Carlsbad Lagoon Day race report

Sean with bearded lizard Lincoln. Photo by Hayne Palmour, nctimes.com

Submitted by Sean Astin @SeanAstin

While the Carlsbad Lagoon Run is still in its infancy (the July 22 race was the second) and not accredited, we had a ball. There was a spirit of adventure among the few brave souls who showed up early to set up the event. I enjoyed helping to set out cones for the start line and lift up the finish banner.

It was quite toasty when we got started, and the 3.5 mile run was essentially up hill until the last 2/10ths of a mile, where a welcome breeze picked up. I was greeted by stalwart #run3rders Leah, Merv and family at the Finish Line. The race times weren't official, but I think I finished around 33+ minutes, a stark reminder that my achilles injury and the few extra resulting pounds have had an appreciable impact on my speed and endurance. I am looking forward to living by example and slowly and steadily rebuilding my strength, stamina and overall fitness as a march inexorably toward the 50 mile everest in late november.

Team captain Leah Gutierrez & her son Jaylen
also ran the race. Photo via @leahmari

The Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation is fascinating. Apparently an algae or virus or something was killing all of the living organisms in the area. They successfully eradicated it using a wicked cool process of covering one square foot at a time and injecting chlorine.

The people were lovely. We had a barbeque and some speeches. It was really a family affair and the run was a sweet ornament to the day. As a #run3rd team captain, the lesson take away is that it's important to keep a sense of humor and adventure and to roll with the punches (I was expecting a slightly larger production). As is typical of running events of any size, the participants were there to honor a great tradition of sharing fellowship and a zest for activity in this life.

Jaylen, Sean and rosy boa Rosy. Photo by Hayne Palmour, nctimes.com 

A sign near the Finish Line! Photo by @leahmari11