My left foot and my right hip have both been feeling better, so lately I have been tempted to register for more races. In particular I had my eye on the Carlsbad 5000. However since I have a self imposed restriction from signing up for marathons, I prevented myself from registering by I signing up for the Autism Speaks Walk at the Rose Bowl.
I arrived at the Rose Bowl at about 7 am. Originally I was going to park at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center, but they had put up a sign and stationed someone there to make sure only patrons were parking there. I drove further down and parked at the northern end of the parking lot next to the Kidspace Children Museum.
I got ready and started my counter clockwise run of the Rose Bowl loop. It certainly has been a while since I had last run this loop. I just wanted to do a short run to test out the ailing left foot and right hip. I could run relatively well, but I could still feel the discomfort. Definitely not good enough for marathon training. Also I was feeling a bit out of shape during some of the small inclines. Near the end of the loop while I was coming down next to parking lot K, there was a motorcycle cop telling people to begin clearing from the loop. Just to make sure I don't cause any trouble, I hopped onto the outskirt of the parking lot to complete the loop.
Click here for my Garmin data for my Rose Bowl loop run.
After my run, I walked back to my car to put on my cargo pants and my windbreaker. I walked over to the expo and registration table to check in for the walk. I picked up my cotton walk t-shirt for making a qualifying donation. It was a pretty nice cotton shirt.
It was my first time at this event and I didn't know how big of an event it would be. There were people tailgating, grilling up food, turning it into an all day event as if there was going to be a sports game at the Rose Bowl! There were several booths to check out as well as food stands if you're hungry and wanted to purchase food. It was pretty cool to see people dressed up as Star Wars characters. I did not expect to see them at this event! It was also pretty cool to see and talk to some of my favorite new anchors from ABC7. I got to meet and talk to Ellen Leyva, Coleen Sullivan, Phillip Palmer, David Ono, and Michelle Tuzee.
Opening ceremonies was from 9 to 9:30 am. There was a rolling start from 9:30 am through 11 am. I went back to my car and dropped off the t-shirt and went back to start the walk. The road next to the Rose Bowl loop walking lane were closed to vehicular traffic. You had the option of walking the short route around the stadium or the longer route where you walk to the northern end of the loop before cutting through the golf course and headed for the finish line. I took the longer route which turned out to be about 2.2 miles. It was pretty cool to see so many people out there!
So many people!
Click here for my Garmin data for the walk.
After the walk I had a good conversation with Michelle Tuzee. She was very nice and personable. We talked a bit about autism and how it has affected my family as well as so many families. On one hand it was great to see some many people out at the event, but on the other it also showed just how many people are affected by autism. It is definitely not easy for family members. A lot of sacrifices and patience are required. Before leaving, I had her sign one of her photos.
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