Liz Coxon's Staging Area

Summer Breeze is a fantastic race if you’re looking for a summer PR. It’s a flat, fast course, they have pacers, and it along the water, so it’s not super hot. In fact, this year was almost chilly! I did not expect or intend to PR; I’ve been so focused on long slow distance running for Dirty Dozen for the past few months. About two weeks ago, I decided I had better do some flat speed workouts for Summer Breeze so I don’t embarrass myself, and I guess it was enough! I think the cool weather had a lot to do with it. Brazen put on a first class race, as always! It was a fantastic day:-))

Not my first race at Mt Diablo, but my first official 50K, and the most challenging race I’ve run so far. Finishing this race changed me as a person, absolutely for the better, and taught me a lot of tenacity and determination. The course was very well-marked, so I always knew I was in the right spot, which was extremely helpful give that it has the most difficult and technical terrain I’ve ever experienced. You climb to the Summit, as well as North Peak. The Summit is hard enough, but North Peak is a different animal. It’s steep and very slippery, I had to go slow to establish my footing on the way up, then I had to crab-walk on hands and feet on the way down. I was scared of falling, and I had come so far that I refused to wipe out and get injured now. I just sat down and carefully made my way to the bottom of the hill. That was a first! I think the best way to look at the race is to load up on sunblock and be prepared to be on Mt Diablo for the day. It’s more of a journey than a race, and the level of difficulty is intimidating. But, I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and I refused to give up. I ran when I could, and wasked the rest. I cried when I reached the last mile, I couldn’t believe I did it. One mile to go, and I was the most emotional I’ve ever been finishing a race so far. I was so grateful for the opportunity to go out and accomplish something that daunting and difficult. But I did it! And I placed 2nd in my age group:-)

This is a great flat, fast race two days after Thanksgiving. Chilly weather made me run faster at the beginning, which meant I was toast by mile 10. It’s a pretty flat course, but the gravel does slow you a tiny bit. As always, Brazen puts on the best races around, so the camaraderie and energy is the best there is. This race is a great way to justify all the Thanksgiving leftovers:-)

I love this race, it’s the same location as the New Years Eve/Day races, and the course is similar. Mostly rolling, runnable hills, but it’s in late July, so it gets hot out there. I had a great time out there and ran my personal best for the Ultra Half Series…no idea how I did that since I ran the 12 hour Dirty Dozen the week before. Lake Chabot is beautiful, and you start getting a lake view at around mile 11 so you know you’re almost done. As soon as I saw the lake, I turned it up and ran as hard as I could to the finish. Super fun race, I definitely recommend!

Ah…Wildcat! I love this race but it’s a beast. I’ve run it the past three years, it’s coming up again this May and I can’t wait. The most difficult part is the never ending Hill at the end…I have Selective Runner’s Memory Loss and every year I forget how bad the hill at the end was…it’s like the last three miles, right when I’m trying to crush it. But the year wears on and I start to think how it wasn’t That Bad…but it is. It’s tough to run uphill on tired legs for those final miles.
On the other hand, the views are spectacular and not to be missed. The terrain is varied, so there’s always something new and the first 10 miles go by pretty quickly. Really a fun , challenging race, as long as you train for those last miles.