Santa Run Silicon Valley 2012

The last race of the year. It was supposed to be pure fun, and it was!

People dressed like Santas, reindeers, Christmas trees… you name it. I was wearing an elf hat, too! Christmas music. Ringing bells. Finish at Christmas in the Park. Everything was great except for one thing – the course. I think downtown San Jose can offer a better route. Running on the same street twice is less fun that just going from point A to point B.

My time was 35:23, and it was 5 sec more than my PR. Damn it! Oh well, I had fun, and it is all that matters.

Silicon Valley Turkey Trot 2012

I did it, I did it! I ran my first Silicon Valley Turkey Trot, and it was awesome!

More that 14K people showed up on Thanksgiving morning to run 5K or 10K and have fun. Many runners were dressed up.

It seemed the whole city was running, and it was a very special feeling to be a part of it.

I did 5K, and finished at 35:31. Still didn’t beat my PR of 35:17 but I had such a great time.

Before the race:

And after:

Fleet Feet Sports Women’s 5K

My third race so far and the first girls only race. Technically, anyone could sign up but I don’t think many guys would love a pink shirt saying “women’s”. After my not so good experience at the previous race I was both excited and scared. But I am so happy I did it. Well, Dave almost made me sign up for it since I was in doubt. Thank you honey!

The race was at  Shadow Cliffs Regional Park. The website provided no map and all I knew about the course was “Run is entirely inside Shadow Cliffs Regional Park, packed Jeep trail”. OK, I googled it and saw a lake in the park. Must be a shore run, I thought. When we arrived I was thrilled to realized we were to run on the hills. I mean it was really very hilly.

The package pick up was fast and smooth. I got a nice shirt and a great goodie bag. People started gathering and I got that positive excitement vibe I was lacking at the previous race.

We lined up on the lake shore and started running.

Hills, hills, hills… OMG it was tough! The first mile was ok, the second was hard, and the third which is normally easier than the second for me, was very hard. But I did it! I didn’t stop! I didn’t walk! I ran!!! I even had some water, took a couple of sips and poured the rest on my head. The day was getting hotter, and the legs were getting very very tired from the hills. When I crossed the finish line, I was exhausted.

The organizers greeted every finisher calling by their name and city, and everyone got a medal! My first medal ever! Yes, it is just a 5K finisher medal but after all the disappointment I was experiencing lately and the hard work I did beating those hills to me it felt like an Olympic gold:)))

With a medal on my chest, a bottle of water in one hand and an OCHO chocolate in another, I proceeded to the bench in the shade. I was so tired but I felt great.

The race was well organized with plenty of food including cupcakes and fruits. The only downfall was timing again. We had timers but the start line had no tracking device so we all got gun time.

My result was 35:54:3 (gun time) which placed me 109 out of 238. Well, I was at the very end at start so I think I might have PR’ed (my PR so far was 35:17:2). Plus the first course was flat – this one was hilly. I am happy and satisfied:)

We stayed till the end of the event, and I won a raffle prize! First time in my life. I got a nice kit of Aubrey cosmetics! Never tried it before. Exciting!

Overall, it was a great event with a challenging course.

West Valley Dash of Hope 5K – Results

I already knew that my results at that race were bad, plus, the organizers measured gun time only. Why did we have to wear a chip then? Anyway, the ‘official’ results are out, and I am posting them here just for the record.

I was the 13th in my age group (out of 23), and came in 99 overall (out of 203).

Gun time: 38:34:9. No chip time. 

 

Packard Summer Scamper 5K results

The race results are now up! My time was 35:17:2. Overall result 412 out of 992. Since it was my first race, it is my PR for now.

In my age group I was the 34th out of 93.

I think not too bad for the first time. Next race my goal is to run out of 35 min.