Trail Running n00b

Tomorrow, I'm tackling something I've actually wanted to try for a little while. Being in Southern California, we are not short on road races. Or races of any kind, for that matter. But I've wanted to try a trail race for quite some time, as there's a whole series near my parents' house in the spring.

But TOMORROW! I get to run my first-ever trail race -- and, frankly, my first trail run ever. Ha. This kicks off a summer-long series:

• Saturday, May 17: 3 Mile Challenge
• Thursday, June 19: Renegade Trail Series Run 1 (5 miles)
• Thursday, July 10: Renegade Trail Series Run 2 (5 miles) <-- same loop, just in reverse
• Thursday, August 7: Renegade Trail Series Run 3 (5 miles) <-- same loop as #1

I'm really excited. Each race gets you a t-shirt OR BBQ dinner afterward (or for $5 more, get both!). Upon completion of all 4 races, a sweet medal shall be mine. I'm nervous, as I'm far from graceful as it is...

From half-marathon #2. Seriously.

so watching my bearings even more might be a fun little challenge, but it'll be a nice change up from running these San Pedro sidewalks so much!



So this is what I have in store tomorrow morning:

I mean, I've been running enough hills lately, so hopefully that works in my favor. Bonelli Park is close to my parents' house, so it'll be quick and easy to get to and should be an actually really pretty run around the reservoir. Looking forward to it!

Tips for my first trail race?