Close call for Sunday

Last night I supplemented my morning workout with an easy 30 minutes on the treadmill. Whether that will help my leg conditioning is unclear. I'll know better tomorrow morning as I try to generate speed along the course. About halfway through my second treadmill session, it occurred to me that I may have forgotten to register for Sunday's race. I'd never signed up for October's TOB Supervisor's 5K and needed to use my emergency cash to pay on race day.

I was concerned that not only had I forgotten to register for Sunday's Turkey Trot, I might have missed the opportunity to do it. Once off the treadmill, I looked for a confirming email from Active, but came up short. I was relieved to see that registration was still open and quickly signed up.

The cost of the race was still $20, no penalty for being late to the party. It's a great deal, especially for a 10K. This race is well managed and almost half of the course is run on the boardwalk parallel to the ocean. Compare that to the LI Festival of Races 10K that totals over $40 with "convenience fees" tacked on. On top of that, the LI 10K's course is as dull as dishwater.

The Long Beach Turkey Trot was cancelled last year due to hurricane Sandy. With the newly restored boardwalk, I'm guessing there will be a record number of participants this year. It's supposed to feel like 12° tomorrow morning, so I have to think about what to wear for the race. I checked the Active site this morning to get the proper start time and saw that registration was closed. Good thing I thought about it last night. I'm excited that I'll get to participate, but I may regret my good luck once I'm standing around in freezing temperatures.

Second tier race with a first tier price

Today's run (street): 3.3 miles

I got an email this morning from the organizers of the Long Island Festival of Races urging me to register for the events that will happen in early May. I've run the LI Half Marathon the last couple of years, so I'd consider doing it again. However, registration for that event closes in a week and I don't know if that's enough time for me to decide. I was thinking that the 10K may be fun to do as an alternative. I can always find another half to run later in the year.

When I looked at the Long Island Festival of Races website to register for the 10K, I was both surprised and amused to see that the cost is $37.00, plus a $3.53 convenience fee. What the heck is a convenience fee? Together, it will cost me $40.53 to run a second tier race. I apologize to those who disagree with that viewpoint, but the LI Festival 10K is just not in the same league as some other Long Island 10Ks. For example, The Great Cow Harbor 10K, Long Island's best race, has a registration fee of only $25. And no "convenience fee". I rest my case.

All of this was going through my mind this morning during my run around the neighborhood. The skies had cleared by the time I went out and the temperature had just nudged past 40°. I had plenty of energy, but I still felt a little stiff-legged. I wondered again whether I should have rested more after the race, or at least done some leg stretches. I enjoyed the workout, but never reached the point where my stride felt flexible. 

I'll give it a couple of days before I decide to spend the money for the Long Island 10K. I'll look for other 10K's around that time to see if there's a better choice. I only have a week left to register for this race. Considering the event doesn't happen until May, I don't find that very convenient.