Salinas Valley Half Marathon, 2012

Get ready for a lotttt of photos!

Saturday morning, I ran the Salinas Valley Half Marathon. The start of the course was at the Soledad Mission, but they didn’t let cars drive up to the start.

So we ran there! It was a nice little warm-up.

The wind was blowing a lot and it was freeeeezing, but the breeze sure came in handy during the race.

Before the start ^

This was one mile into the race… I already stripped off my long-sleeve and tossed it to my mom.

The second mile led us to the surrounding hills along the edge of the valley.

The course travelled along a lot of wineries and farming areas- cacti, carrots, strawberries, lettuce, etc.

The first six miles were windy, but I managed to keep a good pace. I ran next to the 2:00 pacer, but fell back during the large hill at mile 7. My right hip started to hurt like crazy, and I had a mental hallelujah at mile 9.

I just kept telling myself, “4 MORE MILES!” and focusing on my music and the views.

Mile 12 was on an incline (not sure why races always do this), and I sprinted towards the finish line. David snapped a photo of me at 12.9, but I look like I am going to die, so it’s not making it onto the internets…

At the end, I posed for a quick finish photo and hobbled over to the aid station. With some ice in my pants to soothe my hip and some painkillers in my system, I already felt better.

I finished about 40 seconds slower than I did in the Seattle Half Marathon, but that’s okay! I felt strong on the hills (the treadmill hill training paid off), ran 98% of the course, and didn’t cry! Little successes, ha.

I loved that this was a smaller race (1500 participants); it was a supportive, friendly, low-stress environment.

And the course was beautiful!

The post-race expo was fun, especially for my mom and David. They bought a few bottles of local wine and wine tasted quite a bit.

I grabbed lots of fruits and veggies from the Taylor Farms booth. Their little bags of grapes and apples were perfect hydrating munchies.

Back at the car, I snacked on some leftovers from my mom and David’s breakfast. Mexican food is darn good, warm or cold.

The half marathon was just the start of a busy Saturday. Post-race, my mom dropped me off at the family reunion for my other side of the family.

Family reunion was at the Thousand Trails campgrounds in Morgan Hill. I started the camping experience in the classiest of ways…. poppin’ champagne!

And I made it just in time for lunch…. love when that happens.

The family always grills portobello mushrooms for me :)

Complete with some of my banana bread, it was a fantastic lunch and the perfect preparation for a short nap.

With the obnoxious compression socks, of course.

I woke up from the nap, poured myself another generous glass of bubbly, and then participated in some of the family activities.

Relay races, cheers, volleyball games, and nighttime skits.

I fell asleep by 11:30 (hellooooo 5:15 wakeup call and 14 miles) and woke up super hungry at 7 this morning.

Breakfast was delish, especially the 40 unpictured cherries that I demolished. They’re good for muscle repair, right?

Steve (stepbro that is getting married in TWO weeks) and Daniel (family friend)

Me and Amy (Steve’s Scottish fiance) and Alex (stepcousin)

We packed up and headed out a few hours later, but not before I got a tattoo.

Okay, it’s just a glitter tattoo. I’m not that crazy……. plus my mom says she will lock my college fund if I get a tattoo ;)

It was such a good weekend!

And last but not least, how cute is Little Larry???

He’s my favorite.