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Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Mermaid Half Wrap-up

Yesterday's workout:
Treadmill: Warm up and alternating speeds
1.5 mi, 21 min
Stationary bike:
7 mi, 25:26

We turned my race weekend into a week long vacation. The day before my race we spent in Disneyland. I was worried that all that walking around would hurt my race but I don't think it did. We hadn't been to Disneyland since Sami was 5 and Nevyn was 2 so this trip was much different. We were joined by Jeremy's brother and two family friends. We had a ton of fun. In the shop outside Star Tours Nevyn found and fell in love with an Ewok backpack he named Alex and hat he name Zack. I don't remember the last time he loved a toy as much as he loves that backpack. He wore everywhere.




After leaving the park we drove down to San Diego, checked into the motel and had some diner then I soaked my foot in a cold tub in preparation for the race. I was nervous about the weather. California has had a very cold winter and all over the state we have been reaching record lows. Even in sunny San Diego. The day before, in Disneyland, we got caught in a hail storm... Thankfully the race gods were watching out for us ( or maybe it was the mermaids). The sun was shinning throughout the race and even though we had to run against the wind at some points, it was a beautiful day!


I had a few issues on the course but overall I feel really good about my run. I had some tummy troubles in the very beginning but thankfully this course was blessed with lots of port-a-potties. Yes, I said blessed. My first three miles were really rough but around mile three those good running feelings hit and it was smooth sailing. Until around nine a half miles. I drank too much water and felt a little sick. I made another pit stop and ate a z-bar. That helped a little but I was tired and had slowed down so it was nearly impossible to get back to the pace I had held through most of the course.

At the finish I was greeted by the biggest finish line crowed I had ever had. Jeremy and the kids where there as well as his brother, Daniel, our friends, Jimmy and Brittany, and one of my best friends from high school, Carolina and her daughter. That was really special. I wanted to finish in three hours but considering the tough start and feeling sick near the end I'm happy with my time. 3:15:17

My family and I stayed in SD for a few more days while the rest of our group headed back north. We explored SD and visited with Carolina who I hadn't seen since she moved there years ago. We visited the USS Midway (AWESOME!) went to Sea World, Balboa Park, Little Italy and downtown.

Our next stop on our So Cal tour was Indio ( east of Palm Springs) to visit Jimmy's grandmother. We have known her and Jimmy for close to 20 years and she has adopted us as part of her family. (Backstory: Jimmy was my friend in high school and Jeremy's friend from swim Team. we both met him separately around the same time. He introduced us to each other about sixteen years ago.) Our visit was very short but very nice. The kids really like her and Nevyn even gave her a hug, without prompting, when we left. If you know Nevyn than you understand how impressive that is.

My aunt got us reservations at a hotel in San Luis Obispo for our last couple of night in So Cal and on the way there we stopped by Disneyland for one more day of Disney magic. We went on a lot more rides, met a few more characters, including Sami's favorite-Belle. We made to SLO very late that night and feel asleep as soon as we hit those wonderful beds. Jeremy spent the next day doing homework so the kids and I went for a walk. A block away from the hotel there is a lake so we went exploring. It was sunny, warm and gorgeous. After lunch the kids played in the hotel pool. I think they really miss being in the water. Both of them are excited for swim team to start again.

Later in the day we drove 15 minutes to Pismo Beach. I loved it there! We walked down the beach to the pier and watched the surfers. I really loved the SLO part of the trip. The hills are green, the sky is blue and the air is clear. Everywhere you look you see hills and trees and you're only minutes from a beach. In my dreams I live there.

The drive back home was uneventful. The kids slept and Jeremy and I enjoyed the scenic drive. As we got closer to the valley and Sacramento the sky was less blue and the along the skyline we could see the brown smog cloud that looms over the city we call home. It's no wonder our first two mornings home we felt sick.


Looking back over the week, I can safely say that this was one of the best family vacations we have ever taken and we are planning on going back to SLO soon.







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