2021 Lake Evans Triathlon and Other Stuff.....

      

     With the Covid scare, the past two years have been relatively running free. I think I have trained just enough to maintain some sort of semblance of fitness. I did do a couple of races in 2021 with minimal training. One such race was the SAR Bigfoot Trail 10k. I did it, although I think I was about 10 minutes slower than my previous attempt. The other race I did was the Lake Evans Triathlon Relay.

      Earlier in the year three of us decided to try the relay to relive some of our past glory from the '80s. The team was to be my wife Robin as the swimmer, my buddy Stan as the cyclist, and I would be the runner. The race was originally scheduled for early to mid April, and it was postponed to October 31st because of Covid issues. The delay gave my wife Robin the bright idea that she would do the relay and the whole international distance triathlon. All of us are over 60, thus the team name of Two Grandpas and a Grammy was born. We all trained a little all summer long, and we had help from some great friends.

     Fast forward to Halloween 2021 and race day was here. We all met at Lake Evans near Taft, California in the dark on what would turn out to be a cold and cloudy day. Trevor and Andrea joined us and they signed up for the stand-alone 10k run. Robin, being the badass Canadian she is, decided to not wear a wetsuit for the swim. She was the only participant not in a wetsuit. The race was self-seeded at the start, but it just as easily could have been a mass start as the participant numbers were fairly low. Robin tended to wander a lot in the swim, but she did finish in 35 minutes, handing off to Stan and he was off on the bike. Robin then put on her cycling gear and hit the flat fast bike course.  I was running around trying to stay warm and cheering Trevor and Andrea as they finished the 10k. Soon enough, Stan finished the bike in 1:20 and it was my turn to finally get to do something other than cheer. I took off on the run after passing a couple of people managed to finish in 53:28. The course was a quarter-mile long but my time was still slow, not too bad for no training though. While I was out running Robin finished the bike in 1:41 then took off on her run leg. While I was on my way back after the turnaround I got to see Robin heading out on her run. She was running and smiling, enjoying what is truly not her favorite event. She did finish, her run was a 1:35 so she walked a lot, but she did it. We all got finisher medals and awards. The people that put on the race were fantastic, they cooked food, aid stations were great, and outside of the weather, nothing went wrong. 

Stan, Robin, and I with our awards after the race

     On another note, this week marked the 5th anniversary of my prostate cancer surgery. Everything is still good, and I,m looking forward to things getting back to normal and doing more races in 2022. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone.

2019 Zero Prostate Run

     Three weeks ago a big group of us headed to Cal State Bakersfield to participate in the second annual Zero Prostate Cancer Run to raise money to fight prostate cancer. Our team name was Just Do It and we were all about getting men checked for prostate cancer. We all met in the parking lot adjacent to the soccer fields near the CSUB amphitheater where the race would start and finish. The event featured great pre-race festivities including the national anthem by Nashville recording artist
Jimmy Charles. At most of the races I go to I usually skip all of the pre-race stuff to get properly warmed up but for this run I enjoyed hanging out, listening to the speakers and meeting fellow cancer survivors.

Pre-race photo op with Jimmy Charles

     With all of the pre-race ceremonies over the kids run went off and then we were all called to the starting line. We all posed for a starting line shot with Jimmy Charles and then we were given the go-ahead to run. Now I hadn't been training much over the prior couple of weeks since I had some skin cancer cut out of my right leg and it was infected. In fact even now, some three weeks later the spot has become infected again hampering my ability to go out and train. Even with my lack of fitness I was able to go out and run with the leaders for a while, joking and talking with them as I had run with some of them the previous year. I hit the first mile in 6:45 feeling good, mile two came and went in 6:41, and my third mile was run at a 6:55 pace but the course was short and I finished with a reasonable 19:24. I was fourth overall and first in the patient/survivor division. We all got custom finishers medals hand made by the local Zero race director Leonard Zasoski. The medals are hand-painted walnuts on a lanyard with the walnut symbolizing the prostate. I hung around the finisher's chute cheering everyone as they finished before the post-race festivities commenced. 

Team Just Do It trying to fit into the picture

     The event was hosted by Eytan Wallace of KGET-17 news and he was an awesome master of ceremonies. Jimmy Charles had all of the survivors and caretakers up on stage and sang his song Superman about fighting cancer. It definitely brought a tear to many eyes that were in attendance. After the different awards were handed out I was asked to give the survivors speech. I touched on my story and gave the names of famous people who had been taken from us early because of this disease. Early detection is key. 

Eytan Wallace introducing me before my survivor's speech

     After the awards and speeches, Jimmy Charles sang his song "We Are Warriors" before everyone headed out of the event. I would be remiss if I didn't mention a few of the hard-working people that helped put on this event. I already mentioned Leonard Zasoski, but his wife Betty and the company he works for, Colombo Construction in Bakersfield, were key to making the event a success. Zero Prostate's own Vanessa Peterson put in countless hours of work to ensure that things went as they should. Lastly, it was an honor to talk and run with fellow survivor Randall Kam(stage IV) who had just completed the New York Marathon six days earlier.

     Our team headed to the parking lot for a little post-run tailgating before heading to Lengthwise Brewing for some post-race burgers and beers and a celebration of our team member Melissa's birthday. The race was a lot of fun, my only issue was the course being short. Hopefully next year the numbers are even greater and they have to rent more portable toilets.

Celebrating a great run and Melissa's birthday

2018 Kern County Cancer Run 5k, Race Report #44

     On Saturday, October 13, 2018, Robin and I participated in the Kern County Cancer Run. The race is put on by the C.B.C.C. in Bakersfield, CA. I participated in the first Kern County Run but had to miss the 2017 version to attend a wedding and I really looked forward to returning. All of the proceeds from the race stay in Kern County and the event organizers do a fantastic job of putting on the race.
     We arrived early so that I could do a warm-up. I got in my miles and strides and waited around for the starter's gun.

 Race check-in prior to the start of the Kern County Cancer Run

     We all took off and I went out fairly hard, but behind all of the young guys who were either fast or would soon die shortly after the first mile. I hit the first mile in 6:20 and wasn't too far off the lead runners. Soon after the turn around I managed to get by the second-place runner and maintained the distance between myself and the leader. My second mile was a 6:18 as the adrenaline of passing people and chasing the leader kept me going. Soon enough I could feel myself tightening up and slowing down. In spite of this, I was slowly gaining on the leader. We rounded a corner on the bike path and as we were supposed to transition to the dirt trail to the finish the leader kept on going the wrong way on the bike path. I yelled out as best as I could but he didn't hear me. He kept on going the wrong way and I could now run easily in for the win. My third mile was 6:42, I knew I was slowing down. I finished in a 19:46 and won a pass to the movies. 

Results from the 2018 Kern County Cancer Run.

     After the race was over Robin and I headed to BJ's for some post-race nourishment and an adult beverage before heading home for the night.

Bison Burger and Fries from BJ's

2018 Howlin' at the Moon 5 and 10k, Race Report #43

     On September 22, 2018, we headed to Bakersfield for the Howlin' at the Moon 5 and 10k races held at Riverwalk Park. The fantastic event is a fundraiser for the Bakersfield Police Department K-9 Division. The race was a night race and I thought the race started at 7. We got there at 6, met up with Trevor and Andrea and found up the race didn't start until 8. I had already warmed up before I found out that I was really early. Needless to say, I took some grief for this. The good thing about this is it let Tamara arrive on time for the race since she was lost and running late.
     I did my second warm-up of the night and finished it off with some drills and strides. I was wearing my Nike Zoom Fly shoes for this race along with a headlamp attached to the bill of my hat. Since I had done this race in the past I knew there were some pretty dark spots along the course.
     The pre-race pageantry is always special at the events put on by the Bakersfield Police Department and this one was no different. After the singing of the national anthem, I continued with some strides to stay loose until the race began.
     I'm glad the race didn't start until 8 as that let the temperature cool down to a balmy 88 with no sun. A little warm but the fact that it was dark helped with the heat.
     When the gun went off I went out fairly quick but soon settled down into a nice pace, slowly passing the runners that had gone out way too fast. I hit the first mile in a 6:17. I'm not sure what place I was in because there were a few of the fast 10k people running with us. As we neared the turnaround for the 5k I would be able to see what spot I was in. I counted 3 people ahead of me as I made the turn. I passed one fairly quickly after the turn and started chasing the guy in second place. It wasn't long after this that I had to deal with all of the traffic of the runners still heading out as I was heading back to the finish. My second mile was a 6:20, so pretty much the same pace since I had to slow for the turnaround. I gave high fives as I ran back past Robin and my friends. Soon enough I was passed the masses and concentrated on reeling in the second place runner. I caught him and with just over a half mile to go and pushed towards the finish. I could feel my legs beginning to tire and I had nothing left to catch the leader. My third mile was 6:24 and I pushed to the finish at a 6-minute flat pace. I ended up second overall with a time of 19:20, more than a minute faster than the previous year.

My Garmin screenshot after the Howlin" at the Moon 5k.

     It wasn't long after I finished that Trevor, Andrea, and Robin finished. There was one problem, we couldn't find Tamara anywhere. We figured that she should have been done before Robin but we couldn't find her anywhere. We checked both the finish and the area with free Dickie's BBQ Sandwiches but no Tamara. Trevor and I headed back to the parking lot, grabbed our lawn chairs and we settled down to wait for awards, Tamara, and the raffle drawing.  It wasn't long before Tamara showed up. Somehow she missed the bright lights and aid station at the 5k turnaround and ran the 10k. This would prove to be funny when awards time came along.

Everyone enjoying the festivities and showing off their mugs.

     When the awards for the 5k were announced, Andrea ended up 3rd in her age group and got a mug. This was only possible because Tamara had run the wrong race thus moving Andrea up a spot. When everything was done I got first in my age group, Andrea got third in her age group, and Robin also got a mug for first in her age group. We think Trevor should have won an award too, but there were some issues with timing. None of us won anything in the raffle drawing so we headed to BJ's for some food and beers.

Enjoying our post-race beverages at BJ's.

     I don't know why more people don't do this race. The course is flat and fast. The entry fee is 25.00. We get a shirt, awesome age group awards in the form of beer glasses, free BBQ sandwiches from Dickey's, and great raffle prizes. I give this race a 6 lager rating. 

2018 SAR Bigfoot Trail Races, Race Report #42

     On Saturday, August 11th robin and I loaded up the Subaru and headed north to the Fresno-Clovis area to check in for the following day's SAR Bigfoot Trail race. The check-in was held at Fleet Feet Fresno and we timed it so we would arrive around lunchtime so we could sample a local brewpub after we picked up everyone's stuff at check-in. By everyone I mean we got not only ours but Mark, Joan, Andrea, and Trevor's. Those four were busy at a family function in San Jose so we helped out by picking up their bibs and shirts. Before we headed to Mark and Joan's we headed to the local Sequoia Brewing Company for a craft beer and some lunch. We ordered a couple of beers and some fried pickles while we looked over the lunch menu.

Fried Pickles from the Sequoia Brewing Company

Robin had a half of a sandwich and salad at the Sequoia Brewing Company.

     After we had finished lunch we headed over to Mark and Joan's house where we would meet up with everyone, eat some Mexican food, and go to bed early for the big day on Sunday.

     At sometime around zero dark thirty the alarm went off and we got up and made our usual Dave's Epic Everything Bagels with avocado before piling in the Subaru and heading into the western High Sierra's for a date with a trail half-marathon later that morning. 

     Since I was the only one who opted to buy the V.I.P. parking pass we dropped off Mark and Joan's car at the shuttle point then all six of us piled into our Subaru for the five-mile drive to race parking. Once we arrived the kind gentleman pointing out where we should park determined that since I had an all-wheel drive I could make it up a steep hill and over rocks to park in the 4-wheel drive lot. We made it, only bottoming out once. We all unfolded ourselves out of the car, grabbed our gear and ice chests, and headed for the 3/4 mile walk to the starting area. 

     The half-marathon would start first, and there was a roped off area for faster runners to be in so I headed for that. It's important at this race to start out fairly quickly because of the amount of dust that is kicked up by the runners and I wanted to make sure I breathed as little as possible of the stuff as we got going. 

The start of the 2018 SAR Bigfoot Half-Marathon

     The first two miles were mostly downhill and it was relatively easy. I tried to hold back knowing that what lay ahead would be tough going. Right about the start of mile 3, we went up a trail that was almost vertical. This was one of the steepest hills that I have ever seen as part of a race. After this, the course mellowed out with the usual ups and downs associated with trail races. 

One of the many uphill sections of the race

     Soon enough we also were joined by runners of the 5 and 10k races at various parts of the race as the course snaked in and out of the coves around Shaver Lake. It was during this point that I tripped and fell while in a crowded section of the race. I went down in soft dirt and rolled before popping up. I was lucky, nothing felt broken, and there was no bleeding. A couple of people asked if I was alright but no one stopped to check me out. I re-pinned my number back on and tried to get back into a rhythm. The fall happened just before a split in the course so within a hundred yards I was running alone again. When I arrived at the next aid station some volunteers helped me wash some of the dirt out of my water bottle lid and off of my face. I continued in the race but my confidence was lacking from there on to the finish. I hiked the uphills and ran the downhills just wanting to be done. 

Elevation Chart of the 2018 SAR Bigfoot Half-Marathon

     The course was about four-tenths of a mile short of a half-marathon according to my Garmin. My time was 2:17:19 and I was second in my age group. The race featured 1600 feet of climbing.  

I'm heading to the finish covered in dirt

     A little over an hour later Robin finished in 3:38, good for second in her age group, and not far behind her was Andrea in  3:39. Robin and I got engraved Swiss Army Knives for our age group awards. Trevor ran the 5k, and Mark and Joan finished the 10k. After everyone had finished, we all headed to the picnic area for free burgers, hot dogs, beers, and ice cream. The race organizers really do put on a top-notch event. There's a DJ with music, great shirts, medals, food, awards, and beer for the participants.

Our finishers medals from the 2018 SAR Bigfoot Races

Andrea and Robin posing at the Bigfoot Statue with their medals after the race

Pre-race selfie, everyone was clean and still smiling

     We all hiked back to the four-wheel drive parking lot where we had parked. It had been an awesome day but we all had to head home and get ready for work on Monday. This race is definitely a 6 IPA race. We are all looking forward to the next edition of the SAR Bigfoot races.

2018 COC Summer Series, Race Reports 35-41

     This year was the 45th annual COC Summer Cross Country Series held on the campus of College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California. I have been running races at COC since an AAU championship meet was held here in the late '70s or early '80s, also known as the glory days of running. The series always starts on the first Thursday after the 4th of July and this year that happened to be July 5th. The series consists of 6 preliminary races followed by a series finale to make 7 weeks of pure cross country fun for the whole family. Unlike the Bakersfield Summer Series, this race consists of mostly serious runners, many of them high schoolers from all over southern California. For this reason, Robin decided she didn't want to compete this year. She would just show up with me, do the course early at her pace, then cheer and take pictures. Good friend Keith Pautz usually comes out for these races even without proper training and fitness along with some Frazier Park buddies I have coaxed into running the series the past few years.
     The weather for the first race was warm by Santa Clarita standards but not for me after running the Bakersfield series. It cooled down to 93 by the time the 7:00 PM start rolled around. I went into the series planning on only running hard at the series finale since recovery seems to be getting tougher as I age. I had run a race only 48 hours earlier so the plan was to take it easy and enjoy the race. My start was fairly quick because old habits die hard. At the COC races, everyone heads out along the baseball field to a gate then a sharp left followed by the course narrowing down as it wound its way through campus. My early 5:30 pace for the first couple of hundred meters slowed as we made the turn and  I  settled into a pace that I felt comfortable with. My first mile was 7:03, followed by an 8:13 during the hilly section, then a downhill 6:49 to the finish on the track. My official time was a 22:18. I got third in my age group for the first night. In years past we have always gone to Vincenzo's Pizza for our post-race nourishment but on this night they were unable to serve us so we headed to Chuy's instead.

 Robin went for the basket of fish at Chuy's.

I opted for the giant burrito

     The following week we were back at COC on Thursday for race number 2 and this week Keith showed up. I did a short warm-up and caught up with Keith and his son Ethan about everything we had been doing in the last year since COC had ended in 2017. The second week of COC I hadn't done any races so I figured I would try a little harder than the week before but still nothing all out until the last race. I hit the first mile a little quicker in 6:57. The second mile I still didn't run hard because of all of the hills and ran an 8:11 split. My final mile downhill was quicker with a 6:38 showing on my watch. My final time was 21:56 good enough for second in my age group behind Nigel Toates on the night. Keith finished in a 35:37 and off we went for food at Vincenzo's Pizza.

 Part of the family meal deal at Vincenzo's.

We opted for a pitcher of beer instead of sodas

     Week number 3 was soon upon us and we all met up in the parking lot at COC to get ready for the nights racing action. Since I had raced on Tuesday before I wouldn't be running hard and the weather was a cool 82 degrees out. I was bummed I wouldn't be able to take advantage of the weather and race hard but I knew if I did I would pay the price down the road with recovery issues. I did the first mile in 7:17 cruising along talking with friends. The second mile with the hills was 7:53 and my last mile downhill to the track and finish was 6:57. My time was 22:17 which was good for 3rd in my age group on the night. Keith took full advantage of the cooler weather and turned in a 33:09. We all headed to Vincenzo's Pizza again for some food and adult beverages to aid in recovering from the night's activities.

    Week number 4 meant we were over half-way through the series and the weather once again turned out to be cool. I decided to just run the middle mile hard, at least harder than I had run it up to this point in the series. Once again we all took off from the baseball field and headed to the middle of campus. I hit the first mile in a comfortable 6:58 then started working the hills with a little more determination than the previous 3 weeks. The hard work paid off and my second mile was a 7:41. I eased off on the last mile to the finish and had a time of 21:36 for the race, good enough for second in my age group on the night. Keith came across the finish line in a 33:37 which was a little slower for him than the previous week. 

     We tried to get to Vincenzo's but it was packed with some meeting so we headed over to Chuy's instead. 

I have a soft spot for the Chuy's burrito

     Week 5 brought us back to COC for the first time in the month of August. This week I decided I would run the last mile harder and go through the first two easy. I did my warm-ups and headed to the starting area. When the gun went off I did start quickly, about 5:30 pace but then I settled into an easy running motion to get through the first two miles. Lucky for me I tucked in behind Phil Howard that runs the Tuesday night track practice and was able to chase him to the finish. My third mile was a 6:22, the quickest of the year so far. I finished with a time of 22:11, good for third in my age group behind Nigel and Phil on the night. Once again, being creatures of habit we headed to Chuy's for dinner after the race.

 Robin had the salmon

I went for something different finally and had the chili

     Week six was the last night for the regular season. Next week would be the finale. This was the last night to get eligible for awards. In order to win an award, a person had to compete in three of the first six races. Anyone could compete in the finals race but only those that had three races in could win awards. 

     The previous Sunday I had competed in a trail half-marathon in Shaver Lake that I hadn't fully recovered from yet(more on that race in the next blog post)so my goal was to run the whole race easy. I went out slow and never ran hard the whole race. I was still tired from the half-marathon and I knew I was going to run hard the next week. My splits were 7:48, 8:49, and 7:00. My official time was a 23:48 which was good for 7th in my age group on the night. Keith, on the other hand, was feeling his oats and cranked out a 31:42 which was his best so far in the series. 

     The real treat for this night occurred at Chuy's. When we arrived Big Bill was there waiting for us. Bill Hines, aka Big Bill, was best man at my wedding and him Keith and I used to do lots of things together before marriage and children. 

Big Bill showed up at Chuy's to eat and reminisce with Keith, Robin, and myself.

     Week seven was here which meant it was finals night at College of the Canyons. The weather was a cool 82 which for mid-August was perfect. I did some extra strides and drills as I got ready. This week I wore my Nike racing XC flats for the race. I had done all of the other races in my Nike Pegasus trainers. The race started a little late which was actually good because it let the sun set behind the hills. My goal all season was to run this race hard. 

     This time when the gun went off I took off with the high school kids at a 4:50 pace and settled in in a good spot for the run through campus. I went through the first mile in 6:33 and attacked the hilly section. I learned to run and ignore pain early in my running career and it paid off in the section. I had a 7:21 mile 2 with all of the big hills. I continued to push the pace remembering last year when I won my age group by only a tenth of a second at the line. My third mile was a 6:19 and my finishing pace heading for the line was 4:30 in my sprint. I think I could have gone a little faster during the race as I had a lot left at the end. My official time was a 20:21, and I was first in my age group. 

Results from my age group at the COC finals

     Keith and the Frazier Park bunch all ran hard. Keith ended up third in his age group with a time of 31:37. After the race, everyone is treated to tacos and a awards ceremony takes place where the medals are handed out. 

My first place medal for winning the 55-59 age group.

     We started a tradition a few years ago of going out for sushi after the finals night and this year was no different. Keith, Ethan, Robin, and I headed to Love's Sushi and had some delicious food after seven weeks of fun running in the heat and dust. I give this race a 5 lager rating. I think it's a little overpriced for what we get but I'll continue to do it as long as I'm capable.

Our sushi after the finals night at COC.

     

Bakersfield Track Club Summer Series Races 2-5, Race Report 30-34

     Even though I did a separate report for the first race, I have decided to lump all of the other races from the summer series into one race port covering the remaining four races.
     The first thing we found out when we arrived for the second race is that the times for some of us were not recorded at the first race. This is significant because we were supposed to start based on our finishing times from the previous race. Everyone who was new to the series and those of us whose times didn't record had to start at 7:15. I think all of us that pre-registered for the series didn't have a timed result from the first race.
     Even though I hadn't worked out much since the first race of the series 2 weeks prior my goal was to beat my previous time. The weather was cool for Bakersfield, a balmy 91 at the start so everyone went out fast. My first mile was a 6:50, backed up by a 7:24 and a 7:36 for a finish time of 22:36. I did beat the time I posted for the first race that didn't count so I was happy. It wasn't long before Trevor, Andrea, and Robin finished. We all had a cold post-race adult beverage and headed out for some food.

Post race sandwich and fries.

   The third race of the series was held on July 3rd, and Trevor and Andrea weren't there as they had headed out of town. Robin and I got there about an hour before the start so I could get in a warm-up, some strides, and hit the bathroom multiple times. I have found that I tend to drink too much water when it's hot out and this leads to my added incontinence when running. I guess I would rather be hydrated and wear a pad for the time being until I get everything figured out. This week was even cooler than the last race, albeit only by a degree. No one in Bakersfield in July complains about 90 degrees when it comes to running. It feels cool compared to most of the summer.
     I went out a little faster than last time. My first mile was a 6:38. Somewhere ahead of me Robin was having fun in the sun since she got a head start. The second mile with the hill I slowed down to a 7:06. I finished the race covering the third mile in 6:58 and catching Robin before the finish line. My time was a 21:30, and Robin finished in 39:35. We both improved on our times from the previous race and went out to celebrate with some sushi after we were done.

Robin and I had some awesome food at Shoyu Sushi on Mt. Vernon in Bakersfield

     Race number 4 for the Bakersfield Track Club Summer Series was held on July 17th, and the cool weather we had enjoyed the previous races was nowhere to be found. Trevor and Andrea were back, and so was the heat. It was a nice 102 degrees at race time. Robin, Andrea, and Trevor took off early to just walk the course because of the heat. I did my usual warm-ups and strides but took the race out a little slower because of the heat. I wore a hat I had soaked in cold water and carried a frozen water bottle that I sprayed down the back of my neck throughout the race. My conservative start resulted in a slow 6:54 first mile. My second and third miles were just a little bit quicker than the last race so I finished with a time of 21:40. Not bad for 102 out. Robin, Trevor, and Andrea came in with a time of 51:40. We all quickly changed and headed down the road to Ethel's for a quick bite and home to air conditioning.

Burger and fries at Ethel's after a blistering hot race.

     July 31st was the final race in the Bakersfield Track Club Summer Series and the race day weather was hot and smokey. The temperature was 100 even and there was quite a bit of smoke in the air from California's wildfires that were burning everywhere. We got there on time and I went through my paces to get ready for the race. I elected to wear the wet hat, bandana, and carry the frozen water bottle again. Due to my finishing time in previous races I was one of the last runners to start in the handicap system. I knew I would be starting close to Shane Goslin so I decided to try to hang with him at the start. We didn't push it too much, my first mile was only a 6:56. When we got to the hill I felt really good so I pushed it a little and dropped Shane, and my mile two split was 6:52, my best ever. I continued to push the pace, hoping to keep Shane behind me. My third mile was 6:42 and I finished the race with a personal best time of 21:14. I actually negative split the race in smokey 100-degree weather. Shane was next across the line in 21:41. Trevor finished in 30:53, Andrea in 37:31, and Robin in 49:09. We quickly changed into some clean clothes and headed to the Loma Linda Mexican Restaraunt in Bakersfield for our post-run nourishment. 

 Running with Shane early in Race #5 of the Bakersfield Track Club Summer Series.

 Robin went all in with some spicy Chili Verde.

I stuck with a more mild meal, opposite of how we usually do things.

     There is a sixth night for the Bakersfield Summer Series, but it consists of a fun run, volleyball, and awards. I did the run and none of us won any awards outside of our series shirts. I'm still not sure how the event was scored but we all had a great time. The series is inexpensive and fun outside of the heat. I give the series a 6 lager rating this year and I'm looking forward to the 2019 Bakersfield Track Club Summer Series.