Reviewing the 2012 Run Under The Sun
I’m not sure how many years I’ve done the Old Hometown Fair 10K in Manhattan Beach, CA, but another one was completed in 2012. The weather was great; a bit warm for running, perhaps, but no one was complaining about the near cloudless sunny skies.
There have been 35 of them and I’ve done at least a dozen. They are great events, a fun run with about 5,000 locals, bands along the route, the final mile along the Strand with a full view of the Pacific Ocean and a finish by the beach at the downtown Pier.
And then a party at Shellback Tavern where it’s most definitely 5 O’Clock Somewhere. I call this “exercise and socialize,” and it’s what life is all about in this Los Angeles beach town.
This year, I was in pretty good shape, but didn’t push it, finishing in almost exactly an hour. I considered making a late run the final mile-plus going up the steep Rosecrans incline, but was too concerned with avoiding the morning whiff of El Tarasco when I crested the hill! There’s little doubt I’ll be there by nightfal, a full day of the beer garden behind me (blog update; I was!), but having it invade the senses at 8 in the morning doesn’t sit well with the stomach. And I did avoid the whiff of it, or so I thought ,but it followed me a block and caught me when I hit Highland.
Then it was the scenic mile along the Strand to the Pier, in what has to be one of the most gorgeous endings to any race anywhere. In golf, they always talk about gorgeous finishing holes. If there were such as thing in running , the Manhattan Beach 10K would be the equivalent of Pebble Beach.
And not even Pebble Beach has a post-finish atmosphere like the 10K. Thousands gather at the Pier and after a rejuvenation with water and Monster, it’s into Shellback for beers or Bloody Mary’s. The place is always packed after the 10K and 2012 was no different. I had a couple of Bud Light drafts, which I decided is pretty much the perfect post-10K brew. It’s light enough to be go down smoothly after a run yet strong enough to let you know you are definitely drinking beer.
Now,, it’s onto the beer garden!
Leave a Reply