King of the Hill

Anyone know anything about the 2012 King of the Hill Trail Running Series? And by "know anything" I mean: What are the "fun" challenges they claim to have along they way? And, what's up with Gut Check Fitness?--are they legit? I don't not know anything...I mean...I know some stuff. This is what I do know about it:

1. Four races up to the top of San Diego's "toughest" peaks
2. Each race gets progressively longer...culminating in a 22 mile race called Rabbit Peak...or maybe it's at Rabbit Peak?
3. They all seem hard

I've been wanting to do more trail running... but is this series over my head for starters if I've only done two trail races in my life?

Anyone done it or know someone who has?

Dirt Devil Racing Series

I'm sort of in a funk right now with running: unmotivated, tired, lackluster. I'm currently doing the bare minimum to stay in 1/2 marathon condition for the races I've been doing about once a month right now. But, maybe if I sign up for the upcoming Dirt Devil trail race series, it will give my running the reviving shock it needs.

For 3 years now, The San Diego Running Institute has sponsored the Dirt Devil Racing Series: a series of small races (limited to about 250 participants per race) all held on local San Diego County trails. I did a 10K last year and looooooooved it. People were cooking food on little camp stoves at the start line, Starbucks reps handed out free coffee and Jamba Juice provided bagels and bananas. It was mellow and peaceful from start to finish and now that I think about it I don't know why I neglected to run more of them last year.


Well, that's why I'm doing it this year. Here are the Dirt Devil dates and locations:

April 17th, 2011, Painted Rocks Half Marathon, Lake Hodges
June 12th, 2011, Coyote 5K, Tecolote Canyon
July 10th, 2011 , Sidewinder 10K, Marian Bear Park
August 14th, 2011, Stairway to Heaven 15K, Mission Trails Regional Park
October 9th, 2011, Raptor Ridge Half Marathon, Lake Hodges

I'm a little concerned that trail races are going to become as popular as road races-- it's getting harder and harder to register for San Diego marathons unless you stalk when registration starts and do it right away. All these people being healthy is really annoying isn't it?

For more info on these races or to register go to http://www.dirtdevilracing.com/

OR

Contact: Emily Beck
San Diego Running Institute
(619) 265-7374
emily@sdri.net

Stonewall Mine

Mission accomplished for the month: I walked a trail I'd never been on before...and I'll be honest, it was a bit of a disappointment.

A girlfriend and I have been wanting to find some old ghost towns in the area--left over from the gold rush days. We thought that the old Stonewall Mine in Descanso, off the 79, looked promising based on what we read about it online. But, like most things on the internet, it proved to be misleading. The "mining town" is little more than a fenced-off hole in the ground. There were a few cool mining tools laying around (behind the fence) and we saw some people riding horses and the views from the trail were pretty OK, but all in all...it should not be classified as a ghost town.

If you decide to go to Stonewall Mine, don't go just to see the mine. You'll see it and be done "exploring" in less than 5 minutes. Go because you want to hike around Cuyamaca Lake or camp in Cuyamaca State Park. It's a calm, slow little place to get away from the rush of the city, and all the oak and pine trees and dried grass reminded me of Northern California. I will go back as a camper, but not as an explorer.

Upcoming Races in San Diego

I signed up for my first-ever trail race a couple weeks ago. I never considered doing trail races until recently...don't know why it never crossed my mind. I like trails. I like running. I like races. Combine=happy.

A friend and I will be doing the Cinco de Mayo Trail Run 10K at Lake Poway on May 8th... (maybe they should change the name since May 5th obviously will not always fall on a Sunday. just a thought.) Since my last experience at Lake Poway was a bit...precarious...I want to use this an opportunity to make some good memories there.

And just in case you live here and are looking for a race this Spring or Summer to train for--or if you are somewhere else and looking for a reason to come to San Diego this Spring or Summer-- here are some upcoming races in which you might be interested:

Trail Races:

Run for San Diego River 5K Trail Run and Walk (May 8)
Location: Lakeside

Mission Gorge Trail Run 5K, 15K (May 30)
Location: Mission Gorge

Dirt Devil Race Series 5K, 10K, 15K (Race 3: August 1, Race 4: October 10)
Location: Mission Trails (Equestrian Center)



Road Races:

The Navy's 24th Original Bay Bridge Run/Walk (May 16)
Location: Gaslamp Quarter downtown and over the bridge to Tidelands Park in Coronado

Riverfest Run 5K, 1K Fun Run (May 18)
Location: Qualcomm/River Trail

America's Finest City Half Marathon and 5K (August 15)
Location: Cabrillo National Monument to Balboa Park

Free To Breathe Lung Cancer 5K Run/Walk (August 21)
Location: Liberty Station, Point Loma



ONLY IF YOU'RE CRAZY (like Ultra Runner Will:

San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run (June 12-13)
Location: Descanso