SB Wine Country Half Marathon {Race Recap/Review}

This past weekend, I ran my first half marathon! For those of you who have been around for a while, you know this has been a long time coming. It's amazing how fast time flies, it's hard to believe I was actually in a boot for 6 weeks not too long ago. I'm thankful for that injury, because it made it 10X sweeter to cross that finish line. 

I ran the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon.

This was by far, the most beautiful race I have ever run. Probably even more beautiful than any race I could have dreamed up. The pictures really don't do it justice. 

The race started in Santa Ynez, which is a little remote town about 40 minutes outside of Santa Barbara. We ran through that and two other towns, all well known for their wineries (hence the race name!). After getting through Santa Ynez, we made our way through Los Olivos (probably my favorite of the three), and finished in adorable Sulvang. 

Having been doing all of my running lately in Santa Barbara and San Diego, I'm used to either running through neighborhoods or running along the beach {not complaining one bit about that!}. 

This race took us through fields and farms, nothing short of gorgeous scenery at each leg of the race. 

We even saw a buffalo:

It. Was. Incredible. 

If you're ever looking for a half marathon to do in California, I would highly, highly suggest this one. There are definitely hills that give it a challenge, but you really can't beat the scenery. 

The one piece of criticism that I have for Destination Races is please, please, please have water bottles at the finish line next year. Everyone I talked to found it very shocking that there was only a small water station with plastic cups, in an area where we were asked to continue walking so as to allow others to pass through the finish line. 

Once we followed the directions and continued moving, there was no sign of water anywhere. Seeing as we had just run 13.1 miles, and it very quickly became a whopping 90+ degrees, I think this was just asking for dehydration to hit. 

So, there's my one piece of helpful advice for next year. Other than that, the race really was fantastic!

Not to mention, you finish smack dab in wine country. 

Helloooo post race festivites!

I want to say a giant thank you to all of you readers who have been praying with me through this. Through all of the races, all of the knee pain, foot pain, and just plain fear. 

You guys got me through this. Your prayers. 

So thank you. Thank you so, so, so much!

A Moment in My Day

Bam. 

Half Marathon, here we come!

Hot Chocolate 15K Recap

I'm not gonna lie guys, I was actually pretty nervous for this race. Something about it being 2.3 miles more than I had ever run before, and the first race I would be doing by myself left me feeling a lot less confident than I did for my 10K. 

When my alarm went off at 5:15AM, I hopped out of bed, grabbed a protein bar, threw on my running clothes and headed for the door. 

But not before my 8 year old sister crawled out of bed to give me a good luck hug :)

I drove the 30 minutes it took to get to beautiful downtown San Diego.

The Hot Chocolate 15K is the third race I've done this year (heck yes, I can cross off a 2013 Bucket List item!). I can officially say that the organization for this race was outstanding. And the main reason for that is because of how efficiently everything was communicated.

It was made very clear to us that traffic and parking were going to be a nightmare the morning of the race. They suggested that we plan to arrive significantly earlier than our start time due to this. And because I was informed of this, I didn't mind waiting in the long row of cars to get to a parking spot! It was anticipated.

When we registered for the race, we were asked how long we thought it would take us to finish. Using our projected paces, the race crew organized us into corrals where we would group up to start the race. 

We were made aware that each corral would be starting 3 minutes after the one before, to ensure for a smooth run. Again, perfect communication!

Not only could we guess when our actual starting time would be, but the planning paid off. The flow of the starting line (and the entire race) went great! Even as we were waiting, everyone was in great spirits. 

Now I mentioned that this was my first race alone, but I quickly found that that wasn't the case. 

Running has become a huge source of intimate time with the Lord for me. With worship music pumping me up, and His beautiful creation surrounding me (San Diego and Santa Barbara are not too shabby of places to run, am I right?) it's hard to not be filled with His love. 

Everything about this race had me feeling God's presence. And for that, I am thankful. 

It was a beautiful reminder that we are never alone.

This race was packed with hills. 

And you know what guys? I loved it. I loved the challenge. 

Running is really an amazing thing. You get to feel how strong your entire body is. Your chest perfectly pacing those deep breaths that keep you going. Your arms, just the slightest bit tense, briskly moving to keep up with your legs. 

And your legs? Man. There's nothing like it. Going up a hill and feeling every muscle from your thigh and hamstring all the way down to the tips of your toes pushing you further and further towards that peak that you're dying to reach. 

And knowing that you can stop and walk, but hearing God tell you Just a little farther, darling. You got this.

It's beautiful, that's what it is.

Crossing that finish line and knowing I had just completed my longest and most challenging run to date? 

Amazing.

Not to mention, this was waiting for me:

Is that not the cutest/most delicious looking Finisher's Mug?

For those remembering I gave up chocolate for lent, I only had the banana :)

I am so thankful that I have taken up a love for running. 

But I want to tell you something, if you're reading this thinking I'm a natural runner, I'm not.

Case and point: this post.

"I'm gonna be real though, if I can do this, anyone can.

I went for 2 runs this past weekend, and I am literally in horrible shape.

I'm talking can't even run a mile straight without stopping to walk.

Total speed with all of the walking is about an 11 minute mile.

Looks like the break from the stress fracture took a toll, huh?

So here goes nothing!"

That was a little over 3 months ago guys. 

In 3 months I went from being unable to run a mile straight, finishing at an 11 min mile, to running 9.3 miles straight at a little over a 9 min mile. 

It's true, what I said. If I can do this, anyone can.

Well, We Didn't Dye!

This past weekend I finished my first fun run, a Run or Dye 5K!

The run itself was a blast! And I would definitely say we got our fair share of color. 

But why don't you judge for yourself:

It was great! A fun way to get out and get some exercise. And the paint didn't stain, win!

To be honest, I was going to write a few constructive criticism points for Run or Dye. They're coming to Santa Barbara later this year, and I thought there were definitely some things that they could improve on. 

But, shortly before writing this post, I got an e-mail from the company. 

Get this: they sent out an e-mail to every registered runner acknowledging and apologizing for the problems. They went on to assure us that they would make improvements to avoid the problems in the future, and offered each and every one of us 50% off of any event of our choice. For us, and a friend!

Say what???

I think it takes a lot of courage to admit your mistakes, and for the Run or Dye organization to show such humility speaks volumes about the people involved. 

As I said, the run itself was so. much. fun!

And with the event improvements and clearly professional leadership involved, I know this organization will put on many, many more successful events in the future!

I, for one, will absolutely be signing up for round 2 when they come through Santa Barbara. 

Check out their schedule to see if Run or Dye will be coming your way!

Running for Daisy

Yesterday, I posted the news that sweet Daisy has passed away. First of all, thank you all for your sweet comments and prayers. I am certain that they will be felt by all. 

Some of you mentioned that this was the first you had heard about Daisy. You can read more about her through older posts, or check out the Pray for Daisy website for more information on this beautiful girl and her story. 

This past weekend, I was in San Diego for my Valentine's Day 10K. A few weeks ago, God put it on my heart to dedicate this run to Daisy. I now understand why. 

I posted this shortly after my run:

And I seriously struggle now to find the words. 

It was so good. 

For those that are new around here (hi!), I have never been a runner. I up and decided to train for a half marathon last year, and ended up getting myself a stress fracture. 

Whoops? 

So I made the only logical decision here, and decided to start all over again this year from square 1. Fingers crossed for no injuries!

Training for this race was so different than training for my half. Yes, probably because a 10K is half the distance. But a lot of other things felt different too. 

I guess I just didn't stress as much about it this time. I was training with a friend who had never run before (so proud of her!), so we took things very slow. The most we ran before the 6.4 mile race was 3.5 (ish) miles, at an 11:30-12:30 minute average pace including walking breaks. 

This was very different from the training routine I had for last year's half marathon, and I noticed a huge difference in my confidence level. 

Each time we would stop to walk, I didn't feel like I needed to. When we decided to go at our own pace for the actual race, I decided to just run my little heart out at a pace that felt good, going as far as my body wanted to without stopping. 

Well that pace that felt good? Ended up being an 8:30 mile time.

And that "going as far as my body wanted to?" Ended up being the entire race. 

My ideal goal was to run at a 10:00 pace, finishing just around an hour.

I ended up finishing at 54 minutes, placing 8th in my age group. 

Me! The non runner that I am!

Crossing that finish line? Best feeling ever. 

Not to mention I was pretty blessed with some amazing cheerleaders!

The entire race, I could not stop thinking about how this run was for Daisy. And it made me realize something. I don't want it to stop with this race. 

I want to run all my races for Daisy. 

And I want to invite you to do the same! I know some of you have running goals of your own, so if you've got it on your heart, I'd love for you to run for Daisy with me!

I decided to use a hashtag on Instagram, running4daisy. I'm going to continue to use it, and if you're documenting your own running experiences, please go ahead and spread the hashtag love.

It doesn't have to be pictures from a race, any run is worthy of running for Daisy. I want to celebrate the healthy, strong, beautiful bodies that we have been blessed with by giving glory to her memory. 

Remember her strength as you are building your own.

Happy Humpday, dears! Make it a great one.