Big Sur

After a quick breakfast at the hotel it was time to leave for LA.  My husband is a huge golf fan so wanted to drive by Pebble Beach on the way.  We paid $10 for access to the gated community and drove past some gorgeous coastal homes and scenery, stopping every now and the to take pictures of surfers, seals and the famous cypress trees.

As we headed south along Big Sur the weather deteriorated.  It rained on and off for most of the drive which while unfortunate, wasn't that big a deal.  The scenery was still beautiful and we all enjoyed the ride.  The route is pretty much just a tourist road with a couple of little towns along the way with restaurants and small hotels, but it is gorgeous.  We avoided stopping as long as we could, and without cell service for a lot of the ride didn't really know where to stop and eat anyway.

We finally made it to a little town - Cambria - that had a nice grill.  The town was going through a severe water shortage so all public restrooms had been replaced by port a potties, which seemed odd, but I guess isn't in this area..  

As we got further down the coast and left the winding coastal road, the sun came back out.  We considered a stop in Santa Barbara to stretch our legs but decided to keep going, and purposely drove right past Solvang even though we went right past it.  At this point, it's a tourist trap run by people of Danish descent, but not very Danish feeling.  We got to my in-laws house in the late afternoon.  We unloaded the car, unpacked, did some laundry, had dinner, packed our bags for our next stop - Disneyland, and headed to bed.

Screen Free Week

Screen Free Week starts at my kids' school tomorrow, which means I will be doing a serious reduction in screen time. I can't go totally screen free as I helped organize the week and some of the presenters have been emailing me.  

Still I will

- not watch TV - except for Hawks playoff games

- stay off Facebook

- stay off my computer

Instead I will

- play with my kids

- finish the dollhouse

- clean my house

- go through my to do list

- enjoy some sunshine and long runs 

Honestly, giving up the TV will not be a problem, it's Facebook and my new virtual garage sale obsession that will be tough for me.  I still have a few pending items for sale so will need to check in about them, but otherwise will stay off Facebook.  

I have scheduled one post to publish this week, but that was preset.

Have a good week and I'll let you know how I did on Saturday (technically it's only Monday- Friday)

Race Season

Last year I ran 8 races of varying distances (5k up to a half marathon). In each case I was doing the distance for the first time, so I had no specific goals beyond finishing.  I only had 3 days a week to exercise so ran each of those, never did any serious cross training or strength training.

This year I will have more free time once summer hits and kids are in camp so I plan to add cross training into the mix.

To the left is my race calendar for the year.    My first race this season is the Cinco de Miler.  A new distance for me but at this point 10ks are my favorite distance do I think I'll enjoy this one. I haven't registered for the last three yet, but I will. Also considering flying back East to do a race with a friend - either the army 10 miler in DC or the Atlantic City half.  I'd love to finish the year having done twelve races.  Doing one per month is tough in Chicago given the weather, but 12 for the year is doable with all the options in the summer.  I'd love to do the Rock N Roll here in Chicago as well, provided it's not ridiculously hot (it's usually 90-100 degrees here then).

I also hear more and more about serious runners doing walking intervals within their long runs. I used to think you had to run the whole time.  I think Jeff Galloway's method would drove me crazy as the intervals are really short, so need to find an option that works for me. 

I'm looking forward to running Fort 2 Base again this year although realized after I registered that we're going to Ravinia the night before so I'll have to make sure I eat well and don't drink too much at the show and try to get a good night's sleep. No matter I will conquer Heroes Hill this year.