2010 Long Beach Turkey Trot

This is the last year we will run the LB trot. It's too bad because it is a nice, flat, fast course along the beach, but it is seriously getting way too crowded for the narrow bike path. It's great that the sport of recreational racing is getting more popular, but some events just have to know when to evolve and this one hasn't yet.

The race cost $30 and with an estimated 6000 runners, you would think they would have chip timing or at least take your tag and document your time. Nope. They also run the 5k AND the 10k at the same time. Dumb. They also ran the races at 7:30am, then at 8:30am then again at 9:30am. What they don't tell you is that they only keep track of and award prizes to the runners of the 9:30am race. Stupid. Especially since Kristen was 1st place female yet no one even acknowledged this as she crossed the finish line. No one. Nothing. And the "beauty queen" handing out the traditional pumpkin pies wouldn't give one to her because apparently Kristen didn't have "the right bib number". Are you kidding me? It's one thing to hand out pies to a random sampling of bib numbers, but to not even give one to THE FIRST PLACE FINISHER! Not smart. I went back to ask if I had the right number because I just kind of blew by the finish line and the "beauty queen" yelled at me over her shoulder, "You don't have the right number!" I thought it was funny that she didn't even bother to look at my bib. Oh well.

So Kristen ran the 10k in 41:38 and was the first female to finish. But only the 9:30am racers got acknowledged. I ran the 10k in 54:37 which is 2:26 slower than my PR. Anyway, we ran it with some fellow AREC'ers and close friends so regardless of the problems with the race, we still had a good time. Next year, Dana Point.

Run Like Hell

A little late, but I wanted to update the thousands of people that read my blog and send fan mail...uh hum...Kristen and I were in Atlanta for a few days during the Halloween weekend and we ran the Historical Oakland Cemetery "Run Like Hell" 5k. It was a great race that started at the entrance of the cemetery and ran out into the surrounding streets (of course, filled with hills that I was not prepared for) and then ended with the final quarter mile winding through the actual cemetery. It was a fun race with a lot of really enthusiastic people dressed up in Halloween costumes that were blown away that Kristen and I came all the way from L.A. to run their race (we didn't tell them that we were there for another reason). I ran just over my PR, but because I was excited and in the moment I went out with the leaders of the race and ended up running a 6:21 pace for the first mile. I realized that I screwed myself at that point and ran the remaining two miles at about 9:35, but oh well. It was fun. Kristen was 4th female overall and won 1st place in her age group...as usual.

While in Atlanta we also drank some wine as usual. Had something called JAM JAR. It's a Shiraz from Western Cape, South Africa 2009 vintage and the name says it all. It's a fruit bomb, too sweet with a long, syrupy finish and no tannin. It was hard to drink. Probably needs something spicy or robust like barbecue to tame it. Another wine was a Lang and Reed Cab Franc from Lake County 2007 vintage. It was a good wine, nice structured tannin, medium finish with a hint of fruit. The final wine worth mentioning was a Terlato & Chapouitier Shiraz blend 2007 vintage. It was very inky with a pleasant tannin and a dry finish.

Two weeks later we ran the Cal State Long Beach Pyramid 5k that started and finished at the base of the big blue Pyramid on the CSULB campus. It was another fun, but tough 5k that had a major uphill climb that started right at the beginning of mile 2. I fully intended to run a solid 8 minute pace for each mile, but since I wasn't prepared for the huge hill, I ended up dropping from 8:08 in the first mile to a 8:17 pace for the remaining two. Not horrible, but again it put me just over my PR. Oh well. Kristen won 1st place in her age group again. Hooray!

The next race coming up for us is the Long Beach Turkey Trot 10k down in Belmont Shores. I pulled a muscle in my lower back lifting weights and have had to cut back on the miles so we'll see what happens. Anyway, keep on runnin' and havin' fun!