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 (21st 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!
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
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