no bueno

a couple of months ago, i came across a deal on groupon for a cinco de mayo-themed 5K at the fairplex.  although we already had a run on the calendar for the month of may, i figured it couldn't hurt to do another one...right?  right?

and then it turned out that it was scheduled for the day after a really big cigar event the hub had planned at the lounge.  oops.  he halfheartedly insisted that he was still down to do it, but i had doubts.  i know what the morning after an event is like for him, since it usually means he's out till the wee hours, falling face-first into bed and collapsing into an exhausted coma for hours.

as the final instructions for the race started rolling in a couple of weeks before race day - in what seemed like 97 separate-but-identical e-mails - i noticed something.  something that didn't sound fabulous, not by a long shot.  now, keeping in mind that temperatures were forecasted in the 90s for that day, tell me if you can spot the issue:

did you see what got me all in a tizzy?  yeah - the race didn't even start until NOON.  holy crap.  but then i realized that left me open to sign up for a barre class that morning.  hey, why not?  plus, i had to hit the barre to celebrate anyway.

as i predicted, the hub was fast asleep for most of the morning.  the girls and i hung out in the living room, and the teen told me that if he wasn't feeling up to going, she'd take his place.  i went into the bedroom and poked him around 10:30 to see what he was thinking, and a few minutes later i sent the teen to throw on some workout gear.  heh.

at 11:30, we pulled up here:

and shelled out ten freaking bucks to park.  ugh.

and, ew.

it is odd to be at the fairplex when the l.a. county fair isn't going on.  the whole place is empty and eerie.

we made our way to the infield where everyone was gathering amongst the handful of vendors that were setting up their displays.

two of the l.a. kings ice girls were there.  they must've drawn the short stick.

there were lots of sombreros, a few ponchos, and a ton of tutus.  

this race was super duper unorganized.  vendors were still pulling in and setting up 15 minutes before race time, and no one seemed to know where the start was supposed to be.  in fact, the banners that said "start" and "finish" on them were still laying on the ground.  and it was unbearably hot.  i honestly didn't understand why we were starting so damn late - these things usually get going by 8am or so at the latest.  it would've been a hell of a lot cooler had we been out there then.

i'd thrown my precious rundisney shoes on because they matched my sparkle skirt, which i regretted the moment we set foot on the muddy track on the way to the start.

and then this douchebag pushed his way past me, stepped on my foot, and offered a half-assed "oh, sorry" when i yelled at him.  jerkface.

oh well.  time to put our game faces on.

junior mariachis!

finally, it was time to start.  the gun went off and we followed the crowd around the track and towards the fairgrounds.  and did i mention that it was hot?

i'd asked how the course was at packet pickup, and the girl i was talking to said she'd run the course earlier in the week.  she reported that it was mostly flat, with one small hill at the beginning.  

that hill was NOT small.  i don't think you can see from this picture, but it was a fairly gnarly incline that lasted for probably a quarter of a mile.

at least it was partly shaded.  and it took us through sections of the fairgrounds i'd never ever seen before.

we'd been told that there would be one water stop on the course.  that's pretty normal for a 5K run, although when we found it, they were already out of cups and water.  sweet.

i wanted to jump into this fountain to cool off.

we were pretty happy when we turned the corner and found ourselves heading towards one of the barn buildings.  shaaaaaaade.

think she was regretting volunteering to come right around now?

another fountain.

despite the fact that both my watch and the nike + app showed that we'd only gone 2.6 miles, the finish line was just ahead.

normally i'd be annoyed at getting shorted by a good half mile, but that day i really didn't care.  i was just happy to be done.  and still got a medal out of it.

was it worth it?  i almost always say YES! to the bling.  this time, though...meh.  this is not a race i plan on repeating.  in fact, it'll take a lot to get me to register for another run organized by this group. hell, the word "organized" doesn't even apply to this race.  pfffffft.