Saturday: 4:45am Alarm
Up and att'em for the annual Great Race of Agoura Hills out in the Malibu area. On my drive over there I realized that this is my third year attending the race ... which, in turn, made me realize that I've been out in Los Angeles for almost three year (two and a half right now). That was a little weird.
This was the first time I'd be supporting the racers instead of running the course myself. With a sore right medial tibia (shin splint) and the AR50 a week away, I thought it best to rest and coach instead of run the full, hilly course.
Here are some snaps from my phone. It's a beautiful, beautiful area. A lot of celebs live up here to get away from LA. Who can blame them. The place is made up of horse farms, hiking trails and green, rolling hills.
I jogged about 4 miles that morning. Up and down the final hill. Our team had some amazing times, and more importantly, some amazing finishes for first time racers. It's really exciting to help people realize that they can run road races and compete alongside people they assume are "real runners."
After the race, I made the long haul over to the gym for a couple hours of swimming. I arrived right in the middle of the Aqua Aerobics class and ended up sitting around in the hot tub for 40 minutes before being able to get into the pool. The shriveled prune I was after waiting so long in the hot water swam for about 90 minutes and completed 3200 yards. I'm realizing more and more that I enjoy swimming. I'm looking forward to building it into my recovery time next week.
Sunday: Alarm 5:45am.
Out to Santa Monica for Team in Training practice. 12 miles for San Diego Runners, 10 for Alaska and Seattle Runners. 8 for the Halfers for all races. Sky was overcast and the weather was cool, but all in all it was a nice practice. I jumped around from group to group, trying to run with everyone that I could at some point or another. We've got a really nice group of people running this season. And, bonus, my leg didn't hurt as much as I thought it might. My 5-dixie ice cup a day plan will be in effect all week, and I'm anticipating full leg health at the starting line on Saturday.
Sunday Afternoon: Target, Apple Store, Misc. Shopping
I dedicated Saturday afternoon to race and travel prep. Had to go to Target to pick up some items:
1 Large Duffle Bag - for traveling on the plane and for the gym
2 Small Duffle Bags - drop bags for the two stations. Will contain, food, clothing and other camping-like gear.
Vaseline - travel size so I can take it on the plane without checking my bag. For chafing and blisters.
Headphones - Nike now makes sweat-proof headphones. Yeah, we'll see about that...
Wet Ones - Wipes because I will probably trip and fall at some point, and I will need to clean off the dirt.
Snyder's Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Pretzels - For Mile 39 drop bag. There's motivation in them snacks.
Kashi Cherry Dark Chocolate Chewy Granola Bars - I love chocolate late in the race.
Lifesavers - Hoping they live up to their name.
Market Pantry Cheese Squares - Generic Cheese Itz. Cheaper. Probably just as tasty. And salty.
These items will be accompanied by the food I buy up in Sacramento - PB Sandwich, some trail mix, some Starbursts and some Soda.
I'll be packing in mini sessions all week, and will go over the final list later on. For now, back to the ice cup, resting and visualizing that finish line.
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