O-town, Sunset Cliffs, and SkyMall Review

I went to Oakland again on Friday, which in and of itself is not that interesting. The significant thing about this trip is that I decided to fly up the night before the meeting so that I wouldn't have to get up at the butt-crack of dawn two mornings in a row.

The research group in which I participate put me up at a place called The Executive Inn in Oakland. It's a sorta 70's kind of place, popcorn ceilings, small rooms, older furnishings, but I can tell they are trying to update it. It was WAY better than the last place I stayed in Oakland!

Two things that made me forgive any and all other lodging shortcomings?

• Comfortable bed with nice sheets
• Awesome towels

Really, to me, nothing is worse than thin sheets and postage stamp size, industrial towels...

OK...there ARE way worse things, but good sheets and towels make me much more forgiving... Also, this morning, I woke up to this:

Pretty, right? I did not run on the path because it seemed pretty isolated, and I really had no idea where I was, nor did I know where the path went, and I just didn't have time to investigate, so I just went to the "fitness room" which consisted of one treadmill and one step machine.

Me after a pretty pathetic 20 minute run, but it was better than nothing AND it put me over 20 miles for the week.

So, I was in meetings all day, so I didn't get to see any more of Oakland.

On the way home, my conference BFF and I again had a glass of wine (or two) at the airport and I introduced her to the iPhone Ap "Words With Friends", which is both a HUMONGOUS TIME SUCK and WAY TOO MUCH FUN. Essentially, you play scrabble...Check this out!

Yes! 80 points for FLUSH and OH. If you want to play me, you see my user name.

Once on the plane, I ordered another glass of wine, and browsed through the SkyMall.

For those who are new here, I have been known to review the fine merchandise available in the SkyMall...so many fascinating items that you didn't know you needed or wanted, and yet somebody must need and/or want them because somebody makes them.

This spring, there seem to be three main types of products available...

Self Improvement and Fitness

Or you could combine the two...I mean who doesn't need a fit face?

Does this product make me look like a total ass?

Foot issues

Although truth be told, had I seen this product last spring, I might have bought them. Lord knows I spent plenty of money on other products to cure my PF (who knew that squats and lunges would be the thing that would really do the trick.

I swear, there were three other prodects like this, that put some sort of spring device in a shoe, so that people can regain that bounce in their step? I hear sex works too...

Exercise

I don't even know what to say about this...other than it's the only one like it, do it must be worthwhile.

Pet Products (clearly people with pets have disposable income!)

I'm mostly wondering how long the photographer had to stand around waiting for this shot...

I don't have pets, but would this even work? and if so, does it need to be labeled? wouldn't any old rock do?

The important thing about the two glasses of wine in the airport, and the one on the plane (and, I'll admit, another when I got home) is that it made the SkyMall incredibly funny. However, I really paid for my over-consumption this morning when the alarm when off at 5:00am, and I dutifully got up (even though I REALLY didn't want to) because I was running with Betty.

This morning's SDTC run was almost the same run that Betty and I did on Monday...only farther. We started at Hospitality Point, ran through Ocean Beach to the end of Sunset Cliffs and back. The marathon trainers with the club ran between 18 and 20 miles on this run. BBJ was there. Some of the 1/2 marathon group ran 12 miles. By the time I got to the second water station (about 4.5 miles in), I decided that a 9 mile out and back was sufficient for this morning.

Yes, I was a wuss.

How did it ever happen that I consider a 9 mile run, sorta wussy?

Anyway, despite the somewhat queasy feeling I had at the beginning of the run, and that my legs felt like lead through most of the run, and that by the end of the run, I was REALLY HAPPY that I decided to run ONLY 9 miles, it was still a beautiful morning.

Higher tide this morning than Monday afternoon.

This is the window of a little shop called "The Black." It's been in San Diego forever. I guess I was running just WAY TOO FAST when I took this shot because you can't see all of the smoking devices available. Doesn't every beach city have a head shop?

Running along Sunset Cliffs

More pier...and an even higher tide

After the run, Betty and I decided to drive back out to La Mesa and visit Centifoni's. Last time we were there, we were really impressed with the fresh squeezed OJ in the mimosas...

Fresh squeezed OJ and a fruit display!

This is what we got this time....Apparently there is a $1.00 version.

Oh...the run stats (just in case you missed the Daily Mile sidebar...or the link to Garmin Connect...and you're just dying to know how incredibly quickly I ran the 9 miles.

1:44:57/11:33 pace

A shout out goes to BBJ who ran 20 miles this morning in 3:15 (woot, woot!). You are going to have a great RnR marathon this year...I just know it!

Also another big congrats to Al, who ran the Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon this morning.

Oh...and in one last tidbit, the herd (and various friends), sadly, did NOT get into the Nike Women's 1/2 Marathon again this year...((sigh and ah well))...

Hope you're all having a fabulous weekend. Good luck to all who are racing in the am.