Mission Inn Run ~ Race Report

The 2013 Mission Inn Run (10k) course was a blast!  I got to cross the finish line with family, which is definitely the highlight of this race.  The water stops were plentiful and it was amazing running through the best parts of downtown Riverside on such a nice day.

I definitely wish I would have treated myself to some new running shoes because I'm having a keepsake of the race that is a sharp pain in my foot.  Finishers were awarded medals that were color-coded according to which course the runner (or walker) completed.  That was a nice touch.  You could tell which course the athlete was traversing by the color of his or her bib.  The kids (short courses) were white, 5 k was blue, 10 k was orange, and half-marathon was green (I think).

We had a super-weekend because we rode our bicycles to the train station in Glendale and took the train to LA.  From LA we boarded the San Bernardino line and disembarked at Rialto.  We took a sweet bike ride down hill to the SART which got us to Market street.  We rode by the health expo and on to our destination, the home of our family members (18 miles total).  We picked up our bibs & T-shirts Saturday night, via car.  We took a car to and from the race, but immediately after the race we dined at the Crest Cafe.  After that we got back on our bikes and rode to downtown Riverside station to take the train back to LA, then from LA to Glendale via train, and finally rode our bikes home (7 miles).  So it wasn't a totally car-free weekend but ALMOST!

I really loved running along the SART, through Fairmount Park, along Redwood Dr.  Saw the new Ryan Bonaminio Park, which was gorgeous.  I placed 673rd out of 749 participants.  Only 3 women in my age division (76 women) finished after me.  For some reason I feel good about this.  At least I showed up and I ran my own race (albeit with my family members).  I felt really good in mile 1 and mile 4 and in between I felt pretty dismal.  I definitely didn't walk or run the entire time and had no discipline about when to run or walk.  With no training, it's no surprise that my foot is still throbbing, but I believe it will heal itself.

I'm already looking forward to the years to come...