Rubbing Elbows With Fame

Greeting from Sunny California! I'm in Monterey right now, waiting while SD
shops for stereo's. We'll be driving down Highway 1 on our way to visit our house. I'll post pictures of the house soon--it's really coming along! We're hoping it will be finished in May. I'm hoping my house in Minneapolis will be sold by then; I can't believe how long it's taking to sell. It looks like the market is picking up, though.

The weather here is beautiful; sunny and heading to 70. A long way from the blizzard we left in Minneapolis--I'm still sore from the two feet of snow I shoveled the other day. SD and I flew into San Francisco last night, stayed in San Jose, and were on the road by 6 a.m. Stopped by our favorite coffee shop in Los Gatos, then made it to Monterey in record time. It makes a difference driving on a Saturday morning, rather than Friday night during rush hour.

So yesterday at the airport in Minneapolis, I had a fun experience. I was sitting in the waiting area reading my just-arrived Runner's World, while SD scored us some lattes, when I noticed a man at the agent's desk. He was slim and lean and carrying a "Clif" bag. A runner! I don't know about you guys, but I can talk about running all day long; that's why I blog in the first place. They called my name to upgrade me to first class (yay!) and when I walked away I went over to the guy to strike up a conversation.

"Where'd you get the Clif bag," I asked. "Oh, the rep just asked me if I wanted one, so he mailed it to me." Hmmm, no one ever offered me a bag. He asked if I was a runner and when I replied I was, he asked if I was going to SF to run the Napa Marathon. No, but I got into the Nike Women's Marathon the day before (more on that later.) Then he told me he was going to Napa to speak and then run the race. To speak?

You could tell just by looking at this guy that he was fast. He also looked vaguely familiar. "Who are you?" I eloquently asked him. "Dick Beardsley." OMG! No wonder he looked familiar! His face is all over the Grandma's Marathon literature (he holds the course record, as well as the course record for the Napa Valley marathon.) We chatted a little more and he said he carries his running gear on board, rather than check it, to keep it from getting lost. He left to board the plane and as we parted I told him I was going to mention this encounter on my blog.

SD returned with the espresso drinks and we boarded. We had separate seats, since he got upgraded days ago. I had the window seat in row 1, and Mr. B had the window in row 2. The man has no idea how lucky he is that I didn't get the seat next to him, although I showed admirable restraint. I would have loved to pump him for information: what does he eat, how often does he run, stuff like that. I wish I could have gotten his picture for this post, but stalking him to the baggage claim would probably have been a little much. I did hand him my blog address, though--I hope he visits!

As I mentioned earlier, I got into the Nike Women's Marathon! That was my goal marathon for this year and I was hoping it wouldn't fill up before I got to register. Registration opened on Thursday at 8:30 PST, and the website was so bogged down, it took me an hour to finally finish registration. I kept getting error messages, but persisted and my credit card was finally accepted. Just like in running a marathon, persistance pays off. I'm looking forward to being handed the blue Tiffany box by an SF fireman!

I hadn't mentioned this one either, but I'm registered for the Disneyland Half-M. Last year was the inauguaral and it filled before I got in, so I wanted to be sure not to miss it this year. Don't confuse this race with the Disney World--that one's in Florida and happens in January. This one is in Anaheim, California, and will be on Labor Day. I've spent many happy hours over the years at Disneyland, and this should be a great race!

Speaking of races, I had dinner with my youngest sister, Deni, last night. She lives on the peninsula. She's in great shape, but wants to kick up her workout. A friend of hers walked the Rock N Roll marathon in San Diego last year, and my sister is thinking about walking it with her this year. It's only 13 weeks away, but I guess they'll be OK. Deni is 41 and her friend is 31. And youth always is an advantage. :-)

SD is back, so it's time to hit the road. We'll be stopping in Big Sur for lunch, and it's already 11 o'clock. Highway 1 is one of our favorite drives, and even though it's longer in time, we always take that route. It's worth it for all the beauty.