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!

Boston

Kristen and her friend Wendy both got into the Boston Marathon for 2011! Apparently this year was the fastest the event ever sold out: 8 hours! Amazing. So Wendy's boyfriend Paul and I will be rooting them on at the race, beers in hand! Can't wait!

Long Beach Marathon Report

Another year has gone by and Kristen and I ran the Long Beach Marathon again, well Kristen did, I ran the half this time. Kristen absolutely CRUSHED her time from last year (which was her first marathon) by 8 MINUTES! Last year she ran a 3:33 and yesterday, even after falling, she blasted through the finish line at 3:25 flat. Amazing. Especially since around mile 10 she got tripped up and fell to her knees and hands. She got cut up a little, but everything seemed fine until she hit the hill at Cal State Long Beach. That's when she realized that she pulled a muscle in her upper quad. Apparently that didn't stop her from running really fast.

I, on the other hand, did not PR. In fact, I thought I was going to run really slow since I haven't really had the time (or maybe desire) to train properly to PR. But as anybody who has run knows that the energy of a race helps you when you need it most. I was less than 5 minutes slower than my last half which really surprised me. I thought I'd run a 2:15 or even a 2:20, but I came in just over 2:09. Not good, but still much better than I thought. So I'm going to reward myself to day with an iPhone 4! As a side note, I will never again eat one of those damn chewy Shot Blok things during a race. Training runs maybe, but never during a race. I had a few in my pocket and at 1 hour I pulled a couple out and started chewing just as I was coming into a water station. I damn near choked to death trying to get those things down and I was trying not to look like a tool while doing it. It sucked the energy out of my run for a few minutes as I really slowed down to get that crap out of my throat and teeth. Bad, bad idea.

Anyway, Kristen is now feverishly trying to register for Boston, but the site is mobbed with entrants. Cross your fingers.

Hot Hot Heat

Kristen and I ran yesterday (8 and 4 respectively), but of course I forgot to bring my camera. We went out again this morning on some pretty sore legs and pounded the pavement once more. After our run yesterday we went on a pretty strenuous 5 mile hike on West Maui and combine that with a little bit of time difference and today was tough. The humidity doesn't help either. Nonetheless, we stuck to our guns. But no hiking today. We both agreed that our bodies need a bit of rest (I know, we're on vacation and we still knock ourselves out). Anyway, we're gonna hit the beach and then head over to Paia which is kind of a little hippie town and hang out and have dinner. Tonight, live music!

Maui!

Kristen and I are in Maui for 8 days for vacation (oh the horror!). After half a year of construction on the house and her studying for her 10th and final architecture exam it is well earned if I do say so myself! Anyway, we drove around today and plotted out our runs for the week. I am going to take my still and video cameras with me on the runs and post them all week. Stay tuned!

Long Beach Half

What a difference a year makes. And a home addition. I'm running the LB half marathon this year (did the full last year), but Kristen is doing the full again. Just as well. She ran an 18 miler the other day and said it wasn't tough at all. In fact, the other people running with her were shocked that she didn't drink a ton of fluids or eat gels while running. She's a mutant I guess. Me, on the other hand, I'm shit. The desire and ambition just aren't there for me these days. Oh, I still go out and trudge out the miles, but not nearly as much as I should. One thing that's great about training this summer is that we've had an unusually cool one so it's made those morning runs a lot easier. I just fall to pieces in the heat so it's been a lot better lately. We'll see if we get an Indian summer this fall though. Anyway, all our funds were going to the construction of our addition so we've only been drinking your basic Trader Joe's, Sprouts/Henry's cheap wine. Hey, it's good enough to get you through the rough patches. Soon though, we need to hit wine country and try to scare up some deals. More on that later...