race

Last weekend, I organized a Oiselle Volee meet up and ran an awesome race in San Diego – The Fit Foodie 5k! I went into the event with the goals of having FUN and meeting new people. Goals achieved! I also ran a ~24 minute 5k (which was pretty much on pace with my 2013 marathon time…LOL. How quickly things can change!)

Race eve, I went to the event VIP Cocktail Party where I met fellow bloggers and sponsors of the event. Oh yeah, I also had some pasta and red wine. Such a good athlete. 😉

Pre-Race: Lexus was a main event sponsor so I selected the onsite vehicle for a meet up location before the race. I picked up my bib and timing chip the morning of and didn’t have to wait in line. So easy! The bathroom line was only a few minutes long which was another perk in the making of a very stress free morning. There was room for improvement with organized parking. We luckily got there early enough to secure a spot at the $15 lot but had to wait in line for at least 20 minutes to pay at the station. Others weren’t as lucky. My recommendation is to carpool and park somewhere downtown and walk/run to the event if you don’t want to pay convention center or hotel parking prices.

There were plenty of booth vendors already serving complimentary food and bevs. My favorite spot was the free hot coffee and complimentary to-go mugs. Being a coffee addict, I thoroughly enjoyed this area post-race! (I resisted adding whipped cream to my coffee but was tempted because it looked fun.)

The birds and I took a ton of selfies, watched the Quest group have a dance party and take the group through a warm-up, and took goofy pics at the photo booth, all within a span of 30 minutes before the race started at 8am.

The Course: Fast, scenic, and flat, the path takes you from the Embarcadero South parking lot south and then north along the harbor and grassy parks before returning south to finish at the same spot. If you really want to race this event, make sure to start in front. My teammate, Victoria, placed 3^rd in our age group and 4^th overall. You go girl! The rest of us started about 20 seconds back and got stuck in a bottleneck the first quarter mile. Strollers, walkers, and dogs are all allowed so plan accordingly. (Maybe next year I should run with a puppy!? Who wants to volunteer their puppy?)

The Finisher’s Village: By far the BEST PART. I don’t know how many vendors there were onsite, but they all offered amazing treats! From green juices and granola, to pasta and tacos, this large spread replaced my typical post-race brunch. The girls and I spent a lot of time enjoying the free goodies and relaxing, soaking in the beautiful San Diego weather. We also bought the race tanks that display a rather accurate message of “Will Run For Food.” I’m OK with the fact that you don’t get a free race shirt and medal as part of signing up/finishing because the amount of free samples more than makes up for everything else.

Side note: I pretty much LOVE free samples so I made sure to wait in all the lines to grab coupons and snacks. I’m pretty sure I get this trait from my father, who got it from his father, and so on it goes.

I had to travel for work on Sunday; otherwise I would have attended the Sunday Sweat Session and Brunch! I was impressed by the comprehensive amount of activities the Fit Foodie series had in store for everyone, and next year I plan to take advantage of all of them!

Did I mention how great the event sponsors were? Here’s a snapshot of the goodies I got mailed to me before the race as well as some of what I picked up after the race. Snacks. For. Daysssss.

I will definitely do this race again and was so fortunate to have been selected as an ambassador for the Fit Foodie 5k this year! It felt so good to lace up my running shoes and participate.

P.S. How cute is the Oiselle Tracker Jacket?? I just purchased it and am in love.

Will you join me for the Fit Foodie 5k in San Diego next year?!