She Runs LA 10K

I don't like to run. In fact, I avoid it at all costs. Yes, I have run a full marathon, and 5 half-marathons. But I haven't really liked any of the training parts. The ONLY thing I like about running is the races. I am never close to winning, but I love the challenge, and I love the environment.

I have been looking for races to do here in LA, and I found a lot of 5Ks. But my friend Jessie suggested that we look for some 10Ks to do, in order to get a little bit of a challenge. I know that I am blessed, because I can pretty much do a 5K whenever I want. I know a lot of people that struggle just to get one mile in, so I know how cool it is that a 5K is easy for me.

I found a 10K on Facebook called She Runs LA. It was sponsored by Nike, and it started and ended at the Paramount Studios lot. The best part? It was an 80s-themed race!

Thankfully, this race was a 10am start, so I didn't have to get up super early or anything. One downside, though, was that it got SUPER hot. Sadly, I left my phone in the car, so I relied on Jessie to take pictures.  Here are a couple from my phone before we left:

And here's one from just before the race:

We did well in the race, too! We wanted to do 10-minute miles, and we finished the 6.2-mile race in 1:03! Way to go, us!!

One of the coolest things for me was running through the Paramount lot. SO many movies and TV shows are filmed here--it's a film geek's paradise!  Did you know that it is the longest continually operating studio in Hollywood? I kept wishing I had my phone with me--I was so mad at myself!  Anyone recognize this parking lot?

It is where the final scene for The Truman Show was filmed. The parking lot is equipped to fill up with water, and the scene where Truman sails his boat into the wall was filmed right here.

Other movies filmed on this lot include: The Ten Commandments, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Godfather, and more. The studio area is huge, covering an area almost as big as Disneyland. It used to have it's own fire department and hospital. The gate is one of the most famous landmarks. I didn't get a picture (boo), but it is called The Bronson Gate, since it's at the north end of Bronson Avenue. A fun story about the gate is that the extra iron filigree at the top of the gate was added after crazed female fans of Rudolph Valentino overwhelmed security and climbed over the original gate. :)  Charles Bronson took his new name from the gate, as well. (thanks to www.seeing-stars.com for the info!)