Down in Monterey

Don't hate me because I live in California. ;-) I heard Minneapolis got 6-8 inches of snow today. Yikes! Remember that old adage, "March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb." It's almost March and soon it will be spring and another winter will be behind you.

It's just as well that I didn't take pictures on today's run, because it was absolutely gorgeous. No rain in sight and I actually had to wear sunglasses. I started my 13 mile run at Fisherman's Wharf and headed south along the coastal trail. I got a late start--9 a.m. because SD and I had a bagel first. As long as I was having a bagel, I had a latte. Mmm, mmm, good!

Running later has some drawbacks, namely there are more people out and getting in the way. But I tried to work around them, mostly by just running in the street. My goal for today was to run slower than marathon pace but that coffee had me so zippy that running slow was a challenge. I was going for 12-12:30 minute miles, but mostly ran 12 mm. And I set my watch for 9:1 walking breaks, but ignored that and walked when I hit a mile. I run faster when I pay attention.

I think this is my favorite place to run. Partly because it's familiar, but also because it's so drop-dead beautiful. As soon as I started my run, I stopped to watch an otter floating on its back. It may have been a statue, because it didn't seem to move. I've fallen for fake wildlife before. One year in Minneapolis, I saw some swans floating in a pond by a church off the freeway. They looked so perfect, just like swans would look, that I got off the freeway to go see them. I had my camera with me and as I inched closer to the water's edge ready for my prize-winning shot, I realized that they had dopey grins on them. They were plastic!

So the floating otter may or may not have been a bronze, but that was a real seal swimming near by it. Continuing on, I passed the yellow submarine. I've seen it many times, but this time I saw that it was on the grounds of an art gallery. No wonder it was there; I always thought that it was just somebody's private yard.

As I continued south, I thought about the Big Sur half. I haven't been on this trail since last November and I was remembering how long the portapotty lines were. There's a public bathroom at the golf course and I wondered why I didn't use it that day and shave 5 minutes off my finish time. I guess the race turned around before that, because I don't remember passing the golf course last time.

I ran all the way to Asilomar Beach and hadn't even reached six miles, so I continued up highway 68, which was a let down after the coast. It was a little uphill and I turned right towards the 17 mile drive. I got all the way to the entrance gate then turned around, but I still hadn't reached 6.5 miles; I made it up at the end. I detoured at the Asilomar Conference Center for a nature call, then back on the trail to Monterey.

Something I never noticed before were tsunami warning signs advising that if there was an earthquake the reader should head to higher ground, or inland. Thanks for the tip. Think I can outrun a tidal wave?

Running back was just as beautiful as running out; one of those days that make you grateful to be a runner. I took a gel and washed it down, all the while continuing to run. This is good practice for me. When I run with my friends, I use up three to four minutes walking while I consume my Gu. That's because they run so fast that I use gel time as an excuse to catch my breath.

The reason we're in Monterey is that we had tickets for a concert here last night. And what a concert it was! Blues guitar, with musicians I've never heard of, but won't forget. It opened with Ruthie Foster, and if you ever get the chance to see her perform, seize it. She played recently at the Dakota in Minneapolis and some friends of ours caught her act. They told us about her and I'm glad they did. She's good solo as well as in a band. And she has an amazing voice. I'll leave you with this video; it's one of the songs she sang last night.