Santa Monica Gooble Wobble 5K

What a fun 5K!
Following an attempt to run two 10Ks after not running at all for about 10 years and DYING miserably, I realized I may have been a little too ambitious in my quest to kick ass. So I decided to take it down a notch and train with some 5Ks starting with the 2010 Gobble Wobble in Santa Monica.
While this event centered around the race, organizers also held a costume contest and food bank collection, which made the race more colorful, fun and altruistic. I’m sure onlookers enjoyed watching the pilgrims and human-​sized turkeys running through Santa Monica, too. The USATF-​certified course began at Christine Emerson Reed Park, continued along Ocean Ave up to San Vicente and then cut through the neighborhood to get back to the park. I always love that stretch along Ocean Avenue because of the ocean view and the open breeze.
The morning started out a little cold, which made it a rough start for me because I was shivering and didn’t warm up my legs enough. Some of the drink stations gave Gatorade instead of water, which I didn’t expect and I kind of gagged a little. I think it’s just safe to stick with water for people like me who don’t enjoy drinking sweet things during a run. Parking took some time, so my tip for this year’s participants is to arrive early so you have some time to park.
Overall, a great community event! Just arrive early, bring some canned food donations and get a good warm up in! Oh yeah, and wear a costume if you want to enter the costume contest. I would love it if someone came as an ear of corn.