |
The one negative was parking. All the race info (as well as every time we've been to this park) said parking for non-Poway residents was $5 a car... Well, apparently the price changed to $10 which caused the line to really back up (not sure if folks were arguing the prices or if everyone had to pay with credit cards because they didn't have the extra cash to cover the increase like us). Thankfully we had given ourselves a bit of a buffer and were okay with the delay.
By the time we used the bathrooms (yay for "real" toilets) and pinned our bibs on, it was time to hustle to the starting line. We walked up right as the National Anthem was being sung (after a quick starting line selfie of course).
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| Can you tell we are ready to do this thang?! |
Since this is a fairly small race (they offer a 10K, 5K and Kids Run {approx 1/3 mile}), the "corrals" are set up by estimated pace. The hubby and I lined up between the 9 and 10 minute pace signs and got ready to head out.
Like I mentioned, the 10K is tough. It has two pretty big climbs (that seem to go on forever), but the views definitely make it worth it (not to mention, afterward you feel pretty BA for tackling the course). Our only goal was to HAVE FUN!
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| Can't you tell we are having a blast?! |
We tried to take advantage of the flats and downhills, while trucking along on the uphills at a smart pace.
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| The climb to the top of the reservoir is TOUGH, but coming back down you get some fun hills to bomb! |
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| WE DID IT! This is the top of the second hill (but for some reason they have a final hill into the finish line). |
The announcer mentioned snakes had been seen on the course prior to the start by some of the volunteers, so not only were we keeping our eyes peeled on the terrain and watching our footing, but we were also on the lookout for "nature". Thankfully we didn't see any critters (I think the faster runners scared them all away for us - THANKS GUYS!), although I do have to say that the volunteers shaking maracas on the course did scare us a time or two.
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| Can you see that trail in the distance? That's where we came from... It's quite the trek! |
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| Lake Poway |
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| The 10K course adds in the extra climb to the dam, but meets back up with the 5K course again. |
The temps were pretty perfect (we were expecting storms over the weekend, so we're nervous it'd be a mud run, but the rain stayed away). In the past it's been pretty dry, hot and dusty, so we appreciated the cooler, cloud covered morning.
Even with the 1,300 feet of elevation gain, we were still able to keep a pretty awesome pace.
I don't know if you remember, but recently I donated most of my medals to #Medals4Mettle. This race actually doesn't give out bling unless you place in your age group (the proceeds are used as a fundraising effort for a local, low-income elementary school - so I much prefer the money go to the kids than a medal anyway). I was able to snap a pic of what the medals looked like before the award ceremony (last we checked, I was 9th in my AG and the hubby was 21st).
Even though there isn't any bling, they still take care of the runners with a big spread at the finish line (with scones, cinnamon rolls, bananas, orange slices, Nutzo packets, Kind bars, Starbucks coffee {for donation}, cups of water, etc).
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| Now that I'm tracking my food I'm more aware of everything going in my mouth... and making smarter choices! |
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| When the Starbucks tent has mini-maracas you use them for a photo op! |
If you are in the San Diego area, this is definitely a race I'd suggest checking out. We always try to keep this race in mind when planning our calendars. I think it's a fun way to get introduced into trail running (there are some speedy folks out there, but the crew is always very welcoming). The price is great (when we registered a few months before the race it was $30 a person) and even with the difficult course, it is super well organized and a great fundraiser for the school.
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| A couple of the "official" pictures from the race... Not our finest faces ;) |
Would you prefer a race give you a medal at the end or have the money go to a cause?
