Disclaimer: I received free entry to the Hot Chocolate 5K/15K race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
The Hot Chocolate 15K/5K is a run that I always have fun at, how could you not when you combine running and hot chocolate? I will be running the 15K race this year, hosted in my hometown San Diego, but they have the same race in many other cities across the country. The thing I like about established races is that they know what they are doing. They’ve experienced every issue or misstep before and have learned from it. After the first few years, if a race director does not learn from their mistakes, runners won’t keep coming back.
The race starts and finishes downtown and will take you through different parts of Balboa Park. Looking at the elevation chart, there are a few hills you may need to prepare for. But I’ve run so many local races in Point Loma and Liberty Station recently, getting to run around Downtown and Balboa Park is a nice change.
If you’re interested in participating in the Hot Chocolate 15K/5K, visit their website and choose a city that you’re interested in.
If you register with the following code: BRHCSANDIEGO20 you’ll get a free hot chocolate running hat!
Disclaimer: I received free entry to the San Francisco Half Marathon, 10K & 5K race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
The first time I ran the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco 5K was in 2015. I had a client meeting scheduled in San Francisco and decided to make a weekend trip out of it. A few weeks before the trip, I checked to see if there were any races happening that weekend and found this one. I hadn’t been running too much so I didn’t want to run the 10K or half marathon, but the 5K sounded fun. The only thing I remember about the race was that it was not as hilly as I expected it to be, it was pretty foggy just before the race started, and I won my age group, which I was pleasantly surprised to find out. I ran the 10K this year but did not win my age group, unfortunately. Here are the results: 6.2 mi, 51:01 (8:13 min/mi), AG 36 of 135, Gender 200 of 786, and Overall 301 of 1,981.
Disclaimer: I received free entry to the Irvine Half Marathon & 5K race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
The Irvine Half Marathon and 5K kicked off the first race of many for 2020 and it was a good one. Results: 24:23 (7:51 min/mi), 3 of 16 AG, 38 of 135 males, 54 of 318 overall. I have not been trying to run competitive lately but focused more on running consistently and enjoying all of the new races and destinations. Since this race was a drive away, I was not able to attend the race expo the day before and opted to pick up my bib the morning before the race. But I did drive up to Irvine the night before and stayed at a hotel so I didn’t have to drive the hour in the morning before the race.
Waking up at 7am was a nice change of pace than some of the other races I’ve run in the past. Parking was not an issue either, although the parking lot at the park was full so I had to park across the street at the nearby church/school. Since most people were running the half marathon, there was not much of a crowd at the starting line. I was still walking to the starting line when I heard the gun go off for the half marathon and actually got to take a picture of the first few runners of the half on the course. There were a little over 300 runners for the 5K, but almost 700 runners at the half marathon. This was a much smaller race than I’ve run in the past where wave starts were needed for the races. But the location was nice and quiet, it was almost an out and back route, taking place around a local park and through some bike paths. The race shirt was a soft cotton t-shirt which was a nice change from the typical tech tees I was used to. The medal had a unique design with bright, vibrant colors. And best of all, the race photos were free, no watermarks!
Disclaimer: I received free entry to the Irvine Half Marathon & 5K race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
Unless you’re a Southern California native, you probably never heard of Irvine. But as someone who has driven from San Diego to LA (and back, usually on the same day), you will likely have driven through Irvine, which is situated right in the middle of Orange County. The only time I really stopped in Irvine was to wait in line at 85 Degree bakery, fortunately, they have since opened up multiple locations in San Diego. Orange County, in general, reminds me very much of San Diego. The weather is tolerable all year long, the only thing I dislike is the traffic that I almost always hit when driving through the OC.
The Irvine Half Marathon & 5K has been rebranded from the Southern California Half & 5K. As with many other races these days, they are sponsored by a brewing company and offer various beers and drinks at the post-race festival. The half marathon and 5K take place on January 11, which is a great time for those who have made New Year’s resolutions to run a race or lose weight. And while the weather is still a little chilly in the mornings, it is nothing compared to what everyone else is experiencing away from Southern California. Aside from the typical race swag (shirt, medal, finisher’s festival), there are some other unique perks that you don’t see at every race (free participant photos, free and live runner tracking). Learn more about the Irvine Half Marathon and 5K here.
Disclaimer: I received free entry to the San Francisco Half Marathon, 10K & 5K race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
If you’d like to experience lasting changes in your physical health, it’s important to always work on switching things up. When you’re working out to lose weight, it’s important to alternate your routines so that you avoid a plateau. The same can be said in life. If you have the same routine and do the same things all the time, you’ll get the same results. If you’d like to experience major results over a period of time, here are three small ways to start changing your physical health. Read the rest of this entry »
Disclaimer: I received free entry to Surf City 10 as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
I registered for the Surf City 10 race in January, so I knew I had more than enough time to train for the race. I had initially signed up to run the 10-mile distance, but I was never able to ramp up my training enough to run that race confidently. But I was able to run the 10K without much trouble. Here are the results: 54:31 (8:46 min/mi), age group: 22/59, gender: 95/411, and overall: 142/1192. When I first registered for the Surf City 10, I was excited to run along the scenic Huntington Beach, but a few months before the race they announced that it would be a night run. I’ve had mixed results running at night, I wrote a blog post about running in the morning vs at night. When I was in high school, we went on a few night runs (with glow sticks) and I usually ran pretty fast, mostly because I was afraid of my surroundings and was trying to finish the run as soon as possible. On a similar note, running a race at night is a nice change. Instead of having to go to sleep at 9pm or earlier the night before and then waking up at 4am the day of the race is tough. I recall waking up early for one race, forcing myself out of bed while most of the world was still fast asleep. I looked in the mirror and said to myself, “why are you doing this to yourself?!” It’s a hard question to answer, it’s hard to justify putting yourself through that torture!
I registered for the Surf City 10 run back in January of this year. However, I had a few otherraces in the mean time so those races forced me to start training for this race earlier than I usually would. You can check out the number of miles and time spent running each month in the screenshot below. There were a few months where I almost hit 100 miles! But it was hard enough as it was to even run those miles, with so many other obligations and responsibilities. I started running consistently in January as a New Year’s Resolution and am happy to have been able to maintain that schedule pretty regularly. I basically forced myself to wake up around 6am every day and just get out of bed and run. Those first few weeks were the hardest because it was still wintertime and it was pitch black and freezing cold (think 40 degree temps). Most days I just wanted to stay in bed where it was nice and warm. But I knew I would have regretted not going for a run that day, so that didn’t happen often. As the months went by and the sun started coming out earlier in the morning, it became less of a drag to get up to run. The summer was nice because I was able to just get out of bed and go for a run in the shorts and t-shirt I slept in. And because I was up earlier in the morning, I avoided the afternoon heat.
Disclaimer: I received free entry to Surf City 10 as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
I started racing competitively about 10 years ago after taking a few years off from running in high school. The way I got back into running was kind of odd. It was about a year after I graducated college and started working full-time, you know the old 9-5 routine.. I was working at an entry level position and would regularly buy lunch from the 7-11 across the street from the office. One day, as I was dressed in my business professional attire and dress shoes, I jaywalked across the street and had to run to avoid an oncoming car. And that split second of running got me back into running again. That was also the inspiration to start my running blog, here is one of my first posts. Ahh, fond memories! Read the rest of this entry »
Disclaimer: I received free entry to the Craft Classic 5K race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
Another 5K in the books. The San Diego Craft Classic 5K was a special race for me for a number of reasons. I used to live in that neighborhood where the race took place for about 7 years. The roads and sights were very familiar to me and brought back good and bad memories. The race itself was great, I had no issues picking up my race bib and swag the day before the race. Parking wasn’t an issue either since the race didn’t take place downtown. And I live not too far from there so I didn’t have to get up too early before the start. The course was pretty straightforward, it starts in Mira Mesa but quickly leads you north toward the Sorrento Valley area. That’s the first home we lived in when we were in college, it was a huge house for 4 people and a husky! You make a U-turn and then head back to the start. There were a few hills along the way which made the course difficult but not too crazy. I was a little sore after the run though. As you finish the race and get your medal, they had water, bananas, and some healthy fitness bars. The beer garden was a nice treat as well. As I mentioned in my race preview, the Craft Classic is all about beer (hence the name). The medal doubles as a bottle opener, the swag was an empty pint glass, and of course, all participants get free entry to the post-race beer garden. I think all races should have some type of theme, an alcohol/beer-themed race is sure to get people to register. And by the looks of the turnout, they were right!
Getting a gift for Father’s Day doesn’t have to take too much thought or effort. Here are some suggestions on gift ideas for Father’s Day 2019.
As summer starts to heat up, you can’t go wrong with a pair of sunglasses. Check out these Classic Square Floating Sunglasses from Coopers. Ultralight TPX frame construction for extreme durability and 20% lighter than average frames for floating effect and long-term wear. Learn More.
Disclaimer: I received free entry to the Hot Chocolate 5K/15K race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
