Jingle Bell Hell...not just another virtual race...

...but one with a sketchy prize history yet an amazing assortment of donuts at the LIVE event.

COME ONE...COME ALL...

You may or may not remember that I've been race director (using that term verrrrrry loosely) for an awesome holiday race for the last three years. (That takes you to the first running...click here to see the second year's recap and here to see last year's). Remember how no one attended the 2011 event knowingly and the winner of the real life race was a random guy who had no idea he was a part of the resurrection of Jingle Bell Hell. 

Runner Chris...random guy who won last year's race!

And then the next year the indomitable RoseRunner was crushed by SFRoadWarrior in a surprise upset. Of course she did have a 2-mile handicap! I was able to lure flesh-and-blood, intentional participants with DONUTS!!! Donuts have now become a signature drawing point for this event.

And there were all of the virtual participants who never received their prizes and probably hate me now :( If y'all knew what my last year has been like, y'all'd forgive me in a heartbeat...I promise. Note: lack of blogging was due to IRL insane turmoil and putting-back-together-of-life-pieces.

Anyway...

Three was not exactly an attendance charm. Only two participants again, but this time Jen didn't get sick...and she WON! 

We're giving it another go! It's time to begin thinking about running in this fabulous event!

Below is information on the race...past and present...a little history...some details...hope to see you there, either in the flesh or in spirit!

source

The 6th running of 

Jingle Bell Hell

1/3-marathon and fun run 

Saturday, December 20, 2014 at 8:00 a.m.

Inspiration Point, Tilden Park, Berkeley, California

Rain or Shine

or wherever in the world you might be :)

The starting point of the real-life event is Inspiration Point in Berkeley, California and the course map is...

View Larger Map

and the elevation profile is...

as determined by my Garmin.

The History

My best friends from high school used to put on a race in December. It was small in terms of the number of participants but huge in terms of fun and adventure. Initially, it was a half-marathon, but they found that very few of their friends were at all interested in or capable of running that far. Additionally, the course involved some running on a twisty, narrow road with minimal shoulder that did see its fair share of traffic...especially on weekends. So they abbreviated it to a 1/3-marathon (more or less...a bit over 8 miles) and were able to run it entirely on a paved, car-less road.

My husband (who was my boyfriend at the time) and I ran in their 3rd Annual Jingle Bell Hell in December of 1995 (see picture above...I am front and center with the socks on my hands, he is in the back in the light shirt). It was freezing by Bay Area standards...but not wet. Not everyone went all the way out to the turnaround...and that was just fine.

I won the trophy that year... the "Actually Trained for This Race" Award...

Each year, the winner gets to have their picture taken with this perpetual trophy and have their name added to the illustrious list on the bottom... ballpoint pen inscribed on masking tape, 'cuz we're classy like that. And there will be some prizes that can be taken home as well :)

****

I am really hoping to see some local runners in attendance! It's not far from San Francisco, San Jose or even Santa Cruz... looking west or south. Concord is super close to the east, and Sacramento is just 90 minutes away to the north. It's a great follow-up to the early December races, like CIM.

If you're coming in from out of town and need a super cheap place to crash...with an SF Bay view, in a solid structure, and don't mind driving about five miles...

source

The Albany Bulb Waterfront has some very artistic structures that may or may not be inhabited by squatters.

If you want to do virtual version of Jingle Bell Hell, here are the parameters...

• Must be at least 5K in total length...no maximum.
• Must be done on a challenging course (and if you hate treadmills, that means it could be on a treadmill) because the idea is "Hell" ... that is the important part.
• Must be done between December 13 and 21, 2014... any time of day or night. This gives you two entire weekends to choose from.
• You must laugh at least once... can be an evil laugh, a laugh of futility, any kind of laugh but laughter is a MUST.
• Email me a link to your Jingle Bell Hell recap so I can post it and we may all share in the fun... please include something about when, where, why regarding the laughing part and what made the run your special brand of Hell :)

Participants in the virtual race will be entered in a prize drawing. Things like fueling products, Nuun hydration products, winter running gear, running safety items, some random stuff. Receiving these prizes is always iffy, as previous participants will tell you, because I really really really hate going to the post office. But honestly, folks...ARE WE REALLY RUNNING FOR PRIZES?????

Leave a comment if you want to participate!

JINGLE BELL HELL 2013 is a-comin'!!!!

Many many thanks to Run with Jess for giving me a swift kick in the butt on this...

She is the MOST AWESOME Race Ambassador EVER!!!!

I've become such an absentee blogger of late (try the whole last YEAR) 

so I'm wondering how many people will see this! 

I hope you all will share it with EVERYone you know or don't know because...

The more the merrier!!!

You may or may not remember that I've been race director for an awesome holiday race for the last two years. (That takes you to the first running...click here to see the most recent recap). Remember how no one attended the 2011 event knowingly and the winner of the real life race was a random guy who had no idea he was a part of the resurrection of Jingle Bell Hell. 

Runner Chris...random guy who won last year's race!

And then last year, the indomitable RoseRunner was crushed by SFRoadWarrior in a surprise upset. Of course she did have a 2-mile handicap! I was able to lure flesh-and-blood, intentional participants with DONUTS!!! There will be donuts again this year.

And there were all of the virtual participants who never received their prizes and probably hate me now :( If y'all knew what my last year has been like, y'all'd forgive me in a heartbeat...I promise. Note: lack of blogging was due to IRL insane turmoil and putting-back-together-of-life-pieces.

Anyway...

We're giving it another go! It's time to sign up for this fabulous event!

Below is information on the race...past and present...a little history...some details...hope to see you there, either in the flesh or in spirit!

source

The 6th running of 

Jingle Bell Hell

1/3-marathon and fun run 

Saturday, December 21, 2013 at 8:00 a.m.

Inspiration Point, Tilden Park, Berkeley, California

Rain or Shine

or wherever in the world you might be :)

The starting point of the real-life event is Inspiration Point in Berkeley, California and the course map is...

View Larger Map

and the elevation profile is...

as determined by my Garmin.

The History

My best friends from high school used to put on a race in December. It was small in terms of the number of participants but huge in terms of fun and adventure. Initially, it was a half-marathon, but they found that very few of their friends were at all interested in or capable of running that far. Additionally, the course involved some running on a twisty, narrow road with minimal shoulder that did see its fair share of traffic...especially on weekends. So they abbreviated it to a 1/3-marathon (more or less...a bit over 8 miles) and were able to run it entirely on a paved, car-less road.

My husband (who was my boyfriend at the time) and I ran in their 3rd Annual Jingle Bell Hell in December of 1995 (see picture above...I am front and center with the socks on my hands, he is in the back in the light shirt). It was freezing by Bay Area standards...but not wet. Not everyone went all the way out to the turnaround...and that was just fine.

I won the trophy that year... the "Actually Trained for This Race" Award...

Each year, the winner gets to have their picture taken with this perpetual trophy and have their name added to the illustrious list on the bottom... ballpoint pen inscribed on masking tape, 'cuz we're classy like that. And there will be some prizes that can be taken home as well :)

****

I am really hoping to see some local runners in attendance! It's not far from San Francisco, San Jose or even Santa Cruz... looking west or south. Concord is super close to the east, and Sacramento is just 90 minutes away to the north. It's a great follow-up to the early December races, like CIM and Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas. 

If you're coming in from out of town and need a super cheap place to crash...with an SF Bay view, in a solid structure, and don't mind driving about five miles...

source

The Albany Bulb Waterfront has some very artistic structures that may or may not be inhabited by squatters.

If you want to do virtual version of Jingle Bell Hell, here are the parameters...

• Must be at least 5K in total length...no maximum.
• Must be done on a challenging course (and if you hate treadmills, that means it could be on a treadmill) because the idea is "Hell" ... that is the important part.
• Must be done between Dec. 14-22, 2013... any time of day or night. This gives you two entire weekends to choose from.
• You must laugh at least once... can be an evil laugh, a laugh of futility, any kind of laugh but laughter is a MUST.
• Email me a link to your Jingle Bell Hell recap so I can post it and we may all share in the fun... please include something about when, where, why regarding the laughing part and what made the run your special brand of Hell :)

Participants in the virtual race will be entered in a prize drawing. Things like fueling products, Nuun hydration products, winter running gear, running safety items, some random stuff... I want to try to have something for everyone... depending on how many or how few participate. Going with that whole "Everyone's a Winner" thing :) Don't want anyone's self-esteem damaged by a silly sporting event.

And I WILL send out the prizes this year!!!! FOR REAL!

Leave a comment if you want to participate!

Challenges...and a Virtual Race

Some days are just ... difficult.

After a night and a morning of very intense conversation and several years' worth of emotional back-up spilling over the dam, today I didn't know if I wanted to curl up into a teeny, tiny ball and disappear into my fluffy covers on my comfy bed or go for a run. But since my hip is still too stiff to allow curling up into a teeny, tiny ball meaning I couldn't completely disappear, I opted to hit the trails.

As I headed out, I remembered that today is Jamie's birthday and she is hosting a virtual race! Whew...I almost missed it! I'd been tapering for a little over a week (read: not running or doing anything physical at all) and so was well-rested...or something. This meant I had a lot of energy...or something...which was good because by the time I got to the intended trail, I only had 40 minutes in which to complete my run. Knowing I had decided upon a hillacious route, I was a little intimidated...but a little glad I had left myself no choice but to not slog it too pathetically.

*click the pic to see the 'finish line' :)

I just ran. I didn't take any pictures. I didn't monitor how fast slow I was moving (notice how I don't even use the word "running"? though some observers might've called it that...on the downhill portions). I was feeling very challenged and discouraged...but not in pain...for the most part. So there's that :) We can give that a smiley face. And I did manage to gaspingly hum 'Happy Birthday' for Jamie as I trudged up the hardest part :) Second smiley face.

I ran 3.5 miles instead of 3.4 because I am an over-achiever. It was a big-gigantic hill (click here, then look at the middle 3.5 miles of the elevation profile...that's what I ran...and you can see photos of how pretty it was by clicking here...I ran to the pictured bathroom, used it and then ran down the hill and back to my car, skipping the pavement part from that old post). Fortunately, it wasn't too muddy even though we did have rain on Thursday. It was, however, really hot and sunny. And I was wearing a shirt with sleeves...which I never do. I was uncomfortable. But I had brought water, and I was not in pain... for the most part :)  Smiley face again.

I survived. And I did make it back into the car in a weeeeee bit over 40 minutes and was just a weeeeee bit late picking my daughter up from her harp rehearsal...but no one got mad at me for lack of punctuality.

I figure that if I make all of my runs (however few and short they be) between now and the Oakland Marathon Relay on the 25th really tough in terms of terrain, then I will be ready. I'll be tackling Leg 2 again (miles 6-12.5), and I think I've already mentioned that they went and made it more challenging. I think they did it on purpose because they knew I would be running it again. They probably figured I'm so badass I can handle it...even with minimal training. It's either that or the transition zone was logistically easier in the new location.

Honestly, I've looked at the course map and I know the area...my conclusion?

I'm so badass I can handle it.

It is all about me...right?

Virtual racing... virtual training...

I think my virtual training for my real race is not working out as well as my real training for my virtual race did :P

I walked a tremendous amount while we were in Paris... and did a rigorous stairs workout at least 4 times every day, but I think it's time to start running again.

I wish I had Miss C's energy and dedication to the sport...

She managed to get a run in no matter where we were :)

"I Just Felt Like Running" Virtual 5K Race Report

From the warmth and sunshine (even though it happened at night) of the Golden State,
I bring you my race report for the I Just Felt Like Running Virtual 5K sparked by Jeff of DETROIT RUNNER.  And if you want to play, too, it's not too late!  Head over to his blog and sign on up!

The East Bay running of this race was scheduled for Tuesday, March 1, 2011 @ 7 p.m.  The night was clear but a bit windy.  The course, flat and fast.  wish the entrant could say the same ;-)  It consisted of 4 loops (each of 0.75 miles) and a 0.1 mile chunk tagged on the end.  The starting line was The Mailboxes and the finish line was around the other side of the block, marked by the neighbor's tree.  According to Googlemaps, the course measured 3.103 miles.

No weirdos appeared to be out, the husband arrived home on time, the kids were fed, and Miss C 'unloaded' just as the lone entrant was leaving for her warm-up, allowing mommy to miss the diaper change ;-) Perfect timing, Miss C!  Mommy loves you, too!

It is so funny to me how much of a warm-up I like/need now that I am older!  A lot of time has passed since I was a competitive athlete, and I remember scoffing at long warm-ups.  All of those old timers wanted to warm up for almost an hour!  What the heck?  Shove from the dock, do a couple of drills, a few 10's and shifting 20's, head to the line... good to go :)  That was then...

Last night, my warm-up consisted of one of the 3/4 mile laps very easy, followed by nearly a half a mile of drills, jogging and short sprints.  Then I was ready...

At the starting line...

marked by The Mailbox

My start was good.  No crouching, just started running.  Hit stride quickly, felt really even and on my game.  Nice...  did make the mistake of futzing with my iPod a couple of times.  

note to self:  learn to just go with whatever music that bitch throws your way. losing time over it isn't worth it.

Checking the splits after Lap 1...
unfortunately, not hitting my overly-optimistic goal pace :-/
but still pretty okay at
6:20 for 0.75 mile (8:26/mile)

Big Thumbs Up at the almost-halfway...
exact same split of
6:20 for the lap 
so
12:40 for 1.5 miles (8:26/mile)

The photographer and cheering crew were notably absent as I crossed the lap marker at the end of laps 3 and 4... splits tapered off a smidge... 6:24 and 6:23 (8:32/mile)... but that last 0.103 mile was where I really showed the road who's boss ;-)  46 seconds!  Yeah, baby... 7:40 pace for a whopping 0.1 mile :P  And I was toast when I crossed that line.

A good run.  A very solid effort.  A new "return to running" PR... 

26:12

I knew I was really working when I realized that I was trying to run with my eyes closed.  Not a good idea ever.  In the middle of the street and in the dark... really dumb.  Thankfully, I didn't fall or trip or slam into a parked or moving car or a person (not that that would ever happen in this neighborhood... no one is ever out, remember?  well, except creepy guys in hoopty cars occasionally and the olderwalkingcouple).


Do you like 5K's? 
–I think I do.


Have you ever run with your eyes closed?  What happened?
–yes! nothing... fortunately!