best finish line EVER

oh, facebook.  always showing me all sorts of fun stuff that i never knew i wanted to do.  heh.

this time, it was something fantastic - a race called the "fat boy 5K."  major sponsors included dunkin donuts, tru moo chocolate milk, a local cold brew coffee company, big red soda, and corner bakery.  now, before you get all huffy over the seemingly inappropriate name for the run, let me tell you that their goal was to get people of all shapes and sizes up and moving.  instead of age divisions, the various divisions were titled things like "clydesdale" - for men weighing 200-220 pounds and for women weighing in between 145-170 pounds, "athena."  it sounded like a fun run, although because it was scheduled for the morning of father's day, i figured i was out this year.

except that during a weak moment, the hub suggested that he and the bean drive me down there for the race and then we could go out for a nice breakfast afterwards.  and when i told him that i'd need to get there by at least 7:30 in the morning, he still didn't waver.  so i registered for the run and was all excited for the goodies that i'd be earning at the finish line.

we looked like a cheery bunch that morning, yes?

being super early on a sunday morning, we hit zero traffic on our way down to long beach.  they dropped me off near the aquarium of the pacific, where i found packet pick-up pretty easily.

 as i hung out and waited for the race to begin, i watched as the donuts arrived.  sweeeeeet.

then it was time to line up at the start line.  after the kids run (which consisted of just a small handful of kids running a quick quarter mile), it was our turn.

the course took us along the shoreline and then through the small village area.

then we continued on the bike path near the water, towards the queen mary.

mile marker #1!

i almost took a runner out as i stretched my arm out to take this selfie.  oops.

turnaround:

the course offered a really nice view, and there was lots to look at.  it's always nice to be distracted so that i don't think about how much i'm huffing and puffing.

one mile to go!

as we headed out towards the street, there were lots of volunteers along the way who happily cheered us on.  these races are nothing without these folks, who come out even earlier than the runners to get everything set up from the packet pickup stations to the course markers to the water stations.

pretty soon, i found myself back on the path where we'd started the run.

and another selfie op.

finally, the end was in sight.

as i stomped onto the timing mats to get my time registered, i noticed the tent off to the side with the division awards inside - colorful plastic buckets filled with all sorts of fantastic snacks like ding dongs and pop tarts.  i knew i was far from placing in the top 3 of my division, but man, it would've been kind of fun to take home a bucket full of snacks.

but then i started noticing the stations provided by the sponsors - like kombucha tea (which i skipped):

delicious ice cold cartons of chocolate milk:

big red soda, doubling as promotion for the upcoming "terminator" movie.

bottles of that local cold brew coffee:

cases upon cases of fresh chocolate chip cookies from corner bakery:

and what kept most of us going throughout the 3.1-mile course - those racks of dunkin donuts.

i managed to snag an empty box to hold all of my goodies, which i found really amusing.

and then...the moment of truth.

i made my way back to the hub and the bean, waiting for me in the nearby parking lot.  i showed off all my loot:

and then we headed off to find some delicious grub for breakfast.  we found it here:

the hub went big with the breakfast burrito, a giant tortilla stuffed with eggs, beans, cheese, avocado, pico de gallo, sour cream and bacon.

the bean went with something different - meatloaf and eggs served with a potato pancake.

as for me, i opted for something that always sounds good - two country fried chicken wings served with waffle sticks and three different dipping sauces.

although we'd discussed taking the bean to explore the queen mary, which she's never seen before, by the time we were done stuffing our faces we were all ready for a nap.  and that's exactly how we spent a good chunk of the rest of the day - each napping in different parts of the house.  it was a lovely way to spend father's day, and the hub seemed pleased with the cards we gave him.

next up for him - the spartan race up in san francisco next month.  oh boy.  i think it's going to be a ton of fun, but i'm also pretty sure he's going to kill me once it's all over.  i can't wait!