Friday, July 1, 2011

Country Race, City Race?

Yup you heard it here first (ok...not first).
Yesterday was blog-eriffic!   Besides that early morning trot with Sarah and Pam that she so eloquently described here, I went on a blog date to Yogurtland last night with Skinny Runner, RunEatRepeat, 365AwesomeDays, and the HungryRunnerGirl.
Pic may or may not be from our meetup 
OUAL is seriously missing out on some action here.  I mean wedding?  Psshaw.  Clearly she should just get married in Ohio later and come out to Yogurtland.  

It was an amazing time!  We sat at Yogurtland for 2 and a half hours and somehow managed to avoid filling up our cups again.   The only thing missing was my favorite Key Lime flavor that I am hoping that they didn't discontinue!  

I honestly think all these girls are even funnier / cooler / more awesome in person than in their blogs.   I don't wanna take up anymore blog space gushing about my blog-date-topia but as someone who has moved too much as an adult and thus doesn't have a ton of friends in the OC  (at least I tell myself that's why) meeting y'all is MUCH APPRECIATED! 

Sorry I didn't take any pics!  You can see some on HungryRunnerGirl's blog

Tomorrow morning, I'm running a 5k!  I think.

This race is one of those 'meet up and run a 5k once a month'.  I think it's a race?  I paid race fees like it's a race.
I emailed the race director to find out if there would be mile markers and if the course would be marked (they are not shutting down the boardwalk for it) and got no reply yet.
Hopefully that's not an ominous sign. 
Can't complain about the race location...
So that could mean I paid $30 to run down a public sidewalk by myself.  EITHER WAY I AM GONNA RACE THE HECK OUTA THAT PUBLIC SIDEWALK!  

I haven't run a tiny race in forever.  Fontana Days 13.1 felt semi small although it wasn't, and I did get pretty lonely on those middle miles.   Crowds really do it for me.  It's a tough call between smaller races and bigger ones for me!  So I made this very helpful checklist!

Big Race "Pros"
1) Crowds to cheer ya on
2) Water / Gu / Gatorade stops
3)  Possible pace groups
4)  Sometimes you get to see all the famous fancy pants runners!
5) You're pretty sure you won't get lost / run the wrong distance, etc. 
6) Tech shirt?

Small Race "Pros"
1) Price
2) You don't have to get there 10 hours in advance
3) Opportunity to feel like a rock star.  Age group placing anyone?
4)  Some ridiculous activity usually happens.  Like a weird warmup routine before the race start.  Or a horse crosses the road right in front of you.  
5)  Bathrooms.  Ok this is not a given!  Anywhere!
6) It doesn't take 10 minutes to actually cross the start line

So...do you like the big races or the small ones?
I think I need big races for long distances.  How people are able to run 50 person marathons is still kinda beyond me.  


Anything funny ever happen to you during a small race?  Has the course ever been way different than you expected?  

16 comments:

  1. I'm a loner, and don't mind running without crowd support, and I love the weirdness of smaller races. I volunteered at OperationJack last year, and it was quirky, and fun.

    Last night was SO FUN! I'm totally an OC loser with no friends, I'm shy and all those kids and blah blah. It's nice to meet real people who don't think I'm a weirdo for busting out a picture of my yogurt :D

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  2. ps. That dog is precious and I want to steal it.

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  3. Good luck at your 5k!!! You are going to rock it.

    I totally agree with your pros for big and small races. I am oddly enough a bigger fan of small races and I am not really sure why. Maybe it's because it isn't so intimidating? And every once in a while I win movie tickets or something rediculously lame that makes me feel like a rockstar for placing 3rd in my age group.

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  4. so jealous with all of your all's fun meet-ups!!!! i totally wish I could come out there and hang out with you all!

    I like to mix it up between big and small races...mostly for the pros you listed. I think it keeps it exciting but too many big races and I get a bit burnt out and overwhelmed. Smaller races seem less anxiety provoking and I feel like I can just go out and have fun running them :) have a wonderful day! AND GOOD LUCK...whether it is a race or a public sidewalk...I am sure you will be out there dominating!

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  5. i'm jealous of all the awesome runner bloggers taking over the socal yogurtland!! only cuz i wish i could be there too. :)

    good luck tomorrow and screw the race director if it turns out the course isn't marked, u don't break for no one and if u have to take out a few tourists for a PR so be it. ;)

    i've had a funny race story, but it was at a really small track meet. i was running the 3k and at the same time this chick was practicing her javelin. the spike was clear out thru to lane 3 and she didn't see me coming so i was like, "ummm....track!" and ran wide to avoid being impaled. :P

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  6. It was great to meet you :) You can always steal my pics if you want. Let me know if you ever want to take a super easy/slow run - then I can come.

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  7. Such an awesome meet-up, I'm so jealous!
    I like small races best--especially if they're on a trail!
    :)

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  8. Have a good run tomorrow! Hope you get done quick before the heat settles in!

    I saw your link via the blogs of the girls you met up with... seems totally fun. I'm all the way in LA.

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  9. i like big races for marathons. im too vain so i need people to be watching me to make me run fast. if only i were joking...

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  10. Agree with SR, for marathons, I want a big race. I want the whole ambiance if I have busted my butt to run 26.2 miles.

    But other races, I like 'em small-ish. Very small sometimes ends up in bad race management. So small-to-medium is good for me.

    Good luck, tomorrow! Nice and flat in SM. I've got 2 more days until Coronado.

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  11. oooh...I want to have a meetup!! We definitely need to meet before August!

    i like a mix between small races and big ones, but if I had to pick, it would definitely be small. I agree with the previous comment about trails. I LOVE trail races and they are often pretty small. I totally agree about the rock star feel of a small race. I placed 1st at a small race for a time that was slower than that of a big race where I didn't even crack the top 20 in my AG.

    You were at Fontana?? Me too! Although you finished about 10 min ahead of me. I wonder what other races we have in common.

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  12. Have fun in the morning!

    I like small races, first place, anyone?!

    I'm going to have to move to southern california so that I can get in on this fun blogger action ASAP.

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  13. Dominate that sidewalk girl!!!

    I am so self-conscious that it is easier for me to run big races and not feel like people are staring at how slow I am!

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  14. Right now, I like the appeal of small races only because they seem less intimidating since I am just getting into this whole running thing. But I think if I ever ran any sort of distance, re: half- marathon or marathon I would be more interested in a bigger race.

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  15. Oh, and I am running the Claremont 5k on the 4th. Heres the link to the site: http://www.ci.claremont.ca.us/ps.leisurerecreation.cfm?ID=1818

    I know its a little bit out of the way for you but I would love to see you there!

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  16. Waaaahhhhh I'm crying inside. Stupid wedding gets in the way of everything.

    Just kidding. But really I'm home now so let's hang.

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