Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Running Through a Sea of Orange

Now that most of the holiday stuff is behind us, it's time to set our sights on the Carlsbad 1/2 Marathon which is only 3 WEEKS AWAY (OMFG). Unfortunately, I didn't get in a long run on Saturday (had to recover from Christmas)...or on Sunday (had to go shopping with DramaGirl so she could spend some of her Xmas Gift Cards)...or on Monday (had to do something important, AND I also didn't run in the Holiday Bowl 5K, but that was more of an "I should stop spending and start saving some money thing)...

So...finally...this morning Mik, Betty and I got our long run in...our goal was to go 10 miles in less than 2 hours. It was also another chance for me to play with my new Garmin (dubbed the perfect gadget, and it does almost everything except for vibrate on demand, which is what Mik is apparently looking for in a watch!)

The really difficult part to getting ready for Carlsbad is that I've been struck by an intense case of non-motivation for running. I'm not sure if it's all the holiday craziness that's affecting me, or if it's some other malaise, but once again, had Betty not called me yesterday, and had Mik not emailed me, I'm sure I would have found SOMETHING ELSE to do today that would have precluded my running this morning, but they both called, so off we went...and I'm so glad we did.

First of all, it was beautiful this morning. I don't want to make ya'all feel bad, but it was one of those mornings where I am reminded, once again, of why I live here. It was a little cold when I left my house (my iPhone weather Ap said it was 37 degrees!), but by the time we got to the bay, it seemed closer to 50. I know that by the end of the run, it must have been close to 70!

Here's Mik looking on at the bay..yes all those tourists in t-shirts and shorts.

The most surprising thing about this photo is that there is not a single person wearing Orange in it, and this morning we ran in a sea of orange...all of the Oklahoma fans who are in town for the Holiday Bowl. We didn't see as many Oregon fans, but that may have been because Oregon's primary color is green, and they just blended in...but Oklahoma fans wear all sorts of gear in VERY BRIGHT ORANGE and they where EVERYWHERE. I'm rather glad that the weather this morning was so wonderful for them. For the most part, you can always tell the tourists on winter mornings like this...they have these rather blissful, happy, silly, smiles on their faces as they gaze onto the picture perfect bay.

We did note that after our run that none of the mid-westerners ordered a latte or a cappucino...black coffee and a pastry. We're not sure why it took us so long to get our latte's...I mean, how long does it take to pour coffee?


Me, Betty and Mik enjoying our post-run coffee. Oklahoma fan is clearly behind us.

Of course, the blissful-smile-tourist-wander a little less endearing when they wander aimlessly in front of you, but for the most part, it's sorta charming. I don't blame them. After a couple of weeks of pretty lousy-cold-wet weather, I had some of the warm-weather silliness in me too.

Despite the wonderful weather, I'm gonna rant a little bit about some of my current running gripes...
  • Like, why is it I can run 8 miles with no problem, but 10+ has become a nightmare for me...what is it about those last two miles that have been so painful, and how am I going to overcome it to run 13.
  • I sure felt those extra 5 pounds I'm currently carrying due to the holiday fest. Going to have to deal with that in the next three weeks (and then some).
  • I am completely enamored of the Garmin, but wonder if it'll take some getting used to. I know that twice today, I sorta freaked out a little because I looked at it and saw that I was running quite a bit faster than I thought I was...then thought, I should slow down because I don't run that fast...
  • I loved running miles 5-10 with Mik because I had to push myself to keep up with her speedy self, and that was good for me, but I'm also feeling it tonight in my hammies.
  • Am so proud of Betty for going the distance commando style...no chaffing!
Finally...hope you all have a really happy new year! Betty, Mik and I were talking about having a theme party where all of the foods are inspired by "bob." We though of:
  • Sish-ka-bob,
  • bobbing for apples,
  • anything on a Boboli, and
  • babaghanush
What else is there?

OK..here's one more shot of the bay this morning...just 'cuz

Happy tourists, but still...no Orange, which is amazing because Orange shirts were EVERYWHERE!

17 comments:

  1. ohhhh, i'm so jealous of your gorgeous view (blissful tourists included) and weather... as I sit here while it's snowing... again :) Enjoy the Garmin, and good luck with your upcoming 1/2! Happy New Year!

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  2. Ok, I AM jealous!!! :D Believe the Garmin! It does not lie. If the pace it states is faster than what you think you can run, then you didn't accurately figure out your pace before the Garmin. :D Run with it!!!

    Thanks for the advice on the GRE! I'm going for it. Have a great day.

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  3. If I were an Oklahoma tourist, I'd have suggested something from Bob Evans restaurants.

    I'm lovin' this weather too. Hope it lasts for awhile.

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  4. Looks beautiful there! The only thing I don't entirely trust the Garmin on is its reported calories burned. It just seems a little high.

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  5. I'm so jealous of your view and your weather...

    I have the opposite problem with the Garmin. When I start seeing the faster times, I get upset when they start getting slower... it MUST be the Garmin, I couldn't possibly be slowing down!

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  6. Vibrate on demand?!? Is that SUPPOSED to be dirty?!?

    And nice job on the run! YAY for no chafing!!

    Happy New Year!!

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  7. That is funny about the orange everywhere. We were at Qualcomm around 1 and didn't see any orange until game time, just green and yellow. I bet the Oregon fans tailgated all day while the OK fans did touristy stuff. I had to laugh at some of the people going into the game in those shorts and t-shirts. Once the sun went down it was COLD. Seriously, I regretted not bringing a hat and gloves. But the sunny day was glorious and I feel so lucky to live here!

    As far as your Garmin, try not to look at it in a "real time" sense. I think that it calculates more of an average. There are times when I look at it and the pace is impossible (either too slow or too fast). I like to set it to tell me my split times as I go and that seems pretty accurate.

    I haven't gone over 10 miles in a while and that is on tap for me this week. I am going to run the Resolution Run 15K at Mission Bay on Saturday.... you going to be there?

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  8. Yay for the 10 miles.
    I'm in love with the Garmin. I admit it.
    But it would be cool if it vibrated at each mile. I have trouble hearing the bell.

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  9. hopefully you're not reaching race burnout just when you've gotten a new gadget. maybe you need to mix it up and get some cross training so you can keep running fun.

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  10. I gotta say, I hate you a little for that gorgeous weather. Ran in minus 16C weather at lunch today in Ottawa. It was minus 25 with the wind chill (that's -13F). Enjoy that sun for me, willya?

    As for the dinner party, how about rhu-bob?

    Happy New Year!

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  11. Oh...can i come down sometime this month and run with you guys???? PLEASE???? I need to run with Hoomans!!!

    I booked my hotel for Carlsbad! A friend of mine from LA is running the full with her dad-so we're planning on a past evening-what are you guys going to do??? I'm staying in oceanside...got a pet friendly room in case my dad and Velcro come down to CHEER my fat ass on!!!

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  12. Great pics, great weather (for you), Happy New Year.

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  13. Hi Alice! Sounded like a great run! Thanks for stopping by my blog. Any friend of Anne's is a friend of mine! It sounds like you and I might run around the same pace... I'll definitely ask Anne about the SDTC. Good luck with the Carlsbad Half!

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  14. Isn't Garmin wonderful?!! It will frustrate you sometimes, but for the most part it is AWESOME!

    Very excited to hear all about the Carlsbad 1/2!

    Happy New Year!

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  15. Yes, California is a marvelous place to reside. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Thanks for sharing your day.

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  16. The weather looks absolutely beautiful! I wish I would have taken a pic of my run this morning. It was 18' and windier than shit. I had to have my hubby pick my up at mile 8 and finished my first double digit run of 10 on the treadmill-Damn it was cold! AND I like winter....go figure....must be the old age! I so want a Garmin, but I am truly technically stupid when it comes to gadgets!

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