CrossRoads Blog

Okay, so does it get any better than having a great excuse to go to New Orleans than to run a Marathon? Plus the fact that it is part of the Rock-N-Roll Marathon series (brief interlude to mention that the RnR series does this thing that if you do more than one of their events you get extra medals, in fact for every additional race you do you get some extra cool ‘bling’. Let’s just say the medals for doing six or seven events in a year in the series are way cool and this was another reason to do New Orleans). The main reason we got to run the race was because it was all part of the “We have a new Grand Daughter Oklahoma trip”.

We scooted out from the land of the Grandkiddos on Friday so we could (I heard that - yes I do work - it’s called laptops and iPhones - get with times) settle in and enjoy a couple of nights in the Big Easy before the race. As you may have gathered from our last N.O visit, this is a favorite place. Something about this city. It’s just the overall vibe it exudes, and the music, and of course the food. Did I mention the food? Before I forget, yep, Kimberly had another Peanut Butter Burger at Yo Mamma’s, and it took less than a few hours before those little buggers on the half shell where sloshing around in my stomach - something repeated again of course.

Being that the crowds were long gone from Mardi Gras, and Jazz Fest was still a few months away, snagging a good room was pretty easy. We if fact decided on an old New Orleans classic place called La Pavillion (French of course so pronounced La-Pa-ve-own). The place is pretty cool and I think is even famous for its ‘haunted residents’. It is also famous for its tradition of PB&J sandwiches served to guests at 10:00 every night. Yep, they break out Peanut Butter and Jelly on a whole lot of fancy dished and serve it up in the lobby every night. We of course had to partake, even though there was no whole wheat bread (btw, I filled out a survey after we left and got an email form the mgr that they will have whole wheat from now on! Cool huh - we now are kind of part of the tradition).

Seeing we had gotten to town early enough Friday to pick up our bib and hit the expo, we had all Saturday to hang. We ended up doing the typical NO thing and walking the Quarter and looking in all the awesome Royal street antique shops (no place in the US like Royal). On the stroll we also hit up the French Market which is like a giant food and flea market thing (with Royal think Beverly Hills, with the French Market think Oklahoma hills). Walking along Kimberly spotted this awesome homemade Raggedy Ann Doll she just had to have for little Ms Ariana. Amazing, I think it was like $15 and totally handmade with cool stitched clothing and everything - score, we get her first doll! We continued to do the walking thing but of course called it an early night. As always, we try to get some sleep before the Marathon in the morning which with a 6:00 am start meant a 4:00 rise.

The weather had been a little iffy. In fact, cold and rain had been the story. The good news is for some reason our ‘weather blessed’ streak continued. It could not have been a more perfect running morning weather wise. This was a good thing because we had to walk to the start line. Still a little cold we just brought a race wrap type thing you can ditch before the race starts. The walk took a little more time than expected and by the time I did the drop bag thing (the race was out and not back so we would be some 12 miles or so from the Hotel when we were done) it was time for the corrals. I loved that for this race they actually had the porta-potties on the side of the corral! I can’t tell you how nice it was to have access to a bathroom minutes before a Marathon and not have any line really.

The race course was way cool. It essentially takes you down Magazine street and through Audubon Park which is awesome. You then return back toward the city via Saint Charles with the half runners on the other side of the trolley line. Next is a quick trip through the French Quarter passing St Louis Cathedral, and Kimberly’s favorite Cafe Du Monde (kidding she is not a beignet fan) before you head toward St. Louis Cemetery and finally into City Park where you run around for a few miles and finish right smack dab in the heart of it to the sounds of Cowboy Mouth and others rockin’ away. All in all one very scenic course. The only downside is the roads - man are they tough. Seems Katrina effects along with just being an old city has some painful effects on the roads. St. Charles in particular is tough as the road is just tore up and you spend a lot of time trying to find even semi even pavement.

Which brings us to Mrs. M. She had done a little damage during the Pemberton Ultra and essentially exacerbated it here on the roads of New Orleans. In fact, she wisely spent the last 9 miles of walking or should I say hobbling to the finish. This was the only downer news of the whole trip. After the race we got to again meet up with some great runner folks we have come to know. It’s fast becoming the reason we so look forward to the next race - seeing the friends. The night of the run we again hit GW Fins (you knew we would). While the entrees and everything else was amazing as expected, sadly the Apple Pie was not quite as good as the “best desert ever” it was on the last trip - oh well. We again hated leaving this grand ol’ city, but we had some Grand kiddos to get back too!

PICTURES

Okay, for those of you saying this running thing is becoming a obsession with them - duh, we already long ago acknowledged that. You must just now be reading the blog? Anyway, so Fifty Kilometers (50K) equals Thirty-One (31) Miles. When you think about it, it really doesn’t sound like all that more that a Marathon. It’s a cheesy 5 miles more right? Heck you’re doing that much anyway what’s a little added. I think probably overall that is a fair statement, however to steal an old friend’s line “cepting’ one thing”. That one thing is that Ultra Marathon’s (for our non running friends anything more than the 26.2 is generally considered an “Ultra Marathon”) are typically NOT RAN on the road. They typically are done on trails. Trails usually have hills, or go through Mountains, or have a lot of rocks, and switchbacks, and all that other good up and down stuff. So all that said, it is not the miles as much as it is the ‘logistics’ as we always say - and such was the case with the Pemberton Trail 50K.

When we normally talk pre-race ‘logistics’ it’s all about: sleep the night before, how the body feels with all the little aches and pains, how did the restroom thing go (sorry to mention but it’s a biggie), the weather, etc. etc. So with an Ultra you now add; how much elevation, how technical are the trails, is the path rocky, where are the aid stations, I need to do a ‘drop bag’ (your own food etc seeing you will be on your feet for hours on end), are there any on course ‘health break’ spots or will the big rock and the cholla be getting some unexpected electrolyte water (so to speak), etc.

This is the part where I normally comment “see with all the other stuff to deal with the race itself is the easy part”. Well, not this time. Freaking running for 4:39:30 (my time which was 29th overall) and Kimberly’s amazing on-her-feet-running 6:25:55 (106th overall but about 35th among women because there just are not that many ladies that are rock stars and do this type thing) is hard!! Let’s just say there was hills, there was sun, and the last 3 miles felt like the first 10. So no complaining about the logistics, we are fessin’ up and saying 50K while an amazingly fun adventure, be’ a none too easy way to start a Saturday morning.

What a riot this race was. In hindsight, the course wasn’t all the tough. The people at Ultra’s are all just the coolest, nicest people you want to meet. Fringe types true, but really fun to hang with :-).

Okay so this blog will be a ‘you guess why we decided to run the Surf City Half Marathon‘ type post. There are of course a ton of way cool reasons, but one reason we just had to do this run stood out (aside from the fact the Full was sold out so we did the Half). So I’ll share some of the fun and you pick the one…

1.) We got to hang out with cousin Shelly. We love family, nothing better than being able to do a race and be able to double dip by seeing some kin folk. Missed Kevin this time something about needing him to hang around for the Space Shuttle landing - like that’s more important than seeing us…??

2.) Hey it’s a chance to hang in LA West of the 405. When Randy Newman wrote “I Love LA” he for sure meant West of the 405 (i.e. the beach communities). Other side of the 405 Frwy, let’s just say no go. But LA beach cities = that California cool, movie stars, sun, sand, tiki bars and fish tacos, what’s not to love….

3.) The finishers medal for the race is a way freaking cool surfboard…

4.) The course is mostly ran right on the Pacific Coast Hwy, which in case you didn’t know means you are looking at that gorgeous blue water and sand the whole race.

5.) We got to hook up with some great runner friends we have met at other races including the Punk Rock Runner himself Mr. Ron. Cooler yet, we got to met his youngin’ who is actually more cool, a faster runner, and far better looking than the old man (must take after mama). We also got to meet a bunch of other folks we had ‘talked’ with but never met yet. In addition, we got to support a really great guy with an amazing cause. Sam Felsenfeld is a man who is out there running 60 Marathons this year to raise money and awareness for Autism via a cause he started called Operation Jack. Sam’s son is Autistic and it’s just an amazing story. Sam and his whole family are great people too. We had the chance to hang with them at a pre-race Pasta dinner they hosted and had a great time.

6.) We got to eat all that California good grub, including a most excellent post race Burger, fish tacos, dinner one night at a famous Tiki-Bar, and all the organic-farmer-market-foodie-stuff you get in CA.

7.) Along the drive to LA there is a Premium Factory outlet and Mrs Miller just loves stopping.

8.) I knew that after the run and the next day we could just hang around and enjoy that beach life. A run along the path by Newport Pier, watch the sunset on the Ocean with the woman, smell that cool coastal breeze and pretend we live here in the land of $3K a foot vacation homes.

Okay so there is the list of all the main reasons for deciding to run the race. What’s your guess? Family and friends - you know how we are? A chance to run along the Pacific twice!? Good eats, you know how I am…? To all the previous a big NOPE. We are far more shallow when it comes down to reasons to run a race. In this case it’s the Bling!! Come on, I mean a Surf Board Medal!! How in the heck can you not do it….

As for results Kimberly had a 1:57:22 which was good for Top 15% in her age, gender and almost overall (even w the boys factored in)! I had a respectable 1:35:51 which was in the Top 2.5% overall and Top 4% for my age and gender.

Some Trip Pics HERE