We decided to run our "short" long run of 13 miles in Del Valle this weekend - this time along the Brazen Racing Badger Cove course. We are running the half marathon race in March, so we thought that it would be fun to scope out the course to know what we were in for. The course ended up being slightly trickier than we anticipated, both in its navigation and terrain.
We started at the snack hut in Del Valle park and ran along the lake for the first few miles, which were relatively easy... until we missed the turnoff from Swallow Bay trail onto East Shore trail. It turned into a treacherous sideways single-track with a sharp drop down to the water. I had a tough time walking and keeping my balance (running was not an option here.) Anyhow, once we got back on track we enjoyed the runnable trails and views of Del Valle lake at the top of each hill.
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| We were definitely off track... |
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| Del Valle Lake and some cows. |
During mile 8 is where things started getting tough. After a series of sharp ups and downs, the toughest climb of the course is encountered at this late point on the course. This is unusual for a half marathon trail course and my legs were already feeling fatigued... I was trying to keep a good pace keeping up with Burnout Bear.
This half marathon course around Del Valle is perfect for anyone training on hills. I recommend purchasing an East Bay Parks parking pass if you run in these parks a lot. We purchased one this year and love not having to remember cash every time we go to the park and will probably end up saving a lot of money in the end.
I am looking forward to the inaugural race in March and think that it will fare well. I just wonder how Brazen will work the single track up to the turnaround point... won't runners run into one another? I guess we'll see!
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| Badger Cover course. |
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| Tough hill at mile 8! |
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