Safari Park Wild Thoughts

So why was the Safari Park Half Marathon my favorite half marathon to date? I mean, I didn't PR, I didn't travel out of the state to run it, and I didn't win (ha!). But none of that matters. The reason I sign up for races is to experience new things - new places, new challenges, meet new people, and have fun while I'm doing it. This fit all of that.

These are the elements of the race that I loved:

• The course was interesting - it included road and dirt and hills. I like variety in my races.
• The course had great views - there was lots to see and Curious Lisa loved seeing all of it. I have to say that I loved the ostrich farm. The ostriches were wacky. I didn't know they made sounds like that and to see them watching us and running around was fun.
• The race was really well organized - Everything went off without a hitch this year. I heard they had problems with parking last year but there were none this year. The race started on time and the buses back to our cars after were easy peasy to catch.
• They also had really well organized aid stations. It was doubly nice that they sent out an email before the race telling us that water would be in clear cups and the electorlyte drink would be in solid cups. Except for the aid station outside the winery that was serving drinks up in wine glasses! Sorry, but I think it was just water and electorlyte drink. ;)
• Packet pickup, the drop bags, post food/water, directions/support on the course were all excellent too.
• There weren't a lot of spectators, practically none actually except for the families that were bused into the park and the one housing tract we went thru, but I didn't care. I don't need crowd support. And less crowds means you can focus easier. At least I can.
• One of the runners complained that she'd never been in a such a "chatty" race but I loved it. She's right, there was a lot of talking going on between the runners but isn't that why we race? To run with others? I had a lot of fun talking to various people on the course. It's always disappointing when you talk to someone and they are wearing headphones. But it was fun to be in awe of something we saw and to have someone else acknowledge they were thinking the same thing.
• The race had Race Guards running with us. There were also some on bikes out on the course. I'd never seen that before and I thought it was a very cool idea. A couple of them were running around my pace so I saw them all the way up until the end. I would like to look into doing something like this.
• The Wild Animal Park was VERY welcoming to us. All day, the people at the park congratulated me or asked me how I did. It was fun to see the shirts/medals all day too. Like a not-so-secret club. Also, a good conversation opener with strangers.
• A lot of the runners dressed with ears/tails/animal prints so that was fun too. I was mostly glad that I beat Tony the Tiger. :)
• Um, did I mention there were elephants and lions and cheetahs? Seriously, how cool is that!!! :) I am still going through my photos for that day! Hopefully, I'll have them ready tonight.

So yes, I absolutely will do this race again. Next time, I'm going to do the Roar and Snore and spend the night before in the park. I talked to some of the runners who had done it and they said it was a ton of fun to hear the lions and other animals at night and that the dinner had been yummy. I think it would be a blast. Who's going to join me?

Safari Park Half Marathon Recap

I ran my 10th half marathon today and I have to say that it was my favorite one so far! The Safari Park Half Marathon had all my favorite elements in it. More on that in a bit.

I didn't really have any expectations for this half. The start of the week totally sucked and my runs on Monday & Tuesday were no bueno. I could barely get a full breath which makes it really hard to run unless you are going really, really slow. But every day got better and better and my 9 mile run yesterday went really well so I was hopeful for today.

I woke up at 3 today since I had a 90 min drive there, had to pick up my race packet, and the race started at 6:30. I kind of regretted that this morning because I only got about 4 hours of sleep but it turned out okay. I got there in plenty of time, got ready, and then met up with Moonkin Running. It was fun to meet another twitter friend. I can't tell you her name or show you her picture because she is another Super Spy. ;) Then we split up to head to our corrals. I got in the corral with the 2:15 pacer which I thought I could do without dying. The plan was to just have fun, not worry about time, and enjoy the run.

The start was full of energy and packed with people which forced me to go out slow. I couldn't have gone faster if I'd wanted too. Which was fine. We headed out and turned on to rural roads that would take us past wineries, dairies (some of the cows even came out to watch us), a horse ranch, and an ostrich farm! It was cool and overcast and the surrounding views were beautiful. At mile 6 we had to climb a steep long hill into the Wild Animal Park. We were all groaning going up it and not just because it was so steep but also because the race people had put up signs with really bad jokes going up them. Like: "How do you know when a rhino is about to charge?...He pulls out his credit card!" and "What do elephant trunks and this hill have in common?...They both suck!". Yeah, they were all bad like that but you had to laugh.

Once we were over the top of the hill, we were in the park and we had a fabulous downhill that wound thru it. I was laughing w/ a couple of the runners about what the animals thought of us crazy humans running by them! We left the park for a little while and some of the keepers were out there with a camel cheering us on. We had one more hill at mile 12 as we went back in the park and then it was all downhill to the finish. I'd lost the 2:15 guy a while back but caught and passed him at this point. I'd had a low energy point around mile 10 but then felt better so picked it up a little at the end.

It was hard to stay focused though, especially when we ran by the elephants and there were baby ones! It was almost torture to keep running and not stop! But I told myself the faster I finished, the sooner I could come back with my camera. You could hear the finish line party for the whole last mile and it was really energizing. The finish was a lot of fun, with the lions to the right and the cheetahs to the left...I found myself speeding up. Be fast or be food, right? ;) I finished in 2:12:35 which I was very happy with. Frankly, I was thinking it would be more like 2:30 because I've been so slow lately. But I did pretty well considering the slow start and the hills. And best of all, I felt great at the end. I probably could have pushed harder but who cares, I had a blast!

I got my medal, grabbed some water, banana, orange, and a bagel and went to sit in front of the cheetah enclosure and watched them while I ate. I swear the cheetahs were licking their chops as they watched us and were pacing back and forth. Later, one of the keepers told me that all the keepers were talking about how much the cheetahs enjoyed watching us. Ha! I bet! :) The medal is very cool, don't you think? I love it.

After that, I went back to my car and got my camera and spent the rest of the day exploring the park. I even splurged a little and did the Photo Caravan tour which is a 2 hour tour on truck that goes into the animal areas so you can get up close and personal with them. You get to feed giraffes and be just a couple of feet away from rhinos. And take pictures galore. A photographer/wild animal lover paradise. Spring is a wonderful time to visit the park with all the babies and the frisky animals. I highly recommend it.

All in all, today was fabulous! A perfect early birthday present to myself. Holy cow, I'm going to be 44 in 13 days! I don't feel old though. I feel like a kid. Especially today. :)

Foxy Half Marathon Recap

I ran the Foxy Half Marathon at Lake Hodges in Rancho Bernardo today. It was the second race in Dirt Devil Racing's Half Marathon Animal Series and it was a lot of fun. I sucked but I enjoyed the run anyway because for once NOTHING hurt. Well, except for the quarter size blister I got on my left foot for some weird reason. But my foot, my groin, and my shoulder all felt really, really good. If only I could say the same for my stomach.

I knew going into this that I wasn't going to "race" it because I hadn't been feeling that great all week and I have been so SLOW on my runs. No speed at all. And then starting on Tuesday, I had some stomach issues. It was a little hot on my run home from work that day and I felt really nauseous after and dinner didn't stick around long. Wednesday I seemed fine but then it happened again on Thursday after my run home from work. So I thought it might be the heat. But then it happened again during lunch at work on Friday and that place is on icebox so it wasn't heat related. On Saturday I woke up feeling just slightly nauseous and decided to go for a run & ride and see how I did. Both actually went really well so I had high hopes it would be okay for today. It was mostly okay but I still have a lingering bleah feeling. Anyway, that's the back story going into this morning's race.

Pre-Race

Rancho Bernardo is about 90 minutes away from me so I woke up at 3:30, ate, got ready, and packed. I headed out at 4:40 so I could be there about 6:15 to pick up my packet. Traffic was non-existent so I made good time. I did have one moment of panic when I looked in the rear view mirror and saw flashing lights but he zipped right by me. I found out why in a few miles because he was doing a break on the freeway. Luckily it didn't last long and I made it there about 6:10. I got my bib and chip and my goodie bag. It had a shirt and a hat in it for the race. I really like the logo. I was SUPPOSED to eat something before the race but I forgot. But it was too late to go back to the car so I hoped the Gu Brew I had in my little bottle would be enough.

The Race
There were 2 waves for the race: the fast people and the snails. I got in the second wave but they were still moving. It was single track at the start and I kept up with the line and went out at a 9:30 pace. I did okay in the first mile but my legs were already noodley and I decided I better back off so I could finish and not blow up. I had no energy going up the hills but only walked a very small portion of them.

It was a pretty interesting course. Some single track, some fire road, road, and bike path, lots of fishermen. Um, but they weren't running. The course took us around a portion of Lake Hodges and even across a cool suspension bridge. Since I wasn't racing, I was able to enjoy the views. It was foggy this morning and it was hanging over the hills and the lake and gave it a very peaceful feeling. Kind of reminded me of Milford Sound. Hey! A girl can dream (it's #2 on my list of dream run vacations behind Scotland). So that and all the birds made for an awesome run. I wish I had stopped to take pictures but I didn't want to get in anyone's way or step off the trail (we were warned repeatedly at the start about watching for rattlesnakes).

The only bad part of the run was that I started getting a blister on my left foot about mile 6. I wore my Peregrines because they are more protective than the WT110s and I wanted my foot to not have a setback. But I haven't worn them in forever and paid the price. :( I thought I might have to stop and take care of it at one of the aid stations but decided to wait and see. Well, I waited til the end. One thing that helped keep running was when we crossed a stream for the second time. The first time I crossed I hopped from rock to rock like everyone else. The second time I stopped and looked at the rocks and looked at the stream and debated whether getting my feet wet would hurt or help. I finally decided to go for it and plunged right in. The water was cold and felt so good! It definitely helped and I was able to finish without stopping. :)

So I just ran along at a steady pace, enjoying the morning, and happy I was going to finish my 9th Half Marathon. Then I was done and I got my medal. I WAS happy to be done but it was a little bittersweet. I wished I could have run it harder. There was a part of me in the beginning that was sad but once I let it go, I really enjoyed the run. I just bought Of Monsters and Men's new album last week and there's a song on the album which fit perfectly for today. It's called Slow and Steady and these are some of the lyrics...

My dear old friend, take me for a spin
two wolves in the dark, running in the wind
I'm letting go, but I've never felt better
passing by all the monsters in my head
I move slow and steady
but I feel like a waterfall...

Here's my medal, front and back. The saying on the back of the medal is also on the back of our shirt. I like the quote a lot. This was a fun race, the volunteers and some of the runners dressed as cats, foxes, and other animals. Everyone was very friendly and the aid stations were great. Bonus...Merrell was one of the sponsors so I got to check out their new trail shoes. I'm not sure how I walked away without buying any. I was in lust. :) Yes, I have a shoe problem! The only downside to Dirt Devil's races is no food at all at the finish. Not even a banana. What's a starving runner got to do to get some food in her! Actually, it was better that I didn't have any food before I drove home. I would have hated to get another speeding ticket because I had to hurry.

I went for a ride when I got home. No soreness at all but I just wanted to spin out my legs a little. All in all, it was a good day. I can't wait for the Cougar Half in June and then Raptor Ridge in October. I've never done a series before. If I lived closer, I'd do their Grand Slam Series too. The first one is the Coyote 5K. What do you think? Should I?