Saturday, March 12, 2011



St. Patrick's Day 10K
I did another running race today and had a wicked good time until...something happened. The race was hilarious! People in California take their St. Patrick's Day seriously! I saw all kinds of green socks, Dr. Seuss hats in green, people dressed up as leprechauns complete with green leisure suits and bow ties, dogs with clovers, people with dyed green hair, a man dressed up as a pot of gold while two women dressed up as rainbows (including rainbow wigs) ran next to him. It was a sea of delicious green. I ran okay, but then afterwards I couldn't find my car. I looked and looked and it was gone! I went to an employee of San Diego's park and recreation to get help. He tried to help me find it and offered to call the cops. He got two other employees on the task and we drove around and around looking and to no avail. One employee called to see if any cars had been towed and nope, if it was gone, it was stolen. Noooo!!!! I wanted to cry, but then as the luck of the Irish, it was found. Turns out I thought the start and finish were in the same place, so I made my way back to my car based on where I thought I was...well, while we were out running, the finish line was being set up .5 miles down from the start. So I was looking for my car half a mile from where it was...how could that be any more embarrassing!!?? Well, when I finally got back to my car I looked in the rearview mirror and my face was covered with mascara--I mean covered. I looked like a monster. I had been walking around with all these people on a manhunt for my car with a blackened face. Sometimes I feel sorry for myself that I am still single and ask "All my friends are married, how am I still single?" Then something like this happens and I quickly answer that question.

Thursday, March 10, 2011


What happens in Vegas...

Is that you get to run underneath the lights of the strip at night...Rock n Roll Las Vegas is now a nighttime run and all marathoners and half marathoners get to run on the strip with all its glowing glory. The marathon cut off time is 4.5 hours, which is not generous, but it would be fun! Me likie. I want to go to there.

My old salsa dancing friend I ran into at lunch invited me to go salsa dancing and so last night I got my salsa on. Salsa dancing is one of my eccentric hobbies and I am proud to say that like riding a bike, it is a skill not lost.

I am sad to say that Sally Meyerhoff, one of Arizona's most favorite runners and one of the top 10 marathoners in the country passed away. She was hit and killed while on her bike in Maricopa. She was getting into triathlons and training for an Ironman. She was also training for the 2012 Olympics. She won the Arizona Rock N Roll Marathon and she was friends with a lot of my friends. RIP.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011



Memories of Childhood

I grew up in this small town (kind of small) called Puyallup in Washington state, a suburb of Seattle. When I go out running in California I bring back memories of my childhood. I smell bark, freshly cut grass and now in March, spring flowers. I even saw daffodils--my favorite flower. The town of Puyallup has a big daffodil festival, complete with a daffodil parade and every high school in the area selects a daffodil princess who competes for daffodil queen. Daffodils are so beautiful. They are like little sunshines on a stick. Much prettier than sunflowers (not to dog sunflowers; all flowers are beautiful, even dandelions, which I call flowers though they are technically weeds). But today out running I saw snails...snails! I haven't seen snails in years and the sidewalks were littered with them. Then as the sun rose their trails of slime started glistening. Most people would call it gross, but I loved it. Now I just need to see a slug and my California/Washington experience will be complete. Isn't running awesome? Even though I have been super slow at it these past couple of months, I still love it. Just want to get faster!! My finish times are embarrassing.