Alameda Runners – Get After It!

Another fine event by Brazen Racing.  We are all learning about the beautiful parks in the  East Bay Regional parks district and how hard it is to run around in them.  The views up on the ridge were absolutely stunning.  Unfortunately, you had to get up to the ridge to enjoy the views.

Here is a paragraph from pre-race instructions- “One note for everyone coming:  these are some tough courses.  While the distance may resemble those of road races, the experience is going to be a lot different.  Hills will be super-tough, trails will be bumpy, rocky and full of roots and water stations will be spread out much further than most would prefer.  The Las Trampas Wilderness is not for sissies!  We’re not trying to scare you, we just want to make sure you know what you are getting into and are mentally prepared.  You will likely have some tough times out there, but we believe everyone is capable of finishing.”

He was right.  I went up and down the hills for the 10k course and wound up icing my legs later in the night.

We had a nice contingent from Alameda out running the race with one of our own winning the 5K!  I did not see anyone from the 5K as I was out taking pictures on the 10k course.

John from Alameda estimated an extra 45 minutes from his PR because of the hills.  It took him an hour longer than estimated or twice the time it normally takes him to run a flat road half marathon.  Carrie, John’s wife, did her first 10k here.  That is a serious accomplishment.  Marathoners and half marathoners are used to this type of punishment.  It is rare to find a 10k with 2,000 feet of climbing.  We had Laura, a cancer survivor from Alameda, finish her first distance event in a while.

Just last year, Laura was talking about never being able to run again because of the beating she took from her battle with cancer.

I have been struggling with a hip flexor injury for the last couple of months so I have been volunteering to take pictures at the brazen events instead of running them (You can see some photos here).  I have just as much fun taking pictures as I do running the events (almost).  If you ever make to Northern California, check to see if there is a Brazen event to run.  They are all hard.  The harder they are, the better the views and the fun.