Valley Crest Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Tarzana, California
United States
Trail Run Events
70F / 21C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 40m 8s
Overall Rank = 27/351
Age Group = M 55-59
Age Group Rank = 2/20
Pre-race routine:

Last minute decision to enter (Thursday afternoon for Sunday morning race). Had been doing a lot of group runs on the course with my trail running club over the last month or so, but have been working through a flareup of my chronic post-tib tendonitis since mid-April, as well as some recurring mid-back spasms since late January. Saw my orthopedist/sports doc about both on Thursday morning and decided I was healthy enough that I wouldn't be wasting my money signing up.

This was the 14th year for this trail half marathon, but I'd never done it. (Hadn't done a trail half since 2010, actually.) Looking at the results, the same two guys had been 1-2 in my age group for the last 5 years. Both were a couple years older and slowing down, but still probably a stretch for me to knock off one, let alone both.
Event warmup:

Some easy jogging around the starting area.
Run
  • 1h 40m 8s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 38s  min/mile
Comments:

Only one of the usual top two in my AG for this race showed up. I had hopes of dueling with the usual winner and, indeed, stayed with him comfortably through the big climb up from the start to the fire road where all but 1/2 mile of the course runs, but he left me on the first descent and I knew I was destined for no better than 2nd in the AG.

I've been running with a trail running club since after my first ultra (a 50K) in the fall and we had quite a few runners entered. I spent a good chunk of the first third of the race running stride for stride with a club member who ended up 2nd overall woman, but she separated from me at an aid station and I never caught up to her. (I'd beaten her in the last trail race we'd both done, but she was feeling it today.)

I've run on this road ("dirt Mulholland"...the closed-to-traffic section of Mulholland Highway) a zillion times over the years. We live in the flats down below it, so it is a go-to route for marathon training runs. Footing is generally good and the track is very wide, but it is never flat---the course had three major grades, each of which you had to climb and descend and it finishes with a nasty 3/4 mile ascent, followed by a treacherous, rocky slope back down to the finish at a parking area below the fire road.

My PTT and back injury both held off enough that I was able to race to potential. I was targeting 1:40 or better (my PR on a flat road course is 1:35:30)--at the summit before the final 1/4 mile drop to the finish, I was at 1:38:45. I decided it wasn't worth a broken arm (or neck) to try to get in by 1:40...settled for 1:40:08.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, really. I missed some training while nursing the arch injury, but still had a ton of fitness from LA Marathon (and had both marathon and 5K PRs this spring).
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around a bit, but portapotty was--frankly--the first priority. :)

This was my first ever age group podium finish at a race longer than 10K (I did finish 2nd in a trail 12K, previously, but they only gave medals for 1st at that one). Got a cute little acrylic plaque and a pair of Injinji toe socks (which were in my wife's size...and she loves them, so she got them).

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Arch and ankle injury necessitated switching back to an older--and relatively heavy--pair of motion control shoes. That, along with the sore arch and ankle, probably cost me a little.

Event comments:

One of the more established trail races in LA. Course is not USATF certified as a half marathon (and is shown as long on the Map My Run course map on the race website). Very much a grass roots, trail run/ultra run vibe, but well-organized.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2015-06-11 12:00 AM
Running
01:40:08 | 13.1 miles | 07m 38s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/20
Overall: 27/351
Performance: Good
Distance per Garmin fenix 2 = 13.36 miles. 1525' of total climbing.
Course: One circuit of fire road along the crest of the Santa Monica Mountains.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4