Update

I've had a couple people call me out on not blogging much this year. Haha, I didn't even know anyone read this! I mean, there are so many great bloggers out there and so many amazing athletes who have much more interesting experiences to blog about!

Well, I'm going to recap my races of 2010, so here it goes!

Race #1 - February 6, 2010 - WTRS 18K

This was part of Baz's Winter Trail Run Series. It seems like whenever I run these races, it is raining! But it made for some muddy fun times. I carpooled with Molly, Dorene, Annie, and Eric to Blue Jay off Ortega Hwy in South Orange County. The race was 10.6 miles up the San Juan Trail which is a rocky, technical trail and has some steep sections. They're not exactly the most runnable trails, and when it rains, the trails turn into rivers! I slipped and fell at one point. I could feel the sting on my leg, but I got up and kept running for a while. When another runner caught up to me he asked, "Did you fall?" I finally looked down, I realized my leg was covered in blood and it was also running down the back of my leg!
It may look bad, but I just skinned my leg. There were no deep cuts, and I didn't hurt anywhere else from falling. So I kept running and crossed the finish line in 2:21:44, covered in mud and blood, but with a big smile on my face. I was having a blast! :)

It was fun to run that race with my good friend, Dorene. She has been running road marathons for several years, and I recommended the Winter Trail Series as a good way to get into trail running. I remember being concerned about her during the race, and wondering if she was having any fun. It was cold, windy, raining, muddy, etc. And I imagine some people might not enjoy running in such conditions. But Dorene finished just a few minutes after me, so I got to see her cross the finish line, and she also had a big smile on her face! It takes a certain kind of person to "enjoy" running in these kind of conditions! So, I was glad she had fun. She's been running lots of trails this year, and will soon do her first 50K in December--the North Face 50K. And I'm running it too!

As we left Blue Jay, we heard that the storm closed down Ortega Hwy, so we had to go the other direction towards Lake Elsinore. As the storm began to clear up, I took this amazing picture of a rainbow as we came down the mountain!

Southern California is such an amazing place!!!

Race #2 - March 21, 2010 - LA Marathon

This year, the LA Marathon had a new racecourse, which they called the "Stadium to Sea." It started at Dodger Stadium, went through some of the more tourist-y areas of Los Angeles, and then finished at the Santa Monica Pier. Last year, the LA Marathon is where I PR'ed, breaking four hours. But this year, I'm not as well-trained, so my race day strategy was just to enjoy the race!

Molly, Eric, and I at the starting line--and promoting the upcoming Whoo's In El Moro 50K.

As I mentioned in my LA Marathon post for last year, I love the city of LA. I went to school up there, so I lived there for a few years. It was fun to run through some of my old stomping grounds. But I have to say my true love is running on the trails. 26.2 miles of pavement hurts! And there are so many people running. . .

I think there is something like 20,000 runners in the LA Marathon, while a trail race usually has about 50-100 runners, depending on the race. I like the more low-key feel of trail races. I finished the LA Marathon in about 4:31:58, which makes it my 3rd fastest marathon. Not bad for just "taking it easy!"

Race #3 - May 2, 2010 - OC Marathon

After running the LA Marathon, I told myself, "Okay, no more road races! Stick to trails!" Less than a week later, I was at South Coast Plaza and saw a booth for the OC Marathon. I was just curious, so I went over to check it out. Before I knew it, I was filling out an application and swiping my credit card!

So on the morning of May 2, I met up with a couple other friends who were running OC. I have to say, I really do enjoy this racecourse. It was my 2nd year running it. Again, I hadn't been hardcore marathon training, so like the LA Marathon, I decided to just "take it easy." I finished in 4:43:19. I mean, I was really taking my time. Around mile 21, I was stopping in the grass on the side to sit down and stretch. I felt fine. I just wasn't in any hurry. I actually had another race on my mind. . . Whoo's In El Moro 50K, which was just two weeks later. I didn't want to run OC Marathon too hard. Something interesting I'm finding the more I do these long-distance races is I no longer hit that "wall". My body seems to be getting used to these distances. And I'm sure it also helps when I'm not pressuring myself to finish within some time goal.

Race #4 - May 15, 2010 - Whoo's In El Moro 50K

I have been running with Molly (and the Dawn Patrol) for a couple of years now. We frequently do early morning trail runs in El Moro together. So when Molly decided she wanted to put on a 50K in El Moro, I was so excited!!! El Moro is one of my favorite places to run!

Here we are at the starting line, with Molly giving directions for the race. She did a great job with her first race as a Race Director! The aid stations were very well-stocked and well-staffed. The race T-shirts and medals were really cool. And TK Burger was served at the finish line. I saw a lot of my good friends out there. Overall the race was well-organized and I enjoyed every minute of it! And, I also PR'ed in the 50K with a time of 6:34:00. Sweet! And the weather that day was perfect too--overcast and 60's. Overall, a first-class race!

Me, Greg, and Pam at the starting line of WEIM 50K.

My next race is going to be in two weeks from now, the North Face 50K in San Francisco. A bunch of us are going up there to run: me, Dorene, Molly, Pam, Annie, and Shannon who is running her first 50 miler up there!

Over the next month, I'm also going to update on a few other things I did this year, like El Morothon 3, Havasupai, helping out at Los Pinos 50K and also hiking San Jacinto, San Gorgonio, and Mt. Baldy all in one weekend!