Where’s Waldo (Part II)

We just got back home from our weekend getaway and I am beat!  It is amazing to me how exhausting sitting in a car, stopping for a hamburger, and sitting in the car some more (while listening to the Giants game) can be.  (How ‘bout that sweep Dodgers fans?!)

The Chef starts his new job tomorrow so we decided to head down to Santa Barbara for the weekend since it’s the last uninterrupted 2.5 days we’ll have together for awhile.  We’ll only have one day off of work in common each week and I’ll be getting up early for training runs; he’ll be home past midnight each evening.  Such is life.

I realized on the drive home today why I wasn’t sore at all after my LONGEST RUN EVER yesterday…

We stayed with The Chef’s Aunt and Uncle this weekend.  The Chef’s Aunt is an O.D. (eyeball doctor) and because of some health issues she’s had of her own she delved into the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle supplemented with vitamins.  She offered anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory vitamins to me yesterday (among others) which I gladly accepted and I’m sure that’s the reason I was feeling so amazing this morning.  The gluten-free, organic breakfast crepes didn’t hurt either.

As I mentioned in my last post, I made some decisions about future long runs based on my experience Saturday.

1. A new environment is essential.  Running for 20 miles around my neighborhood does not sound that awesome so for each week’s long run I’m going to try to pick a new location.
2. I have to prepare each week, especially the couple of days before a long run, just as I would for a race.  I didn’t get that much sleep on Friday night and I totally felt it.  Luckily, I didn’t have drinks with everyone on Friday night so that wasn’t a factor, but I’m not sure I ate enough to get me through the run optimally.
3. I don’t want to carry a water bottle for hours so I’m going to have to park my car for water-breaks (or locate drinking fountains) tactically.  On Saturday I was able to take advantage of both a strategically parked car and a life-saving drinking fountain.

I also decided that running is a great way to get to know a new city.  I’ve been to Santa Barbara before but before this trip I couldn’t tell you where The Chef’s Aunt/Uncle lived in relation to the beach let alone how to get to either one.  Now I could take you to Santa Barbara City College, the Zoo, Santa Barbara Mission, the beaches where people paddle surf, the dog park (where you aren’t allowed to skateboard), a Starbucks, the Fess Parker, a Carousel…you get the point.

Total Miles (this week): 19

G’Nite!