70 Days Until the American River 50 - 2009

This morning's run marked a return to long runs in Los Angeles - I haven't done a really long run here since December. Any wishful hopes that the rain would hold out for our 4 hour run were dashed at 4:30 this morning when I looked out the window to see sheets of rain waving over the asphalt. I hoped the weather in Santa Monica would be better. But an hour and a half later I arrived to find it worse than in the valley.

Nevertheless, Kelley and I took to the dark and damp stretch of Palisades Park, cruised up and back twice along San Vicente in Brentwood, and logged 24 miles in 4:35:54. The pace was comfortably slow and included walk breaks for five minutes after every twenty minutes of running. What does one talk about for 275 minutes? Stuff. More specifically? Everything.

Living in Los Angeles provides opportunities for endless speculation about the entertainment industry and celebrities; speculation that ranges from academic (will the 'paris hiltons' (Perez coined that lower-case label) of the world fall out of media coverage because of the economic crisis makes people not want to look at them?) to judgemental ("I hated that movie"). Also on tap, playing sports as children, what makes a good Team in Training coach, and how running long distances isn't a crazy thing.

We were done by 11am, and the rest of the day has played out quietly. A walking trip to Trader Joes for pizza, lettuce, more blueberries (!) and some almond butter. A calf massage thanks to Brett's Christmas gift to me. And I have watched some TV.

My legs feel fine right now. My socks were wet moments after starting the run, but my toes did not really suffer. The bottoms of my feet are a little sore. I'm moderately hungry, but not ravenous. Quads, hams, and back feel fine. Tomorrow's training session, long run part #2, will be out on the horse trails, so the soft surface will be a comfort on my feet. We'll see if my legs can stand up to the challenge.

SIDE NOTE:

I do want to take a tangential turn for a minute and tell you about the documentary I watched this afternoon. On a recommendation from website Cinematical I taped the film "Dear Zachary" about a month ago when it aired on MSNBC. I never got around to watching it until today...

There are few movies in the world, and even fewer documentaries, that so profoundly demonstrate the extreme wickedness and extreme goodness that exists inside of people. I tend to watch movies with a detached, clinical eye. This film sucked me in past that, though. At one point, I dropped the spoon I was eating with, out of sheer shock.

For those who don't know the story, there is plenty to be learned from googling it. If you have 2 hours, see this film. It will break your heart, but it will also remind you that there are some amazing people in the world, and their influence can outlast evil.