HefferBlog

The Best Friends in the World--A Carlsbad Half Race Report

2012-01-23T22:58:00.000-08:00

Several months ago, I wanted to register for the Carlsbad Half Marathon. I sent an email out to the herd and was met by deafening silence from Betty, Elsie, and Mik. Apparently, after Nike, they'd decided to not run another half for awhile, and instead dedicate themselves to cycling.

But I felt like I was just on the precipice of running really, really well...so when Alberta said she'd run, I went ahead and registered for it, knowing that Alberta and I have very different schedules and I'd end up doing much of the training on my own.

But have I mentioned that I have really good friends? So good that they: trained with me anyway, went to an expo which was an hour a way, and even cooked up a plan to go for a ride up the coast from Carlsbad as I ran down the coast, causing themselves to have to get up at the Butt-crack of dawn on race morning

So, either my friends are saints, or I've completely inherited the Italian-Catholic guilt thing from my mother, and I've mastered it really, really well.

I'm pretty sure it's the former! I have great friends.

Saturday - Expo Day

Betty, Millie, DramaGirl, and I drove up to the expo to pick up my gear. Carlsbad is about 45 minutes north of San Diego, so it was more than nice to have some company for the drive. And even better, DramaGirl and Millie decided to join us. I think they must have been bored.

The expo was held in a tent outside in a mall parking lot. It'd been raining all morning, so when we finally got there (around 1pm), the tent was pretty stuffy. So much so that when I was in the back part of the tent, I started to feel dizzy and thought I was going to faint. So we didn't stay long. But I did stay long enough to take a few shots of some of my fave T-Shirt saying.

What I've been telling people all along...

For Elsie and Walter...who say they are done with the half

I hate to admit this...but I do think this.

And we all know what this stands for....

What were you thinking?

After the expo, Betty and I took the girls to lunch at The Beach House in Cardiff.

I think its very cool that DramaGirl and Millie call each other sisters...

One of the things I wanted to do at the expo (or before or after) was meet up with some of my blog-friends, but on that front, I was an epic failure. I arrived at the expo just as Meg and Jill were leaving. Judging by Penny's tweets, I was leaving as she arrived, and Irene sent me a text later on telling me that she was on her way... FAIL. I missed all of them. Later I read on FB that Yaz and some other bloggers who I've known and met over the years were running at Carlsbad. I didn't even know! What a lame blogger I've been...

Sunday - Race Day
I slept really well the night before the race. Usually, I wake up every hour because I'm nervous about sleeping in. But this time, I only woke up once! The plan was to meet the riding-herd at Betty's house and take two cars to Carlsbad. Two cars, five girls, four bikes, and a runner.

Me, Mik, Betty, and Anitra...Wilma was the smart one and took the photo. It's still very dark at 5:30am. Betty was thrilled to be awake.

Lousy picture of Wilma figuring out the bike rack.

The road to the race was uneventful...despite me taking the wrong exit and Wilma being super happy about following me through the back roads of Carlsbad in BBJ's pretty car. I mean, I had the GPS, so I knew where I was going, and I still say that three right turns does NOT equal a U-Turn!

What I will say is that at 6:30, when we got into the parking lot, it was COLD. I checked the weather Ap on my phone and it said that it was 39F. YIKES! I decided to start the race with a few layers...an old Underarmor compression shirt, some new dayglo-neon-lime-green arm warmers (awesome!) and the dayglo-neon-lime-green race shirt! Can you say HAWT.

We'd parked at the far end of the lot, which was probably 1/2 mile from the start, but really close to the exit. In what will probably turn out to be one of the smartest moves of the day, I decided to not check gear and just leave my a change of clothes in the car.

I waited in the car with Mik as long as I could, but I needed to use the potty and wanted to get to the start, so I said goodbye to my riding friends, and jogged up to the starting area where I pretty quickly found Alberta...also HAWT and glowing in her lime-green race shirt and green arm warmers, then I literally almost ran into Irene and Michael.

After the jog up to the race start area, I was actually getting warm and I wanted to get rid of the Underarmor shirt, and I'd forgotten my chapstick (very essential in a long run because in a pinch, it can double as GLIDE). So Alberta and I jogged back to the car, picked up the chapstick and jogged up to the Wave 4 area just in time for the start.

Resplendent in Dayglo-neon-lime-green, no?

As we were moving up, I realized I still had my Underarmor shirt tied around my waist...bummer! The ensuing conversation went something like this...

Me: Ah shiz...I still have this shirt. Should I (finger quote) donate it? (finger quote)
Alberta: Is that supposed grey or white?
Me: Uh...white? Theoretically.
Alberta: (laughing) if it's supposed to be white, you should give it up. Time for a new one.

Alberta and I think we've started about 10 races together in the last 5 years. Mostly we run about the same pace (or at least we start at the same pace). She is certainly my starter girl.

So the race started... Here's the route...

Small map, but you get the drift

Here's the report.

Miles 1-4 - The Easy Miles
I love this race. Sure, it starts in a mall parking lot, but pretty soon, you are running above the Pacific, watching the surfers and the waves break. When I did this race in 2009, three years ago, I was hurt and all of it after the first mile was a struggle. However, even then it was fun. I had Betty with me and we talked and laughed most of the way... Along the way I could remember a thousand things from 2009 that made me smile (more COWBELL!).

I ran with Alberta the first mile...then had her in my sights for the 2nd and lost her somewhere around the second water station...from there I could see her dayglo lime-green ahead of me, but she was just rockin' and I already knew I was going faster than I thought I should have been.

Along the way, I saw Penny (yay!) and Irene and Michael again. At the turn around Michael yelled out "Go Heffers!" and I waved like a crazy girl at him. I always wonder what people are thinking when they hear that. I hope it makes them smile. It certainly works for me!

My splits show that I ran Miles 1-4 faster than I really should have, but not too much. It certainly could have been worse. I could have tried to stay up with Alberta!

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace

1	10:27.8	1.00	10:28
2	9:46.9	1.00	9:47
3	10:02.7	1.00	10:03
4	10:03.4	1.00	10:03

Miles 5-10 - Out-Back-Up-Down-and-Around
I always think ahead of time that Carlsbad is going to be a flat course...maybe it's because the Carlsbad 5000 is, but the half is anything but, there's lots of rolling hills.

No enormous climbs...but there are plenty of up and down.

I tried to keep a pretty even pace. At the 2nd Turnaround (around mile 7), I saw Alberta right ahead of me. She must have thought I was farther back because I could see her looking for me behind me.

I could also feel myself running out of energy. Unlike some of my long runs, I decided I needed a Gu around mile 6 or so and I thought I'd get more around Mile 9 (never saw it). I drank the energy drink at every station it was available. I'm bummed I didn't bring a 2nd Gu, I could have used it.

Around the 8th mile I caught up with Alberta and we chatted a bit. She had been tearing it up and I am so darn impressed with her. Her longest training run was something like 6 miles, but she's been boxing and training at the gym and is a complete beast! She said she felt really good. We must have looked fabulous, because right about then the Reno 911 guys ran buy and yelled something like "GO GREEN" and swatted our butts with their batons.

Yes, I fumbled with my camera and no doubt lost several seconds, but there was NO WAY I was going to miss this shot. Can you say chafe?

Wait...you need a closer shot? Let me offer this...

You're welcome!

Oh yeah...my splits, still not bad, right?

5	10:15.1	1.00	10:15
6	10:10.2	1.00	10:10
7	10:51.5	1.00	10:52
8	10:19.7	1.00	10:20
9	10:32.0	1.00	10:32
10	10:24.0	1.00	10:24

BTW...While I was running...somewhere between miles 6 and 8, Betty, Mik, Wilma, and Anitra were somewhere in the middle of Camp Pendelton

Hey Girlz...

Miles 11-13.1 - I Hate the 11th Mile
The WORST things about Mile 11

I just hate the 11th mile. That's it.
Throughout the race, my calf had been bugging me. I took one step around mile 11 my lower-leg almost gave out. I thought for a moment, I was going to fall.
I drank too fast at the mile 11 water station and almost threw it back up.
At the end of Mile 10, I really thought I had 2:15 within reach...yeah, it would have taken three consecutive 10 minute miles to do it, and then I just felt it just slip away

The BEST things about the last three miles.

Thinking...its only three miles and hell...I can run three miles
Seeing Betty with less than a mile left
The finish...yep, I still had a sprint at the end and I gotta be happy with that.

Betty's working on her photography skillz... I may look happy, but really, I was only happy to see the end in sight

It's sorta ugly at the end...I agree.

11	11:14.0	1.00	11:14
12	10:25.2	1.00	10:25
13	11:12.5	1.00	11:13
14	2:38.9	0.28	9:29

I really gave it my all. 2:18:17 (official) 10:33 pace. That's a PR, almost 5 minutes faster than last summer's Rock 'n' Roll Half and almost a whopping 22 minutes faster than the last time I ran Carlsbad.

I am completely happy and proud of myself for the race. My goal was to come in under 2:20. I did that. My super-secret-don't-tell-anyone-dream-race-goal was 2:15 and I know now that I will finish a half in under 2:15. I really didn't think it was going to happen yesterday, but I also didn't think I'd be as close as I was...

WOOT!

Post-Race - Get Me OUT of Here!
I have almost no idea what I did after I crossed the finish line. Someone handed me a medal. I almost hugged a woman who handed me a bottle of water. I snarked at an woman in a red shirt from Elite security who was YELLING at runners to keep moving as I was holding onto a fence in my attempt to stretch my screaming-aching calve muscles. ("uh...I just need a second here to stretch...or I could throw up on you"). I may not have said this loud enough so that the woman could hear me, but I guess I was loud enough because I made a young girl who was also trying to stretch next to me laugh.

Some angel handed me a carton of chocolate milk and a bag of food. Then there was a huge cluster-@!*& just to get out of the runners area, but I managed to get out. Then I found a curb to sit down on and I did.

Cell phone service was (of course) a nightmare due to the high density of texters, callers, FBers, Twitters, and the suckiness of ATT, but eventually I elegantly (hahaha) got up off the curb and started my long walk back to the car. By then my ~~snot-rags~~ arm-warmers were pretty soaked and I started to feel chilled (where were the post race mylar blankets? Probably with the GU). I wondered why we thought parking near an exit was such a good idea.

Once back at the car, I threw the keys to Betty and said, "please drive," and as we decided where to go to eat I said "not it" first, so I didn't have to decide. I crawled into the back seat and started seeing the slew of messages from all my friends who were stilli in the runners aread. Once again, I missed Meg and Jill (GAH!) probably within minutes, but I just wanted to sit in the back of my warm car and eat pretzels.

I'm really happy I decided to not check my gear as I'm reading some reports that the gear check was a cluster-@!*& (I already did that once at Long Beach about a year ago, thank. you. very. much. and don't ever again want to wait for gear after a race)

It was a great run. The weather was perfect. It's a beautiful route on the ocean. The hills are challenging, and of course, I have great friends who, even if they don't run with me, come along for the ride.

But of course we did

Carlsbad, Here I Come

2012-01-19T12:32:00.000-08:00

Well...so much for that resolution to be a better blogger...GAH!

Just wanted to check in with this:

You can completely see the months where I did a significant number of bike miles...no?

And also with some pre-race thinking related to running the Carlsbad 1/2 this Sunday...some thoughts brought on because Clarence posted a link to this article on her FB page this morning. It's mostly about raising children and the author's annoyance with the Carpe-diem or "Sieze-the-Day" philosophy she often hears from people who see her with her three young children. Those of us with kids often hear things like this...your kids are doing something that you find particularly annoying and some stranger says something like "enjoy every moment, it goes by so quickly!"

Uh...yeah. I hate that too.

I agree with the author. She compares raising children to climbing Mount Everest and notes that there are moments during a climb that are sheer joy, but most of it is hard work. Mona would agree. She climbed Kilimanjaro a few years ago and her tale is full of "it was the hardest thing I've ever done." and that much of it was painful and difficult and just plain hard work. She tells about how there were moments when it was all she could do to take another step.

I've certainly compared long runs to childbirth, how there's a lot of hard work, but finishing the marathon was one of the best moments of my life. There were lots of moments during the race that were not fun. at. all. BUT, I really enjoyed finishing the race, and there were parts of the race that I remember with great clarity because I was having so much fun...

Or like childbirth, maybe I just remember it that way. That kind of rose-colored-class 20/20 hindsight is certainly what leads many of us to thinking we could have two or more children.

The author notes that mountain climbing (and I say running) and raising kids are like this--lots of hard work and repetition broken up by both little and big moments of complete amazement at life and the joy of raising kids.

These moments of hard work mixed with joy and beauty will undoubted be part of the story I end up telling about running this year's Carlsbad Half

The other story I will end up telling will be adventures related to some of the herd (Mik, Elsie, Betty, Wilma & possibly Clarence and some other friends) riding their bikes from Carlsbad to San Clemente and back as I run Carlsbad that morning and the ridiculousness that will ensue as we try to meet up with each other.

In any event, regarding the race, I feel quite prepared for it. I have some time goals in mind, but I really don't want to write them out because I have an ego the size of Montana and on the ~~chance~~ probability that I don't make a time goal, I don't want to admit it or explain it or justify it.

But I have been running really, really, really well lately and I think I can PR. No matter what, I'll take on the Mt. Everest/Childbirth/Childrearing philosophy - there will be some difficult moments during the race, punctuated by moments of fun and absolute joy, and at the end, I'll be really happy that I ran the race!

I thought you might need a photo of San Diego bay to make your day. I took this one a couple weeks ago when I met Irene and some SDTC peeps for a long run from Glorietta Bay Park (near Coronado, on the strand). It was a beautiful morning!

Full Disclosures... Big Waves, Running in January Heat, and Zipp Fizz

2012-01-07T21:50:00.000-08:00

On Friday morning(ish) I decided to go run at the beach. There's been some big surf due to the latest southern swell (10-20 foot waves), and I thought it'd be a good distraction while I did a 4 - 5 mile run.

Full Disclosure - It was really closer to 11am by the time I got to the beach, so it almost doesn't count as a morning run.

The other reason that I went to the beach is that about a month or so ago, I got some samples of Zipfizz with a request to review the product. I don't do many product review for several reasons including, 1) I don't get asked to; and 2) even when I do get asked to, I don't blog with enough regularity to feel comfortable agreeing to do a review in any timely fashion.

When Zipp Fizz contacted me the first time, I was busy (remember November? Me either) and didn't answer the email, but when they contacted me a second time, I said sure...send me your stuff and I'll try it out.

For those of you who don't know, Zipfizz is an Energy Drink powder that you add to water. It makes the water a little fizzy and is supposed to give you 4 to 6 hours of energy. It comes in a groovy little tube that makes transporting it convenient. It does give water a little bit of a fizz, but not as much as a soda. If you want gobs more info about what's in Zipfizz, you should go here.

Full Disclosure - I'd used Zipfizz prior to being asked to review the product. In fact, it was one of the reasons I agreed to use it. That beings said, Zipfizz did send me some product to review.

Generally, I use Zipfizz in the afternoon when I'm feeling especially tired instead of drinking coffee. Even though (according to their their website) it has some caffeine (about 1/4 the amount in a Starbucks Tall Coffee), it doesn't seem to affect me like an afternoon cup of joe does. I find that if I drink coffee after 2pm, it's guaranteed that I'll never fall asleep before 1am, but Zipfizz didn't seem to have that effect on me.

But I'd never used it as an energy drink or electrolyte replacement beverage during or after running. The San Diego Track Club uses a product called Vitalyte at its aid stations, and I've gotten rather used to using that. Vitalyte reminds me of how Gatorade used to be when I was a kid. Not very sweet...and I like that.

In any event, I decided to give Zipfizz a try during a run on Friday.

Here's how it came packaged for me... I think it was supposed to be like a holiday gift.

I'll be honest...I'm really excited about the BP free bottle. I needed one of those (for work...for water with Zipfizz)

They also sent me a flash drive...along with five different flavors of "the fizz." I think there was grape, lemonade, orange, citrus, something called orange cream and some others.

I decided to use the citrus flavored, thinking it would be the least sweet. Because my hand-held running water bottle holds 12 oz, and the directions say that one tube of Zipfizz is enough for 16 to 20 oz of water, and because I know from experience, the stuff can be pretty strong, I used less that 1/2 the tube.

If you use this, be warned...it does fizz up, so if you put it in bottled water, make sure the water bottle isn't 100% full, or you'll have fizz all over the place.

And I was off...first I ran south, toward South Mission Beach. Although it wasn't as warm as Thursday (it hit about 80F at the beaches on Thursday...crazy January weather here...who says there's no Global Warming?), the sun was in my face, but still running at the beach always makes me happy.

It's about 1/2 mile to the Jetty at South Mission, so I stopped to take some photos.

The important thing to know about this photo is that those waves are breaking in an area that is between two jettys (A jetty is built to protect a beach from violent waves.

There are two jettys in this area...one that protects Ocean Beach (in the photo) and one that protects Mission Beach (which I'm standing on). There's about a 1/2 mile area between the two where the San Diego River dumps into the ocean.) For the most part, waves don't generally break between the two jettys unless they're pretty big and really strong...which was the case on Friday.

Not like this they don't

Full Disclosure: I stopped to take photos for several minutes. Do you blame me?

As I headed North, back toward Mission and then Pacific Beach, the sun was at my back, and you would think that would be fine, but I was also running with the wind, which made it HOT. I started sipping from my water bottle, and was pleasantly surprised that, even though the Zipfizz made the water a little fizzy, I didn't immediately burp it up.

However, it was still pretty sweet. When I got to Mission Beach, I stopped at a water fountain and filled it to the top with more water (I'd drank about 4 oz at that point), which made it about perfect strength wise, but because it was in a hand held water bottle, and probably because it was getting warm outside, the water/Zipfizz mixture also got warm, and I'll be honest here, it wasn't very pleasant.

By the time I got to Pacific Beach (I'd run about 3 miles), I decided to turn around and head back to the car. It was hot. I was tired of running. Maybe it was the heat, but the Zipfizz wasn't settling so well. I filled up my water bottle with more water (it was down to about 10% Zipfizz at this point) and headed back. Running back into the wind made me feel much better.

Full disclosure: I stopped one more time to take some more photos...I mean really...do you blame me?

As I finished running, I let out a HUGE BURP.

Full disclosure: I do this after every run. Ask Betty or Walter. I can make the walls shake with my burps, so I can't really blame that on the Zipfizz.

After the burp, I felt much better, and I walked back to the car, grabbed some dry shorts, shirt, and bathing suit top, went to the restroom to change, then grabbed a beach chair and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing at the beach, watching the waves and the crazy tourists in the ocean (water temp wasn't nearly as cold as I thought it would be), and was mostly entertained by a mother who let her kids run into the waves, but who hadn't brought any towels or dry clothes with her. ((shakes head))... Rookie mistake.

Ahhhhh

So...some notes on running with Zipfizz

It's super sweet...too sweet for me to use full-strength while running. If I'm going to use it, I will dilute it to only about 30% of the suggested strength.
I like it better when it's cold which makes me think that I should try it when cycling. On my bike I use a Camelback insulated water bottle, which should help it stay cold.
I don't like it much when it's not cold.
The packaging in the tubes is really convenient, which is why I want it to work! On long runs when I have to carry my own water, I'd like to be able to carry an electrolyte replacement with me as well.
I will continue to use it as an occasional afternoon energy drink when I go back to work....and I LOVE the water bottle Zipfizz sent me.

As for the rest of the afternoon at the beach?

Let's just say, it wasn't painful

But that water...was still cold! For all of you, I went into the water so that I could get a better shot of the waves (the tide was a negative tide and the waves were breaking pretty far from the beach)...the things I do...

Full disclosure: The cold ocean water was sort of like an ice-cold whirlpool bath for a twitchy tendon that has been begging for me to pay more attention to it.

Later that day, Walter, Turbo and I went back out to the beach to see the sun set at Sunset Cliffs (south of where I was earlier in the day)

My boys

In the background is south side of the Ocean Beach jetty, and the Ocean Beach Pier... Waves, typically, do not reach the bottom of the pier when they are breaking.

Full disclosure: It wasn't high tide yet, which made the size of the surf that much more surprising.

It really was quite beautiful

A bit of self-indulgence...Looking back at 2011 and ahead to 2012

2012-01-02T17:18:00.000-08:00

In 2011, I sorta fell off the blogging bandwagon...only 58 posts for the whole year. That being said, a few posts back, I did pass the 400 blog milestone and in fact, in two days, the Hefferblog will be 4 years old.

However, even though I wasn't blogging about running, I apparently was actually running. I've been watching my running/riding numbers on Daily Mile for the last few weeks and was surprised when I saw that I was nearing 1000 miles total, which was one of my goals for the year... Full disclosure, I'd actually forgotten that I'd set it as a goal, but it's nice to know that I'd met it anyway...maybe it was subconscious.

Here are my 2011 numbers

Running: 691 miles
Cycling: 459 miles
Total: 1150 miles

Last January, when I wrote a year in review/looking ahead post I'd logged 875 miles total...and I was sorta bummed about that. Apparently the previous January, I'd set a 1000 mile goal for myself and just like this year, I'd forgotten that I set the goal, so then I whined about not meeting a goal when you only kinda-sorta set it for yourself.

Fast forward to 2011 when I ran about 100 miles more (691 vs. 589 miles) than in 2010, which I find kind of surprising since I actually ran fewer races this past year, but the thing that really put me over 1000 miles is the cycling (459 vs. 154 miles) which means that in 2010, I barely rode much at all.

Mostly, I think the increase in mileage can be mostly attributed to the fact that I just wasn't injured this year (woot! woot! woot for that).

So, in looking back at 2011, there were some other things that seem especially worth remembering

The Herd Stuff

I helped Elsie, Betty, and now Wilma buy new road bikes (so expect that cycling mileage to increase even more this coming year).

Elsie gets a new bike in November

Betty gets a new ride in December

Wilma's new ride (OK...it was January 2012...but it was the 2nd, so it counts)

BTW...the local Trek store completely owes me a commission! I have complete and udder bike-envy over their carbon bikes now...but I will be a good girl and wait a while longer before plunking down some moo-la for a ride.

Mik, Betty, Elsie and I ran two destination half-marathons this year - The Napa-to-Sonoma half in July and the Nike Women's half in October.

My girls...

DramaGirl and Millie (Betty's daughter) joined us as our chauffeurs and general good sports when we went to Napa.
Much of the rest of the herd joined us in San Francisco in October to help celebrate Elsie's birthday.

Happiness is celebrating with the Herd!

The Silly Stuff

Of course, there is the plethora of lost keys, flat tires, too many mimosas to count, inside jokes, and just downright ridiculousness, that comes when a group of women spend (according to some of our spouses) way too much time together.

Running in the pouring rain with Betty and Irene

Getting on the ~~wrong~~ early train for the SDTC Train Run, which we got away with despite not having tickets, but because we had shoe tags!

4am - San Francisco International

I have no idea why I took this picture... The toilet seat was really low

Alberta boxed

We made friends with The Conjugator

Karaoke Night (no link...one of the many things I did not blog about this year. We're in a pool bar. Use your imagination...)

Sometimes we have too many pseudonyms

There is humor everywhere

The Family Stuff

These three people really are the center of my universe. We too had a really wonderful year full of with some fun vacations, some of them elsewhere in the world, many of them near to home. I look at these and cannot believe how incredible lucky and blessed I am to have them in my life.

Sunsets with Walter

Ditto

Running with Walter and DramaGirl (Thanksgiving morning Turkey Trot)

Transportation and Sports Day - Turbo, Walter, and I drive to the Stadium, trolley to Cox Arena for an Aztec basketball game, trolley back to stadium for an Aztec football game, drive home

My boy

Carving pumpkins with friends

DG plays varsity field hockey

Before going to Lazz's Mad Men Party

The crew - from LA

The most you'll ever see of me in a two piece swimsuit! (in Vegas

My guy

Sleeping beauty (she'll kill me for that...but isn't she beautiful?)

Turbo in The Music Man last fall (third from the left)

My beautiful sisters (oh...and me)

Walter pretending to play golf

DG learns to drive (GAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!)

The Active Stuff

The best thing out of the year, really, is that I just didn't get hurt. I want to attribute this mostly to not overdoing it and part of it to cross training. I tried doing some weight work this year (far to sporadically), but I think that helped, as did riding the bike. Rarely did I run more than two days in a row.
Most surprisingly, it was a year of PRs. Five in all, at all distances I run (5K, 10K, 15K, Half-Marathon, and an odd 4 mile race) -- Sue Kren (15K) - 1:37:42 (10:29); SuperRun (10K) - 1:01:55 (9:58); Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon - 2:22:58 (10:55); End of Summer Fire Run - 38.22 (9:31); Run for the Hungry 5K - 28:26 (8:52).
In fact, I didn't have, what I would consider, a bad race all year. I think this is, again, because I didn't overdo it. I only ran three half-ms (the last several years, I've done 4) and that seems to give me enough recovery time between races to...well...recover.
Of course, after every race, and many other runs, there are mimosas, recaps, laughs, and stories....which is really why we do all this, and why I continue to try to write about it.

Looking Ahead
I am among those who do make annual resolutions or set goals for myself. I write them down, and then pretty much forget that I made them, but not really. I do think that the act of writing them down does, somehow stick with me. So looking ahead I'd like to:

Run/Ride 2000 miles. This seems very doable if I continue to ride regularly once school starts, and more frequently during breaks and in the summer. I am so lucky that I have flexibility in my work that allows me to do this.
Not be injured again, by continuing to cross train and to not overdo it.
To run at least two half-marathons this year. The first is in two weeks (Carlsbad 1/2), but after that, I don't have anything planned. There's a bit of a schism in the herd right now as we become more invested in cycling (much easier on the body), and less in running long distances. But, I'm really not ready to quit the half-marathon thing yet. Carlsbad will be the first half-mary I've trained for on my own since the Vegas RnR half two years ago. It's been a challenge to do the long runs on my own. I'm not sure I've done such a stellar job.
Continue to be a faster-fitter runner. I do think there's a relationship to my recent increase in speed and my overall fitness. I don't write much about my weight, but I am down about 8 pounds. Less weight is certainly less pressure on the joints.
To do a century ride. It'll be a new adventure for the herd, training for a century, but we are still in need of a plan.
To blog more. I like writing about our adventures and my family. It certainly has helped me seek balance in my life (a huge fail this year), but writing regularly forces me to recognize how lucky and blessed I am to be surrounded by great friends and a loving family. When I feel myself getting all self-centered and cranky about what I don't have or what I can't do, I turn to this little blog to remind myself of all I do have and all I can do, and then I bitch-slap myself out of my sulkiness.
To give back more. (see above)
To not overbook myself. This is probably the biggest challenge for me. But too often, I have a tendency to overbook myself with work, with play, with family. When we run at Balboa Park, Mik and Betty and Elsie have been crossing over Park Avenue to run through a rose garden on the other side. Mik says: "It doesn't count unless you stop and smell the roses." She's right, it really doesn't.

Happy New Year to all of you! Enjoy the view!

Sunset from La Jolla last week just as the fog rolled in.

And the next morning (from Del Mar - just North of La Jolla) after the fog rolled back out.

Yep...it doesn't suck to live here - Taken from the Coronado Ferry after Sunday's New Year's Day 29 mile ride. A nice way to start the year!

Flats, Falls, and Lost Keys

2011-12-29T19:57:00.000-08:00

Wait a minute...what is THIS?

Two days in a row? What kind of nonsense is this Alice?

It's the kind of nonsense that occurs after an epic ride...one that should have been completed in about 2 hours, but which took about 7 hours start to finish.

To begin... Elsie, Betty, Wilma, the newly dubbed Dair-lyn (more on that latter) and yours truly set out at 8 o'clock this morning for the five cities tour--San Diego - National City - Chula Vista - Imperial Beach - Coronado. We've done this ride plenty of times. It was a completely gorgeous morning for a ride! It was Wilma's first ride with us (yay! first of many to come) and Dair-lyn's naming ride (only we wouldn't know that until later).

But before we even began riding, Betty handed me the tip of her presta valve...which she apparently had broken off when she was pumping air into the tires. While the OTHER part of the tip was holding air in the tire, I knew this wouldn't last for a long ride (or at all), so we decided to change the tube... After all, I'd brought my pump!

Yes...more adventures of the herd changing flat tires. We are good at that, remember?

Admit it...you're loving the Ugg boots, aren't you?

Betty removed the tube, without breaking a nail!

Since we weren't quite sure how long the whole tire changing episode would take, and since Dair-lyn and Wilma were on commuter bikes, and because we ASSUMED they'd ride somewhat slower than us on road bikes, they took off while we were changing the tire.

This turned out to be not such a good idea BTW.

In fact, we changed the tire pretty quickly (maybe 20 minutes...which is a world record for us), then we set off. It was a little cool, but I wore my arm warmers and a new INCREDIBLY YELLOW bike shirt (that tank top was under the bike shirt. You can see the a part of the bike shirt in the photo above...it's the yellow thing GLOWING in the corner. I'd taken it off so that I wouldn't get bike grease all over it).

The first five miles were relatively uneventful, although the first five miles of the ride are probably the most treacherous. Harbor Blvd is a well used road in the morning. It crosses both the entrance to the Naval Base at 32nd Street as well as the NASSCO shipyard. It's not very scenic and the road it pretty rutted up. Also, once we get past NASSCO, there are train tracks running at funny angles on the street...all in all...BUT once we get past the first 5 miles, it's a nice ride around the south bay.

Even though we weren't being very speedy, I figured we'd catch up to Wilma and Dair-lyn, and as we passed into National City, I could see Wilma waving to us from the side of the road. We pulled up and learned that poor Dair-lyn had gotten her front tire stuck in one of the train tracks, fallen, and clunked her head...pretty badly.

It was actually rather scary. She was a little disoriented and kept asking us what happened over and over. Wilma had gotten some ice and some water from a recycling place nearby. (good Samaritans...I think they have some on hand. They told her that bikers fall on the railroad tracks pretty regularly). The good news was that she wasn't throwing up, and although she couldn't remember falling, she was talking to us and was making sense.

After a few minutes of trying to figure out what to do (should we call a cab? should a couple of us ride back to get the car? Her car was back in San Diego and she certainly couldn't drive). We pretty quickly decided to call her husband, who came with their son to get her and take her to a doctor (good news...she texted me that she went to the ER and had a CAT scan and is OK... but is probably going to have a hell of a headache tomorrow).

Her biggest concern at this point was that I made sure she looked good in the photo...that's our girl!

But...while we were waiting...and trying to make jokes to keep all of us from freaking the heck out, several other groups of riders stopped to make sure everything was OK. And best of all, Dair-lyn got her heffer-name, something she'd wanted since she went to San Francisco for the Nike 1/2 with us!

We told her to be patient...at some point a heffer name would present itself to us...and it did today when one group of (shall we say) Senior women rode by and stopped to check on us. We talked to them for a bit, and one was named Dair-lyn...or maybe it was Darryl-Lynn, or maybe it was Darrylin...or maybe it was a woman with a really serious southern twang saying "daaarlin." In any event, we decided it was the perfect heffer name for the woman previously knowns as Cindy.

Dair-lyn's husband arrived and took her home, then to the ER (ER Hell she texted me.) And like I said, she says she's fine. Her husband's new helmet will have to be replaced...and it shook all of us up a bit.

Wear your helmets people...trust me!

So...two bad things had happened...what else could there be? Someone mentioned that we could just head back...but it was Wilma's inaugural ride...so we decided to go on. Needless to say, we rode very carefully back down the bay and over to Coronado, but like I said, the roads on the rest of the ride are in pretty good shape, and one of the best things about this route is that most of it is dedicated bike path..the kind where you are NOT sharing with cars.

Once we got to Coronado, we were STARVING (as it was by then about 11:30), so we went to our now favorite Coronado breakfast place, the Firehouse Cafe...unfortunately, it was no longer breakfast time.

Yes, we still had mimosas...and toasted to Dair-lyn

We ended up inadvertently having a pretty leisurely lunch...which was OK. We needed to catch the ferry to get back to San Diego, and the ferry from Coronado to San Diego leaves on the 1/2 hour...so 12:30 came and went...and we finally got on the 1:30 ferry.

Wilma and Elsie looked VERY happy about not being on a bike seat at that moment

A truly spectacular day

I can't explain....

I'd pretty much predicted that I'd have a parking ticket when we got back because I'd parked in an unmetered 2 hour area. Even when I parked there, I was mostly hoping that I'd get lucky and get three hours without a ticket, but five hours? I thought that was pretty unlikely. I figured the parking ticket would be the third episode of back luck for the day (since bad things happen in threes), but that wasn't the third piece of bad luck...

LOOK MA! NO TICKET!!!

Nope...the third thing was Betty saying "Hey! Where are my keys?"*

SHUT UP!

This is why we have AAA

Because sometimes we lock our keys in the car

All in all, it was a pretty good ride. The weather was absolutely stunning...even for SoCal. We were lucky that we've learned how to change a flat. We were very lucky that Dair-lyn** is OK. And we were really, very, lucky that Betty had locked her keys in the car and not dropped them somewhere outside the car.

____________________________

* Elsie would say that the fourth bad thing is that when she got back to her car, she didn't clip out of one of her pedals fast enough and fell again... that's twice. I hate to tell her about the bad things happen in threes rule.... shhhhhh

** BTW...Dair-lyn is a pain in the butt to type...so look forward to me calling her DLyn for short.

Well...that was one sure fire way to lose weight over the holidays...

2011-12-28T14:29:00.000-08:00

After all, it had been one HECKUVA BUSY WEEK, following one HECKUVA BUSY MONTH.

To start off the holiday season, last Tuesday, we hosted the family Hanukkah dinner...which included frying a whole lotta potato latkes (18 pounds of potatoes this year. I have no idea how many that ended up being) AND included roasting this puppy...

16 pounds of brisket...and because I know you want to know how I cooked a 16 pound briket - Kinder's prime rib rub and worcestershire rubbed in (Thanks to the Kardos's). Double wrap in heavy duty aluminum foil. 9 hours. 325F oven. Perfect!

We had about 30 people over this year. It was a great event! I was glad I'd gotten in a 3.5 mile run in the AM to counterbalance some of the potato consumption!

Putting teenagers to work - washing dishes! (Turbo, Nephew-Sam, Daughter-like-DramaGirl friend-Rachel)

On Wednesday morning, we decided to go for a bike ride (I figure I'd carb-loaded sufficiently on brisket and latkes the night before...so why not). 22 mile out and back from Coronado to Imperial Beach and back.

Betty on her new bike at the very ugly foot of San Diego Bay.

Followed by...

Serving lunch at the Senior Center. That's my nephew Jordan and my BIL.

An then we...

Went to a party at Betty's and made the kids go caroling (not sure the neighbors were THAT happy about it!)

On Thursday, I'd PLANNED to do a leisurely run at Lake BP, but ended up running 7 miles at a 10:04 pace, thanks to Mik's pacing.

Then, DramaGirl and I went with my SIL and her daughter to see The Nutcracker.

It was wonderful!

By Friday, I was feeling pretty tired, but went for a 23 mile ride with the herd from Hospitality Point to Gilman Drive and back...all of it done with only a front brake because somehow the back brake cable came loose.

Believe it or not, on Friday night we stayed home, ate more latke's and lit candles.

DramaGirl and I bought a new menorah this year...very pretty.

The next morning was Christmas Eve-Day and we got up early to do the annual cousin-photo-with-Santa-and-final-shopping-effort.

Yep...we've been making the cousins sit with Santa for 16 years! Yes we light candles and sit with Santa...it's all part of our family Chrismakkah!

Not sure Santa was ready for Turbo's request for "a pound of gummy worms"

After the Santa trip, some last minute shopping AND a stop at the mechanic for an oil change, I wasn't feeling particularly great, so when I got home I thought I'd take a short nap, then wake up, wrap a few gifts, then head off to my SILs house for Christmas Eve Dinner.

My body, however, had other plans. It was ready to say STOP! NOW!

I didn't wake up (other than the one time I woke up to throw up) until 7 the next morning--Christmas Morning.

Which is a problem when you still have gifts to wrap. Thank goodness the kids are teenagers now, and they're not up at the butt-crack of dawn to open gifts, because there I was wrapping gifts (and still feeling relatively nauseous) at 7am. ((shakes head at self)), but I rallied and we had a wonderful Christmas morning--Walter, DramaGirl, Turbo, and me.

I love these moments and continue to recognize how fleeting they are. My kids aren't so little any more, so Christmas morning is more leisurely. They are as interested (or at least they are much better at feigning interest) in what they gave to each other and to us, than what was waiting in the wrapped packages for them.

DramaGirl surrounded by Hollister clothes and Flavor-blast goldfish...her faves...

I could have stayed on the sofa all day.

But...in true Alice-family style, we had places to go, people to see, things to do, so we set off for my sister's house in Manhattan Beach (about 2.5 hours north) for more COUSINS, and FOOD, and BEVERAGES, and CHEER.

My beautiful niece and her equally beautiful mama (my lil sis)

My parents, who are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this week. My dad got down on one knee and asked my mom if she'd marry him all over again...which was one of the best moments of the night (She said, "YES!")

Mandatory whole-family photo!

Dad says, "Every salad is better with BACON! "

Cousin Jake and DramaGirl got to sit at the "grown up table" this year! Jake's question to me..."Is THIS what the adults usually talk about?" (I think we were discussing the Penn State situation) Me: Well...we the topics vary, but we usually end up talking about something that's going on in the world...isn't that what you talk about at the kids table? Jake: "Uh...no"

The next day, we all went down to the beach. It was a great day. I ran about 5 miles.

Sweaty me and OTHER my lil' sis after my run on the beach...it was a GLORIOUS day!

DG...enjoying a Jamba Juice

(from the right) My lil sis, her husband and his mom at sunset at the Manhattan Beach Pier.

Walter and me at the pier.

Despite the tummy issues (which are still plaguing me somewhat), it was a truly wonderful Holiday. After Hanukkah, I mentioned to Walter how wonderful it is that we have such a great family (both sides), and such wonderful friends that we get to spend time with. We are truly, truly, truly blessed!

Betty Gets a New Ride

2011-12-19T22:41:00.000-08:00

I swear...the local Trek store owes me a HUGE commission! Since getting my bike more than two years ago, Mik, Elsie, and now Betty have gotten new bikes...and now they all have better bikes than I do.

Not that I have bike envy or anything like that...

But I do...

So...since I'd watched both Elsie and Betty get new bikes in the last month or so, I couldn't help but get a LITTLE something new for myself, and I bought new pedals and new bike shoes.

An aside...I do have some concerns about the new road pedals. I'd been using some Shimano mountain bike clip-ins since I started riding with clip in mountain bike pedals and shoes a couple of years ago, and even though I've been on a road bike for a couple of years, I kept using the clover-leaf shaped clip ins. Let's face it. They are easier to clip into and the shoes are WAY easier to walk in than road bike pedals/shoes.

However, when Betty bought her bike, the sales guy was having NONE of that, told her that she needed some REAL road bike shoes, and sold her some real road-bike pedals, and because I have an ego the size of Montana, I decided I had to also have some REAL ROAD-BIKE CLIP-INS AND SHOES, so now I have some Shimano Road bike pedals. They're quite different. I'm expecting a fall at some point.

On the other hand, I having ridden in them one day... I get it.

For my running friends, I know you have no effing idea what I'm talking about right now. Lets just say that I decided to move from a stability shoe to a neutral shoe. It's gonna be different.

Anyway...Betty got a new bike over the weekend, and picked it up today, and despite the absolutely beautiful weather this weekend, Mother Nature decided to get all cloudy and overcast and rainy today, but we decided to go for a ride anyway.

Let's just say, it's a Trek Madone 4.3...all carbon...I hate her and have some really serious Bike Envy now.

So, we decided to go to a familiar spot to take a ride, and Lake BP was a familiar and car-less path.

We didn't ride fast or far, but we all broke in our new rides with no falls or serious adventures to speak of (e.g. no flats)

We survived!!!!

Yes...she got a new bike, now about those socks... (Shakes head and rolls eyes)

An Ugly, Pretty Run

2011-12-17T13:54:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness that the semester is finally over! Gosh, that was a busy one. I'm looking forward to a few weeks away from teaching, even though the next couple of weeks look to be continued busy...but at least it'll be fun-busy!

To get the fun-busy off to a good start, this morning, Walter and I went down to the beach so that I could get a 9 mile long run in, but things didn't really go as planned...

Walter and I had headed down to the beach thinking it would be cool, so we dressed accordingly, but when we stepped out of the car, it was a glorious sunny winter morning...which is great for walking the boardwalk, but not so great for running. We tried to take as may layers off as possible, but I was already in long tights, and there was no way to strip those off...

Just saying.... we were NOT expecting this, this morning...

The first few miles felt really good, as it was a completely gorgeous morning on the bay, but by about the third mile, I was already whining to myself, "how much FARTHER do I have to go? How far have I gone so far?" You know the drill...checking my Garmin CONSTANTLY and that's NEVER a good thing.

So, I blame the concrete path, which is never kind to my achilles, calves, knees, or hips, all of those felt especially achy for this morning's lousy run. Also I wag my accusing finger at the sun, which was in my face for keeping me too warm. Also, I'd like to call out the Mexican food we ate for dinner last night at about 9pm, causing my stomach to do some double flips. Also I can't help but chide my run on the mill at about 5pm last night for making my legs feel heavy. I could also give a little "tsk, tsk" to the cold I think I've been fighting off for about a month (which I am sure to get now that I'm on vacation).

Yep...I have a long list of things to blame for this morning's lousy run.

At the Crystal Pier restroom, I told Walter (who had run waaaaay ahead of me and who kindly stopped to wait) that I was going to head into the residential area of so that I could run on the surface streets (and the asphalt) for awhile...and that did help my legs, but by then I had pretty much convinced myself that 9 miles was not going to happen. Thus, it didn't.

So, since it was going to be a lousy run, I decided to run back to the car on Bay Side of Mission Bay and take pictures of the holiday decorations.

Some neighbors put a tree on the beach (all decorated...how cool is that). I probably take a picture of this every year, but it never gets old.

The owners of this house had hung decorations from the tree, AND they have a ceramic cow watching over it. How could I NOT take a photo?

Just for equal measure...a Hanukkah flag. It does look a little sad and lonely.

My favorite...every year this house has a tree and their house decorated ENTIRELY in beach toys! LOVE IT!

Further down the beach...another decorated tree near Carmel Point where the boats are docked

So, I ended up running about 7.4 miles instead of my planned 9. It was an ugly run and my legs are still pretty sore and every time I stand up, I feel it. But it was also a pretty run, there's no denying that either.

Now to get caught up on some other holiday madness. Have a great weekend!

Cookin'

2011-12-10T14:35:00.001-08:00

In addition to just everyday stuff (like teaching and being a wife and mom), this last month and a half I...

Ran 60 miles, including an almost 8 mile run this morning (7:82 miles - 10:37 pace), my longest run since San Francisco.
Cycled 68 miles

My artistic rendition of last weekend when Betty and I were driving over the Coronado Bridge to meet up with Mik for our bike ride.

Actual evidence that we were in Coronado last weekend...and in biking gear.

Celebrated Walter's Birthday (early in the month!)
Went to three SDSU basketball games

Turbo, Walter and I on the trolley going from a basketball game to a football game

Went to three SDSU football games (one of the football games was on the same day as a basketball game. Yes, we went to both)

We are the masters of the 15 minute tailgate!*

Revised a report written (by someone else) about a grant project I'd worked on a year ago so that it was readable and thus, publishable.
Decided to keep teaching and not apply for a professional development position at the college where I teach. (That was the big decision I alluded to in an early November post).
Cooked Thanksgiving Dinner for the family
Presented at a research conference, which was held at The Disneyland Hotel.

Cali, Belle (the bookish version) and me...dinner at the Goofy Cafe. Cali thought it would be fun...

Walter joined me at the conference after it was over and we stayed an extra night...here he is eating a beignet for breakfast and trying to not get the powdered sugar all over himself...

Saw Millie in a play...and had dinner beforehand with the Herd!

Candycanetini

Fell woefully behind in grading papers
Graded what felt like about a 1000 papers eventually

Here's the stack of papers I meant to grade over Thanksgiving, but didn't...which made the week AFTER Thanksgiving...so much fun!

Made Gumbo for DramaGirl's field hockey banquet potluck dinner.

Yum!

Started drafting a second report (different topic this time)
Made Rissotto for the English department pot luck (yesterday...sorry no photos), then came home and made two breakfast casseroles for Betty's Post-Run Birthday Breakfast this morning (yes, I was cooking at midnight last night!)
Blogged...FOUR WHOLE TIMES....counting this one

Geez...no wonder the laundry doesn't get done! Also amazing is how creative I can be with coming up with ideas for dinner since I've gone to the grocery store only twice this month (not counting the times when I sent DG or Walter to the store to get something for me.)

At one point, a colleague, who knew that I'd been really busy, asked me if there was light at the end of the tunnel. I told him that I was confident that a tunnel existed SOMEWHERE, and I also believed that once I found the tunnel, there'd be light at the end of it.

In any event, I am here to report that I've found the tunnel, and yes there is light at the end of it, and yes, I can see the light. Thank goodness.

So, I'm still here...and blogging will again become something that I do semi-regularly. Until then, I leave you with this.

Christmas in SoCal babeee... I so want to drive by this at night and see what is UP with that screen in the back!

Wish Happy Birthday to Betty! She gets to move up an age-group this year and is so very, very, very happy about it!

____________________
* I was posting updates about the sports-event Saturday on FB and Keith asked me to explain tailgating... so for Keith in Canada... In the US we meet in the parking lot before sporting events like football games to eat and drink before the game. This may be, in part, because food and beverages inside the stadiums are mediocre (in most places) at best and really ridiculously expensive at worst. Probably the word "tailgating" comes from some old-school notion about pulling up in a pickup truck before a game, pulling down the tailgate, and using it as a buffet line.

Much to be Thankful for...

2011-11-26T11:45:00.001-08:00

I've known for about the last two months that the two weeks preceding Thanksgiving were going to be a huge cluster--- as far as my work life was concerned. My prediction was spot on accurate. Thus the two week hiatus on blogging. But that's mostly over now, so I can get back to the things that truly matter in my life, and in this post, those important things included:

Thanksgiving Day's Run for the Hungry 5K
Thanksgiving Day's Feast

Run for the Hungry

I haven't done an organized Turkey Trot in a few years, but I always want to, partially because they raise awareness and/or money to feed those who have little (which is a VERY good thing to think about...how incredibly blessed I am...) AND because The Run for the Hungry was the VERY FIRST organized running event I ever participated in. Six years ago, my FIL signed up the family and I up for this particular event, and I walked it...well, strolled would be a more accurate word...and finished in 1:02:38 (I swear, I am not making that up).

For some reason, the energy of the event struck a chord with me. I don't know why. I was about the laziest couch potato of a woman at that point. I was fat, out of shape, felt bad about my body and myself, but after walking that morning, I decided I wanted to RUN a 5K. Maybe it was because there were people actually RUNNING who looked like me. Maybe because my hour finish time was sort of humiliating. Maybe it was because the people who ran looked like they were having fun, and I'd never considered running to be a fun thing to do.

So I started running.

This year, I convinced Walter and DramaGirl to get up early on Thanksgiving morning to run with me. There are two Thanksgiving morning 5Ks in San Diego, the Father Joe's run in Balboa Park, for which about 12,000 people show up, and the Run for the Hungry which is downtown. There's both a 5K and a 10K and about 4000 people show up.

I'm not going to lie. I'd been looking forward to doing a 5K for a few weeks. I hadn't run a 5K since Shelter Island last November. I've been running pretty well. I've been getting faster. My old PR was just a hair under 30 minutes and I thought I could really beat that...by A LOT.

Me, DG, and Walter...that's Petco Park in the background. Nice cloudy morning.

I did a quick warmup around the parking lot while DG complained about being too cold. We decided to walk over to the start and the leaders of the 10K were just crossing over (the 10K started at 7am...I briefly thought about running the 10K and I felt a little like a slacker for running ONLY a 5K as they passed). We passed by a couple of porta potties, but there was no TP and someone had left their pants in there. Walter wondered why someone would need to leave their pants behind. Ah...the joys of running downtown.

Actually, there was a whole row of porta potties set up for the runners. Later on we realized that the two we passed by initially were probably the "permanent" ones left for tailgaters (Keith...I promise to explain tailgating in a future post). In any event, since we still had about 40 minutes to the start of the race, we decided to walk across the street to a Hilton and use the restrooms there.

Much nicer and warmer than a porta potty

Once we got back to the race area, we lined up...trying to get ahead of the dogs and strollers (not easy).*

My goal was just to keep up with DramaGirl for the first mile or so. She's not a runner, but she plays field hockey and soccer, is in really good shape, has long legs, and is much faster than I am. I figured if I could keep her in my sights for the first mile or so, I'd be on a really good pace to come in around 29 minutes.

As the race started, she took off, and we spent about the first 1/2 mile dodging in and out of walkers with dogs and/or strollers (GAH!), but I kept up with her. After about a 1/2 mile, she motioned that she wanted to pass a few slower runners, and I told her to go ahead...I'd hit my pace (I was running about a 9 minute mile...which is pretty much about as fast as I thought I could go), so she bounced ahead.

I loved watching her run.She runs effortlessly. I mean. I KNOW I look like I'm working hard when I am running. She doesn't ever look like she's working that hard. She swears she's not a runner, but I know she could be.

At about 1.5 miles, I could see that she had slowed to a walk. She told me later that she didn't see a reason not to. When I caught up with her, she started running again. I asked her how she was, and she said she was good. We smiled at a cute dog in a turkey costume or something like that and she pulled ahead of me again...I wondered where Walter was.

At two miles, I looked at my Garmin. It said 17:xx and I swear I did a double take as I realized, I'd been running sub-9 minute miles... (it must have said 17:56 because miles 1 and 2 were both 8:58 according to my Garmin...but all I saw was the 17). I thought...OMG...I could run a 11 minute mile at this point and still get a PR...amazing.

With about 1/2 mile to go, Walter pulled up beside me, so we ran the last mile together. DG had decided to sprint it in. At one point, I think he tried to pull ahead of me, but I was having none of that and I kept up

DG - 28:05

Walter - 28:23

Alice 28:25**

I came in 4th in my age division...Imagine that!

No I don't have any post-race photos...Imagine me being red-faced and sweaty. That should do it. It was a really awesome way to spend the morning...but we had to hurry home because I still had a dinner to cook!

Thanksgiving

My side of the family all came to our house for Thanksgiving this year. I love cooking, and after how much I'd been workingthe last three weeks, I was really looking forward to doing one of the things I really love to do best, cooking good food. I'd been working on fixing as many of the dishes as I could ahead of time so that the day wouldn't be a complete blur so that I could enjoy it. Gotta say that I planned it out pretty well.

Earlier in the week, I made a cranberry relish

DramaGirl baked A LOT of desserts

DG's pumpkin & berry (my favorite) pies...I don't bake much. This is very much her forte!

This is an apple spice bread pudding with a merengue topping (also...YUM)

Turbo and Papa...peeling potatoes (or what I call man's work)

Filling up - I should have taken a photo of the turkey before it was carved...it was beautiful!

The aftermath - watching the 49ers lose (the reason that Papa is a bit glum...or he's full)

Sisters, my nephew, and Turbo

Me and nana

The girls - chillin' and watching African Cats on the Discovery Network (yes...I was surprised by this as well)

Mandatory end of the evening family shot

Clearly, I have so much to be thankful for. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
_____________

* I will never understand why...despite reminders and kind requests made by the race starter that walkers with dogs/strollers start toward the back...some insist on starting at the front anyway. Yes, this was a smallish field, but REALLY? We were about 20 feet from the start line and at leasts 1/2 the people in front of me had absolutely no intention of running...AT ALL... I don't even have a problem with RUNNERS with dogs/strollers who want to start somewhere near their pace group, but if someone has absolutely NO INTENTION of running...why start at the front where someone who IS going to be running is likely to just run up your ass?

** My previous 5K best was 29:53

Gnat Baths and the Laws of Probability

2011-11-11T19:38:00.001-08:00

Twice in the last eight days, I've gone for a ride in Coronado. Last Saturday, Betty and I did our first 20+ miler in lord-knows-how-long, and this morning, the herd went out for another ride on the same route. We were celebrating Clarence's Birthday...silly girl, slept in and couldn't find her riding gear. We figured she and the hubby were just snuggling. Even though the time has changed, at 6-o-dark-thirty, when I left the house, it was still pretty dark outside..

This morning's riders - Mik, Elsie, C, Alice, and Kat...with Betty acting as photographer...

This morning was Elsie's first venture out on her new ride. She did really, really, good, and only fell once.

My understanding is that this is a "staged" photograph. Nobody actually saw Elsie tip over. (g'head, make a joke about cow tipping here...I dare ya)

Elsie is OK. We told her she was going to fall at a stop sign and she did. I thank her for proving me right.

One of the really wonderful things about riding from Coronado (nado...we learned the soccer moms call it), is that it is flat...

...like pancake flat...can you say something like a 10 foot elevation gain...so not impressive!

Also...there are also bugs, especially at the foot of the bay. Lots of 'em. They fly in the eyes and in the mouth, unless you keep it closed, which is really hard to do when you're riding as fast as you can to get through the GD EFFIN' GNAT BATH

Gnat Bath area...beware...

Finally, we ride on a fabulous running, riding, walking, stolling, in-line skating, path where inevitably if you are passing a runner (or a slow rider) and coming in the opposite direction, there is another runner or rider (fast or slow) or even better yet, a guy pushing his newborn babe in a stroller, and you are trying to pass the slow runner/rider, all three of your paths will intersect at exactly the SAME PLACE at the SAME TIME...

Here...let me illustrate the situation...

Yes, you are impressed by my mad illustration skillz, aren't you?

I mean, you would think that since that the "bike path" is nearly 10 miles long, these "intersections" would be relatively rare...however, it seems that the complete opposite is true.

Why is that?

Just wondering...I had some time to think about these things for several miles this morning.

It was a grand ride...lots of fun. Glorious weather (where IS that rainstorm that they've said is coming?)

We celebrated the ride with breakfast and mimosas and toasted the vets whose sacrifices gave us the day off and an opportunity to enjoy the ride.

Happy Vet's Day AND

Happy BDay to Clarence!!!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

2011-11-04T21:14:00.000-07:00

Decision ONE

Well...I went and did it.

About a week ago...or sometime between the last post and now. I decided to register for the Carlsbad Half Marathon despite the fact that neither Betty, nor Elsie, nor Mik will run with me (disclaimer...Alberta is also registered...but as much as I love her like a little sister, let's be honest, she's way more into punching people in the face right now than she is into logging miles).

I'll admit...I just can't get enough of Alberta, the boxing home ec teacher, knocking this girl down about 40 seconds into the video. I don't even LIKE boxing and I LOVED this!

In any event, I suspect my the majority of my training miles will be on my own. So part of the challenge will be to see if I can train for an event on my own. Even so, I'm excited about running Carlsbad. Last time I ran the Carlsbad Half was in 2009 when I'd pretty seriously pulled my ITB, but I ran anyway, feeling like someone was beating on my thigh with a bat.

LOL...me, lying on the sidewalk, stretching my ITB at Carlsbad in 2009...really, it' didn't help much. Such class...

Running Carlsbad with ITB issues and some serious massage, led to this hip bruise and a 9 month battle with Plantar Fasciitis...something I still deal with to this day. Take it from me...if you're hurt, rest! (yeah...I never take my own good advice either).

Anyway, Carlsbad is known to be a flat, fast, course. I've really wanted to run it and not be hurt. This year is my chance...I just have to train for it....solo. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I want to finish in under 2:20.

Decision TWO

After a fair amount of discussion, The Herd has decided to do a century ride this winter or spring. We think it'll either be this one in Solvang in March, or this one in Palm Springs in February. So, come January, for the first time in four years, we I may not be doing the RnR training program with the San Diego Track Club...at least I won't be doing the long runs in January or February.

Lest you think we are not serious about this bike riding thing...we had a cycling jersey logo done a few years ago...nice, huh?

Instead, The Herd will be doing some long rides with the local Trek store's Century Training Program. The problem with doing both the RnR training program AND the Trek Century program is that both the long ride and the long run are on Saturday mornings, so I'd have to choose. Also, I would be running more miles in January than the track club runs. (January runs lead up to the SuperRun on Superbowl Sunday weekend...a 10K).

It's a tough decision.

I'm still going to renew my membership in the track club so that I can continue to do the Tuesday night track workouts, and I'll miss the camaraderie of the RnR training program.

In the meantime, Elsie decided to buy a road bike to train for the century. So after we ran last Saturday, I went with her to ensure that she spent enough money on a bike, so we are committed to the effort now.

Elsie getting fitted...SUHWEEET RIDE! YES? Elsie promised to practice clipping in and out of her pedals for the remainder of the weekend.

Decision THREE

This is a decision I haven't made yet, and I hesitate to even write about it, but since very few people who I work with actually read my blog, and since the ones who do read my blog, already know about THE BIG DECISION, I'll just briefly say that I'm currently trying to make a big real-world-professional-life-decision this coming week, and that I'll write more about THAT decision later. (how incredibly vague and obtuse could I possibly be?)

Quite frankly, it'd be easier to just run 13 miles....or ride 100.

Nike Half Marathon...Oh Yeah...We Ran it!

2011-10-23T22:09:00.000-07:00

So...the race was on Sunday...and we got there on Friday morning...so what did we do on Saturday.

Seriously? We were in San Francisco.

We shopped. We ate. We walked.

None of these things, by the way, are stellar activities to be doing the day before running a half, but whatevs we were in SF.

So, when last I wrote...we were finishing up dinner at John's Grill, and quite frankly, the night wouldn't have been complete without this...

Signature glasses from John's Grill that just "accidentally" made their way into various handbags.

and this...

A woman walking down the street was carrying this fabulous handbag! We asked her where she bought it and she said "Australia." I'm not sure I get the whole patriotic symbolism of the nerd-cow though. I'll have to ponder it some more.

so by the time we got back to the hotel room we were ready for this...

Elsie and Mik...they were done!

But the next morning we were up bright and early(ish) and decided to go for a little warmup run to the Embarcadero.

It was still a little warm...for San Fran...I'm just saying (yeah...she'd gonna kill me for this one)

We ran about 2 miles, then stopped at the Farmer's Market at the Embarcadero and had one of the prettiest latte's ever...seriously, it was a work of art.

Then we walked back to the hotel (Elsie, Betty, and Mik)

After breakfast and showers, we decided to do some shopping...or at least some of the herd did. I wandered around Macy's for awhile, but didn't really feel the shopping bug. So at one point Elsie, Mik and I decided to walk about two miles to North Beach for some Italian food.

The Trans America Building - Walking through the Financial District

Past Chinatown

Just not something you see every day

Finally...all I really wanted was a Pelegrino and a Panini

So we hung out and felt cosmopolitan, but I was thinking...geez, I've logged about five miles today...not sure this is the best pre-race day activity to be doing.

So what do we do to add onto non-helpful pre-race activities? A glass of wine of course. Actually...as we were walking around North Beach, we walked past a place called Rose Pistolas. When we were on the plane flying up to SF, Betty sat next to a guy who gave her a list of places we needed to go to. It was on his list...so we went. Eventually, the rest of The Herd and friends showed up.

Madge and Momma reenact a scene from Lady and the Tramp...no I don't know who is the lady and who is the tramp...no wait a minute. I think I do....

Oh no fear...I can run a half mary tomorrow. No problema (say Betty and Mik)

We stopped at another restaurant for an early dinner (because they could seat 12 of us at 6pm on a Saturday night with a last minute reservation...) and then decided to walk some more....through Chinatown on our way home.

Now for those of you who are unfamiliar with the streets of San Francisco...NONE of this is easy walking. The walk into Chinatown was UPHILL, the walk out was DOWNHILL, but all of it is really entertaining.

Alberta, Momma, Daisy, and Sandy in Chinatown

WHAT EXACTLY IS THE DEER STICKING ITS TONGUE OUT AT???? (One of the windows at Barney's)

Amazingly, we were all in bed by 9:30pm...In fact, I'd say that my roommates were asleep before 10. Me? Not so much. But I tried.

Good thing because the wake up call came at 5am. Truth be told. I was already awake, but by 5:30, we could look out onto the street and see people walking toward the race. It was ON!

DAMN it was dark at 5am!

I just LOVED that we were about two blocks from the start of the race. When we did this race a couple years ago, we ran into some troubles at the gear check. I studied the race materials and noticed that it indicated there would be gear checks on both sides of Union Square. Yay I thought. We'd just walk up Stockton and check in our gear at Stockton and Geary...the other back checks were at Powell and Geary...which is also where the racers were lining up. We got stuck there a couple years ago.

And we're off to the races!

Here's where things went bad AGAIN!...we walked up to the gear check buses about 6:30 and one of the volunteers told us that they weren't using those busses YET (WTF? The race starts at 7am?) and that we should head to to other side to check our gear...so like dutiful little ducks, we did. Only by the time we neared Powell and Geary (we had to cross Powell to get to the bag check) it was complete and utter GRIDLOCK.

Too many people walking up Powell to the start. Too many people walking to the start from the other side of Powell on Geary. Too many people already in their starting corrals (the 9-10 minute pace group was lined up on Powell and the 10-11 minute pace was lining up on Geary) converge around Union Square...arguable the largest groups in a women's race). It was absolute madness...and sad...and frustrating because I KNEW it was going to be a CLUSTER EFF to get to the gear check on the other side of Powell, which is why I was really happy that there were gear check busses on Stockton.

It was truly one of the scariest things I've ever been in. About 10,000 women all trying to get to THE OTHER SIDE (oh...did I mention there were porta potties on Powell too?). Thank god it was about 90% women, or I think there would have been fights, but for the most part, everyone in the crowd was helpful, polite...way more "excuse me's" and "I'm sorry" and "oh my bad's" than I would every expect in a race that wasn't 20000 women (and 2000 men). We lost Mik in the crowd (actually, she was smart. She saw that we were never going to get through, so she turned around and ran down Market to Mason to check her gear.)

If I ever do this race again...I hereby swear that I will get to the gear check by walking up Mason.

Alas...I talked to someone later in the day who said that they walked right up to the busses on the Stockton side and had no problem. They probably got there about 10 minutes after we were sent away.

So..despite the gear check debacle, once we did get our gear checked and calmed down, it was time to get to the start.

He was shouting to some friends about how he'd just checked his "bag." Really? I love San Fran!

Again...thank GAWD for the green. It's how we spotted each other all morning!

Yep...it was crowded

And we're off

So...Alberta, Elsie, Betty and I started together. I cannot emphasize enough how crowded the beginning of the race is...and also, since we were on the streets of SF, how we really had to pay attention to who is around you, who is walking in front of you (four or five abreast...grrrrr), potholes, dropped clothes. It's a pretty treacherous start. Betty and Elsie moved over to the right side and ran on the sidewalk, so they got ahead of us. Alberta and I just trotted along and tried to stay together (again...yay for the green).

About a mile an a half in, my Garmin had some pretty strange readings and was indicating that I'd already run three miles and for 30 minutes (HUH? I mean I know we were running SLOW...but 30 minutes to run two miles? THAT'S RIDICULOUS!) I figured the satellite signal was bounding off all the buildings and screwing things up, but I realized later that it was because I'd neglected to reset it from the previous day's run. (DUMMY). So at mile 2 I told Alberta I was just going to reset my Garmin and start it over. This had a really interesting effect on me for the rest of the race because whenever I looked at my Garmin, I'd see that I'd run 7.6 miles and I'd end up FEELING like I usually feel at 7.6 miles, not like I'd run 9.6.

Or maybe it was because I'd been running so slow. So here's the best I can piece together my pace for the first few miles:

Mile 1: 10:45
Mile 2: 11:30
Mile 3: 11:31

So...maybe it was the slow. But no matter, the Nike Women's 1/2 is just a beautiful run. I loved running past fisherman's wharf, past the bakeries, past all the cheerleaders and with all the women (and a few men).

Alberta, cruising through Fisherman's Warf

Backatcha

Around the 4th mile we hit the first of the infamous SF hills...a short little jaunt up a hill...around a corner, and up another hill. Alberta and I hung in there with the 11 minute pacer (who rocked and who was giving everyone around her excellent advice about taking it easy on the hills...using our arms). With those hills come some of the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge...so I stopped a couple of times to take some pictures. Those stops aren't represented in my Garmin times (because I had it set to auto pause), but it accounts for about five minutes of time during the race.

Mile 4: 12:30
Mile 5: 11:03
Mile 6: 11:27

I think I took this near Marina Park.

Alberta and I and a lousy picture of the bridge.

This is as we were headed up toward the Precidio. It looks like a lousy-foggy day, and it was cloudy, but it was rather warm and quite humid.

We caught up to Speedo boy who was cheering everyone up the hill.

My whole goal for this part of the run was just to run the hills, no matter how slowly, and although there are some pretty slow times here...I ran all of 'em, and I am really proud of that. Actually some of my slowest times are NOT from the uphills though, but are from when I was running DOWN some hills. That Mile 9 split is almost all downhill and includes a stretch where you lose about 300 vertical feet in less than a 1/2 mile. It's just brutal on the knees. I watched one woman wipe out. I decided to take it REALLY SLOW.

Mile 7: 12:45
Mile 8: 10:51
Mile 9: 12:46
Mile 10: 12:09

Somewhere around Mile 7, I lost Alberta. She hadn't done much training (being a boxer and all). To a certain extent, I sort of regret not running more closely with her, and Betty and Elsie. They ended up finishing only a few minutes behind me. It would have been really nice to have crossed the finish line together.

Here's another thing about Nike...it is so full of distractions (in addition to the neighborhoods and scenery) that you almost forget how far you're running. One of my favorites was the bra exchange at Mile 7. I could have exchanged my sweaty bra for a new Nike one. I wish I'd known about it. I would have worn an extra bra (one of my old Target Champion bras) and just gotten a new bra. Unfortunately, I really like the bra I was wearing, so I passed it by.

Around Mile 8, volunteers were passing out orange slices. We were in, what must be, one of the chi chi neighborhoods, lots of gates and mansions, and here we are sucking on oranges and leaving our orange peels everywhere. I suspect that Kaiser (the volunteer organization manning the station), must do a kick-ass job of cleaning up after us.

Headed toward some point (Los Reyes, Lobos? I can't remember...it was breathtaking BTW)

Those are busses and the finish line up ahead, but we weren't going directly there...we first had to take a left at the bottom of this hill.

Finally, by mile 10, we were out of the hills and I could pick up the pace a little bit...only by then (no matter what my Garmin said), I'd run 10 EFFING miles...a mile more than I'd run since Napa in July...and it was still super crowded...and there was still one more hill to climb as we ran back into Golden Gate park. (I do think that any race that has you run past the finish line at Mile 10 and then has you make a left turn before you get to it is just being mean).

As I ran through Golden Gate park, I started getting just a little bit annoyed with all the people around me (really...we were pretty much shoulder to shoulder the whole way). On the race photographer website there's a video of me at about Mile 6 (which was part of one of the first hills), and I was moving along and this woman in front of me came to almost a complete stop. I nearly ran up her backside! If you are so inclined to look at the crowd, I'm in the yellow hat about. If you are not so inclined...here is a still shot.

In other words...WTF? I love the two women on the right who hare having a wonderful chat and who have MOVED THE HECK OVER TO THE RIGHT!

Mile 11: 11:56
Mile 12: 10:56
Mile 13: 10:21
Last little bit: 2:18

So my Garmin time says 2:35:26 - Which is about 10 minutes slower than Napa to Sonoma and 13 minutes slower than the San Diego RnR half in June. My official finish time was 2:40:08...which means that I stopped along the way for about 5 minutes to take pictures...which sounds about right to me as well.

I never thought this would be a PR race...that's for sure.

Waiting for my Tiffany....

Me with Irene and Elsie and Betty (right behind Irene) at the finish.

Like almost all other things at this race, the race area at the end was organized and efficient (as efficient as you can be with 20,000 runners who are, shall we say, not completely firing on all mental cylinders). We gathered our bagels, and energy drinks, and t-shirts and (of course), our Tiffanys and looked for Mik and Alberta. The cell phone service at the beach was HORRIBLE, but we eventually found each other. The Gear Check system enabled us to get our gear quickly and the changing tent? Well...lets just say that nobody cared who was ready to change ALL their clothes and who was not. I always manage to make BFFs with someone in the changing area who just needs someone to lean on.

Even the shuttle bus system was pretty efficient and about as good as it gets for a bus ride across SF that is always longer than you want it to be.

Once back, we showered, met the rest of the herd, and headed off to Johnny Foleys for some good grub and beers, and to debrief the day before most of the herd headed off to the airport.

Smartest thing I did that day...As we walked by the restaurant on our way to our hotel, I stopped in and made a lunch reservation for 12 in "about an hour and a half." Our table was waiting for us when we arrived. I LOVE that place.

All upright...in our bright yellow shirts and sporting some serious bling!

All in all...a perfect weekend. I am so very blessed to be able to have these adventures with The Herd, and am so very, very glad all of the ladies (both running and non-running heffers) are really truly my BFFs. I absolutely cannot wait for our next adventure together.

Where R U? - Elsie's BDay Post

2011-10-22T22:03:00.000-07:00

Yes...it could be a really bad pun related to my lack of blogging recently...

But really, it's what happens when 14 women go to San Francisco together...you spend a significant amount of time texting "Where R U?"

Where R U now?
Where will you be?
Where have you been?
Where are you going?

And variations on THAT theme.

So...I've been a bad blogger recently, but really, part of the reason for my non-bloggyness (other than being crazy busy with teaching and my other various projects) is because last weekend's Nike Womens Marathon weekend was about MORE than running a half-marathon.

It was Elsie's surprise birthday weekend in honor of her XX birthday (she'd KILL me if I told which one, so I won't...let's just say it was a "special" birthday...one that deserved some serious recognition!) Of course, she KNEW she was going to SF to run a half. She KNEW that Betty, Mik, Alberta and I were joining her. What she didn't know is that Momma, Wilma, Daisy, Clarence, Madge, Work friends (Cindy, Joan, & Sandy) were joining us.

Let me tell you...keeping THAT secret was no small feat...it was something that we started planning shortly after we "won"and got into the Nike Women's Lottery back in April.

So...my EPIC blog post about Elsie's BDay/Half-Marathon Weekend in the City, could also be titled...Herding heffers; Herding catsl It's really about the same thing...

By the way...this is going to be a long one (really? a long blog post from Alice? What a surprise!)

At Elsie's on our way to the Airport...as far as we know, she has NO IDEA what we have planned

Of course I was lucky enough to be selected for the optional morning feel up. Woo Hoo!

So...other than the morning pat-down, feel up, the rest of the flight was relatively uneventful. We even were on the same flight as Irene and her sister Donna and some other SDTC peeps. Once we landed in San Francisco, we hopped on the BART to get to our hotel...which was just two blocks away from the start of the race. We stayed at a place called Hotel Palomar. I highly recommend it.

As I was standing on the BART, I thought for sure Elsie could see that I was texting Cindy (who had flown up with her crew the night before), letting her know how far away we were, how long it would be until we got off the BART, but Elsie remained oblivious to it all.

I really thought we'd blown it for sure as we got off the BART and walked toward our hotel. As we rounded the corner, Mik and I could see Cindy and her crew walking toward us. Suddenly Mik looked at me and physically turned Elsie around.

Mik: Alice...I need to go (quickly scanning the street, she spots the Virgin Records store sign and points) there.
Alice: Really? Why?
Mik: (looking at me for more help than THAT offerred) because...uh...because...Alex (her son) needs some, some
Alice: Music stuff?
Mik: Yeah...that's it...music stuff

I mean...seriously...how LAME is that. MUSIC STUFF? ((shakes head)). Betty should have been with us. She is a MUCH better liar off the top of her head. Mik and I really suck at it. No matter. I guess it worked because even though Elsie was looking at us like we were a little loopy, she didn't say anything and by the time we turned around, Cindy and crew had ducked back into the hotel lobby. When we walked in, I could see Cindy hiding behind a luggage cart. Surprise #1 was up.

Cindy, Sandy & Joan: SURPRISE!!!!
Elsie: OMG...What are YOU doing here?

Apparently they'd been lying to her for weeks about sick aunts, vacations to the desert, and doctor's appointments...LOL.

Of course, we went to the room for Mimosas! I mean it was almost 11am at that point. Then Mik, Betty, Elsie and I headed off to the Nike Women's Marathon Expo

Outside the expo on Union Square...can we talk about the weather in SF that day...85 degrees...it was gorgeous!

One word about the Nike Expo...and the whole Nike Women's Marathon experience...this is really an event that is organized around women (and...no offense dudes) organized by women. Everything is so darn organized (well...except the bag check...but more about that later), it's downright awewome. We walked in, picked up our bibs (timers were on the back of the bib...no extra shoe tag), and were out in several minutes.

Unlike other expos, there are only a handful of vendors...none of whom would be Nike business competitors, so unless you like Nike products, it's not the expo for you.

After that, we walked across the street to the Nike store.

The sign above NikeTown in Union Square...Team in Training is a MAJOR sponsor/partner.

Elsie's name on the wall

Betty pointing at her name

Mik's name was near the ground

And yours truly

By the way...it was REALLY WARM in San Francisco...so Elsie decided she needed some flipflops. Luckily the Nike Store had some...that were really squishy.

Yes...we are 12. The sticker on all the shoes read "Squeeze Me" and because we are such good friends, we let Elsie walk around Union Square with one on her back.

Lunch at the top of the Hyatt...Donna, Irene, Me, Betty, Joan, Cindy, Sandy, Mik and Elsie

Outside the Hyatt was what I'd call a paparazzi wall...so we posed (Charlie's Angel style for Betty)

I don't even know what's going on here...

But wait...there were more surprises coming. One of the reason the Hotel Palomar was such an excellent hotel was the hosted wine-bar happy hour. Our next stop.

It was really dark in the wine bar, so my pix stink...but they did give us our first opportunity to sing Happy Birthday to Elsie

Finally...we went back to our rooms to get ready for dinner...Elsie's birthday dinner. I was still expecting about 10 more people to show up...6 more heffers and a couple of Elsie's brothers who live in the bay area. As we were getting ready, the herd started texting Betty and I funny one-liners from THEIR flights up to San Francisco...and while were were trying really hard to NOT laugh at texts and NOT comment on them in front of Elsie, we would occassionally slip up and...

Betty modeling the bed blanket as a reasonable shawl

STILL SHE DID NOT NOTICE (although, at this point, I think she must know SOMETHING IS BEING PLANNING)

Finally... Momma, Daisy, and Wilma were in the hotel and I couldn't take the texting and fibbing any longer.

SURPRISE!!!! Daisy, Momma, and Wilma... just randomly geting off an elevator in the Hotel Palomar

SIGH! We had a few more surprises coming...but by then, I think she knew what was going on...the Herd had arrived in SF to celebrate.

We walked over to John's Grill (a landmark...) for dinner where we were joined by Clarence and Madge and Alberta (who ended up driving to LA and flew out of there). (WHEW). We had a lovely table on the second floor.

Meanwhile, I'd been trying to get in touch with Elsie's brothers, who I'd emailed earlier in the week, but all I had was a work number for one of them. We waited awhile, had some cocktails and wine before dinner, and I was getting worried that they weren't showing up when suddenly the waiter started pouring champagne.

Me: Who ordered the champagne? (I figured it was Elsie's work friends)
Waiter: Someone downstairs

So Elsie, Betty and I walked downstairs to find out who had sent up enough champagne for 14 women.

Elsie with brothers Adam, Bill and nephew Nick...everyone now ...AWWWWW!

Yeah...I started tearing up too.

Finally...at about 9:00, we ordered dinner. Thank GAWD the race wasn't the next day and we had a whole day to recover...sorta...

OK...I thought I'd get the whole weekend down in one post...but that really seems like a good place to end this one, doesn't it.

Don't worry. There was a half-marry. We all ran it. It's a good story too. I'll get to it eventually, but until then.

Happy Birthday Elsie...to one of my greatest inspirations! And the smartest dumb blond I know. I love ya girl!

Thanks Steve...

2011-10-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

In my undergraduate work at The University of Nevada in Reno, I majored in Journalism (surprised?). One of THE BEST things about majoring in journalism in the early '80s, is that journalism students at UNR had access to a newfangled device called a word processor. We saved our work on these enormous 8" floppy disks.

I found this picture on the Interwebs and decided to use it because 1. It shows how FRIGGEN ENORMOUS the orignal disks were and 2. because I probably had a similar hairstyle in the mid '80s...LOVE the mullet!

No longer did I have to retype a whole paper because of a typo I discovered I'd made in the middle of the page. I thought it was the best thing ever (the word processor, not the hairstyle).

Somewhere around 1991, I bought my first Apple product. It was an Apple IIe. I was working on getting my teaching credential at the time and having used a word processor in the past, I couldn't imagine typing all those papers. I'd never heard of an Apple product. All I know is that the high school where I was student teaching had these computers available for students, and I wanted the computer that was going to be used in education.

The world is made up of two kinds of people...Apple people and PC people. I became an Apple person.

Over the years, I eventually owned other Apple desktop computers (the original 68K Mac, a Macintosh Performa (from the Sculley era...the worst Apple product I ever owned), The first blue iMac, a blue and white Power Mac G3, and and iMac G4. Along the way, I've owned three or four Apple laptops (how crazy is that...I lost count). I may have gone through two of those Black Powerbooks (they weighed a TON!), and a Powerbook G4, I'm on my second Macbook Pro right now, and am lusting for a Macbook Air. I work on an Intel Duo Cor iMac at work (I'm typing on it now), and our primary home computer is a beautiful 27" Intel iMac.

Don't even get me started on the number of iPods I've owned. It's embarrassing.

I've dropped an iPhone in the toilet (twice). In fact, you might say that the iPhone started this blog.

I sometimes blog from my iPad. I cannot run without my Shuffle. I regularly upload running information using my iPhone.

I regularly watch TV on my Apple TV. We have a wireless network in my house thanks to two Airports.

I'm an Apple junkie...I admit it. I've pulled my whole family (as well as several friends) into the cult of Mac as well. Walter just dumped his Blackberry in favor of (I'm not lying) my old first generation iPhone. It's seriously a better product. We'll be among the first to order the new iPhone 4S even though I'm disappointed it isn't an iPhone 5.

To say that Steve Jobs has had an impact on my life...well that's an understatement.

So rest in peace Steve....and thanks so much for all the toys.

Digital Life

2011-10-01T13:34:00.000-07:00

Oh...but I've been a bad blogger...

Everything is fine, just busy.

And you know me, sometimes when I haven't blogged for awhile, I write and EPIC post about ALL the shiz in my actual life that has kept me from writing about it, but that is so DARN TEDIOUS to write and read...

Instead...here's the last two weeks of my life according to my iPhone

First...there are the photos that friends have sent me

Edith sent me this fabulous shot of DramaGirl playing field hockey

Mona sent me this photo of a Journey t-shirt, I assume to remind me that we are going to see Journey and Foreigner next weekend.

Then of course, there are the random photos that I've taken over the last couple weeks.

What I was doing while waiting for a meeting (which was to take place at my house) to start...

About 3 hours later (see...there was a meeting....) I will also point out, it was a work-related meeting that took place on a Friday afternoon...thus the wine bottle...but really, we were working!)

What DramaGirl decided to do instead of helping me carry in the groceries...interpretation? "I am REALLY TIRED MAWWWWWWWWWM!"

See that little white speck about five rows beneath the American Flag? That's Turbo. He wanted to see the view from the top row of The Q.

DG and I did facials...pretty girls?

We met this young man at The High Dive after last weekend's 9 mile run (Don't worry...he was with his parents...not just hanging out at a bar on a Saturday morning). When his dad learned that I was an English teacher, he told me about his son's skillz, which he himself had discovered as a result of some "homework" related to the mulitple uses of The F Word. We named him The Conjugator

Alberta at The High Dive...if she looks a bit wired, it's because I think she's on her 3rd Shirley Temple at this point!

Speaking of Alberta...she's been busy too! As a matter of fact, this evening Betty and I are going to go watch her beat the shiz out of some other chick.

Seriously, she's taken up boxing.

Betty and I brainstormed and tried to come up with a good boxing pseudonym for her.

FYI - Alberta teaches home ec...yep, she's the boxing home-ec teacher...Quite the dichotomy, dontcha think? We started with Alberta, the skillet, Smith (not her real name)... Here's my text exchange with Betty, who was with Beth, who is also a Home Ec teacher...

Betty

The reason I was googling "unicorn" and "spatula" is because I'd told Alberta we'd bring signage to cheer her on....you know with unicorns and rainbows and glitter...because that would be SO APPROPRIATE for a boxing match, no? I mean, I think it would really intimidate her opponent,

Alberta

Doesn't it sound like Alberta wants a glitter and unicorn boxing sign?

BTW...Betty just got a new iPhone. She's still working on mastering the touch screen keyboard, which has led to some pretty funny exchanges...

Betty

to which I replied "Si!"

Of course....there are also the everyday exchanges with DramaGirl and Turbo, such as...

DramaGirl

I thought ice cream was a totally obvious reward for a B on a Biology test.

La Mesa's Octoberfest is this weekend. Turbo went with a group of kids last night that included a fair number of girls...I think he learned something about hanging out with girls.

Turbo

Of course, no week would be complete without some texting about The Housewives...This week's Beverly Hill episode was classic!

Mona

So...as you can see, I've been very, very, very busy.

I haven't forgotten the Nike Women's Half is in two weeks. I've got 10 miles and a big hill lined up for tomorrow. I'll keep you posted (yeah...sure ya will Alice...sure ya will)

Three Good Things about The Blackout...

2011-09-09T11:55:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you heard...Southern California experienced a pretty massive power outage yesterday afternoon and evening. It lasted (for us) about 8 hours, although I think there may still be peeps without power. Even still, I know some of you on the east coast who were without power for days are thinking "SoCal wussies...we didn't have power for three DAYS after Irene!" and to be honest, I'd be the first to concede the point.

In any event, I had planned on running after work yesterday, once it cooled off, but since there was no power, I ended up attending to other things...

No matter, there were three VERY GOOD THINGS that did occur as a result of the outage.

I didn't have to work today. Was supposed to do a full day workshop at Cal State San Marcos, but it is closed for the day, so I have the day off!
Betty came over as we were activating our "Family Emergency Plan"* which meant opening a bottle of wine and sitting by the pool and then sitting in the pool because it was so dang hot.

We have a really well developed emergency plan.

While I was looking for a cable to charge DramaGirls phone with my battery charger, I found the nose piece to my Nike Vomero Sunglasses. I LOVE these sunglasses, but losing the nosepiece has been an ongoing issue for me. I thought I'd lost it AGAIN somewhere in Kansas City, but when I opened a case that I keep the battery charger supplies in, I found it. Apparently, I had cleverly put it there in KC, so that I WOULDN'T lose it. I'm such a genius!

So that you know, you were saved from reading a really boring post about the saga of the Nike Sunglasses and the Lost Nosepiece, part 5. Instead, if you want to know, you can go here, and here, and here.

So, the power is back on, I have the day off, I have my favorite running sunglasses EVAH, and all is well with the world!

___________________________
* I saw a tweet that SDG&E (the power company) was advising people to "Activate their personal family emergency plan." Walter and I figured we'd already done that.

Two Weekends

2011-09-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

Two WEEKS? Ah Geez...maybe I should just give up the blog... GAH!

OK...so here's what happened..school started. First two weeks are an adjustment. I'll figure it out.

Here's what else happened two weekends ago...

End of Summer Fire Run - For those who are new here, this is the annual end of summer race which starts in La Jolla and ends in Pacific beach. Every year, we figure out a way to get a way back to our car in La Jolla without having to take the post-race bus...because we are just like that. This year Walter volunteered to drive out and, even though he wasn't running, drive us back to La Jolla to fetch our car.

The Herd's fifth anniversary of running this event...and as is typical for a race run in the last weekend of August...it was HOT and HUMID...but we were undeterred. So here's the story of that day in photos

At least Elsie and I wore the neon-dayglo-lime green shirts so that we could find each other!

I have no pictures during the race. In fact, I wasn't expecting to do much. It was hot. I hadn't done anything in the way of training. I had a PR in this race last year, and did I mention that in addition to the heat, it was gawd-awful humid. I just figured, I'd have fun and have a couple of beers at the end.

So...what did I do?

4 miles - 38.22 (official) 9:36 pace - A new PR (which only happens at this event, because when else would I run a 4 mile race?) AND 8th in my division (which mostly means that there weren't that many other women my age crazy enough to run in that head/humidity)...

Whatever. I'll take it!

Afterward, we gathered at PB Bar and Grill to claim our two free beers because isn't beer what EVERYONE is looking for on a Sunday morning at about 9am?

Everyone has a roll...I am the planner. Elsie is the brains. Betty makes us laugh. Mik brings us beer. See how that works out.

Sweaty green girls

More light beer than we really wanted.

Walter (our sherpa and all around great guy) arrived as we were drinking our morning brews to take us back to our car (which was still in La Jolla). It took us about 42 seconds to decide that the food and beer at the high dive was MUCH better than where we were, so off we went.

Isn't it good that The High Dive gives Uncle Sam his fair share? Yes Bkfst Champs and OJ Karafe were for Mimosas!

And here's what happened this weekend...

This one turned 16 (she also got some new furniture and a giant wave picture for her bedroom...lucky girl)

Isn't she beautiful? I am so proud to be her mama. She is growing up into this fabulous person who makes me so proud!

So...to celebrate, we rented a condo at the beach for the weekend so that DG could invite a few friends along to help her celebrate....also because I thought it was better than some crazy party with lots of screaming teenagers.

In other words, it was a gift for everyone!

And I got to spend the weekend looking at this...

Sunset...the first night

And this...

I think that's Walter out there somewhere...

And watching my boys play in the waves

They may not look like much, but trust me, those waves had some power...or at least that's what Walter said. SoCal had an epic southern swell last week and over the weekend. Glenn has some way better footage of the waves from up north in Newport Beach on his blog

Which led to a bit of this...

This is what happens when you play in the waves for 8 hours

And a little bit of hanging out with some good friends (who are the parents of DG's BFF)

And waking up to this...

I figure if I'm going to rent a condo at the beach...I really want to see the beach.

I also got a 6 mile run in yesterday morning - so I'm not completely off track for Nike in October...tomorrow morning, it's back to the hills. I think I'm going to have to pay for some of the overindulgence of the past few days.

Better....But Not Great...Yet

2011-08-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I ran the same route that Betty and I ran on Monday afternoon. I wanted to see how much the heat had affected me. Turns out, the effect was significant.

Monday afternoon La Mesa Hill Route Pace & Elevations Charts

Can you see where I walked, slowly, three times. GAH!

Thursday morning

Walked ...maybe even more slowly up the steepest part of one hill, but for a shorter amount of time...and only one twice...both at about the same place).

Hmmmmm.... Less walking apparently equals a faster overall pace. I still ended up walking one particularly steep hill that's about 2.3 miles into the run. It's one of those hills that goes around a curve, so you can't see the top of the hill until you turn the corner, but it's a good hill for me to work on because the hill in The Precidio in San Francisco that is exactly like that.

Pace stats and split times from Monday afternoon.

The suckfest stats

Thursday morning

I wonder how I gained elevation? Oh yeah...when I was coming up the last hill, the road has quite a cant and I was on the high side this time. Can't believe it's 4 feet higher on the one side. Maybe I had my hands above my head...

I am going to own that GD hill in the next few weeks. I swear it. I guess this is the advantage of living on a hill.

________________________________________
*The difference in the route distance between Monday and Thursday is because a couple of times on Monday, I double backed to catch up with Betty

Hill Focused

2011-08-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

In less than eight weeks, I'll be doing this... Well...I'll be doing half of it anyway...

Which includes some of this ....

Borrowed from this site, which I located via Google Images. I do not claim that the woman in the photo in any way represents me as I am neither young, blond, or have THOSE legs. Nor do I claim that the hills in San Fran in any way the one she is running up.

In fact, I think the hills will look more like this...

Also...not an actual hill that we will be running up, but it will probably look like this... Also, I did not take this photo. It has been borrowed from this site.*

Therefore, it's really time to get the hill training on, so I convinced Betty to come run with me last night in my 'hood...3.5 lovely miles of rolling SoCal hilly-ness.

It was 5:30. It was HOT. It pretty much sucked. But we did it.

Can I offer some stats about the ugliness of the run? How about this?

Uh...yeah...you could say I walked a bit. The elevations may not look like much...but somehow they FELT LIKE BIG-ASS HILLS...Just ask Betty...

Overall suck-fest numbers?

LORDY...I haven't wogged like that in quite awhile!

I'm ready to blame it on the heat. GAH!

In other running news that is almost completely unrelated to hills and/or hill training, Elsie, Betty and I will be running at The End of Summer Fire Run, which looks like it's now called The Fire Run this Sunday at 8am. The race starts in La Jolla and ends in Pacific Beach...four miles of flat downhillishness.

Whatever they call it, it's been an end of summer tradition for us for the last three years (2007 (no blog then) 2008, 2009, and 2010).
_________________________
* Not an endorsement of the podiatrist's website where I found this foto, but if you are in the Bay Area and need foot doc, at least here is one who runs....so that's something I guess.

** Also...BIG HUGS, HIGH FIVES, AND CONGRATS to all my friends who ran AFC this past weekend. Irene, Rich...you rocked 6th Avenue!

***Also MEGA SHOUT OUTS to the Nuun Hood to Coast team (who includes my friend Lisa, who I guess will be TOO BUSY to run the Fire Run with us this weekend. I'll be following you anyway. Have fun!

Ch Ch Ch Ch Changes...

2011-08-18T12:05:00.000-07:00

School started this week for me (hence I was "off the grid" for the past few days). The first week of "back to work" for teachers includes LOTS of meetings (one of which I completely forgot to go to...sigh), sending emails, getting syllabi and copies ready for the first week. The actual TEACHING of classes doesn't start until Monday.

One of the things I noticed this week as I was talking to my colleagues is that, for the most part, we fell into two camps...those who felt that "they weren't ready" for school to start. Most of those people taught summer school, so they hadn't had much of a break. The rest were rested, and eager, and mostly said that they were ready to go back to teaching.

I certainly fell into the latter camp. For the first time, maybe ever, I felt like I had enough vacation. I'm rested and am ready to get back at it. It was a great summer. I got to run two half-marathons, I got to travel with friends and family. I certainly had a fair amount of "down time" and way more than enough wine!

It's kinda a nice feeling.

Going back to school is one way that I know that the summer is (or is almost) over. Another signal that my summer is coming to a close is my mid-August birthday, which I quietly celebrated about a week ago.

When I was younger, I made a pretty big deal out of Birthday Week. Heck for a while in my 20's, I considered the whole month of August my "Birthday Month!" (As in, "Hey bartender...It's BIRTHDAY MONTH...shouldn't this round of drinks be "on the house?" You might be surprised at how well this worked!)

Now that I'm (ahem) older, I am decidedly more low key about my birthday. Until this year, I kept my birthday private on Facebook. This year, I made it non-private because some people, when they learned it was my birthday a week after the fact, chastised me for keeping it private.

I'll be honest...the birthday wishes from FB were really nice.

So was my birthday (not a week...but a couple of days of celebrating). On Wednesday, I met up with Mik, Elsie, and Betty at Mik's house. It was the first time we'd been together since the Napa to Sonoma half. We got to hear about Elsie's adventures in Guatemala. (Her dad is a doctor and she participates in an annual trek to South America where her father and other surgeons provide health care services to the people there. She is a translator and always comes back with good stories...and this year, a good luck doll...for the dolls!)

Cute! No? Thanks Elsie!

Mik served the birthday cookies on her family birthday plate...how cool is THAT?

On my actual birthday (Friday). I went for a run at Lake BP. For the past year or so, the road around the lake had been closed about 2 miles in for repair. It's now open all the way, so I got a 5.5 mile run in.

Locals will recognize the target at Lake BP...the lap doesn't count unless you tag the sign!!!

That night Walter and I took our kids to the track so that they could learn the important life skill of betting on ponies.

I bet on the 8 horse in the 6th race in honor of Mona. Damn mule came in last...

Actually, I've had really good luck betting horses this season, but only in the first two races I see. The first time I went to the track, in the first two races, I correctly picked a quinella (where you bet on two horses that you think will come in first and second, but in no particular order).

I had my friends thinking I was a betting goddess, but then I didn't bet on another winner for the rest of the day.

Then on my birthday, I correctly picked another quinella in the third race, which was the second race I saw...and then not another winner, or even close, for the rest of the day.

So, in the future, I think I will not bet on any races past the 3rd.

Turbo likes betting longshots thinking that if one of 'em hits, he'll win loads of money. Sadly, one of his first memories of being at the track is choosing on a 50:1 longshot to win, so he thinks that this is a common occurrence now.

DramaGirl made this gorgeous thing! Consumed at home later that evening (and for the next couple of days) It was a lime-berry pie that was super rich and yummy!

So...this year, I turned 49. Wow. One year away from 50. I'm in my 50th year of life.

I'm not sure what 50 is supposed to feel like. I've read that 50 is the new 40, whatever that means. I'll also be honest that the prospect of turning 50 has me a bit wigged out. I know that some will say that "age doesn't matter. It's how you feel that counts" and while a huge amount of that adage is certainly true, age does matter in how you feel.

Doesn't matter how you slice it. 50 sorta sounds...well you know...old.

40 has been a great decade so far. I earned a doctorate. I started running and have had some absolutely wonderful adventures with some great women as a result of "being a runner." I've raised two great kids out of toddler-hood and into teenage-hood. I continue to be happily married to a great man. I have nothing but good to say about my 40s.

But there's a nagging voice in the back of my head that wonders how long can this continue? Certainly, life is going to change. It always does. It, of course, already has. If someone had told me when I was 39 that I would earn a degree, change jobs, start running, change jobs AGAIN, run a marathon, many halves, and even do a few long bike rides, I'd have probably been a bit incredulous.

That really wasn't me then. It is me now. I've changed.

So while I shouldn't be wigged out about change, I am. The changes that I went through in my 40s were very positive, yes, but I know that it won't always be so. I know that my body will, eventually, not allow me to run any longer (I may be 90 when this happens, but it will happen). Even now some of "the herd" ~~complain~~, suggest that not ALL of our adventures need to culminate in a 13.1 mile run. Maybe we could look for some 10Ks instead? Maybe we could go somewhere and not run at all? Maybe we could ride Segways (that was for Mik who is morally opposed to such things).

I know my body is changing, some of it for the good (I may be in the best shape of my life...definitely the best shape of my adult life...and by adult life, I mean the part of my life that started in my 30s. I dont' really consider my 20s adulthood...it was more an extended adolescence.)

But some other aspects of a changing/aging body? Not. So. Good. This became clear to me when I went to the gym last night. I didn't actually go the gym to workout. I had signed Turbo up for a gym membership so that he could go there after school with a couple of his friends. It is definitely the least expensive after school program I've ever paid for. Anyway, as the membership director walked us around the gym and was (of course) trying to get me to purchase some personal training sessions (I also belong to the same gym, so personal training isn't an entirely outlandish idea), he also asked me what my training goals were. Whenever I'm asked this question, I always mention running and how any strength training that I do is generally focused on increasing endurance in long runs and/or riding.

He took one look at me and talked to me about improving my posture because "as we grow older, our shoulders tend to start hunching over..."

HUH? Grow older? Hunching over? WTF????

But I can look at myself in the mirror and I see the hunch. I see the difference between a young person's posture and mine.

GAH! GROWING OLD SUCKS!!!!...I'm just saying...and there. I've said it.

Sigh...

So, I will fight these NOT. SO. FRIGGIN' POSTIVE changes as best I can, but getting older really pisses me off.

Rearrangements

2011-08-10T12:03:00.000-07:00

OK...so let's write about something new...running...

The Nike Women's half marathon is in about 10 weeks, so after a couple of weeks of kinda-sorta running on the mill and making a half-hearted effort to do some strength training (which I've decided is KEY to running hills...I'm sure I'm the first to make this discovery, no?), I decided this week to get back at it...kinda, sorta...

First, Walter and I rearranged some furniture in what we have, in the past, called the "office." Pretty much the "office" was a mishmash of a room with no particular purpose. It housed the computer, most of our books, and the treadmill....and at one point, a piano, which we have since gotten rid of since nobody played it, and any other random crap that needs a place to be.

The bad part of that is that the "office" is also the room adjacent to the pool, so it gets a fair amount of traffic.

But we did some rearranging of furniture, got rid of some of the random crap, and...TA DA.

Now it houses the computer and book shelves one one side of it, and a "workout room" complete with weight bench, hand weights, treadmill, and TRX on the other side.

Stylish. No?

How does IKEA photograph rooms and get everything to fit in? The rooms must be the size of postage stamps. This one is, decidedly, not.

This all started with Walter. One of the things that he has wanted to do for about a year is move the weights out of the garage (we have a free-standing garage that is not attached to the house. It's pretty small for an alleged two car garage, and we have mostly used it as a storage shed), and into the house where, he would argue, we would be more likely to use them.

One of the "discussions" we have had is where to put said weight bench IN THE HOUSE. Walter wanted to put it in the front room (the first room guests walk into when they enter the house). I pointed out to him that we did not live in a bachelor-pad-frat-house, and weights in the living room is not very chic or Feng Shui. Walter, being rather pragmatic, claimed that we'd be more likely to actually USE the weights if there were in front of us every day.

Really? Right in FRONT? I think. No.

So, moving them into the "office" was a compromise. Walter moved the weights inside when I was "on the road" in Napa. When I returned, we started to rearrange the furniture. My goal has been to get the office/workout room to look stylish. Can this be done?

Truth is, since the weights have been moved into the house, I've used them three times. Care to guess how many times I lifted weights in the garage in the last year? I'd say, I've doubled the usage....maybe tripled.

Once I had the weights in the house, I realized I needed a weight lifting plan, so I started using an iPad Ap called "Fitness HD" (I think the HD is for High Def...which makes it an iPad Ap. I'm pretty sure the same Ap exists for an iPhone as well). The Exercise Base (database) has just about every strength training exercise you could think of...well, probably not every one, but it has lots.

I have not, as of yet, asked my "Personal Trainer" any questions...He doesn't seem to have a name, so I think I'll call him Jethro.

I really have no idea how the food and body tracker works. I tried to figure it out (meaning: I looked at it for 60 seconds one day), but whatev's. I use Loseit to track calorie intake and outtake (is that a word) anyway.

Geez I use a lot of tracking devices.* I could use this to track workouts and meals, but mostly I just want someone/thing to give me a workout plan. I need that.

These are some of the workouts I've looked at. Mostly I've been using the "Fitness: Keep it Up" (watch it out there... I know what you are thinking) exercises because they include running and light weights.

So...what workouts have I done this past week?

Friday (last week) 10 minute uphill walk warmup - 40 minutes strength training, 3 mile run (mill)
Saturday - 15 minute uphill walk warmup, 30 minutes weights, 3.5 mile run (mill)
Tuesday - 10 mile uphill walk warmup - Then Betty texted me and so we went to run at Balboa Park where I ran 4.4 miles.

I'd say that moving the weights indoors was a good move...but I'll probably still be moving furniture around for about another week or so.

I'll be checking in on your blogs again soon. What the heck is going on out there?
____________________________
Overkill?
* Lose it (Calories in and out)
* Daily Mile (workouts and mileage)
* Garmin Connect (same purpose as Daily Mile, but I have to use this to sync workouts with Daily Mile)
* Hefferblog (duh)
* Nike+ (only occassionally...like on Tuesday when I forgot my Garmin. I do NOT like using this.

Kansas City - Los Angeles - Hollywood - San Diego - Done

2011-08-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

My apologies...as I am compelled to describe in excruciating detail my "what I did during my summer vacation" blogs, so I am now three weeks behind in updating any super-important "current events blogs" (e.g. I got to meet Jill (Run With Jill) last week when Meg (Meg Runs) was a superstar and put together a fabulous backyard barbecue (BBQ expertly manned by her husband "Boy Scout"), where I finally met Chris K (The Manly Runner) and his girlfriend, Alycia, and got to catch up with Irene (Magazine Smiles) and her Hubs who I hadn't seen since the SDRnR half-marathon. I also got to chat with Anne (Run DMZ), and Glenn (RunningFatGuy) neither of whom I'd seen in AGES, and now am now the LAST person who was at the event to publicly thank Meg and her husband for hosting the event.

Thanks Meg! (From left, Jill, Meg, BS, Chris, Alycia, Irene and Hubs, Anne, Glenn, yours truly, and Walter)

It was a really fun evening. The individual pizzas finished on the BBQ were genius and I plan to use that particular serving idea at a future event that I host, where I will definitely credit Meg! It was, as is typical, always awesome to meet up with fellow runner-bloggers. So. Much. FUN! Can't wait to do it all again soon.

For quick update to my current running news...It's summer. I sleep in. It's too hot to run outdoors by the time I drag my ass out of bed, and 'cuz I'm a wuss and HATE running in the heat, I run on the 'mill...there you have it. My overall weekly mileage has dropped to about 10 miles per week. After running two half-marys in less than two months, it's kinda nice to not have a race looming. The Nike Women's half in October seems so far away...

So...if you're not here to read about "My Summer Vacation" feel free to stop reading here... I promise, I'm going to get through the rest of it here...in two parts - Our time in Kansas City and then our rerouted trip back to Los Angeles, then I will try to get back to more regular blog fodder.

Kansas City

So...when we last left off, DramaGirl and I were literally running onto our flight to Kansas City as the airplane door closed. Good thing DramaGirl is FAST. After one scheduled stop in Denver, we made it to Kansas City where we met up with the rest of Walter's Family....just in time to enjoy the heat wave!

DG and I on our way to KC...Yes, I was tired.

Lots of people have asked me this month why in the world we decided to go to Kansas City in July. The whole reason is that Walter's father asked us to. He fought in WWII and his battalion (the 99th) has held annual reunions since roughly the mid '50s. The group had decided a few years ago, that this reunion would be the last. Over the years, so many of the WWII vets have aged or passed away. Traveling for many of them is a challenge.

In any event, my FIL asked us to go...I love and respect this man, and what all the vets did for our country (then and now), so we went to honor him and his army buddies. All bitching and complaining about the midwest heat aside, I'm really glad we went. I looked at the pictures of the men when they were serving in the army and they were just boys, not much older than DramaGirl and my nephew Sam, which made me tear up when I thought about it.

My nephew Sam and DG at the banquet

My father-in-law has a pretty amazing "war story." He fought at the Battle of the Bulge and was captured by the Germans. He wisely threw away his dog-tags, which would have identified him as a Jew. It was toward the end of the war, so they were starving, but also, at one point, he and the other captured men thought that their captors weren't really interested in holding onto them any longer, so they escaped.

The dinner where the men were recognized was really nice. Wanna know the difference between banquet food on the West Coast and in the Midwest?

Banquet Dinner in SoCal - Boneless Chicken breast in a light sauce, rice pilaf, mixed vegetables
Banquet Dinner in KC - Steak, mashed potatoes, green beans

In other words, I ate VERY well in Kansas City. We were there three nights. Twice we had barbecue. OK...YUM! I don't know who invented burnt ends, but if it is the only food served in Heaven, I will die happy. If I lived in Kansas City and had the opportunity to eat KC barbecue regularly, I'd weigh about a ton!

We also tried to stay cool in the 110º and high humidity heat, while trying to see some of the sights in the area.

DG and my niece...I'm going to call her Princess...because it fits...At the Missouri River, which had A LOT of water in it. There was flooding upstream.

Our original plan was to leave Kansas City on Sunday and then go to Chicago, but when I was in Tahoe, one of Walter's cousins (who was in St. Petersburg...Russia at the time) contacted me and told me that Walter's aunt was failing in health and wasn't expected to make it through the weekend. Sadly, she passed the following day, so we all decided to head back to LA on Sunday for the memorial service instead of going to Chicago. Walter's Aunt Gertrude was one of my favorite people. We were bummed about our re-routed trip, but really wanted to pay our last respects.

What that also meant is that we had a flurry of flights and hotel reservations to cancel, and other flights to rebook AND that we would end up in LA without a car or a really good way to get back to San Diego...but we figured that we'd work it out somehow.

Los Angeles
So...at 4:30am (KC time) we woke up, drove to the airport (We were in Overland Park, about 45 minutes from the airport), were lucky to get on a 7am flight (Frontier Airlines, which is not my favorite airline) and arrived in LA about 9am (LA time)...We hadn't rented a car, but we hopped on the Alamo/National rent a car van and hoped for the best. The line to Alamo was out the door, but I checked upstairs at National...and NOBODY WAS THERE...I have no idea if I paid too much for a car, but I really didn't care. They had one for us and we took it. We then went to my sister's house (she lives in Manhattan Beach, which is close to the airport), changed clothes and got to the noon service in Redondo Beach on time (WHEW!)

It was quite the day, we attended a lovely memorial service, and afterward, we were all exhausted. We finally got some food in us after the service around 2:00...almost 12 hours after we'd gotten up that morning, and still without a plan for how we were going to get back to San Diego. In addition, Walter and his brother had started talking about spending a few more days "vacationing" in LA.

Betty texted me and told me that she was headed back to San Diego (she was still at Tahoe), so she picked me up that afternoon in LA and I went back to San Diego. Walter and the kids stayed with my sister in LA for the night.

Are you exhausted yet? I was. Let me tell you...it felt REALLY GOOD to sleep in my own bed.

When you live in San Diego...LA is something you endure, or avoid on your way to other places, or perhaps you try to get to a part of it for an event or a meeting, and you pray to the traffic gods that you don't get stuck in some gridlocked traffic nightmare, and while there are plenty of very cool PLACES in LA, it never really occurred to us to take a vacation there. But we had a few days of vacation time to spend, and some pretty disappointed kids (and a sister in law), so we Vay-Kay'd in LA...

The plan was for me to go back to San Diego, get the car, and return to LA the next morning...but I'd been going, pretty much non-stop, for over a week, so let's just say that I didn't get back to LA the next day until afternoon, but I eventually made my way to meet up with Walter, the kids, my bro and sis in law and their kids the next day at Universal Studios.

Mandatory tour bus through Universal Studios back lot (which was actually very cool).

The next day, we went to Griffith Park and the observatory, which was also super cool and was a totally unexpected thing. The observatory had some really excellent exhibits (and we were a group that included everyone from my 3 year old niece to my 16 year old nephew, to some adults...it's not always easy to make a large group happy, but we ended up spending three hours there.

There's a Hollywood sign behind us somewhere....

Nephews, a son, and a daughter

After the observatory, we headed down to Hollywood Blvd, to have some lunch, look at the stars in the sidewalk, handprints in concrete in front of the Chinese Theater, and other Hollywood Blvd eccentricities.

My SIL, DG, and me across from the Kodak Theatre...where is our red carpet?

OH...and if that wasn't enough...After THAT we decided to head downtown to LA Live because Walter heard that it was entertaining. The X-Games would take place over the weekend, so we got to see some of the skateboarders and BMXers do some practice runs.

We decided that knee pads and learning how to fall were probably pretty essential to skateboarding on insanely high ramps.

We drove home that night...tired, but pretty satisfied. It hadn't been Chicago, but wasn't bad for a last minute, substitute vacation in LA.

So...there you have it...two very crazy weeks. To be honest, its been equally busy since we got back...but at least it's all been in the same time zone!

The Rest of the Story...Three Days at Tahoe

2011-08-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

When I last wrote (what? a two week hiatus? WTF is up with THAT Alice?), we had finished the Napa to Sonoma half-marathon and done our last wine tasting at the post-race festivities.

That day Betty and I said goodbye to Mik and Elsie, who had to head back to SoCal to go to work (nasty four letter word), and we packed up the car, our girls, all our wine, and headed to North Lake Tahoe and Momma's cabin.

It was THERE, that we got to rest. Wel...sorta.

Mountain stream that runs near Momma's cabin....LOTS of water this summer. LOTS!

Momma and Betty on one of our walks...that's a patch of snow behind them...in JULY!

Let's just say that Lake Tahoe is one of the most beautiful areas. We took walks through the mountains. We went to the beach at King's Beach. The water was friggin cold, but I was willing to swim in it because it's fresh water and you don't feel all salty and crusty when you get out.

Nice panoramic shot of the beach at North Tahoe. It's unbelievable to me that those mountains STILL have a fair amount of snow on them.

It wasn't all sitting around and walking. One morning Betty and I went to play Pickleball, which is sorta like playing Ping Pong (or Table Tennis for those of you are aficionados), but you're on a court.

Blurry action shots courtesy of DramaGirl

Why is it that Betty looks like an athlete and I look like I'm out for a cup of tea?

I had never even heard of Pickleball, but one of Momma's friends was an AVID player and he asked Betty (the athletic one) if she wanted to play a pickup game....and Betty took me along. I want to make it clear that I did NOT embarrass myself or Betty. Pickleball, it turns out, will be taking the country by storm. I thought it would be more of a drinking sport (like Over the Line....or Golf), but it turns out that you can actually work up a sweat playing Pickleball. In fact, the next day, we both had some achy muscles, having used muscles that are not normally used during running.

But mostly, we hung out and relaxed. We watched way too much Bravo one afternoon (and Betty and I drank some of the wine we had with us). It was wonderful.

Our last day...lunch with Millie and Betty at Tahoe City

DramaGirl and me at the Tahoe City Dam, where the lake becomes the Truckee River

The next morning, DramaGirl and I left for our next destination...Kansas City. We left from Reno on a 6:20am, at the butt-crack of dawn, flight. Betty drove like a bat-outta-hell to get us to the airport in time because I completely lost track of time and we didn't leave Momma's cabin until about 5:10...and it's about a 45 minute drive to Reno from her place...you do the map.

All I can say is thank goodness that Reno has a small airport.

Thanks so much to Betty for driving and for all the adventurs...and especially to Momma for letting us stay with her. It was WONDERFUL.

Next up: Kansas City - HOT, HOT, HOT and HUMID. (also...I won't wait two weeks to write about it...I promise...I really need to get caught up with this before school starts).

The Quest Continues - Two Days in Sonoma (sorta a race report)

2011-07-21T21:07:00.001-07:00

When we last left our heroines, they were enjoying the fruits of Napa Valley. On the third day of their journey, they would investigate the harvest from the valley of Sonoma...

But before THAT quest could begin, the girls had to visit the Napa to Sonoma race expo, after all, they were in town for the race.

It was one of the first times we'd parked in an open field...smack dab in the middle of some vineyards this was going to be unlike any other race

OK... I'll stop with the third person heroic journey language...it's tiresome, but I say Harry Potter this week, forgive me...

In any event, on the third day, we went to the Race Expo. A word about the expo...it was small, but it's also the only expo I've ever been to where there was a wine tasting!

There was also a big blue chair

The only other obstacle we encountered was locating Betty's bib... Betty purchased a bib from another runner and did an official race transfer. As a homage to her previous attempt to purchase a 3rd party bib, she registered for this race using the pseudonym "tiger." She had forgotten about it. Thus, it took us awhile to figure out why she wasn't listed as "registered." and none of us thought to look for her under "Tiger

Forget you ever saw her real name...

After the expo, we wandered over to Sonoma and browsed the downtown square where the race would end. We decided to buy some sandwiches and find a place to picnic.

DramaGirl found her perfect shop.

They have EVERYTHING here....just everything...

I'd been reading on my iPad (BTW...an absolute MUST when traveling in unfamiliar territory... The GPS maps and The Google kept us from getting lost on multiple occasions and decreased the number of U-Turns by about 80%...really! I did the calculations!)... looking for a place to have a picnic, so when Betty started reading road signs out loud (which she tends to do) and noted the historical marker for Buena Vista Winery, I shouted "Turn THERE!" and we did. We had no idea that we we to come upon the best winery we would visit.

The herd, with our driver and chief photographer

It's an official historical place, but we are all teachers, so we like that kind of stuff...wonder if I can write this trip off on my taxes as an "education work-related expense.... Hmmmmm

At Buena Vista, we met Millie...and immediately we all hit it off, so we decided to name Betty's D2 after her.

Meet the Millies!!!!

I could do a whole blog about Millie. let's just say that she was fabulous, was an excellent wine educator, and we bought a load of wine from her. If you are ever in Sonoma, visit the winery and ask for Millie. Tell her you know the heffers from San Diego and that you want to taste Pinot "the right way." I suspect she will remember us.

Three Pinots, three vintages, side by side...Aka "The Right Way" to taste. I likes the one on the left.

Oh yeah...and we had a picnic too.

So...two days, five winery tasting rooms...our haul?

About four cases...good thing Betty is driving back to SoCal

Later that day, after the effects of "The tasting, we decided to leave a car in Sonoma for after the race the next morning...quite cranky, probably one of the best ideas we had the whole time!

Where we left the car.

The next morning, we got up for the race (oh yeah...that's why we were there) It started at Carneros Winery. Millie and DramaGirl dropped us off at the start...

Walking up to the start...a little cool...overcast...in other words, perfect running weather.

So...who thinks that two days of wine tasting befo a half marathon is a good idea?

I was standing in the Porta Potty line when I took this photo

Mandatory pre-race photo

And we were off. The first half mile had one relatively serious hill, but it was mercifully short, and then the rest of the route was all, gentle, rolling hills. I got separated pretty early from Elsie and Betty, who were walk/running, and speedy Mik. I was so distracted by the scenery that the first five or six miles just rolled right on by, and I was surprised every time I would pass a mile marker...something that NEVER happens to me during a race, or ever for that matter.

Elsie and Betty at Mile 6

I mean, can you blame me for being distracted?

I felt like my pace was pretty even for the first seven miles or so.
Mile 1 - 11:11
Mile 2 - 10:32
Mile 3 - 10:51
Mile 4 - 10:57
Mile 5 - 11:06
Mile 6 - 11:25
Mile 7 - 10:20

Around Mile 8 we crossed the highway (the main road that connects Napa and Sonoma Valleys. We had been warned in the race material that we might have to stop along the way to let traffic cross). I could see a gap in the runners and figured that I might get stopped if I didn't speed up, so I did, but then something weird happened, and my right contact lens fogged up...so I stopped for a minute at the Mile 8 water station and tried to rinse it out with some water...it worked a little bit.

The last five miles were, again, through some more vineyards and a residential area as we headed into Sonoma.

At the Mile 10 water station, there was, of course, wine.

It was white. Yes I had some with a water chaser. Awesome!

I felt very good for the last two miles, and for me, that was the goal. I wanted to finish strong. No walking in the last three miles. I even had some kick at the end.

Mile 8 - 11:47
Mile 9 - 11:06
Mile 10 - 10:14
Mile 11 - 11:34
Mile 12 - 10:20
Mile 13 - 10:17
Finish - 9:25

Unofficial "Garmin" time was 2:22:40 Official time was 2:25:52 which is respectable, but I'm not quite sure where I lost three minutes.

Post race...a medal and something I can use!

Mik with her new wine stopper

Usually after a race, we hightail it out of the crowd, usually to get some food, but this post-race expo included...you guessed it, wine tasting! So we hung out for awhile to get some good use out of our race swag.

Elsie and Betty, enjoying more wine

Mik was bummed because she finished at 9:15 and they didn't start the tasting until 9:30...she did make up for lost time by getting a taste and then immediately standing in line for the next...

After tasting for a little while, we decided that some food would be a good thing, so we walked about two blocks to the car, and drove back over the hill to Napa, where we found a little diner...

Elsie's diner attire

Our race morning concluded with watching the Women's soccer team lose to Japan. Betty should have left the room more often because every time she did, Team USA scored.

Apparently our cheering squad was not enough

I gotta send out props to the race organizer, Destination Races...this was a great event, and I'm not just saying so because of the wine. It was really well organized, better than many of the large races I've done over the years. All of the people involved were helpful and genuinely seemed to want everyone to have a good time. There were plenty of aid stations, mostly water, bit one had Hammer Gels (which I'd never tried before, and which I liked). I will definitely do one of their events again.

Next time: Betty, Alice, Millie, and DramaGirl go to Momma's cabin at Lake Tahoe (in other words...it ain't over yet).

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The Road Trip - The Road to Napa

2011-07-17T18:05:00.001-07:00

Our brave heroines, Betty, Alice, newly named Millie (previously known as Betty's D2...a name she really did not care for. "Don't worry." we assured her, "at some point, a name will reveal itself" and it did) and DramaGirl traversed the state to get to the first stop in their summer odessey, Napa Valley.

"How was the drive?" You may ask.

Anyone who has spent any time on The 5 will tell you that it is one long-ass, boring drive from SoCal to NorCal via that particular route. It is, however, also the fastest route, so the lack of viable food choices would have to be managed.

Road Food

To be clear, when traveling with teenagers, it is essential that ground rules be established. Thus, these guidelines were set forth.
1. No texting when in public places or when it would ordinarily be expected to interact with others.
2. Do not bug Betty.
3. Do not put feet on the center console (added when someone with smelly feet put her feet up).
4. Have shoes on and be ready to exit the car when we stop.
5. If an adult tells you to do something, like put on a cummerbund, just do it.

The trip was long, and the hour became late, so the quartet decided to bed in a lovely hamlet called Livermore.

It was a little misty in Livermore...and the previous day's bug-capture had to be wiped clean

Upon arriving at their destination, they set about their first order of business, which was to get checked into their fine accommodations at The Doubletree, a pace which cleverly disguised its rooms from The Fates by naming them after animals.

Not our room, but it could have been

Our two running heroines set about exercising their legs.

Alice, I don't think we're in SoCal anymore

Our heroines' friends arrived, so they went on their appointed rounds...WINETASTING!!!!!

we found a place to nosh and consume beverages

This is also where the cummerbund rule was made as DramaGirl and Millie acted as designated driver and chief photographer and were required to dress appropriately. They were not necessarily happy about this.

DramaGirl was decidedly NOT pleased

Our heroines had no such issues.

At V. Sattui vineyards

They were too busy enjoying the fruits of this...

Really not SoCal

Next episode: genetics and driving practices and Day 2 of wine tasting.

(yeah...there was a race today, I'll get to it...)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Lost and Found

2011-07-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

You know...for the last year or so, most of my musings have been pretty repetitive. I run. I whine about the weather. I brag (occasionally) about my family. I try to capture (not always successfully) the adventures of the herd. I complain about how busy I am.

Pretty much the same thing...blah...blah...blah...

So for something different yesterday, I dropped the key to my car on a long run...somewhere along this route...

It's a really sad moment when you realize...after running about 9.5 miles, and are about .5 miles from your car...that you no longer have the key to aforementioned car in your hip pocket.

"Oh shit" is probably the first thing I said.

"Where the F is it?"

Unfortunately, at the moment of discovery, I was not running with Betty. She was somewhere behind me, so my first thought was that I'd run back to where ever she was to see if she'd picked it up (yes, I'd run 9 miles. It was hot and humid. I was not thinking too clearly). Luckily, in a moment of clarity, I realized that the most important thing was to get a key to the aforementioned car, so I called Walter.

Walter: Hello?
Alice: Hi honey! Whatcha doin?
Walter: Relaxing. How was your run.
Alice: The run is fine, but I did something bad.
Walter: (silence...for future reference, saying "bad" brings up thoughts of something REALLY BAD)
Alice: I dropped the key to the car somewhere.
Walter: OH! (apparently relieved that I had not crashed the whole car, or hurt myself...not necessarily in that order).
Alice: Wanna bring me the spare key?

Of course, he did...

My Walter...my knight in shining armor, here to save the day!

So...they key, not any old key, but it's one of those newfangled, don't even need to use the key, key that is electronic and costs about a gazillion dollars to replace, so we went back to try to find it.

I thought I might have dropped it here when I stopped to take a picture of the gorgeous day. I run with a Spybelt for my phone.

Sevin-ish miles in. Wouldn't you have stopped?

...but that didn't really make sense because I keep my key in a separate pocket from my phone because I know I'm going to take the phone out to take photos and I don't want to LOSE THE KEY (DUH!)

So Betty, Walter and I backtracked a few places where I might have dropped it. Running over the lawn in Mission Bay seemed like it might be a likely spot because I wouldn't have heart it hit the ground.

Then Betty walked over the lifeguard tower on the off chance that someone had turned it in...and GOOD KARMA...

Someone DID!

YAY!

I'm pretty sure it slipped out of my pocket when I ate the last of my Gu at a drinking fountain. It's a pocket with a zipper, but since I didn't put anything back in my pocket, I didn't zip it back up...and the key must have just slipped out...maybe the belt from the Spybelt pushed it out.

Anyway, thank you to whoever the good Samaritan was who saved me a few hundred bucks for a new one of these...

Easy to see how it would slip out of a pocket...no?

_________________________

So...I spent A LOT of time at the beach last week. I know that many people think that if you live in San Diego, you live your life at the beach, but we really don't, or at least I don't. Sure, I run at the beach or coast pretty often, but I don't pack up chairs, umbrellas, towels, coolers and all that gear more than three or four times a summer, which is what I did last week. We live about 10 miles inland, so getting to the beach requires driving, and in the summer, unless I get to the beach early, I'm not interested in fighting the beach traffic.

Even locals have to trek their own gear. I swear I was carrying stuff too!

Betty's version of "beach food."

Luckily, this week DramaGirl was in Surf Camp, so I had a good excuse to get down there early.

Being on the beach is pretty entertaining, lobsterized tourists, men who make you think that speedos should be outlawed, or at least require a license. But on Thursday, I had to take a picture of something I hadn't EVER seen before...

It was the biggest UMBRELLA I'd ever seen!

2011-07-07T20:51:00.000-07:00

First of all...

WTF is going on with Blogger. I know it's been over a week since I last wrote, but all of a sudden it looks completely different in compose mode and nothing is where it's supposed to be.

Again, I say WTF is going on here?

Which is not really what I intended to write about. What I did intend to discuss is how I was NOT going to do a "so what did Alice do for the last 10 days" kind of post. I'm sorta sick of those.

Instead, I'll bitch about the weather because THAT would be SO VERY NEW.

In a nutshell, it's been HOT, damn HOT and HUMID, really STICKY, ICKY, HUMID.

These are NOT things that a SoCal girl is used to.

Temperature on Tuesday afternoon

Despite the STICKY, ICKY, HUMID, HOT weather, I've been quite active this week. I've run twice already AND rode 18.5 miles yesterday.

On Tuesday, it was about 4 miles in the heat and humidity after I dropped off DramaGirl at a Surf Camp at Mission Beach. It was a pretty slow run, but not too bad for running in the heat.

Tuesday morning at the bay - I'm glowing at 8am, can you tell?

The problem with running on the bay side in the morning? No shade. Not one iota. Not at 8am.

On Wednesday morning, Betty and I rode around the bay (again after dropping DramaGirl off at camp).

OK...this is sorta turning into a "what I did this week sorta post" but at least it has a focus and a theme!

It's really a rather incomplete map...we actually rode around the entire bay (about another 6 miles) but I stopped my Garmin after we got off Fiesta Island and forgot to start it again.

Sometimes when you're on a bike you notice things that you don't notice when you are running.

I have run at the bay countless times this summer, and had never before noticed the pirate watching. I need to look up more often!

After our ride, Betty and I hung out at the beach for the rest of the day.

Lunch at Saskas

This morning, you'll never guess what I did...go ahead...guess...

Yep...went running again. This time, down the beach side walk at Mission Beach, then back on the beach. I got to see DramaGirl, but she wasn't surfing when I ran by.

DG...in yellow

I was playing with Hipstamatic on the iPhone this morning, so all the pix look like this.

After my, even slower than Tuesday run (blaming the run on the sand, which is always enjoyable but is often slower, I hung out at the beach and watched the tourists. Actually, it was rather windy at the beach, so by about 11am, I left to head east.

By the time I got home about 11:30, the temperature gauge in my car read 97º. I probably should have stayed at the beach.

I've got some blog reading to do tonight. I hope everyone is staying cool and is enjoying their summer as much as I have been!

Nineteen

2011-06-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

On June 27, 1992, Walter and I got married. We'd been dating for a couple of years. I guess he finally decided that he could live with me after we drove around the country in my Mercury Capri convertible, and he still liked me...or at least we hadn't killed each other.

Miami, July 1992...you are absolutely NOT allowed to comment on the hair or the day-glo orange bathing suit, or the waist-high, folded over jean shorts...

And by around the country...I really do mean AROUND. We drove from San Diego to Miami, Florida; to New York City, to St. Louis, Missouri, to Reno, Nevada, back to San Diego...in this car.

One night we slept in this car, in a rest stop on I-70 on the Ohio-Indiana border. Not really very comfortable and only something you do when you are very young.

That car trip is also where Alice and Walter (our "names" for each other) were born. In my best nagging, whiney voice, I'd say "Walter, will you just stop the GAWD DAMN car and ASK SOMEONE WHERE THE @$%#$ WE ARE?"

To which he would calmly say:

"Just relax Alice. I know where I'm going..."

Yep...we figure if we survived that trip, we could survive marriage and kids.

Traffic delay somewhere in in the middle of Nowhere, Utah....to this day one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen. Again no commentary about the hair, white high-waisted pants with a black belt (very slimming, no?) or Walter's shorts. He might still have those...

So...about a year later, we got married on June 27. If you Google the following morning (June 28, 1992) among the top hits you'll get is references to two of the biggest earthquakes to hit SoCal (at the time): the Landers Earthquake at about 5am, then another one about three hours later, the Big Bear.

Walter and I felt both of them from the 26th floor of the hotel we were staying at in downtown San Diego (a nice E-Ticket ride). So did all of our guests who were staying at another hotel nearby that had to be evacuated. To this day, when Walter or I say something about our wedding or reception we usually get two responses.

"That was a GREAT party" (and it was).

Go ahead...make up a caption for this one...

And Walter's response...

"I remember the EARTHQUAKE" (me too).

Nothing quite so earthshaking occurred this weekend for our 19th anniversary, but we did have a really nice two person celebration, doing one of our favorite things to do...drinking good wine. We went tasting in Temecula. We stayed at a place called South Coast Winery, which by Temecula standards is very nice.

At Palomar Winery...not one of my favorites, but has some lovely grounds...but DAMN it was HOT yesterday.

At a new winery called Europa Vineyards...had a very nice Pinot Grigio there. Don't we both have the happy eyes?

Napping by the pool...isn't that what everyone does after wine tasting on a hot day? He's kinda cute when he's sleeping, yes?

This morning, Walter and I went for a little three mile run through the vineyards. I stopped to take a few pix along the way, so it was a pretty leisurely run.

I love this picture...with Walter just looking at me and wondering what the heck I'm doing (stopping to take a picture of course!)

I am so ready to plan vines at our house and grow some grapes...they really are very pretty!

We ran past one of my favorite wineries in Temecula, Weins. It was about 8:30am, so they weren't open yet.

Yes, the sky really was that blue.

Happy Anniversary Walter... Thanks for a great 19 and years. Can't wait to see what the next 19 brings us!