A few months ago my Sister and I heard through some friends about this awesome course (with great PR potential) and nice desirable running temps! #famouslastwords

This was the 61st annual race for the Fontana Days Half and our first time ever running this course, and at $50 it was also the cheapest 13.1 I’ve ever run!

Expo: On Friday I headed down to Fontana’s City Hall where the expo takes place. I was picking up race packets for my Sister and I, thankfully I planned on arriving right when it opened at 4pm because the expo was outdoors and it was a scorching 103 degrees.
The expo was relatively small, not a whole lot to shop so with the heat I hurried back to my car happily going by the hundreds of runners now in line to get their bibs, with no shade from that heat. That definitely could have been a little better planned!

The freebie bags they handed out had some good samples in them and even a free running belt which can hold an iphone 6+!

Race shirts: I love the navy blue and neon green color of them, but I think the shirts run in men's sizes because I got a small and it’s pretty big on me. To be honest though I rarely wear the free shirts they give out. I toss them into the tech shirt graveyard in my closet and almost never give them another thought!

On race morning we planned on being back at City Hall by 6am because you had to meet there to shuttle to the start line and busses were running from 5:00am-6:30am. Parking was free and not an issue on race day at all which was a big plus!

The race starts up at the Applewhite Campground in Lytle Creek just north of the city. I would say my first actual complaint was probably the bathroom situation. They had what appeared to be 11 port a pottys lined up for the never-ending line of nervous runners who looked as though they were anticipating quicker access to a toilet!

The campground next to the start had bathrooms and the women’s line for that had probably 30 people in it when my Sister and I lined up, but there were only 2 toilets! Oh, and a few minutes after we got in line one of those stopped working and flushing – nice work ladies! We were down to one toilet and waited there nearly an hour and as a result only had 10-ish minutes to walk back over before the race was starting.

The course: Once the race started you begin working your way down a beautiful canyon of mountains. The first six miles of the course, is a paved and welcomed downhill through the Lytle Creek community, which runs through the San Bernardino National Forest. The views were amazing, reminded me of camping. Once the race spread out a bit which probably only took ½ mile - the scenery made for such a relaxed and almost tranquil feel. There was an extremely peaceful vibe to the first 4 miles or so of this course. My first 5 miles were at a sub 7 pace and I was feeling strong!

Around 5.5 miles the course leveled out some and the shade was gone. GONE. The Summer sun was out in full force. There were no water/aid stations from miles 5-7 and later after the race I heard other runners talking about how awful that was. I was carrying a little bottle with some Nuun electrolytes so I was still ok getting through that part.

There were some guys near mile 6 in the back of a pick up truck with ice chests full of wash cloths they were handing out. I remember yelling “You are the BEST” to the guy that handed me one! It saved me - no lie! At that point the sun was starting to burn against my skin and I could tell things were about to get rough.

Mile 9 left me with a bit more of a calorie deficit than I had intended for this race when dehydration was setting in and gravity had zero effect on my GU that came back up. I drank more fluid than I ever usually do during a race but the heat was a force to be reckoned with!

I ran the last few miles of this race overheated and sad. Sad because a course that had so much PR potential turned out to be my worst half marathon of this year so far, and I was disappointed with myself although weather was out of my control. I know I'm capable of so much more than the way that played out. I gave up on hopes of a new PR at mile 10 (when I was still actually on track to PR) and I listened to my body and knew I had to run smart, not hard. The last 3 miles I ran SO slow, I might as well have just walked, but I'm stubborn as hell.

I spent the whole last 3 miles staggering along in those escalating temps towards what I thought must have been the gates of hell at that point, but I sprinted that last ¼ mile in when I could see the end (and also had some guy trying to pass me). That finish line was the most welcomed damn sight EVER! I had now completed 24 half marathons and that was the hottest one I'd ever ran.

The finish-line corral had water, Gatorade and snacks, but I went straight for laying against a stack of ice bags which quickly became the popular hang out!

My time for this race was 1:52 and my 13.1 PR (on a more difficult course) is 1:39 if that gives you any indication of how bad I am at hot weather running! (You can read about my 1:39 race in my Hollywood Recap).

The medal was smaller than they typically are these days for half marathons, but again that’s probably one way (along with lack of start line port a pottys) that they keep the entry fee at $50.

Overall I would say (if we could subtract the heat & lack of pre-race bathroom access) this was a great race! As I said it has amazing PR potential as there is a significant elevation drop of 2,125 ft and finishes out flat. We’ll likely do this again next year (and pray for better weather) as I feel a need for course redemption. This years lessons will serve as next years triumphs!

Who else ran Fontana this year, or in years past? I’d love to hear your experience!

I (literally) jumped in very last-minute to run the Rugged Maniac race. A muddy, 3 mile, 25 obstacle course in the back country (read: hot as the damn desert) of Temecula, CA. I teamed up with a fun & energetic crew of 20+ people.

I didn't go to an expo for this race (to be honest I am not even sure if they do that), because I did run it as a group entry, we were already paid for and pre registered so all we had to do was check in upon arrival on race day to get our stuff.

Driving into the course was deceivingly beautiful for what you were about to encounter once on the course! #mudbath

It's $10 to park, but traffic and parking was not an issue because of the way they structure these races. Since there are so many people (and obstacles on the course which slow things down) they send groups off in waves. We were set to run at 10:15am.

We started late, after our wave start time because getting a 20+ person group together was similar to herding cats. Once we got it together and arrived at the start we learned that you actually begin by jumping over this chest high wall you can see below to get to the start line behind it. So we'll just round that up to 26 obstacles!

After the start our group spread out a bit and it got really hot, it was 100+ degrees for this race and probably the only thing that made it manageable (aside from the fact that it was only 3 miles) was that we swam in mud along the way.

I don't have any pics from out on the course yet but we did have someone there from our group taking a few that will no doubt surface later.

The obstacles were anything (and everything) from tunnel crawls, jumping fire, trampolining into a mud pit, various wall climbs, crawling under barbed wire, balancing on different surfaces getting across water. You name it, it was out there. Some more challenging than others for sure!

If you are looking to PR your 5k distance, obstacle racing is not the way to go. It can take awhile to get through because lines build up at the obstacles. Some people prefer this type of race for that reason, that way it is not consistent running and you get to stop for breaks along the way.

We did this as a "fun run" and didn't even run with chip timers, only people who are seriously competing do that in these races. I honestly have no idea how long it even took us. We started late and because of the mud my running attire was down to the bare necessities which meant no Garmin!

I will say one thing that was a bit of a bummer was that the last couple obstacles completely washed off all the hard work you had done caking mud on so that you ran through the finish line clean! What?! Why? I thought that was odd because in other Mud Runs I have done you finish completely muddy which is kind of part of the fun - getting those dirty finish line pictures with your medal!

At the very end of the race there was this wall where you got a running start and had people to grab on and help pull you up at the top. OR, if you miss their hands you slide back down like a limp goldfish infront of the 100+ people waiting behind you for their turn.
Once you got up and over that you went straight into the very last obstacle which was a 50ft drop into a pool of dirty water. I caught a few of our crew on camera sliding into that mess! Can you say mud wedgie?!

The after party for this event is HUGE and fun. Tons of vendors like Suja, Vita Coco, Krave Jerky, Power Crunch and Nesquick to name a few. You get a free beer but I didn't even cash in on that, at 105 degrees at the finish a beer was the furthest thing from my mind! Instead I guzzled 2 bottles of water and chocolate milk at the finish. I was SO thirsty, even though it was only 3 miles, I felt as though I hadn't drank anything all day in that dry heat! There were 3 water stations on course, which was good for 3 miles, but with the length of time getting through obstacles it did feel like forever getting to them.

There was a nice big shaded area with picnic tables where people could hide from the heat and rehydrate while having the view of the finish too.

They had music, contests and different things going on all surrounding a big foaming shower area you can go stand in to rinse yourself off. Having done a few mud runs before I had loaded the back of my SUV with towels, extra clothes and shoes and a gallon of water to do my own shower in the parking lot with no line!

Overall this was a fun race and the course was beautiful back there in the hills with palm trees every where, it's just a little dry and hot in the Summer time. This race was only about 20 minutes from my house so anyone that lives out here knew what to expect weather wise anyways - HEAT!

I loved the medal - I'm always happy to add a new one of those to my collection!

The free shirts they gave out (at least to the females) were really cute! It's a soft cotton and true to size for once. A much more flattering fit than some of the race shirts that run in mens sizes and fit like a potato sack.

This is a fun, challenging and well put together race for people that like the muddy, obstacle aspect while racing. I only do this type of race if it group related as I typically prefer to stay out of the mud! I don't like to get my Asics THAT dirty!

My Sister and I ran Hollywood on Saturday April 9th. We got up at 3:00am (nope, not a typo) to leave the house by 3:30am and allow for an hour drive with traffic, rain and parking. The race had a 6:00am start time so we had to rise and hustle!

Unfortunately I don’t have any insight about the Expo as I missed it, being on a Friday night between work and kids my Sister and I had to divide and conquer! She left work to pick up race packets and I left work to pick up kiddos and we met back at her house for dinner and “early” bedtime which later turned to 11:00pm! I had been planning on half a nights sleep by that time!

We lucked out on race morning, it rained all the way there on the drive but stopped for the race so we were able to snap some pics at the start before we kicked off another 13.1.

I thought this was a good race, probably my only complaint would have been how they started it.
This was the 5th Anniversary for this race so I was surprised to see a bit of a chaotic start!
I was in Wave 1 and they started a 5k, 10k, and 13.1 (along with some strollers) all together in that wave! That in itself was enough of a struggle for the start of any race, but for added fun they put in a turn around at .24 miles into the race when runners hadn’t even spread out yet! Took me about almost a mile of dodging to get out, but once I had elbow room, I was able to enjoy the race!

Felt good the whole race, except when I had 1.5 miles to go I started to get a calf cramp which never happens to me! Knowing that I was on track to PR I was in no way prepared to drop off. Just tried to focus on something else (my breathing) and take it one step at a time! Is there really any other option?! Came through that finish line with a smile because I had hit that sub 1:40 goal rolling in at 1:39:11 (official time). My Sister also came parading through that finish line with a 4 minute PR! Yeah!

Once the race was over it got really cold! We had a little over a 1/2 mile walk back to the car and it was raining! Eek! We didn’t get to take advantage of the photo ops as weather did not allow but I did stop to squat down next to this star as we hurried back to the car!

Overall a fun day and a solid race! The 5th Anniversary edition medal was a beauty! Loved adding this one to my collection for my 23rd Half Marathon!

This year was my first time ever running the Carlsbad 5000, the Worlds Fastest 5k! I am typically a distance runner as far as races go so I don’t usually do these FAST paced races.

I almost missed the Expo the day before because of my own scheduling conflict. Once I finally did get down there and saw all the road blocks I realized PARKING would actually be my biggest challenge of the race weekend! Who knew running wouldn't be the only thing I should have been training for?!

I was able to find parking in a grocery store parking lot and combine Bib pick up with my pre-race day shake out run as I had nearly a mile to get to the expo! I grabbed my bib and t-shirt just as it was closing time for the expo!
The tech shirts given out for the race were brown, which I thought was odd at first for a race shirt color but I ended up loving it once I had it on, and it was a cute & comfortable fit!

The next morning I actually used Uber getting to the race as it was just easier for the 8 mile trip instead of spending double that time looking for a parking spot! Highly recommend!!

I got to the race early as they have a few different races that happen throughout the day, as well as the Elite racers who race separately. I ended up running into quite a few local friends and Insta friends!

This race starts by age waves and there is some strange lengths of time in between the races because they have to start the races around the train schedule for the area! Nothing kills your 5k time like stopping to wait for a train, so it’s best to just roll with it!

I started mid way back in the pack for my age wave, because I did not want to be in the way of the faster runners, but it turns out I should have started a little further up as I spent my first mile dodging other runners and walkers!

It was was easier to pick up that pace knowing that you were going to be staring down the finish line after mile 3 instead of 13 or 26! I was able to finish at a sub 7 pace which was my goal!
I even ended up earning one of the special Sammy Kipketer medals that they gave out to the first 250 finishers of each wave! He holds the men’s world record set in 2000 for the 5k with a time of 12:59:50! Messeret Defar (who also won this year’s race) holds the women’s record set in 2006 of 14:46.

Overall I would recommend the race, and I will do it again next year now that I know more about running a shorter distance race, and see if I can get a new PR!
Also, if you ran the race this year you get a special pricing to register for $25 for the following year! Yay!

I kicked of my 2016 race season with what has proved to be one of my all time favorite courses in Carlsbad, CA!
I always love the Expo for this race and typically end up leaving with one or two extra (completely necessary) long sleeve running shirts! I mean, how many is too many?!
On my all out sprint to the clothing section at the expo I made a quick pit stop for a photo booth style photo-op with some cute props!
The tech shirt they gave away this year was white and honestly had a bit less flare to it than they typically do but still a good addition to the collection none the less!
Race day was freezing, as usual! By freezing I mean Southern California “freezing” as in 40’s-50’s. Prior to the race I was wrapped in a hideous old blanket of my Mom’s that I later tossed to her as she was there as a spectator that morning! That ugly, plaid blanket made one loud fashion statement as I spend the morning waiting in port-a-potty lines!

My goal for this race was to come in under 1:43. My previous PR (also set on this course) was 1:56, that was before my boys were born, and oddly enough I am a much stronger runner now. I was excited to push some limits and see what I could do.

This course is beautiful! The scenic running views and crisp January air are key components for this being a favorite course of mine! I am NOT a hot weather runner!

The course is mostly flat with a few rolling hills, but don’t worry those don’t really come into play until you’re good and tired! They gut punch ya right around mile 8, just in time to knock you down a peg when you’re thinking you’ll likely PR!

Around Mile 10.5 my head was giving up. The rolling hills had hit me, I was working at faster paces than I had ever raced at before, and without having a pacer to run with, well, I wasn’t sure how this would end. After passing through Mile 11 the song that came on my playlist likely saved me. Thought I was givin up the ghost there for a minute, whew!

I ended up crushing my previous PR and even came under the goal I had set for myself by almost 3 minutes when I crossed that finish line at 1:40.

The medal this year was a beauty too!

See you in 2017 Carlsbad!