I took a morning Delta flight out of one of my favorite airports, the Long Beach Airport to Boise, Idaho with a stop in Salt Lake City. When I landed in Boise, I picked up a rental car from Alamo. I got a nice silver Chevy Cruze.
I was pretty hungry, so I drove out to Big Juds to eat some lunch. I wanted to check this place out because I had seen it featured on an episode of Man v. Food. Since I had a marathon to run the next day, I didn't order the challenge burger. Instead I ordered the Double super bacon burger with tater gems. It sounded plenty big. One thing you must have in Idaho is their fry sauce. It makes your fries or tater tots taste really good! They brought out my gigantic burger with a knife stuck through the center. That's a nice touch for a burger lover! I was there at about 1pm and the place was packed. I had to wait a bit to be seated. Once you're done, they'll bring you your bill, then you pay at the cashier. I would definitely come back here if I'm ever in town again.
Man v. Food's Adam Richman
Double super bacon burger with tater gems
After lunch, I drove out to the Riverside Hotel to pick-up my race packet at the race expo. Parking was a bit scarce and the expo was sort of hard to find located way in the back of the hotel. I also picked up my friend's race packet as she would be getting into town later in the evening and wouldn't be able to make the expo.
Along the way to check into my hotel, I stopped by an Albertson's to buy some drinks for the weekend. I stayed by a Super 8 that was pretty much a block away from the airport.
Race shirt
Race gear
Saturday 5/17
I got ready and drove over to pick up my friend. Per the race instructions, we parked near the finish line at the BSU Health Sciences Riverside Building on the NW corner of 9th and Royal Blvd. We caught the "Potato" Bus at the corner of Royal Blvd. and Lusk that took us to the starting area at Lucky Peak State Park.
Starting line
The majority of the course was along or near the Boise River. There was plenty of great scenery to look at all along the course. I loved that there were homes along the path where their yards would run right up to the path. There were people just sitting out on a nice Sunday morning. Just after the turnaround at around mile 19, my legs started feeling really heavy. I slowed up a bit, but for the most part everything felt good because the entire course was pretty much shaded. I just made sure to stay relaxed and to take what my legs could give me. It was nice to know that with a couple of miles left that a new PR was in the bag. The race ended at the Ann Morrison Park.
1-2: 16:24 (8:12)
3: 8:06
4: 8:17
5: 8:13
6: 8:20
7: 8:35
8: 8:33
9-12: 35:15 (8:48)
13: 8:58
14: 9:29
15: 9:55
16: 10:08
17: 10:08
18: 10:20
19: 10:18
20: 11:13
21: 11:49
22: 11:56
23: 11:58
24: 10:58
25-26: 22:32 (11:16)
26.2: 1:54
Finish: 4:13:19
Results
This was a small race, but it was well organized and a nice race to run to cross off Idaho from the list of US States that I still needed. I finished pretty much right in the middle of the field, but I still have a lot of room for improvement.
Finish line
It was pretty sunny and such a nice day at the finish. After grabbing some food and drinks, I found an open table and sat down to listen to the loud music that was blaring through the speakers. They had baked potatoes, but I skipped out on it because my stomach wasn't ready for food yet. It's hard to explain but whenever I run a PR, it just feels too easy. I relaxed a bit and let me legs recover a bit before moving closer to the finishing chute to cheer on the finishers. I waited until my friend finished. She had to stop by the EMT to get her wound cleaned out. She had fallen early on in the race.
Finisher's medal
My friend getting her wound cleaned out
After dropping off my friend at her hotel, I drove back to mine to get cleaned up. Then we met up again and we walked over to 10 Barrel Brewing Company. We met up with her friends and my former coworker here for some post race food and drinks. It was definitely a good idea to ask my local friend for recommendations. This was the perfect spot for a recovery meal and to celebrate a new PR. I loved their beers. I stuck to the IPA's (Boise pale ale, Apocalypse IPA, Ruffneck Peak, and Whispering IPA) that were on the list up on the chalkboard. For food, I ordered the Bratwurst burger that was on the specials menu. I'm used to a traditional burger, but this was a welcomed change in texture and flavor. It came with fries which you just have to have when you're in Idaho.
Bratwurst burger and Boise Pale
Apocalypse IPA
Ruffneck Peak
Whispering IPA
We then walked over to the Taphouse that was a few streets over for our second stop on our post-race pub crawl. I constructed a nice little beer flight (Hopnoxious, Mucho Take It Easy, Outlaw, Leafer Madness). I also had their fish tacos. Not bad. This would be a great place to come watch a game while having a few drinks and some pretty decent bar food. They also had some outside seating which would be perfect for when the weather is nice.
Hopnoxious, Mucho Take It Easy, Outlaw, Leafer Madness
Fish tacos
Sunday 5/18
After checking out of my room, I drove over to the Boise Fry Company to eat lunch. From the outside, it was quite easy to miss. Thank goodness for GPS and Google Maps. It seemed like it was the only business that was open in the little parking lot. I liked that the menu showed the fries as the main item and the burgers were the sides. There were several different kinds of fries to choose from. I went with a small order of the russet fries. For the burger, I got the Original beef burger and added cheese and bacon. The fries were excellent and the burger was great as well, very juicy and tasty! You have the option of getting bison meat which is supposed to be leaner than beef. The chalkboard menu had easy to follow instructions on how to place your order. I loved the unique plate that the food was served on, which has little holders for the sauces. They have excellent fry sauce. There were many different condiments to choose from at the condiment bar. They had even posted suggestions from customers and staff on the wall.
Small order of russet fries and an original beef burger with added cheese and bacon
I gassed up the car and returned the rental car. Then it was time to catch my flight back home with a layover at Salt Lake City where I ate at Squatter’s Pub Brewery. They had a decent selection of beers. I decided on their Off Duty IPA. It was a decent beer. For my meal, I had the bacon and guacamole burger which was pretty decent. The servers were in the midst of some argument with each other which made for a rather awkward dining experience. But the service overall was decent.
Squatters Off Duty IPA
Bacon and guacamole burger
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