Crescent City Classic 2009, Freddie's First!

Is this our first family portrait???

The family walked in "The Classic" today, Freddie's first 10K. We finished in just about 2 hours. Not bad considering we had the stroller and were stuck in the back with the grandmas and heavy beer drinkers.


The weather was beautiful and the crowd festive. I love how excited everyone is for the race, some looking forward to the run and most wanting to share a beer and catch up with friends.

Lee and Angie joined us for the walk and came by later to boil some crawfish.


Freddie spent most of the course in the stroller and even got a bottle en route.

Perfect way for our little family to spend Holy Saturday in NOLA.

Gulf Coast Adventure Race

Yesterday Charlie participated in an adventure race with Lee and Angie as team members. I would have liked to participate, but my lack of map reading skills would have surely got me a tongue lashing from my husband and other team mates, so just as well that the belly sidelined me this year.

The race covered nearly 23 miles through the city, 7 miles on foot, 12 miles by bike, and almost 4 miles paddling in the canoe.

It began in City Park, went through the Central Business District and French Quarter, and came back to the park. The route isn't revealed to racers until 30 minutes prior to start time.

Examining the map and course

Racers must make their way to various checkpoints and have "passports" stamped, but in addition to physically making it to checkpoints, there are challenges! Some challenges entail physical skills such as climbing a rock wall at Massey's and others are just silly like drinking a glass of orange juice sans hands at Lucy's Retired Surfer Bar, acquiring street car transfers, and taking a quiz at the Insectarium.

There were also prizes hidden along the way if you so cared to risk adding time and possibly sacrificing your ranking. Charlie, Lee, and Angie managed to snag a couple of gift certificates, one hidden at the Piazza d'Italia in the CBD and the other taped to the back of a stop sign in the French Quarter.

Team Hug

Time to finish for Team "And a Training Wheel" was 3 hours 45 minutes. Not bad. Not first, but certainly not last. (Results should be posted soon.) They're all hobbling around this morning, but already cooking up a plan for the first race of the series next year.

Crescent City Classic, 2008

Last year left us feeling like marathon runners. This year: fat asses.


We hadn't trained at all. Charlie's double wammy of the flu and other bed ridden ailments, coupled with too much fun and an early race date meant we only ran the first two miles. We did it in about 22 minutes. But the last four were a different story.

And after that we got to experience a different race.


Brass bands and beer!


We passed on the foamy beer but Charlie grabbed a hot dog to bring us through the last two mile stretch.

It was one of those cheep, red, dirty water weenies, just like I love!


It's perfect Spring weather, and we were content to watch the sites along the route as well as admire the grand homes we passed along Esplanade Ave.

Not bad...

92 minutes. You've got to remember I'm injured...drunken gravy bicycle wipe out on Prytania...


After the race, in keeping with the fat ass theme, we passed on the fruit and water and headed for the Abita and Zapp's!


That belly roll of mine really isn't as bad as it looks here!


There's always next year. And it won't be so hard to beat out time from this year, right?

The Gumbo Run 5K

Here we are, post race, beer and gumbo, in Home Depot
doing our Sunday shopping.

Times:

• Erin: 36:26
• Charlie: 28:46

Lessons:

• All coffee must be finished at least 2 hours before race

Upcoming:

• Fall Classic, 10K, November 10th, 8:30 am

Perfect weather for this 5K across the Huey P. Long Bridge. I used my daddy's strategy...run to the foot of the bridge, walk to the peak, and then run down using your downhill momentum to propel you to the finish line. It worked. Kinda.

Charlie did rather well and is really enjoying our monthly races. I think he beat the old guy with the bushy eyebrows and pink leggings, but I didn't. I really do commit to doing some training running before the next race, because no matter how far I walk, it doesn't enable me to run any distance.