I decided to run the 22k and I hoped to have fun and survive! The first 3 miles were flat on single track and dirt roads - easy. Then the hammer hit - a 3-mile climb up Bulldog, a well-known get-your-heart-rate-up stretch of the Malibu mountains that seemed to never end! Luckily I was wearing the Intervent strapless heart rate monitor and I was able to stay below a heart rate of 175 (for the most part). My goal was to stick to this maximum heart rate until I was done with the climb and then open up my running 'pistons'. Everything seems so clear when you plan for a race, but once I hit the summit of this long climb, my 'pistons' seemed to be failing me! What's up with that?! So, I just tried to sustain a certain speed and make it home safe, which I was able to accomplish. The rest of the run was mainly downhill and it was great to have gravity assist me to 'pull' me to the finish line. Overall, I climbed roughly 3000 feet and burned 2500 calories.  My race time - 1 hour 59 minutes and 48 seconds...I definitely did not feel guilty eating a huge breakfast afterwards!

For the most part the run was very scenic and beautiful!  I especially enjoyed breaking through the marine layer up Bulldog - seeing a 'Sea' of white clouds below me, contrasted by the sun and blue sky, made this epic run all worth it to me! If you ever want to get into trail running, the XTerra Trail Run Series (www.trailrace.com) is a well run venue.

Below you can see my heart rate from the run. See you at the next trail running event!