Memorial Day weekend is traditionally time for racing with the Indy 500. Instead, our focus was on Val’s 5K race in Brentwood on Sunday. My job, bleary-eyed as I was from the previous day’s Highland Games, was to get Val to Brentwood on time, ready to go. It worked out beautifully. Weather conditions according to a girl working at a nearby runners store were described as “cool, overcast and gross”. Translated, that means great for runners. What was great for me was the route was a flat, out and back course with the start and finish on opposite sides of the boulevard in Brentwood. I just had to walk the street! The start was memorable in that a race official sang the seldom heard last stanza of the Star Spangled Banner”. Starts are exciting, but take a look at her finish…

 
Val’s time of 21:43:71 was 15 seconds off her fastest time ever at the distance. We couldn’t figure out with a course so flat and so fast how she did not beat her best time at the distance, that is until she took her shoes off. Remember a few weeks ago she won a $12 pair of socks with right foot and left foot design. When she took her shoes off we discovered she did not match her socks with her feet. Yep, that cost her at least 15 seconds off her best time and she kept pulling to the left!

Seriously, though, she was a little bummed about her time but she thinks she can get personal bests everytime she is out there.

The second half of the road racing doubleheader came on Memorial Day; another 5K race, this time in Laguna Hills at the Laguna Hills Memorial Half Marathon and 5K. Last year, Val did the half and this time, she continues her successful 5K events. In this race, on a tougher course and with legs not fully recovered, she improved on yesterday’s race by posting a 21:41 time to cover the 3.1 mile distance.

As an added surprise, Val’s sister, Melanie and her niece Jacklyn came to watch. Again, ideal conditions, especially for the runners.

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