CarbKiller: 2010 in review

I’ve seen two quotes recently that I thought were pretty cool. First:

“It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop.” – Confucius

and another:

“Sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith.” Margaret Shepard

I finished three half marathons in 2009. That was 39.3 race miles more then 2008 where I sat on my butt for most of the year and I might have swiped my 24hour fitness card may be a dozen times.

In 2010 (the year of crappy blogging) I logged 223.7 race miles. That doesn’t include training runs and it didn’t include the 14.6 miles of Marine Corps Marathon which I don’t count because I didn’t finish. Most of those miles are from May to December.

14 half marathons (my two streaks are 4 in 37 days and 8 in 84 days)

one 10K

A 10k is 6.2 miles which is kind of a weird distance. I did it so I could get a medal that said 10k on 10-10-10. The best part? The medal they gave out was the size of about two pennies laid side by side and didn’t have the date on it! Small medals I’m okay with, I’m even okay with sticker medals (a medal with a sticker on it to display the details) but a generic medal on such a neat date? Race fail!

eleven 5Ks

It’s still my worst distance. I mean really truly kicks my butt. The first two miles are always hard on me for some reason and when your whole race is 3.1 miles anyway that doesn’t give you a lot of room.

2010 Recap (the best, the worst, and stuff that made me laugh)

OVERALL FAVORITE RACE: The Marine Corps Marathon– I know I didn’t finish it but the course was fabulous and what I would have given to be able to run the rest of it. I did see it from the sweeper bus but it just isn’t the same.

LEAST FAVORITE:   Columbia Half Marathon– it was horribly run, incredibly dangerous and I wish I could afford to hire a skywriter to warn the runners before next years race. If you missed the details check out my BLOG about it.

HARDEST: Rock and Roll Los Angeles 1/2 Marathon– Now don’t get me wrong the race itself was actually great but it was the week before the Marine Corps Marathon and mentally I freaked out. From my very first mile. It actually got to the point where two friends were text messaging me nonstop encouragement and I just put my phone away. For me that’s bad.

FLATTEST: Long Beach 1/2 Marathon– Last year I did this race and they ran out of medals. This year I walked the entire course with my friend Brandi’s mom Pam. It was her first half marathon and an amazing experience. I also realized something pretty important. No matter how many races I do there are always people who have done dozens if not hundreds more races then I have. I had gotten so used to being the most clueless/inexperienced person in the group it really shocked me when I realized I was actually an experienced runner. Crazy!

MOST SCENIC: Malibu 1/2 Marathon– It was a point to point race where you park at the finish line and a bus takes you to the start. You have to go the 13.1 miles back to the finish. The start was right on the beach (we were all stading around next to the sand waiting for the start and two pods of dolphins swam by, plus I saw a sea lion. It was the coolest thing EVER. Running along Pacific Coast Highway where all the movie stars live didn’t hurt either!

BEST MEDAL: Disneyland 1/2 Marathon– I have wanted it for so very long and the anniversary bling was a bonus.

LEAST FAVORITE MEDAL: Magic Mountain 10K– What genius decided a generic medal was a good idea on 10-10-10? NOT COOL!

SMALLEST EVENT: Los Angeles County Holiday 5k- A small race but the race organizers were fabulous and the  medals were awesome!

LARGEST EVENT: Rock and Roll Las Vegas 1/2 Marathon- Me and 28,000 other people running up and down the Las Vegas strip. And when we got to the finish line there was a concert with Bret Michels.

MOST UNIQUE: San Francisco 1/2 Marathon– I literally got talked into doing the race 48 hours before the race started. I signed up online at 10:30am Friday morning, threw a bunch of stuff in a bag and was in my car driving to San Francisco by noon. The weather was perfect, the scenery was interesting (I don’t know much about S.F.), and at the finishline I received my first ever bonus medal.

MOST FUN: MLB All Star Charity 5K– Ran past Jillian Michels from The Biggest Loser and looped the field at Anaheim Stadium before reaching the finishline.

BEST CAUSE: Operation Jack 1/2- A great race for a great cause (Autism).

MOST ORGANIZED: Run Racing Events- Both the Long Beach Marathon weekend and the LA County Holiday Half weekend were incredibly well organized.

BEST DESTINATION: Carlsbad 1/2 Marathon- Still my personal best half marathon time but it was such a beautiful course and the residents are so fabulous and supportive.

JUST PLAIN FUNNY: Oceanside Turkey Trot 5K- The race was Thanksgiving morning and they had a costume contest for the runners. People were wearing fake turkey hats, one woman dressed up as a football game, my favorite was the man and his wife duo. She was dressed like a turkey and he was dressed like a chef with a fake meat cleaver and he chased her the entire 3.1 mile. And we got free piggy banks you could decorate yourself at the finish line.