My ankle is bugging me quite a bit. I could offer all sorts of excuses but it is what it is. I was slower than a week ago’s half marathon in Santa Monica. But unlike then, the field was smaller and somehow I wound up with a 2nd place finish overall. Bonus!
As always, A Better World Running puts on a low-stress, fun race that’s all about the purity of running. It really isn’t about podium places or medals… though it was nice to get a silver medal with a giant “2” inscribed on the back. All I could think when they told me I was second was of that old elementary school rhyme that went, “First is worst, second is best… third is…” Actually I can’t remember what 3rd was. Tertiary? Were we learning that form of grammar mayhaps? Seems unlikely.
In any case, today’s run was another 3 loop experience, with half marathoners doing an extended loop from the 5K,10K, and 15Kers. I had run part of this course maybe a year back as a full marathon and distinctly remember stopping then as today for a photo with this sign:
I also recall being able to see the Queen Mary docked off on the horizon so it was nice to see her still in her berth. She’s a majestic old lady, dwarfed now by the Carnival cruise ship moored not too far from her. But given a choice, I’d still sail on her over Norwegian any day.
Before the start, I bumped into some Mainly Marathon runners. Some, like Dee Dee Urquhart, are “local” and are already fans of A Better World Running. And some were running their first race with Mark and Michelle. I hope they enjoy the experience as much as I do:
Running the pedestrian walkway along the beach’s shoreline made for a fine morning. I was glad to do it… albeit as the miles crept up on me, so too did the throbbing in my ankle. I figure I’ll run tomorrow’s half in Van Nuys, my 81st pizza race, and level up with TPR (Team Pizza Racers) to the final “Supreme” designation, and then maybe think about cutting back on the week’s training. I’ve got Salt Lake City a week from Monday so I’m trying to convince myself that resting up the ankle is the smart play… it just doesn’t help my foul mood.
In any case, here are two official shots from the race team (always a bonus from ABWR), plus a lost and found one from last week that I just downloaded:
