Kicking off the 2012 New Year: New Year's Day Run 5k. Event date: January 1, 2012

Due to some crazy work hours over the holidays, I knew I had lost my mileage base and considerable amount of fitness going into the New Year's Day Run 5k, so this one will just be a fun run.


Pre-Race, I went volunteering at the T-shirt pick up area.  This delayed my heading to the start of my own race.

After I made use of a nearby restroom, I finally made it the Start.


A First:  Gun Time for a Chip Timed Event
Not sure what happened today, the timing folks weren't thrilled to see me, which is a first.

Although it was a chip timing event, they told me I was too late; I couldn't start when I want to; I would only get gun time; and they had already cleared things for those finishing the event.

Not only that, I was told in to start in front of the barriers they had set up, some distance in front of the timing mat, so I couldn't even time my own event with my own timing device.

Of course, I wasn't thrilled because it's a chip timing event and that I've seen folks start events way later into this organizer's running events and heard none of the issues I had heard today.

I spoke to the event organizer who told me to start normally, and they'll adjust my time afterwards.


After the pre-race hiccups, I made it onto the course.

There were several forks during the first few turns of the event.

Very grateful that one of their volunteers, Marie, who saw me, then briefly ran with me, directing me to the correct race course away from those first few forks in the road, preventing me from getting lost.  Very, very grateful!  Thanks, Marie!!!


The 5k course was pretty much a paved road.  I pulled over a few times to snap a couple of pics.

Very pretty, Lake Chabot.

Folks fishing.

My event T, bib and 2012 New Year's Day bling.

New Year's Day Running Events and Bonus Bling
The New Year's Day events and New Year's Eve events were part of the New Year's running event series.

The New Year's Eve events were held on the morning of December 31, 2011, while the New Year's Day events were held on the morning of January 1, 2012.

Both events featured distances of a half marathon, a 10k and a 5k.

Those completing an event from both days received a middle piece bonus bling. 

I was stuck working and couldn't make it to the New Year's Eve events, so I wasn't able to complete the New Year's running event series.

Here's what the medals of a complete New Year's Eve and Day finisher look like together:

Very nice!

With the hiccups I had before my 5k, I am hoping the rest of 2012 is going to go smoothly.  Here's hoping for a smooth 2012!


BTW, parts of this wasn't intended to be a rant or a complaint over how the chip timing was done for this day, but more as a caution to those volunteering before a chip timed running event.