Celebration Run 10k recap
Hi! How’s the day going so far? Thank you for such an amazing response to this morning’s post! I’ve sent out so many free ebooks already, and am so thankful for your support.
I’m doing the slow walk today after teaching this morning’s BODYPUMP class -love that squat track!- and running yesterday. Yes, running. It’s been a little while (cough, since my last half, cough), but it felt great to get back into it. It felt even better when the race was over, haha.
I was invited to participate in the inaugural Celebration Run 10k and Half Marathon. My friend Avery works for the event, and asked me if I’d like to come check it out. Initially I was planning on running the half, but since I’ve been teaching almost every day and some two-a-day teaches, I didn’t have the time to dedicate to a long run each week. I got in some running at my weekly Orangetheory class, and decided to do the 10k.
Not a bad view for a race, huh?
The Celebration Run was located at Mission Bay. Even though it’s fairly close, I left with plenty of time to park and get settled because there’s no telling how parking will be on race day. There was a TON of parking located in close proximity to the starting line (score!).
I loved the party/celebration vibe of the race. They had inflatable beach balls that were bopped around the crowd before starting, a beach finish (where super fit bikini girls and swim short dudes gave participants their medals), a post-race beer garden, and there was a great selection healthy foods available post race.
(I got the Smashing Pumpkin smoothie which was delightful. Pumpkin, apple, carrot juice, maca, dates and almond milk.)
As far as the actual “running” thing goes, it was a tough one! I kept telling myself it was *only* 6 miles, but 6 miles is a LOT when you haven’t been doing longer training runs. The most I’ve run in the past 6 weeks is through Orangetheory, and it’s usually about 3 hard miles (with lots of sprints and hill climbs). I thought I was ready for the hills, but the bridge crosses were particularly intense. The bay views almost made up for the tough climbs. 😉
The night before the race, I enjoyed a birthday dinner at El Camino, which had the most amazing decor.
(it was too dark to snap pics so I grabbed some from the Google)
The Pilot surprised me by inviting a group of friends to celebrate with us. Of course, I enjoyed all the spicy foods -the enchiladas were fantastico- and a few margaritas. I felt the margaritas while climbing up the hills. During the last hill, I started walking to get to the top. A guy who had been pacing near me said, “We’re almost there. You can do it!” (the way he said it was encouraging instead of annoying) and it was just the push I needed to start running again.
Over time, running has become a form of meditation for me. I wore my headphones, but didn’t end up pressing “play” on my playlist. So much of life is noisy (teaching, toddler, background noise), that silence has become pretty golden. Also, when I don’t listen to music, it’s much easier for me to keep a solid cadence and stay in control of my breathing. For this race, I also didn’t wear my Garmin. I’m guessing I paced around 9 minute miles, but I have no idea.
A new medal to add to Liv’s collection:
All in all, it was good inspiration to get back in the swing of longer distance running and a great race experience.
What was your fave fitness event of the weekend? Anyone else have a race? How was Rock n’ Roll Vegas?!
Hope you enjoy the rest of the night!
See ya in the morning.
xoxo
Gina
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The decor in El Camino is amazing! Sounds like a great birthday dinner. I can only imagine that running in silence with that view was incredibly meditative and therapeutic. How beautiful!
Congratulations on the race (and the book!) – it looks so pretty there.
My favorite fitness activity this past weekend was taking dancing lessons: the quickstep and the rumba. So much fun!
Also, <3 body pump.
Do you find that teaching group fitness classes taxes your body and therefore you have to do less training for your own fitness? I’ve always wondered this as I don’t want to compromise energy for my own training if I ever teach a class, you know?
Congrats on your 10k! I’m just starting to get comfortable with that distance and I hope to be where you’re at someday.
yes and no! i feel like i get more than enough activity and push myself harder when i teach (plus i enjoy it so much), but my personal workouts don’t happen as often. it’s harder to do races and things that require dedicated training time because i don’t want to overtrain
Great job on the 10k and being realistic about pulling back from the half. It’s always half the battle admitting to ourselves we’re not ready for something vs. plunging in and regretting it or worse getting hurt.
yes, the half would have been terrible haha
Way to go on that race! What a beautiful course. And your Birthday celebration sounds like it was awesome. I’m glad you enjoyed! 😀
thank you, erin!
Great job on the race!!
thank you, livi!
Congrats Gina! Looks like a really fun race and it sounds like you had some fabulous celebration time after. I’m pretty sure I could have consumed every juice and smoothie on that juice truck – the menu sounds amazing! I didn’t race this weekend but I DID watch the IronMan Kona World Champs coverage on NBC – so, SO inspiring!
right?! i need to find her again because it was so good 🙂 ahhh i missed kona this weekend. i bet it was incredible to watch!
With a view like that, I could run a race every weekend! LOL I need to move somewhere gorgeous like San Diego! It is one of my favorite cities.
haha! there are races here pretty much every weekend 😉 xoxo
Great job on the race! Those views look amazing.
they were beautiful! 🙂 xo
Great job, Gina! I finally got back into teaching yoga this past weekend and it was wonderful. Love making folks sweaty and zen all in the same class. 🙂 <3
best yoga combo 🙂
Love those photos! They are so beautiful 🙂 Thanks for sharing, and congrats on the race!
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thank you! hope you’re enjoying the week so far <3
Nice job! I belt you felt those margaritas in your tummy! 🙂 I’m not a huge runner, but I also get plenty of it in while teaching or taking group fitness. I taught BODYATTACK and an outdoor bootcamp this weekend, so that was plenty of fitness for me.
haha yes. they felt terrible but it was worth it 😉
Pretty race. I had my first spin class this morning, and can’t wait to go to bed. ha!
I would not mind running a 10k with views like that. I am sure it allowed for even more silent reflection with the natural beauty around you…and that juice/smoothie truck at the end of the race would be calling my name. Such delicious combos!
I have a love/hate relationship with the current squat track in BodyPump, so many singles!!!
The squats and the shoulder track make me sort of want to collapse 😉
the singles are CRAZY. sweat is always dripping down my elbows haha
I can totally relate!
Sounds like a fun run! I have to agree with you on the music–life is so noisy sometimes that’s it’s so nice to just run in peace. I also have a hard time listening to music while running when I want to listen to something because it messes with my pacing and cadence. I’ve found that listening to podcasts works well, though I tend to run more slowly than when I don’t listen to anything. Isn’t that funny?
Finished 5 of 5 5k’s this weekend with the Hot Chocolate 5k in Columbus OH in freezing cold temps and some snow. Proud to have those done since I’m not supposed to run
wahoo!! did you get the amazing dippers and chocolate at the end? i want to run that race for that very reason
They were so good!!! My husband said it was the best hot chocolate he ever had then preceded to drop his marshmallow in it instead of his fondue and was very sad haha
No races this weekend for me but a good friend ran the Vegas Rock n’ Roll half and had an amazing time. I’m adding that race to my growing bucket list!
i think it would be a fun one!
Unrelated to the 10k, I wanted to ask you about Orange Theory. I just did my second session yesterday and I really love the concept and the energy. It’s fun!! However I’m finding it super difficult to get in the orange zone for longer than a couple seconds. I workout pretty hard on my own, I have experience running sprints… I need to run at 9.2 mph in to reach that orange zone and I feel like I might pass out for lack of oxygen. It’s beyond uncomfortable. I tried so hard yesterday that I even got a horrible stomach cramp that was practically debilitating. Do you have any advice on what I should do? I really do love the class. Thanks 🙂
it’s because your cardio fitness is already high. i have the same problem, and don’t get the recommended time in the orange zone, ever. my pyramid is almost all green, and while i get a couple of minutes in the orange, it’s below what they recommend. i wouldn’t worry about it. as long as you’re getting a great workout, enjoying yourself and staying safe, that’s all that matters.
My boyfriend and friends ran a 10k over the weekend. We all kept cursing ourselves since it was SUPER cold, snowing, and icy on the paths. It was nice to get in a run that definitely wouldn’t have happened otherwise!
Thanks for the reply, it’s reassuring to hear!!
Finished my fourth half marathon this weekend – Richmond Half Marathon. It was the first time I used a training team, and I’ve gotten significantly faster. I also ran the whole race with my dad, which was very special, and we crossed the finish line together.
January 15K and March 10K and possibly May half marathon in the works for next year. Love running… but grad school and two 12 hour shifts each week are keeping me soooo busy. Ahh, nurse life. Congrats!
I totally agree with you on the silence sometimes! It’s needed!! And it’s nice to just get out there and run! Man, I want that smoothie now! haha
Gina, could you do a post on how to improve your running time/distance? You always seem to be doing better with each run and I think that’s great! I’m a beginner runner (I’ve only done 5k’s), but I can’t seem to improve my time and get exhausted after 4.5 miles. Been stuck at this pace for months!
You are awesome and such an inspiration! Congratulations on your run AND your book!
thank you so much, lori!
Gina! It was wonderful to see you out there running this past weekend. Even with a taxing few months way to get after it and run your heart out regardless. I love what you say about the world being too noisy. Nice to take some “quiet” time for yourself sometimes. Hope to see you again soon! Thanks for Celebrating at our first event with us 🙂
i’ve never listened to music as i run. its much more relaxing