Tuesday, December 28, 2010

2011 Running in Santa Barbara County is easier.


Running in Santa Barbara should be easier than in most other places...if you don't believe me, check out dailymile.com where many of my fellow runners say things like:

"Running at -3ºC, lovely and cold... loved it!" @Jacky in Giorna Spain.

" Yeah, so remember last week when I tacked on a few extra miles to my long run, because 36ºF and sub-10mph winds is pretty good running weather? I had to cash in my chips today. Temp 27ºF, winds 16mph, and slippery snow. Any day when the temperature is higher than the wind speed is a day to give thanks, but I was glad to stop at 12mi. Good grief, I've become soft" @Elodie in Toronto (she's one of my faves!)

"When I left this morning the temp was about 15F which felt substantially better than 15F at home in the Windy City - thank goodness." @Will in Flossmoore, IL
These folks are committed.

I love the 50 degrees we get in Santa Barbara in the winter for a comfortable 7 and even 8am run. In the summer its warmer, but we seldom see 100 degree days. I think it is safe to say, that the willingness for us to get out there should come relatively easier than for those in other places. Besides, we have in SB, the ocean and mountains, we have a lot of open space, and in north county, we have fields to run by. (I've done it)

If you enjoy running and are looking to run races this upcoming year, here are the races, (that I usually try to run) that go on in our county all year long. A few I have yet to try, and could always use a buddy for any of these ;)







  • Jan 1, 2011 8:00 AM New Year's Resolution Race - Cause who wants to start out the year hungover?
  • Jan 29, 2011 9:00 AM Romeo's 4- Miler- part of the UCSB Running Series, with a couples relay too
  • Feb 6, 2011 9:00 AM Superbowl 4-Miler in Goleta
  • Feb 27, 2011 9:00 AM Roses en la Playa 5k
  • Mar 5, 2011 9:00 AM Shamrock 5-miler also part of the UCSB Running Series
  • April 16, 2010 8:00 AM Chardonnay 10 miler and 5k - This is one I have never run
  • April 30,2010 9:00 AM Gaucho Gallop 10k & 5k- I've only done the 5k, 3 times and although it gets better every year, I'm not crazy about this race- but I keep running it
  • May 5, 2011- Sept 1, 2011 at Sunset Nite Moves 5k Series - these are really fun! Once a week on Wednesdays.
  • May 7, 2011 7:00 AM Wine Country Half Marathon 13.1- I'm planning on this one for this year. Who is in?
  • June 5, 2011 8:00 AM SB State Street MILE - one miler, what could be better? This race is a special one for me, because the profits go to the District Attorney's office Crime Victim's emergency fund, which is helpful to people at very critical situations.
  • July 16, 2011 ? Montecito Half Marathon never heard of this one? Has anybody run it?Good, bad, indifferent?
  • Aug 21, 2011 8:30 AM McConnell's 5k and 10k - as we get closer to the date and a reg link comes up, I'll post it. (I never miss this one, because your registration includes post race ice-cream!) And it is closest to my birthday, so this is always my birthday race.
  • Sep 4, 2011 6:30 AM Pier to Peak 13.1 I'm dying to do this half-marathon. It is always labor day weekend, but I often end up working on a political campaign- and that's a big weekend for campaigns- which means I might never run it. It looks super tough, but fun. I might need a friend to run it with me...who's up for it? It starts by the dolphin statue by the pier to the top of La Cumbre peak. Yea...
  • Sep 12, 2011 Guadalupe 5k and Half Marathon- did the 5k this year. It was cool to run out there. Very small field of runners
  • Oct 2, 2011 8:00 AM Carpinteria Avocado 5k
  • Nov 14, 2011 SB International Marathon and Half-Marathon. Last year I did the half, and it was pretty fun.
  • Nov 24, 2011 Thanksgiving 4 Miler out of Noleta- because we all know a big dinner awaits on Thanksgiving
  • Dec 19, 2011 Santa Clause Run 5k- this was the first year and it rained, but it was still fun. I hope they keep it.
Anyhow, here are three more useful resources:

2011 for Uribe-
This year, I'm keeping it local. Running the 5ks and 4 milers.
In regard to big races, I'm thinking the Wine Country 1/2, the Pier to Peak 1/2 (hopefully) but if not, the SBIM half or maybe full.

2 comments:

elodie said...

There is a lot to love about running in Santa Barbara. Trust me, when I'm there I drink up deep lungfuls of sweet Pacific air every chance I get. Even running in the rain with the luscious smell of eucalyptus has stayed with me a year later. I have a race that's not on your list though, the DRTE 100M (and shorter distances). It's a trail race, but if you think Pier-to-Peak would be fun, I bet you could tackle the DRTE 15K!

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