April was a fun and exciting month, and even though it’s only one day shorter than March, it felt like it went by FAST!
The first week of April, OMG showed up at Ironman Oceanside 70.3, right in our backyard! Many of OMG members were volunteers, captains, and participants. For our very own Ron, it was his first IM 70.3 and he rocked it (top 100 in his division!!!). Ron’s children were at the finish line to medal him – what an amazing surprise!!! I think a lot of us feel confident in doing IM Oceanside 70.3 because we swim, bike, and run around portions of the race course – plus we don’t have to travel for it! - so it’s a great event.
My first race of April came on the second weekend, the Heartbreak Ridge Half Marathon. I have been doing this race since 2008 and I feel like I have a love / hate relationship with it because as much as it hurts while I’m out there running it, I can’t wait to go back and do it again! I ran it four years before I finally made the 3 hour time limit cut off; lucky for me I’ve always been allowed to finish the race since I am so close that they let me keep going. The first time I broke 3 hours was the first year that they changed the race to April – I like to say it was the nice weather that helped me make the time limit, and maybe then it was but this year it was miserable. The heat was excruciating and the sun was unforgiving – not one ounce of shade out there. Yet, I am already looking forward to it next year. My personal best on that course is 2:38 and it still stands; my worst was this year, but I'm not even stressed. Unless I'm injured (2010 is the only year I've missed it because I had a bum knee), I will always go back and do that race. It hurts. Every. Single. Time. Still, every single year I keep going back.
The Heartbreak Ridge race is also a fun one because a lot of OMG members are out there too, suffering through the heat and dust, and getting podium spots. For the 10k course, Nancy got first place AG, and Heather got third place AG – just a few months post knee surgery!!! Sandra ran the half marathon for the first time and she did great! I saw her a few times along the course and it was so elating to see her so happy and cheery, despite the suffering conditions…That race is tough because it chews you up and spits you out. But as only Sandra can, she made it look easy!
My second race of the month was a virtual race – which means you can run whenever or wherever you want, as long as you get the distance done within the window of time provided for the race. I belong to the Marine Ultra Runners Club of America (MURCA) and they organized this race as a virtual 50k, so I signed up and started planning when and where I would get it done. Since I run the Lake Miramar 5 mile loop at least once a week, it was easy to come up with the idea of running that loop six times, and adding a mile, to get my 31.07 miles done. In the end, it was a rough 8 hours and 39 minutes (that concrete sure hurts your feet!), but I got it done, and the best part is that I had friends there with me throughout the day, so they helped make the time and miles go by faster!
Now, if you’re looking for something to do whether to help your training or just to get some miles and smiles in, OMG has you covered! Wednesdays we meet at the Carlsbad Rail Trail at 6 pm for a run form workout with Coach Tom. Thursdays we meet at Park 101 at 6 pm for a run or walk at your own pace and distance of your choosing, and if you’re up for it, swimming at Monroe Street Pool at 7:30 pm afterwards. Saturday mornings at 7:50 am we meet at Buccaneer Park in Oceanside for a group bike ride. Sundays at 9 am we meet at Succulent Café in Carlsbad for a group run, short or long, at whatever pace works for you! There is always something going on with OMG and you are bound to find someone to walk, run, swim, or bike with at any and all of our free events so come join us!!!
What do you have in store for this month? Anything exciting? I have a race coming up at the end of the month, and I’m hoping to see some fellow OMG members out there! Whatever it is you’re training for, always remember…Life is better when you run!
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