Race Report: Long Beach Marathon – Part 1

Last weekend, Chris and I traveled west on the 10, out to the greater Los Angeles area, for my fall race, the Long Beach Marathon.  After I didn’t get picked in the lottery for the Marine Corps Marathon, I searched for other races around the same time period, and Long Beach fit the bill; it was in mid-October, it was in a place with normally decent weather (dramatic foreshadowing!), and it gave us the added benefit of being able to spend time with Dad and Risa, whom we hadn’t seen since the New Year’s holiday. 

On Friday, we both took off work and started our drive west after the morning traffic abated in Phoenix.  The drive was uneventful, and we made it to Dad and Risa’s around 3, before the afternoon traffic kicked up in earnest in LA.  We settled in and then headed out to visit some breweries in their area.  First up was Old Orange Brewing; although I wouldn’t be drinking much of anything alcoholic until after the race, I was able to enjoy a sip of each brew that came in OOB’s sampler flight, picture here:

Unfortunately, most of OOB’s beers left much to be desired.  They were all a bit flat (taste-wise, not lacking carbonation) and flavorless, but the sole standout was the Smudge Pot Russian Imperial Stout (on nitro, no less!  Sweet!); it was really great. 

Next, we headed to another nearby brewery, Valiant Brewing Company.  Our experience at Valiant was much better; they had far more brews than OOB, and the ones we tried ranged from solid to exceptional.  They also had an N/A option for me, a brewed ginger soda flavored with lemongrass, which was refreshing.  Valiant also had large format bottles to go, so we purchased some to enjoy at home later.

Dad and Risa say “cheers!”

We then proceeded to dinner in downtown Orange at Haven Gastropub, and it was excellent.  Dad and Chris had burgers, I had the shepherd’s pie, and Risa enjoyed French onion soup and an heirloom tomato salad.  Everyone’s meal was great, and I envied the other folks in my party, as they chose from the extensive and intriguing tap list.  On the way back to the house, we stopped at BevMo to stock up on some West Coast favorites that don’t make it all the way to Arizona; some of these breweries don’t (yet) distribute in our state (21^st Amendment!  Elysian!), while some do but don’t feature their full lines near us (Firestone Walker 805!). 

On Saturday, we headed out to Long Beach itself to pick up my packet at the expo. 

At the expo!  Getting excited!

While waiting for our chosen lunch spot to open, we wandered the area for a little while, checking out the race route and potential spectator spots for the next day.  We also had a chance to check out the newest addition to the Ashley/Scott armada, although the day was too calm to take the sailboat out for a spin. 

In Rainbow Lagoon Park

The Long Beach Airport used this time to advertise their facilities, incorporating one of the best golf carts I’ve ever seen:

Now that’s riding in style!
Yes, those are wings, a propeller, and a tail fin!

Eventually, it got close to time for lunch, so we wandered over to our chosen eatery, Beachwood Brewing and BBQ.  As it happens, Beachwood was having a sour fest this weekend, so both Dad and Chris were in heaven tasting small pours of the dozens of sour offerings on tap.  The beers were all pretty good, if very different, and the red Risa enjoyed from Beachwood was also solid; our meals were also good, and I encourage everyone to try it out if you’re nearby. 

Since our sailboat trip was not happening, we elected to head back to the house, to sit in the AC and watch college football for the rest of the day, eating a delicious dinner at home and heading to bed at a reasonable hour, as the next day would start rather early.

Check out the blog next week for race details!

Later!

Amy