Round and Round the Merry Go Round

This weekend I am spending time in CA with my family. California provides great running opportunities so I always look forward to the change of scenery, pace and people when I visit.

Balboa Park was the route of choice and the mileage was supposed to be 8. I was glad I knew the route already since Mom and her friends were running there too (yes I have a mother that runs and has run a lot of marathons and ultras at that!) and were not planning on going as fast.

Not that I am super speedy or anything, but when I am going out for a long run, I don't like it to be any longer than it has to be. It's a mental thing I guess. So when I first found out it was at the park I visualized spending two hours stopping to admire each newly gardened area and lots of walking and then a run cut short since we only have so much time.

But a double loop of the park (a larger outer loop starting at the Golf Club on Balboa, down the dirt path and across Woodley almost to the bird sanctuary and back around the lake plus a shorter loop around the golf course) made it 8.45.

I started slowly, almost feeling sluggish due to sore glutes (Why were they sore? Oh yeah, forgot that new body pump class R and I are taking on Tuesday not to mention the BD isolation exercises). But toward the second half as I started to pass other runners and walkers my inner competitiveness kicked in and helped me bring it home in under a 9 minute mile average.

Glad it is done. First 8 mile run since the LA Marathon.

Tomorrow Mom and I will run together on the trail by her house.

1:22 for 8.45 miles; mood tired and sore but finished strong and energized

PS -- Last night at dinner my parent's friends admired my newly developed abs muscles visible through my shirt (eek!) and asked for lessons on my new signature move, the bellyroll. That was good for a few bellylaughs. Picture a table full of seniors in an otherwise empty Chinese restaurant doing body isolations -- hehe!

PPS -- I was a "good" girl in ordering, but probably ate too much 'cause that food is too danged good! Started with Tofu veggie soup. Next came chicken and string beans in brown sauce followed by steamed shrimp and veggies with black bean sauce on the side. I ordered a cup of brown rice for myself and ate maybe a third of it. By then I was full. We finished with a half an orange and a fortune cookie. Glad I was so full since I didn't care that Mom and Dad's house is strangely "dessertless."

PPPS--Bellyrolls are not a good idea on a full stomach!