I woke up way too early for the race, my east coast internal clock thinking 3:45 was a good time to be awake. Try as I might, I tossed and turned until 4:45 am when I finally gave in and got up. I got dressed and headed down to the kitchen for some coffee. TJ was already there, and he was nervous about the race, leaving on time, and about a million other things, this being his first ever half marathon (and really with little training for it). Hazel joined us shortly thereafter, and we all talked and stretched a bit, grabbing some light breakfast and hydration. We ended up leaving closer to 6 am, as the traffic reports were showing no real traffic issues.
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| View just off the freeway heading in to the Long Beach area. |
As we drove out to the race, we talked about running, and I caught Hazel and TJ up on my family. As we got closer to the Long Beach area, the sunrise was stunning. I snapped a picture and sent it off to my husband, who countered later in the day with a photo of himself snowplowing the 6+ inches of snow we received back in Connecticut.
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| My morning view. |
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| My husband's morning view. |
We arrived in Long Beach without incident and easily found the starting line of the race and check in table. We got our numbers, used the bathroom and shortly thereafter the small but willing group of 5K, 10K, 15K and half marathon runners lined up and were given the starting instructions.
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| Final race instructions before official start. |
This race (for the half marathon) was a 4.36 stretch of paved sidewalk that ran all along Long Beach, leaving half marathoners to complete the out and back route 3 times to complete the distance. I wasn’t sure if I’d love the simplicity of the route or hate the repetition. It didn’t seem like there were very many runners for the race, and not all of them were half marathoners, but that didn’t really matter. We had a half marathon here all ready for us, now we just had to tackle it.
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| Runners ready at the starting line. |
Hazel, TJ and I gave each other a good luck hugs and posed for a starting line picture, and then we were off. Without a huge crowd to weave through, the start was pretty good. TJ took off like a shot, and I was worried he went out too fast and would crash later. I tried to stay at a moderate but strong pace despite the cool (50’s) temps and slight headwind. It was definitely better than being back at home in the frigid snow!
The fun thing about this out and back x3 race was that Hazel and TJ and I all got to see each other several times as we passed back and forth. We’d shout words of encouragement along the way.
The beach was nice to run on. There were beach volleyball courts, a large pier, a dog park, and a bike path to see, as well as the ocean (of course) and shipping activity. The first mile took forever it seemed, but once I had completed the course once, I had a good feel for what I had to do to finish and keep myself motivated. The temperatures warmed up as the sun rose higher in the sky, and it felt so nice to be on an outdoor run on a beach. Yum!
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| Long Beach panoramic view. |
I chatted with one man for a bit along the way, as we ran a similar pace. It was his first half marathon, and I shared with him that I was from the east coast and that I was running halfs in all 50 states. He was super nice, and we traded encouragement as well. Hazel was a little bit behind me, but she looked great, like this was just another daily fitness run for her. The path was pancake flat, except for a ramp that led up to the main pier on the beach and then down again on the other side. It wasn’t especially steep or anything, but by the third lap I was wishing it wasn’t there anymore. My only real complaint with this race (not that I can really complain since we were grateful to have this race available after the postponement of the other race we were supposed to do) was that they only had one water station at the starting line. There should have been a second one at the far turn around so that we had access to water every 2 miles or so instead of every 4.3 miles. I was glad that I’d brought my hydration belt, but by the end of the race, my bottle was empty.
By my third lap, I was doing ok, but slowing a little. The star of the day though was TJ! He was still running a crazy fast pace, and it looked like he was one of the front runners! I was so excited for him. As I made my way to my last turn around, he was already on his way back to the finish line. I was cheering him like crazy. I made my turn and headed for my last half lap.
I was so glad to tackle the ramp for the last time (the midway point of each lap more or less) and tried to pick up the pace a bit as I headed in to the last mile. TJ was waiting for me at the finish line, filming my triumphant crossing of the finish line. I was amazed to find out from him that he was second overall in the race and the first place male finisher! Holy crow! How the heck did he manage that!?? He was tired and his feet hurt, but otherwise he seemed excited and no worse for the wear. I took a few minutes to cool down and walk a bit. I collected my medal and started walking back out along the race route to find Hazel and run in with her.
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| Finisher selfie with TJ. |
We connected at about the half mile mark. She told me that her headphones hadn’t worked at all for the race, and since she always runs with music, it really made for a tough race for her. We ran together back to the finish line area, but I ducked out in to the parking lot to allow her to have her own finish line moment. TJ filmed hers, too. What a good brother!
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| Three happy, accomplished half marathon finishers! |
We chatted about our experiences, indulged in some of the finish line water and food, and then found out to our dismay that the race coordinators had run out of medals! Hazel didn’t get one, but they promised they’d mail one right out to her on Tuesday. What a bummer! But as a consolation prize, the organizers gave all three of us some free running t-shirts (2 each!). Huzzah!
We walked over to the bathroom area still trading all kinds of stories of our individual runs. I changed into dry clothes and we stretched out a bit before heading to the car. On our walk to the car, a woman driving by stopped and asked if TJ was the actor from Bones. He chatted with her for a few minutes, and we headed off kidding him about his fame.
We found out later in the day, when the race results were posted, that TJ finished in 1:39:57, I was at 2:00:28 and Hazel had a new PR with 2:29:44. TJ finished first overall for the men, I was fourth overall for the women, and Hazel was 10th overall for the women. Yay, us!
The drive back was amazingly devoid of traffic, and in about an hour we were back at Mr. and Mrs. Thyne’s house, ready for some glorious showers and brunch. One of the other Thyne siblings, Shelly, was there with her baby daughter. It was so nice to see Shelly and meet her little one. Shelly was the youngest of the Thyne kids, so she was really just a baby still at the time when my family moved away from the town where we all lived as kids. She didn’t remember me all that much, but she was able to pull a few details from the past out. We talked about her job and mine, and motherhood. She’s a sweet girl and her baby is adorable! After showering, we all enjoyed catching up, relaying our race stories and eating an amazing brunch together. Hazel and I were both aching from our Breathing and Bracing workshop from the day before, which Mr. Thyne thought was hilarious. Whenever I laughed, my abs killed.
After a lovey, leisurely brunch, Hazel and I both decided we wanted to rest a little, as we had plans with Katie later that night to see Tig Notaro at the Largo comedy club in West Hollywood. I said my goodbyes to TJ, because he was heading home and I wouldn’t see him before I left the next morning. What a great guy he’d been to take us all around and then run with us. It was such fun! We vowed to stay in touch.
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| Walk of Fame star outside the souvenir shop I stopped into on the way to Katie's house. |
Despite laying down for a little over an hour, I don’t really think I fell asleep. I think there was just too much adrenaline still running through my body and too many thoughts swirling through my head. Katie, Hazel and I headed out around 4:30 to get back to Katie’s house to pick up the will-call tickets for the show followed by a quick dinner. Katie’s boyfriend, Nate, joined us at this point, and we all had a great time hanging out in line at the Largo and for dinner at a place called Cal Mare. Even though we said we weren’t very hungry, we managed to do a great job clearing several shared plates of delicious food.
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| Largo Theater marquee. |
We got to the club at ten minutes of 8:00 (the show time), only to discover the show time was actually 7:30! Oh no! Our amazing reserved seats were given away and we were relegated to the last row. The show was already underway, but once we got in and settled, it seemed we hadn’t missed very much. Tig’s format for this show (apparently the first in a series) was “Tell Me Everything” and was interview style. Her guest on stage was Olivia Munn. Many of their conversation points were very funny, but a few seemed to drag in places. The show went for about two hours, which was awesome, and Tig was amazing. She is so lovable! It ended up being a fabulous end to another incredible day with the family Thyne.
We walked back to Katie and Nate’s house and hung out there for a short bit. Katie drove us back to her mom and dad’s house. Arriving there around 11 pm, we found out that the Patriots had won the last playoff game and were heading to the Super Bowl. Hooray! Mrs. Thyne chatted with all of us about our night out, but before long, the lateness of the evening started to hit me. I had been awake and very active for a very long time. It was time for bed.
I thanked Katie for all her amazing hospitality—dinner, the comedy show, the visit at her house—and we, too, vowed to stay in touch. I headed up to bed, and I think I was asleep before I even had my head down on the pillow. What a marathon day! (Literally!)
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| Race bib, finishers medal and t-shirts. |
Day 3—
I woke up early to get to the airport early for my 11:30 am flight out. I wanted to leave ample time, considering the government shutdown could affect TSA wait time. I got a little teary saying goodbye to Mrs. Thyne. Mr. and Mrs. Thyne were just the best for hosting me for the weekend. I felt so loved and cared for on my visit. Hazel joined me for the ride with her Dad back to the commuter station. At the curbside of the airport bus station, I said my heartfelt goodbyes. What an amazing trip it had been, and so special to reconnect with such funny, creative, wonderful old friends. Hazel and TJ were already talking about running in Hawaii…I sure hope that happens. Los Angeles was fabulous, and I hope I get to return someday to explore more of it. Thank you for joining me, Miss Hazel, and huge thanks to your family for all their hospitality! xxxxxooooo
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| California card. |
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