I failed to mention Tuesday's swim at Lake Anza...probably cuz it wasn't anything special. I just wanted to get it over with and didn't make the most of my time there. The day was lovely, the water a little chilly but fine within a few minutes, not too many tykes buzzing around. I swam out to lap area and did 4 lengths....how far is anyones guess....not nearly far enough that I can be sure. I may try to go back today and take my time....rushing through it is never very productive. I still don't like the lake so much, and the sign posted warning swimmer's about a little bug in the water that causes "swimmer's itch" did nothing to endear me to it.

I pulled off a not-so-easy 40 minute run this morning...not bad though considering yesterday's margarita fest. Feeling good about the upcoming races and looking forward to going back to the Y in the Fall once my Strawberry membership expires. I've been watching that new show "Workout" and it's got me thinking about the gym.....now that I've put a good dent in the bodyfat I'm wanting (this is a good sign as I find weight lifting incredibly boring) to focus on strengthening more.

Have a Great Day!

M and Me

The weather is warmer up again. Kept M home from camp today and we went for a bike ride.
A decent ride with NO MALFUNCTIONS!!! Seriously folks, we have the worst luck it seems with bike rides but today was perfection. She got a little hot and bothered after climbing the hill behind the race track but after a rest break we cruised . Good stuff!

We got home and pretty much loafed around the rest of the day. It felt good to just hang...no agenda no stressing over another missed workout opportunity. It occured to me that SHE'S the reason (not entirely) I'm getting in shape and getting active. I noticed that recently whenever I want her to go swimming it requires LOT's of negotiation. She used to love to go swimming before I actually knew how to swim. I finally sat her down and asked why was it such a hassle to get her to go and she said "because you never play with me anymore!" I was guilty as charged. We go to the pool, she in the general wading area and I head for a lap lane.

As hot as it is today we opted to watch Project Runway and Dog the Bounty Hunter.
We're an eclectic bunch here! Currently she's working on a designer dog collar for Brandy and I'm perfecting my Margarita skills......hey, it's hot!

Long Run by the Bay

I went for a pretty long run this morning....3 hours long to be exact...I'm not having any luck with gooogle maps and cannot for the life of me figure out how to map routes...ideally 10 and 12 mile loops that lead back to my house. I'm guessing I did at least 10 miles on mostly paved trails. By the time I got to El Cerritto I turned left towards the bay. A portion of the bay trail runs parallel Point Isabel, Brandy's favorite dog park....not so pleasant smelling when your running and breathing hard.

The triclub folk met here once and we ran a 3 mile loop, turning around just before the marina. Today I kept going and discovered Richmond Marina Park. The elements were all in alignment this morning, blue sunny sky, gentle breezes with mild temps in the 70s. Just a great day to be out there. The sun danced on the water and sparkled like tinsle. I was surprised that there weren't more people out and about.

The double strawberry run was 14.7 miles and that took me 3.5 hours. It was really warm and hilly that day. Today's run was flat w/perfect weather and it took me nearly three hours (2:45 mins to be exact) Maybe I went further than 10 miles? I really felt it after this run. Running on concrete paved trails really is tiring. I'd hop over to a dirt trail when it was available but most of the run was on the hard stuff.

It's good to be home.

Guilt and Love

Being the good dog mommy that I am, I took Brandy for a WALK at Strawberry this morning. We were out for about an hour or so stopping at the bench for a short rest than we scurried back down to the parking lot. As usual she found a mud hole and had a complete spa experience.
When we pulled up to the house as if on cue T was out front with the hose and we tag teamed her into submission while M hustled around back to let her in the back gate and NOT through the house. Poor girl didn't know what hit her...but was happy and tired from the first walk she's had in 9 days...My mom house sat and fed Brandy but is afraid to walk her due to her bad knee and Brandy's pension for darting off.

The concert was good though I must admit I thought the Shaman show 2 years ago was better. Carlos introduced Anthony Hamilton as the opening act and they were really good but overall I wasn't digging the whole experimental acid/fusion like vibe he had going halfway through the show. I'm more fond of his older stuff and I do like many of the contemporary collaborations he's been apart of the past couple of years, but wasn't feeling it too much when things went psychedelic.

I awoke this morning with a headache. Lastnights Margarita and 32 oz Corona most likely to blame.........plus I was dehydrated........not to mention the latenight stop at Apple Bee's....hey I'm still on vacation what can I say!

During the hike with Brandy, I kept having to defend myself from thoughts like:
"You should've got up earlier"
"You shouldn't of had drinks"
"You should be running or doing a brick or SOMETHING!"

GEE WHIZ CAN'T A GIRL JUST GO FOR A WALK WITH HER DOG WITHOUT ALL THE GUILT???

Okay, yes it's true I have been in vacation mode for awhile now and I do have my longest race ever coming up in a couple of weeks. I'm ready ....perhaps not it top form but totally ready and capable of finishing both events, so why when I back off for awhile does the head give me shit???

It's a constant struggle trying to make peace with my fondness for mediocrity....I mean what's wrong with not always being in "push hard" mode?
Not a damn thing I tell ya!!!

This afternoon I put in a decent effort at the pool, luckily I was just about done when the jerk arrived. A few weeks back I had slipped into his lane (Med) and he said to me in a rather condescending tone:
"I don't mind sharing a lane, but you need to tow your line" Between the newly imposed parking fee and this jerk, swimming at Strawberry is becoming a pain in the ass. I was livid and jumped out of the lane obviously irritated. Whenever this guy shows up he always asks the lifeguards to put up the slow/medium/fast lane markers and bitches whenever a slower swimmer is in his vicinity. He just sucks!! Today I had the good fortune of getting in some good laps and for awhile had a lane all to myself....Then he showed up. It was time to leave anyways.

So, I didn't mention this before but while we were gone T's mom had another mini stroke and the day after we got home his dad was admitted to the hospital, he's been refusing to eat for the last couple of days and fell once at the new apartment. His mom and dad are going to need to be relocated to another place that can provide more care and supervison. We knew this current placement would be temporary (I did anyways) but I think my husband and his siblings were hoping it would last longer than a month.

All this stuff is just plain sad. These people worked hard their whole lives, well beyond retirement age . They completely bypassed the golden years, never taking that second trip to Hawaii or anywhere for that matter. Never really pursuing anything leisurely. Worked and volunteered until they just couldn't anymore and now watching them steadily deteriorate is just heartbreaking.

My mom is still pretty young herself and despite several orthopedic surgeries she gets around alright and I don't have to "worry" about her just yet. I see this sort've thing at work all the time but it's different when it your own family. I'm not particulary close to my in-laws, their kind but emotionally distant people with a knack for avoiding confrontation or unpleasantness. I know my mother-in-law wrung herself silly when T and I got pregnant long before we married and she and I have had our challenges ....still we've managed over the years and I do love my husband and it's hard to see him go through all this.

Love is such complicated thing sometimes. I have alot to learn still. I know that the more I love myself the more I can love others. I know that when I love myself I can be compassionate and more understanding. I know these things, however I don't believe I've wholeheartedly embraced the concept.
Like perhaps some of you I've struggled with loving myself, accepting myself and it shows in the most awful ways...especially when I'm stressed out. Short indifference with a confused patient, yelling at my kid, pushing my husband too hard....my monster can be a real asshole sometimes and the whole idea of unconditional love is beyond my comprehension....but then there are times when the armour and witholding give way...whether it be my own effort or a kind gesture from elsewhere and I am hopeful that I'm not a monster and that I am capable giving with my whole heart....but it's always so short lived and I fear I will always have to work at it.

Sigh.

Down South

The trip down was uneventful, we arrived at Universal City without a hitch. I'm glad we stayed because the drive from there to San Diego was hot and long.... almost three hours due in part to the traffic and our unfamiliarity of the roads. Pretty much from Universal City we were lost. I must've made every wrong turn and missed most of the required exits at least twice. I usually can get my bearings after a day or two but not on this trip.

Both T and I were hopeless. Everytime we ventured out it was sheer luck that we arrived to our desired destination. T had a better handle on things once we arrived in San Diego, I on the other hand stayed confused. The only time I felt remotely oriented was during my runs, I'm use to winging it on foot I guess.

The first 3 days in San Diego were spent at Seaworld, The Zoo and The Wild Animal Park (this was my personal favorite) In between I managed a couple decent runs despite the heat and humidity. I felt like a old dish rag!! I entered the pool twice...to be honest there wasn't a whole lot of swimming going on, just getting cooled down. We went for a decent bike ride along the Marina in the late afternoon, I needed some prodding to do this but felt energized afterwards...a good reminder on the effects physical activity. Taking the bikes on this trip seemed like a good idea but of course there was the issue of securing them and lugging them to the room.

At the last minute we decided to go to Tijuana. The weather had started to cool down a bit by this time and we shopped for awhile and then returned to our car and spent only hour getting back across the border. T assured me M would not need ID. He and his brother have been to TJ a few times and never were asked for ID (T and his bro are as fair skinned as they come...). M's birth certificate has been lost for years and I keep meaning to get a replacement. When we arrived at the border we had to show our ID's and then he asked for M's. This patrol officer took our lack of preparedness rather seriously and proceeded to lecture us on the ID options available for minor's. He asked me what country I was born in and then asked M the same. I couldn't tell how far he was going to push it but after a few more inqueries he must've felt we were sufficiently chastised and let us move along.

The weather had been considerably hotter the week before but still the grey overcast and humidity was abit oppressive. I mentioned running, HA!!! More like plodding along, a 6 and a 8 miler.... not fun at all!!! I have an even deeper respect for you Anne. The humidity really zapped my mojo. Swimming was means to keep cool. No major training was accomplished on this trip. I'm not even going to step on the scale. T (when I pressed him about it) said I maybe got a bit cushier on the backside!

Food was a bit of a challenge. We brought a cooler and stocked up on fresh fruit and simple breakfast and lunch items but the bulk of our meals were at theme parks and few restaurants ....the best meals by far were at Seaworld. On the last night in San Diego, we stumbled upon Little Italy and soon realized you needed reservations so we settled for Sushi (it was okay) and then gelato...that was yummy!

The last night was spent back at Universal City and instead of staying behind and swimming like I should've I opted to go to Universal Studios with T and M....apparently I am a glutton for theme park punishment. We later had a really nice meal complete with a private wine tasting back at the hotel.

Our hotel rooms were lovely and the view from the Sheraton was awesome. On the first and the last day in San Diego, the sky cleared a bit and the bay was filled with sailboats, dinner cruise boats and kayakers, it was fun spying on the passengers with T's astronomical binoculars.

After another short swim in the morning it was time to head out. We opted to take the scenic route home. The drive through Malibu Canyon was gorgeous and not even the grey overcast could diminish it's beauty. Strangely enough we never stepped foot onto the beach but the drive along the coast was pretty.

As far as rest & relaxation go.... there wasn't alot of that going on.... it was better than being at work and tonight we're going to a Santana concert.

Not sure to what extent the lack of training will have on my performance in my upcoming events, good thing I don't take these things too seriously!

A new trail

The weather took a turn for the better this morning, the cool thick fog rolled in from the bay and up to the trails. I headed up to Tilden, to check out my options. I parked in the Nature Area near Little Farm and hiked in a little on the Jewel Lake trail, it runs parallel to Wildcat Canyon....except it's a hillier climb. Maybe a mile into it, the trail intersects with Wildcat and I continued for probably another 1.5 mile when I came across another marker that I suspected would get me to the Nimitz Trail.
I can't remember the name of this trail but it said canyon on the end so that told me I'd be going down and down and down...before long I felt like I was in another world. The change in scenery was drastic, the relatively flat and dusty Wildcat gave way to moist uneven terrain. I had stumbled onto one honey of a trail. On the way down I had to go through a few gates and I even had to rock hop across a little creek. Ferns lined the trail on all sides and the air felt heavy, despite the cooler temps I felt muggy. I began to noticed horse poop along the way and as the trail began to climb it's way out of the canyon the trail grew narrower and less visible.

The fog was pretty dense by the time I arrived to what appeared to be a fork in the road. Its safe to say that while I wasn't completely disoriented I wasn't sure what my next move should be. I stayed to the right, thinking I'd stay parallel to Wildcat. What I didn't realize was that I was heading torwards the middle of a cattle field....the horse poop was replaced by HUGE cow patty's and the trail was riddled with pot holes covered with downtrodden grasses.....a sprained ankle waiting to happen. I considered what such an injury would mean to me at this point...out in the middle of seemingly nowhere, I was careful to say the least.

My decision to stay to the right eventually led me to a steep hill, I considered for a moment what a bitch it would be if I had to turn around and backtrack. Throwing caution to the wind I trotted down the hill and was greeted by a dead end a few short yards later!

Arrrrg....looked like I'd be walking....semi-upright... back up that steep ass hill. Huffing and puffing my way to the top I continued to walk through the pothole ridden portion of the trail than picked up the pace once I got back to the original fork in the road. This time I veered left. Through the fog I forged ahead, crosswinds whipping around, it felt pretty good following the mugginess of the canyon....not to mention the steep climb I just did.

Off in the distance I saw another gate and a marker ....Nimitz Trail...yeah I was on the right track! From this point I knew I was 4 miles from Inspiration Point, however I was parked at Little Farm, roughly another 5 miles and would need to turn right at IP and follow another trail (all down hill) back to the Nature Area. I got to the end trail by 10 o'clock and continued running for a couple of more minutes than I walked to the where I was parked. I stretched for a good while on a nearby picnic table feeling tired but not spent.

It's safe to say I ran at least 8 miles, maybe 9 in 2 hours. My right knee felt a little wonky but other than that I felt pretty great. A few times I had to stop and remove little rocks and debris from my shoes, I really need to find me some gators! I used my hand held water bottle filled with mango gatorade on this run thinking that my palms would be less sweaty because it wasn't very hot......wrong! I wonder if there's a hand held hydration system out there that wicks the moisture away from your hand ....until I find one I'm a camelback girl all the way. Nutrition was simple, peanut butter and honey on toast and 1 cup of coffee.

A new twist on an old favorite

This morning I wasn't particulary motivated but with my events looming on the horizon I needed to get a few things done. I rode my mountain bike over to Strawberry pool expecting to swim at 7:30 but discovered the pool didn't open until 8:30....that's typical... me not looking at the schedule ahead of time! So I ventured up the road a ways to the trailhead and went for a decent ride . I noticed a bulldozer off to the side of the trail and as I worked my way up I could see many places where the trail had been worked and lots of loose dirt. As I peddled along my thoughts drifted to a show I watched the other night on the Discovery Channel about cougar attacks....they like to grab there victims by the head and I wondered if my helmut would make a difference in the event of an attack....such lovely thoughts!! By the time I got to the foot of Big Bertha, her steepness combined with the loose dirt made it impossible for my tires to grab the road and I had to walk my bike up....that was harder than running up! I stopped at the top to catch my breath, saddled up again and proceeded upwards.

The perspective going up on the bike was a pleasant change from running. I was more relaxed and seemed to notice more things along the way compared to when I'm running. I only planned to go as far as I could until 8:15 so I could turn around and be back at the pool by 8:30. The ride down was really fun and when I got to Big Bertha I noticed a couple of hikers heading up. I dismounted and walked until they passed by and than got back on and had the descent of my life......steep and fast (pretty fast...the loose dirt put a damper on my enthusiasm) Woohooo!
Rounding the corner at the bottom of the hill I slowed down for another hiker and just cruised back down to the pool.

Now let me just say, Strawberry is one of the nicest pools in all of Berkeley and as a result is quite popular especially in the afternoons and evenings. Early birds get the bonus of less crowded lanes for sure. I was the second person in the pool today and had a lovely lane partner who wasn't huffy cuz I was slow and we'd chit chat a little every so often. Today I concentrated on my kick, staring down at the bottom of the pool to try to maintain a more horizontal position and slowing down so I'd have enough energy to keep going and not have to rest every lap....the slower I went the better my breathing went. I'd go 25 x 2 before a rest....and rest breaks are getting shorter. As usual I lost track of how many laps I did.
I swam for approx. 40 minutes and then headed home. What a difference from last nights workout.

I managed to get out of working 2 days early so vacation is officially on! Need to clean the nest and finish up laundry so I can start packing. I went to AAA the other day for maps and guide books. For the first time ever we've booked 2 rooms, so M will have her own space ( or rather so T and I will have our own space! M is less excited about this than we are, but I know we'd probably go crazy in the same room for a week!) We're staying at the Hilton one night in Universal City (T had two nights comped from a job he did for them, so we'll stay there the first night and then the second night when we head home) The rest of the stay(5 nights) will be in San Diego at the Sheraton Hotel and Marina. One detail I haven't figured out yet is how to store the bikes, since we're staying at the Hilton the first and last nights, I'm a little hesitant about schlepping our 3 mountain bikes through the hotel lobby..........T thinks it's okay to lock them up on the rack but I'm not so sure. I could pull out one of the rear seats of the Element, but that would make it less cozy for M...what to do?