Fall Race Review

In November my Dad and I ran the Santa Clarita Half Marathon.  I was scheduled to run the full marathon and I switched - graduate school had taken it's toll on my body and I was in no condition to put in the miles needed at the time.

In the end it all worked out - travelling is always a little hard for me and while I had expected better from California it was hard - it didn't help that I broke my cardinal rule of no drinking on race weekend and found myself feeling gross. Race morning it was pouring and coming from a city known for its rain, I will just simply say we never see rain like that here, ever, even in the middle of November.   I wore two rain coats in an attempt to keep myself dry while waiting for the gun to go off but it did very little to help the situation overall.   It was one of the hardest race days I have had and I have had some pretty nasty race days - Houston and Oklahoma City still top that list - this was a close third.

I think my biggest complaint, may actually be my shallowest - it was a simple race.  The aid stations where well maintained but the swag bag was almost nothing and the overall spirit seemed, well not intended for anyone but the locals.   Maybe my first race was such a spiritual experience as one of my best friend's calls it that I have been jaded and I know very much that it is in no way about the swag bag, I guess I had just wanted something fabulous for my Dad's first race - for him to have the buzz of a huge pool of runners, to see himself as part of a huge community of people - we'll put that in the someday category.

Compared to the Victoria International Half that I ran in October it is still a much better designed and organized race - while Victoria is convenient I still feel it is one of the most poorly organized races I have participated in.

Overall Feel - B/B+
Scenery - B/B+ it's mostly asphalt trail
Food - there was almost none at the finish and the Whole Food in SC is a disaster.  I will say the Hyatt's food was pretty good but as a whole I would suggest renting a house - make a weekend out of it and cooking your own, or if you have any digestion or food issues just opt not to do the race.

Photo: http://doctorio.us/2009/01/17/photos-from-the-road-santa-clarita-to-goleta-caand-back/