Thursday, October 9, 2014

San Francisco Trip: Part 2

The second installment of my San Francisco trip will be all about the trail race that we ran in the Berkeley area.  I'll let the pictures mostly do the talking!  

We woke up to beautiful weather on Saturday morning!  I heard the race director say it was the first sunny race they'd had so I guess we got lucky!  The race started in an area that was close to a lake so it was very pretty!


This race was HARD.  Here is a picture of the elevation profile.
 
I enjoyed the race, but dang it was so hard.  I trained hard this summer and could have cranked out a strong road half marathon (and probably PR'd) but I was totally ill prepared for a trail run as I only did 3 trail runs over the course of the summer.  The thing is - I am all about convenience and trail running is not convenient for me as it requires long drives (and I dislike driving).  So as much as I enjoyed the race, I don't know that there is going to be much trail running in my future so long as I live in Minneapolis due to the inconvenience factor.

Since I knew I wasn't trained to push myself out there, I took it easy and put no pressure on myself to finish by a certain amount of time.  We walked all of the hills and stopped to take pictures as neither of us was really focused on time.  We ended up finishing in 3:07, which I was happy with because I thought it might have taken longer since it was so hilly!  I ran every step of the way with Amber, which was awesome.  We chatted during the entire race which made the time go by very fast.  I'm very thankful that she stuck with me for the whole race!

Here are some pictures from the race!

This picture probably doesn't do it justice, but this was one of the steep climbs towards the beginning.

Stopping for a photo on the way up!  It was nice to have no goal because that meant I could stop and take pictures as much as I wanted.  That would never happen in a road race!
We were rewarded with beautiful views at the peak elevation point!


This picture was taken towards the end of one of the really long climbs.  It's hard to see on the computer, but you can vaguely see some white shirts at the bottom of the hill which shows how far we had to climb!

Lauren, Amber and I at the finish.  You can see I am a little beat up because I totally bit it around mile 11.  I guess that makes me a legitimate trail runner!

All in all it was a fun run and it was nice to do a race where I put absolutely no pressure on myself regarding my time.  Not pictured is Kyria, who ran the 35k and Leigh, who was our awesome cheerleader!

Have you ever tried trail running?  If so, what did you think?  I think I would do more trail running if I lived closer to some trails as I do enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of trail running and the lack of focus on pace/splits!

17 comments:

  1. I like running on trails but the short trails near me are not nearly as hilly as the races Amber does and this one you did- but then again it was San Fran!

    Glad you were able to have fun doing the race :)

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  2. I've never done a trail run but I don't really feel the need to. Training would be annoying (I'd have to drive far to get to a trail, and I also do not like driving). I think I'll stick to road racing for now!

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  3. I was almost jealous that I couldn't run, but then I saw the crazy hills you guys had to run and I wasn't so jealous anymore! Those views are definitely gorgeous and worth it though

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  4. Gorgeous photos.

    I've never done trail running although I suppose I could as there are a few parks/trails near me. I don't know how good I would be at it, though.

    Glad you had a great time :)

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  5. very cool! I'm in the same boat, got a trail race on saturday and I haven't been on trails since maybe june. Good thing it's only a 50k. oh wait...

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  6. I ran a trail race once. It was only a 5K but it was not very fun, so I told myself never again! Plus, trail running is not very convenient for me, either. I'd probably have to drive an hour or so to find trails. No thank you!

    Glad you had a good race, though, and got to run with Amber the whole time. That's fun!

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  7. Those views are stunning! I like your attitude about setting no time goals, given how ill prepared you were for the trail part of the race. I haven't ever ventured into trail running, though I'd give it a shot if I lived closer to some interesting trails.

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  8. As you know I live VERY close to trails and run them often! I have definitely come to prefer trail running and racing over road racing and actually have only done one 10km road race this whole year! This is the first year since I started running in 2009 that I haven't at least done a half-marathon on the road! I will say that lately I have the itch to get back to the road running and train for another road race!

    I'm SO glad we stuck together. It made that race so much more enjoyable. I have now ran long trail races with four different friends including you and it's been amazing. Would way rather do that then running it on my own even if it means you sometimes have to slow down for each other!

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  9. Way to go! Those are some serious climbs! One of the pictures reminds me exactly of the trail that I had to do in my Ragnar! I have no idea where in San Fran/Napa we were? But it was insanely steep, and there were stairs!

    I really enjoy trail running, and cannot wait to get back on the trails once this HIM is over. (Well, I have to do one this week and next week, since Nov 6 is our Trail Ragnar).

    Those photos are beautiful! How is your arm healing up?

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  10. I've never done a trail race although I have done a trail run. I always love the scenery! I do not love trail running though and would much rather walk! LOVE these pictures!!! So beautiful!!!

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  11. I would def love to do a run like this someday. What a fun experience you had.

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  12. I am so glad you had fun! The good thing about trail races is that really they are just hikes with a bit of running.

    As you know, I love trail running! You do have to slow way down but the rewards are so much better. I have been pretty lucky to live near trails most of my life and now that I have, I would find it hard not to.

    I have not done a road race since Boston, but I do run the roads a couple of times a week because it's easier to jut go straight from work and run in the city.

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  13. I love the sound of "trail running" as it doesn't sound so competitive! The views were beautiful and sounds like a great experience, minus the fall! The weather looked perfect!

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  14. Well done for doing the trail. Amazing views too!

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  15. These photos make me smile, knowing you can run and run well! Wonderful!

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  16. I totally suck at running ... but I do think I'd like trail running more than running on a sidewalk or city path. I am a total nature girl!

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