who.is.azrael: xterra malibu creek challenge trail run 6k 2012

so...another race in the books for me. this was my 1st trail race, called the xterra malibu creek challenge trail run. they offer a 22k and a 6k. bein' that this was my 1st trail race, and the fact that i hate hills...i opted for the 6k. my finish time was 45:29, with an average mile pace of 12:12 (like i said, i hate hills). i had guesstimated that i would finish around 50 minutes, so finishing in the 45's i was quite content with.

the organization was great. something new i had to get used to was placing the timing chip onto my shoe (along the shoelaces), and had to make sure i stepped/landed on the timing pad(s) at the start and finish lines. only minor complaint in terms of organization might be that they had only 1 aid station at the 1 and 3 mile markers (same station, just passing it by 2x). oh, and also the concept of "single track" with trails was all new/foreign to me. it's when people are literally in a single-file line one behind the other (think 1 lane highway, but it's super traffic/gridlocked). and i especially found it quite frustrating/annoying to not really be able to pass slower folks goin' downhill, as i tend to be all-out when runnin' downhill. maybe i should've been more pushy/vocal about wanting to pass, but oh well...live and learn.

upon crossing the finish, everyone received a finisher medal. everyone also got a legit forest green-colored tech-t that's 100% polyester. after the race, they served scrambled eggs, croissants, muffins, oranges, bananas, watermelon to all race participants as well. they even had a dos equis beer area (yes, i partook in 1 beer in celebration, plus, i needed replacement calories), and branded beer bottle opening keychains. i chose not to wait 45 minutes for the free sports massage, nor did i want to climb the rock wall that lil' kids were all over. but i did walk away with some more swag from various sponsors present. since i excelled at the "memory game" at the northface booth, i walked away with a branded water bottle. then i grabbed another water bottle from the moto-activ booth, along with one of their branded "balance" wristbands (i didn't feel any more balanced after wearing it though, but that may have been more to do with the lager/ale i had). powerbar reps were on-hand to provide "gu-like" gels, but these were "double latte" flavored (it's initially a bit repulsive, but i eventually got used to the taste).