Volunteering at Stinson Beach- Summer in November!

Only one picture today because I kind of forgot about taking pictures. Whoops.

However, I would like to draw the reader's attention to the sky in this picture... and the number of people on the beach. And then kindly remember what month we are in. If you are a Bay Area native or someone who has lots of experience with the area, you should be further shocked by the location. Stinson Beach is notorious for having cold, foggy and windy weather even in the height of summer. (Actually, it's usually the worst then, but it's not usually like this in November!) 

The Bay Area is currently experiencing a record-breaking heat wave for this time of the year. I spent the day in a tank top and jeans, convinced that I had over-dressed. Even though the weather can be clear and sunny this time of year, it is very rare to see this many people flocking to the beach, splashing about in the water. 

Anyway, volunteered for another PCTR race, and as seems to be the norm for my volunteering experiences, had a great time. Even driving out to Stinson in the morning felt like a treat-- there was not a cloud in the sky and I could see up and down the coast. 

Once I got there, I helped sign runners in (over 400!), then set up food for a bit, and then was responsible for handing out t-shirts when people came in. This meant I got to hear from lots of runners about their experience with the course-- which was rather amusing. Responses ranged from "Wow! Beautiful day! Gorgeous course!" to "Wow! So many hills! So much pain!" or some kind of combination of the two. Lots of falls coming down Matt Davis-- I believe I fell on my first PCTR race at Stinson as well, coming down that section of trail. Band-aids were a frequent request. 

One thing I appreciate about trail races is that their start/finish is usually somewhere gorgeous, so people hang out afterwards, watching others come in and snacking on the various forms of sugar (and soup and chili) that are part of the PCTR post-race buffets. Yesterday's amazing weather meant that the post-race atmosphere was a big lounge-on-the-grass fest. 

I am hoping to run my next PCTR event-- which just might be Rodeo Beach-- although I have not decided if I am running the 8K (which seems a bit short) or the 20K (depends on the foot).

Speaking of which, I believe it is time to get myself and the Neko out in the sunshine for a run/walk before I gorge myself on a winemaker's dinner my friend is cheffing (can we use this as a verb?) tonight. Must burn lots of calories!