Cautiously Optimistic

After two days of rain and relative coolness, it's rather warm this morning, which makes me less optimistic than I was two days ago when I started this post.

"What?" You may be asking. "Alice likes rain and cold?"

Generally speaking, no. I don't care much for rain and cold.  I moved to San Diego 20 some years ago because I was tired of the never-ending winters in Reno, but this year, especially this year, I would be pretty happy about the weather staying cool for another week or so.

To be more precise. I'd REALLY appreciate cool weather on Sunday, for the RnR 1/2 Marathon.

For me, the number one determiner (after actually being prepared for a race) of how well I will run is the weather. Last year, I was pretty well prepared for the RnR 1/2, but on race day, it was hot and humid, and in the 10th mile, I melted--ended up with a 2:27 1/2 mary, which wasn't horrible (for me), but wasn't what I was aiming for either.

So, I've been VERY interested in the weather reports this week. Right now, it looks like there are two cold fronts moving through the area this week. The NOAA website notes:

IT APPEARS THAT ANOTHER...AND POTENTIALLY
DEEPER TROUGH MAY DIG OVER THE REGION FOR NEXT WEEKEND.

In other words, a thicker marine layer (i.e. fog)...which suits me just fine.
                                                          

This has been a rather atypical Memorial Day weekend for us. Yes, it's been busy, but none of the Memorial Day Weekend, kick off the summer activities that would be deemed typical.

Saturday

• Saturday was the last long run for the SDTC's Rockin' and Runnin' training program. We ended the training season with a run of the UCSD campus that started at RIMAC (it's an acromym for something. I don't know what, but its the name of the sports complex on the UCSD campus.)
• Overslept and was late to the workout because My alarm clock (Aka Walter) was in LA this weekend with DramaGirl for Cal Cup, a field hockey tournament.
• Arrived too late for the group warmup and stretch, so I had to stop along the way a couple of time to stretch. 7.53 miles in 1:22 - 10:52 pace - Not bad.*

• Along the way (about Mile 4),  two young girls pulled up beside me in their car and asked me for directions to RIMAC (yep...the place I'd just left). I must have looked like I knew where I was going. Anyway, I've run and biked at UCSD plenty of times, so I was too confident, gave them what I thought were good directions because that was where I was going, but realized as I turned right onto Scholar's Drive, that I'd and neglected to tell them about this particular right, and probably sent them off campus...GAH. 
• Arrived back at RIMAC, listened to Thom Hunt, our final speaker, give excellent advice for race day...lots about conserving energy in the early miles (something I am just horrible at and needed to hear...but HOW????).
• Drove home, took Turbo to breakfast at a place called La Mesa Bistro, which (I did not know this) a sister-restaurant to one of our favorite breakfast places in Encinitas, Honey's.
• Took Turbo to basketball practice. 
• Got a pedicure. 
• Took Turbo to dinner.
• Crashed

Sunday

• Took Turbo to Game 1 of his basketball tournament
• Napped. Tried to write blog, but was too tired.
• Took Turbo to Game 2 of his basketball tournament
• Napped again.
• DramaGirl and Walter arrived home from Cal Cup.
• Got dressed and took DramaGirl, her BFF, Turbo, Betty's daughter and her BFF to see GLEE!

Betty's daughter and her friend. Do they look old enough to be high school graduates to you? Me either...

Me and the kids..really happy but unable to hear after the concert...which was AWESOME, RAD, AND EXCELLENT! (there do I sound young and hip with it?)

We had really excellent seats thanks to goddess Penny, who once again helped me to get tickets to the sold out San Diego show...thanks so much Penny...you are THE BEST!

• Got home...Crashed

Woke up late this morning (can you blame me?) and have absolutely nothing planned for the day. I think I'll do a quick run on the 'mill (it's too late to run outdoors...too warm). As you all know, it's hard to taper. I have all this energy and don't want to sit still...but I need to (that's what Coach Thom said).

Six days to the RnR 1/2... Help me pray for cool weather next Sunday.
                                                          
* The Garmin distance/time is about 1/2 mile less than my "reported" time because when I stopped to stretch at about 1/4 mile, I either stopped my Garmin and neglected to start it again (likely), or it inexplicably stopped on it's own (less likely, but Irene's did pretty much the same thing...stopped for no apparent reason). I have my Garmin on AutoStop, so I don't know why I would have manually stopped it. Anyway, I used MapMyRun to track the same distance and it was about 1/2 mile more. Then I looked at my Garmin and subtracted the moving time from the actual time elapsed (about 5:30...which sounds about right to me. The first couple of miles were SLOW). In other words, it was a freeking algebra problem to figure it out...see BBJ...actual algebra IN USE!