San Diego South Bay Turkey Trot 2016

 See the gobble sock ... that's me in 2014, the first year this race was held !! 

 I've ran the San Diego South Bay Turkey Trot 3 years in a row. I've ran the 15k route each year so my review is based on that ! 

 San Diego has a few different races on Thanksgiving morning but I've chose this one each year because I like that they offer not only a 5k and 10k like most Turkey Trot's but ALSO a 15k!! It's not a huge race so getting out there super early to find parking and everything isn't necessary. 

 The race starts and finishes in a nice big park named Rohr Park, in Bonita. Lots of parking in the park, in a dirt field used for overflow parking and in a near by church parking lot. In the 3 years I've done the run parking, getting to the starting line, and using the restrooms have never been an issue. That type of stuff is important to me !! 

 The 15k runners start first, it's a bit of a cluster at the start as most are. The 15k splits off from the park and heads out across the street into a residential area. This is when the race gets challenging !!! You are headed up hill .. for what feels like forever and looking ahead all you see is uphill with no end !! I remember the first year I ran this race I was nowhere prepared for running hills and I struggled a lot ! Then just as you reach a turning point with a water station BOOM another hill, a bigger hill! At this point I'm asking myself why every year I choose this run !! 

My time gets better every year !! 

 My slogan for this run is "But WAIT!!! There's MORE!!" Because everytime you finish a hill, it seems like there is another around the corner. You are up up and up and when it is finally time to start heading back to the park, the finish line area it doesn't feel like your running down as much as you ran up !! But the run around the park area is nice and you turn your last turn and YAY the finish line !! 

 The website tells you if you are looking for an extra scoop of stuffing at dinner and you are a runner, that this fun, beautiful and CHALLENGING route is for you !! They aren't kidding about the challenge that those hills hold !! 

This is the elevation graph from my garmin !! 

 I do enjoy challenging myself so I guess that's why I sign up every year knowing the route !! I guess I feel less guilty after feasting at dinner knowing I burned the calories in the AM!! 

 We are quite lucky to live in Southern California where the temperature this year, once the sun came out was 70 degrees!! Everyone on Instagram doing Turkey Trot's look all bundled up and here we are in tank tops !! As I headed out the door on this morning it was chilly and I questioned my attire but as soon as the sun came out and we hit that first hill I knew I had chosen the right gear !! 

 This year there wasn't tons of costume dressed runners. Which I think dressing up makes any run more fun so that was a bummer. BUT.. I always try to throw something fun together so instead of going with the usual turkey theme, I picked my favorite part of thanksgiving the PIE !!! 

Check out my blog -  Running Attire: Turkey Trot 2016

Check out my costume blog to get more info on my gear!! 

 I walked away from this years Trot with not only a course PR and a finishers medal but a little trophy for Best Costume!!! The pumpkin pie hat was a hit !! I got tons of compliments along the course!! 

My mom said this was her favorite costume !!

 Hopefully I don't discourage anyone from this run but just pre warn you !! The run itself is put together really well by USA Endurance with help from lots of great volunteers! The Chula Vista Police are out directing traffic all along the course and I make sure to thank them and all the volunteers as I pass! 

"Run like a beast before you feast!"

  

Running Attire: Turkey Trot 🦃 2016

 
 For this years Turkey Trot I thought I'd do something different ! Everyone always wears turkey hats, headbands and tutus, so I thought why not do something different !! I didn't dress up as an Indian or a pilgrim either because that's not too original. I decided to go with my favorite dish at Thanksgiving dinner ... the pie !!!

  I quickly started googling pumpkin pie ! Found lots of pumpkin spice clothing then I scored !! I came acrossed a page called Tipsy Elves.com ! They had a couple really cute and fun tanks for men and women for Thanksgiving ! I got the Pie till I Die tank ! I signed up for their mailing list as a new shopper and got 15% off my first order so that was a plus!!

Super cute right!!! PS- I originally ordered a Medium, because their site says true to size. But it was way too big so I sent to back and ordered an XS and that fit me well!!

 The pumpkin hat was a super score!! I found it on Amazon.com and I think its pretty perfect! The hat got a lot of bad reviews actually but I gambled with the idea of how cool it would be so I ordered it anyway! Here is a link to the Amazon sellers page where I bought it; PIE HAT

 So the hat arrives, quick because I am an Amazon Prime crazy lady! It is big and as pictured except as the reviews say it is not all full as shown in the picture. The under part of the hat has a cut out for your head and it fit mine well but not so much my boyfriends head. I decided that I would go to a craft store and pick up some stuffing and fill the hat up and make it look like the picture! I really think you can't complain the hat cost under $10!! So I cut a small slit on the inside of the hat and stuffed it full and boom awesome hat!! I decided since I was going to be running I would wear a visor so i would pen the hat to the visor to assure that it would stay on, this worked out really well!!!

 Pumpkin Pie SOCKS!! YES!!! I actually got these a couple years ago for a turkey trot along with another pair that says Gobble Gobble! I found them at a site called the Sox Box! They have all sorts of different socks and nylons and fun stuff! Their socks are nice, thick and good quality so I really like them! Ive also gotten a could other pairs that have fun gym sayings!

 So 2016's Turkey Trot attire was a hit!! I even got a little trophy for having a great costume!! Till next year!! 

 

-Niki

   

I should have started a blog at the beginning of 2016!!

So I am super new to this whole world of blogging! I have ran so many races this year and the past few years, worn so many cute outfits and spent so much money on running gear and gadgets that I have so much to talk about !!! But like I said I'm new so your input, help and comments are welcome!! 

Where do I start ??? 🤔🤔🤔🤔 

I guess I will just start off with a little about where I'm at right now with 2016. 

I am currently a Rock n Roll Marathon 2016 Tour Pass holder, I've completed 7 race series weekends with RnR and next week I will run the last RnR race weekend of 2016 in San Antonio! 

I wish I would have planned out 2016 better and could have ran at least 10 races to get that awesome 10 Heavy Medal !! But there is always another year !! I didn't say next year because I need to save up to take that many RUNcations! 💸💸💸

I just ran my second ✌🏼️full marathon in Las Vegas last weekend and I'm running marathon 3️⃣ in January 2017 !! So you will for sure be seeing posts about that in the weeks to come ! 

 For the remainder of 2016 I have a couple more races planned and will be focusing on my game plan for 2017!!! I have a lot of personal reviews and thoughts on races, clothes, expos, running routes, gadgets and gear I can't wait to share everything with you !! 

- Niki - 

How this whole running ME got started!

 

This is ME!! Well it's me a few years ago ! It was 2013 and I was about to run my very first race, my first running event ! I had no idea what I was doing! I had just started running this year and wanted to challenge myself to do something I never had done. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and do something new! So I signed up for a half marathon, I had never even ran a 5k race before ! I read and read; people's blogs, looked for advice through Pinterest and found motivation on Instagram! Then race day came and I followed all my pre race instructions and boom I was at the starting line of the AFC Half Marathon in my hometown of San Diego ! I never had seen so many runners, I didn't know what a corral was I just knew my bib number and was told to line up over there to start ! Someone asked me how many half marathon's I had done and I told them this was my first, they hi-fived me and wished me luck ! Another runner asked if I was going for a new "PR" and I said this is my first run ! They too wished me luck ! I then pulled out my phone and googled the running term "PR"! Ok personal best, just finishing 13.1 miles seemed like a personal best I didn't care the time it took ! But anyways all the support and encouragement I received that day at the starting line was something I'd never forget ! That warm August morning in 2013 forever changed my life, my family cheered me on as I crossed my first ever finish line!! A new me was born, I was hooked! I became a runner !! 

- Niki -

. My first blog . 

Here are some other pictures from this race ! 

 

 

This one 👆🏼is my favorite! I look so happy !! And so does everyone around me !!

 

A moment I'll never forget!! Crossing that FIRST finish line!! Coming in HOT!!! 

 

Such a proud moment!! My family was all there to cheer me into the finish!