Spring Break 2015 - A move/train-cation!

I'm not complaining about my spring break, but I think that I need a vacation now that it's over!  Productive?  Check!  Fun?  Check!  Relaxing?  NO!

But, we made major progress on the imminent move to Boulder - by taking a truckload of stuff to Boulder at the beginning of the week and then flying back home.  

 Just getting started!

Taking a break - somewhere in the Mojave

Unloading!

The drive to Boulder was fairly uneventful - we didn't have weather issues, which was fortunate in the lovely U-Haul.  And, we spent the night in Winslow, AZ, which I wouldn't recommend to anyone, despite the Eagles' song that made it famous (or somewhat famous?). 

Boulder was a lot of unpacking and thinking about our next steps, but I mixed in some training while I was there, on the bike and running.  It was a bit of a challenge to motivate a few days thanks to the weather:

We arrived on Monday (a beautiful day, but after 12 hours or so in the car, I was more than ready for a stiff drink), and then Tuesday, I set out for a windy bike ride.  During said ride, I think my HR was at about 90% for 90% of the ride - I was white-knuckling it, just hoping that I didn't get blown over OR blown into traffic.  Wednesday, I was supposed to fit in a brick, but as you can see, it was going to be 46 degrees as a high, plus rain.  So, I set out for an early morning run, during which it rained, snowed and hailed on me.  Good times!  Finally, I squeezed in the brick Thursday before we flew back to CA.  Also, please note the weather on Friday and then Saturday!  It was strange to leave my Trek road bike, Sunshine, in Boulder - it's now just me and the Bat!

For the end of the break, I drove down to Oceanside, CA on Saturday to spectate Oceanside 70.3.  It's always tempting to sign up for this race, but when it rolls around, I'm usually SO relieved that I didn't.  But...  Maybe one day?!  It was a gorgeous day to be out spectating - a little bit warm, but not too crazy.  I missed the men's finish but saw Heather Jackson cross the finish line.  Wow, she is so amazing!  She raced and won Wildflower last year, and I saw her exit the water but didn't see the finish (obviously - I was somewhere on the bike course).  It was also great to see and cheer for a lot of people that I know. 



Saturday afternoon, I spent working on my swim technique - Beth Gerdes, my coach (I always feel like a fraud when I use that term, but what else should I call her?), was very kind enough to offer a session in their endless pool.  I was SUPER nervous about swimming in front of people and it was kind of weird to be on a 'swim treadmill', but I did get some great feedback and I know what I need to work on.  Then, Sunday morning, Beth and another one of her athletes (who lives in Pasadena and with whom I should train!) and I set out on a ride.  I have major bike riding route envy now - it was SUCH a nice ride.  Lots of rolling hills, rather than crazy steep ascents and descents, and very biker friendly.  Also, it was a wonderful day to ride, a bit foggy early on but then it burned off.  Finally, I was super nervous about riding with other people, especially a pro(!), but this other woman and I were really well matched.  I obviously need to just get over my anxiety about how terrible I am on the bike and develop some confidence once and for all!  Anyway, it was so generous of Beth to spend time Saturday and Sunday with us.  Not only is she an amazing athlete (recently 5th at IM Asia-Pacific!) but a really great coach too.

Anyway, I was really excited about getting in 4 bike rides last week - some of them weren't very fun and none was very fast, but I do feel better about St. George and about heading into the next few weeks (although thank goodness this is a recovery week! and thank goodness I have Friday off!).  

Also, we have made progress on the move to Colorado (I keep saying Boulder, but, really, we could be anywhere).  We will be putting our house up for sale within the next few weeks which seems totally crazy to me.

Marching along

I had to check through my old archives to see if I had used that title before - apparently I hadn't?  At any rate, it's cliché but apt, so who cares?!

After my previous, rather sturm und drang, post, things have improved.  Well, they've been a bit wonky in our household, and the past few weeks have been something of an emotional ride, but I'm feeling better about moving to Boulder, about job stuff and, amazing, that has me feeling better about St. George 70.3 which is looming.  Yikes!

It also probably helps that my back is on the mend.  I'm not at 100% by a long shot, but I tried a new pain specialist (seriously, that's what her card said) on Monday afternoon, and she rocked.  I definitely feel as though I was cheating on Dr. Choy, who has helped me through plenty of aches, pains and woes, but the back situation was different enough for me that I wanted to go with another option.  The good news, to my thinking, is that the issue has nothing to do with my back.  Her diagnosis, as she was poking around at me?  I have a tight ass.  Strangely enough, cycling and running don't aggravate the pain, but swimming does - however, I'm sure that cycling and running are actually part of the problem (or they contribute to the problem).  But, I'm on a stretching regimen that has helped tremendously - who knew that stretching would make such a difference?  Ha ha! And feeling much better as a consequence.

There have been a few recent hiccups - we missed the Solvang Century last weekend, which was a major bummer, but there wasn't anything that we could do about it.  Again, this was definitely a 'life' decision/issue - Michael was out of town unexpectedly and returned late Thursday, so the idea of leaving on Friday for a fun-filled weekend was more than a little bit silly.  We were, however, disappointed to not get up to the Central Coast one last time.  And, maybe we can get up that way again before we leave, but hopefully we'll return to CA for the Solvang ride one of these days.

Despite missing that ride, I feel that I'm a bit more focused on riding, and both last Sunday and today I hit the Lower Big Tujunga loop which makes me feel better about St. George 70.3.  I've had moments of SERIOUS doubt and don't feel super confident at this point, BUT (sorry for all of the all caps), I think that I can get in some solid training and be ready for a May race.  Lower Big Tujunga is a great little sufferfest, and I usually complete it once a season to see where I am.  Riding it last weekend and then again this weekend (and less than a week apart), kind of sucked, especially today - when I did not want to get up and ride.  But, it was definitely worth it - and I had some visitors before starting my descent down Angeles Crest Highway:

Well, that's me - but there is Gus!  He obviously didn't ride with me, but it was nice to see him before starting the long descent.  Also, I'm wearing my new Vanderkitten kit - mostly covered up with my vest, but the shorts are so cute!

The other positive - I still feel a bit slow climbing with the Bat, but I feel stronger too, so I'll get there.  Also, the saddle is getting more and more comfortable - I think I'm just getting used to the bike, overall.

Finally, did I mention that it's officially Spring Break 2015?
And March Madness?  This is the first time I've actually filled out a bracket, and it's looking pretty rough at this point!

Spring Break 2014

To say that returning to work today was a challenge would be an understatement, but I can't imagine that any more time off would be good for me!  Not that I would complain about days filled with naps (I think that I took one every single day of my break - bliss!), but then they would be commonplace, and why should that happen?!

I spent most of my time hunkered down at home, but between training, catching up on grading, and napping, the week passed by pretty quickly.  Gus and I bonded over stretching and strength training.

He also took lots of naps with me!

Michael spent part of the week in Boulder, CO, visiting family, but before he left town, I met up with some colleagues for a quick drink and then we finally made it to LACMA to see the James Turrell exhibit, catching the tail end of it.  I had been skeptical and not super enthused about seeing this exhibit, which was totally idiotic of me because it was one of the coolest exhibits I've seen in the longest time.  James Turrell - what a genius!  And not just because he has won a McArthur genius grant.  The way he looks at the world - whoa!  Totally blew my mind.  

On Thursday, I headed down to San Diego, where I picked up Michael, and we enjoyed a few days down south.  We drank great beer, randomly stumbling on Station Tavern in San Diego which was awesome, and then we mainly hung around Carlsbad/Encinitas/Oceanside, returning to familiar haunts from our last time there, back in January - El Callejón (great margaritas but not as much fun as the first time we went), Pannikin which I just learned is an "institution" in the area and has some of the best muffins I've ever had, and Union Kitchen and Tap.  

I also took our bikes down, so on Friday, after a walk on the beach with Gus and a great breakfast at the aforementioned Pannikin, Michael and I set out on what I promised would be a 3 hour ride MAX. 

Rough times at the beach!  The typical dog photo, I know!

I had discovered one of the "best rides of San Diego County" on line - from Carlsbad to Camp Pendleton up the coast.  Well, it ended up being much longer, mainly because we got turned around a few times (mainly at Camp Pendleton) and did not make the right turn that would have taken us to the coast.  Plus, we hit major traffic several times AND I had a flat!  I kept thinking of Gilligan's Island - "a three-hour tour...".  Despite all of those mishaps, it was a fun day, but that ride pretty much WAS the day!

Finally, I woke up early Saturday morning and headed to Oceanside, T1 - to help out at Oceanside 70.3.  Despite the crazy early hour, it was a fun morning and the time passed quickly.  We were checking people who were going into the transition area for the first hour or so, then, once the race started, we were helping people at the bike mount line.  I've never actually seen all of the leaders get on the bike, so that was fun - or would have been had I been able to recognize anyone!  Also, that mount line was crazy busy!  I don't think that I've ever been at a race that had so much traffic at the mount line.  Or maybe I have but I don't notice it racing?  Our major job at the mount line was to check for bibs - if people did not have a bib, they could not ride on Camp Pendleton, which meant that they couldn't finish the race.  So, we gave people bibs if they were leaving without one.  Here I am in "action" (I think I gave Thom, in front of me, the bib who then stuck it in a racer's kit):

In addition to the bike mounting issues, there was some crazy stuff I saw that morning - first of all, a guy who had not picked up his packet the day before strolled up wanting to know where to get his packet.  Ummm - did you not read any of the information that Ironman.com sent you?  And spectators who were trying to sneak into transition?  

We finished up around 9:00 and by the time the last person had mounted his/her bike and I walked to T2, the lead male racers were starting the run.  I did not spectate all of the run, but I did get to see the first couple of guys.  They were so fast (I know, stating the obvious, but seriously!).  

After that, it was time to return home.  The weekend ended on a more low-key note as I prepped for the week and fit in a long run and ride!  It was definitely a great break, and while I ended it feeling physically tired from training, it also let me recharge.  Good thing as we have the final push over these next 8 weeks!

End of March notes

Yes, it's the ubiquitous "end of the month" post, but considering what a bear the month has been, I'm happy to celebrate that March is over, even though April is kind of frightening, especially considering the fact that we're back at the grind tomorrow after a lovely week off.  Spring Break, I hardly knew ya!  Seriously, it felt like the fastest week that I've had in a very long time and poof!  It is over!  I spent more time than I had all month in the saddle - cheers to getting out and biking a bit.  I'm still slow as molasses and probably look like a total wreck when I'm on the bike, but I swear my confidence and bike handling skills have improved.  I invested in new shoes at the beginning of the month, and in a month of lots of purchases (like appliances), the shoes made me happy when I bought them and I love riding in them, even though they haven't made me speedier.

In the midst of packing and planning to move, Michael and I went to Chicago for a whirlwind trip to visit some of his relatives.  It was cold to us, coming from SoCal, but we couldn't complain (and I tried not to!).  We spent plenty of time being tourists, took in some culture and ate great food.  We also watched lots of basketball with his cousin and cousin's family, and I enjoyed a nice run on Friday morning along the lake.  It was somewhat chilly but once I got going, I warmed up and enjoyed the views.  I know that we have the ocean, nothing to take lightly at all, but the lake right there, right at the city's edge is so great.  We probably most enjoyed just walking around the city, looking at the brownstones and other buildings and watching the light change, especially in the morning and the late afternoon.

We returned yesterday afternoon, greeted by happy dogs and lots of boxes, some full and others just waiting.  I set out on my last ride (probably) from this front door and felt strangely nostalgic. At the same time, I can't wait to explore new routes.  We aren't moving far, by any means, but I am looking at this as a good opportunity to change up some of the patterns into which I've settled.  This applies to running and biking, but also to a wider array of topics.  I think that our life is about to change!

Spring Break 2012 - Northern travels

A friend of mine, also a teacher, recently stated that she thought that there were 60 days in the month of March.  Perhaps the anxious anticipation makes it worse as I mentally cross off the days, hoping to survive, to make it, as I claw my way through the days until spring break.  This past Friday, att 2:30 on the dot, more or less, I happily gathered up all of my crap and by 2:40 or so had closed my classroom and office door and was almost home.  By 3:00, Michael and I had packed the car and were pulling away from the driveway, waving good-bye to the boys, Gus and Milo, as we headed north, anticipating a weekend full of food and fun and rain.  Yep, not the greatest forecast but what could we do?!  I was looking forward to the weekend, one that was blissfully free of plans in San Francisco, open to whatever whim came upon us!

We lucked out in terms of traffic, making it to Monterey, CA by 7:30 pm.  The quick trip up to the Central Coast offered the usual array of rolling hills, flecked with green and gold grass and wildflowers.  While these are the usual springtime views, I'll never tire them!  Crossing into the Monterey County border, I always feel that I've entered Steinbeck country.  Not that the landscape changes much, but the farm land is inescapable as we pass through King City, Soledad, Gonzalez and skirt along Salinas.  Then, the landscape changes with a sharp turn east to the Monterey Peninsula as the cypress trees emerge and the air smells like salt.  Thanks to the quick trip up, we were just able to take in the hills and trees in Monterey and arrived in time for dinner at an old favorite, the Monterey Fish House, where we stuffed ourselves full of food!  Not a bad start to the weekend.

We awakened Saturday morning to a gloomy but not YET rainy day.  Still, it was windy and cold, and Michael realized at that moment that he had forgotten his rain jacket.  We also did not seem to have an umbrella in the car despite being fully cognizant of the 110% chance of rain!  Obviously we were going to pay for our usual lack of planning (forgotten tent poles and rain fly at Wildflower last year...)!  At any rate, we enjoyed a lazy morning in the Monterey area before heading on to San Francisco.

By the time we started the drive north, the rain had started to fall, and it continued for the rest of the day, just a constant, steady stream.  Once in the city, we picked up two umbrellas and planned to sort of explore a part of the city that the rain would not affect: the Ferry Terminal!
It did not look like this, however, since the sun was not out.

Source

Also, what seemed like a great idea - go to the Ferry Building since it's raining - turned out to be what every other person visiting San Francisco must have had in mind.  We're so smart and original!  Seriously, it was packed.  I had hoped to eat oysters and drink a beer at the Hog Island Oyster Company, but the line was about 30 or 40 people deep.  I ended up cursing for the entire hour that we were there, heaping blame on myself for the weather and for planning to come up this particular weekend!  As if I could control the weather...

Since oysters were out of the question, we settled for a latte and devised a rainy evening plan: a movie and dinner!

We went to a late afternoon showing of "The Artist".  Yes, it won an Academy, yes, tons of people gushed on and on about it, yes, it is a silent film of a sort.  And I loved it.  Call me cliché and conventional, easily manipulated, that's fine, but I did find that this is, to me, a rare film that is truly delightful, in a fun, poignant and sometimes whimsical way.  It was the perfect rainy-day movie to enjoy and savor!  After the movie, we spent Saturday evening splitting pizza and beers at Little Star, probably our favorite pizza place ever!  We've had it several times as take-out, eating at some friends' place, but had never experienced the Little Star dine-in experience which was the perfect conclusion to our rainy day in the city.

Sunday deserves a separate post which will soon follow, but I will say that the weather cooperated, much to our surprise as we spent a good part of of the morning and afternoon in Marin.  As we returned to the city, the good weather continued to hold, and Michael suggested a quick stop: Fort Funston, also known as "Dog Heaven". Although we were canine-free, we enjoyed hiking down to the beach and then walking along a beautiful stretch of it.  

Once we had worn ourselves out with the walk back up from the beach, we were soon hungry for dinner at Zuni Cafe, one of those "landmark" San Francisco restaurants.  I had eaten there a few years ago for lunch, but this seemed like a great place to share a meal and experience with Michael.  I felt quite responsible for Michael's experience, but fortunately the great food and service exceeded any and all expectations that we had.  Again, we went to bed stuffed and content and wishing that we lived in San Francisco and envious of all those who did!

On Monday, we again drove north to Marin to Muir Woods, and the experience left the two of us even more envious of our Northern friends than our dinner on Sunday night.  While Southern CA offers a range of hikes, I felt such a sense of awe and total happiness as we made our way through the lush, dense forest, the trees dwarfing us as they created a canopy that we walked through until we were suddenly out of the forest and into the open, the green, rolling hills of Marin County all around us. The hike was only about two hours, but it felt as though we had been gone for days, alone on the trail, as we returned to our car, surprised to find the parking lot bustling with people heading in and out in a mundane sort of way.

Here I am on the trail:

Here's a slimy little friend we saw:

And here I am again - still on the trail:

As a final hoorah, we returned to the Ferry Terminal.  I was still on a quest for oysters and ate my fill this time - we split a half-dozen, and then I ordered another half-dozen.  Totally decadent, I know!  We also took in the great views of the Bay and snapped photos of the Bay Bridge.

By Monday night, we were plenty exhausted but very content from the day's excursion - and from the entire weekend in the city!  With much reluctance, we said our goodbyes to San Francisco and returned to the Southland.  However, we did bring a few reminders of San Francisco with us (donuts, macarons, soap, crackers, pizza, about half a chicken leftover from dinner, an open bottle of wine...).  I felt a bit like a gypsy, returning home with so many goods, but it is nice to bring some of Northern CA back home.

For me, this was one of the best travels/trips I've experienced recently (like 3-4 years?).  It left both of us feeling somewhat rested and rejuvenated as we seemed to strike the right balance between running around to do stuff and just relaxing.  Unlike our usual visits to the SF Bay area, we made only one social visit, and I think that we enjoyed sticking to our own schedule rather than having to keep an eye on the clock as we moved from one social visit to another.  One final thought - we stayed in a studio apartment in the Castro, and while I do like staying at a fine and fancy hotel, the apartment also felt more relaxing.  We had to deal with street parking, but that was never an issue and I'll take that to paying the big bucks for a parking structure anytime!  I think that the apartment made us feel as though we were almost a part of the fabric of the city because we stayed in a true neighborhood where "normal" people live day in and day out.  

We definitely left the city with pangs of envy and with a much lighter pocketbook!  We'll have to start saving soon for our  next trip north!

Spring Break '11

Oh, wow, where did March go? The last two weeks of classes were busy, but I survived! I'm a bit sad that I'm now planning for next week and trying to mentally prepare myself for 're-entry'. In the meantime, we did manage a quick getaway at the beginning of the week.

There seems to be a trend to our spring break jaunts - head north, see some coast, drink good wine... Last year we traveled to San Francisco via Monterey, this year we had snippets of a Sideways tour in California Central. (Just a quick aside: I wasn't a HUGE fan of the movie "Sideways", but there are some very funny moments and a good, dark comedy can satisfy one's sense of schaudenfraude like nothing else can). My parents came out to visit us, and we planned a visit full of sights and good food and drink.

They arrived at LAX Friday night, and rather than battling rush hour traffic to try to return to the "east" side, we ate dinner at Piccolo, an Italian restaurant with a small, intimate feel. The touring began Saturday with a 10 am "appointment" to the Getty Villa. We've visited the Getty Museum a few times, but this was our first time visiting the Getty Villa which is north of Santa Monica. Like the Getty Museum, it's a beautiful place (amazing grounds and architecture). I obviously enjoyed all of the museum visit:

Oops! I hope that sleeping in a museum doesn't make me out to be a TOTAL philistine. At least I went to the museum... And it was a cool space with lots to see. I will be honest, however, and say that ancient art and antiquities don't rock my world. Still, it was fun to walk through the rooms and read about Dionysus, Hercules, tales of the Iliad and Odyssey and see scenes depicted in statues or on pottery.

On Sunday, we left mid-morning and headed north and west, driving up the 1 and the 101. The weather, which had been crappy for most of the week, finally cooperated and we made our way north. Our first stop was just west of Buellton, a town close to Santa Barbara in the area that was featured in the movie "Sideways". A friend at work recommended Alma Rosa which ended up being our first stop. We were apparently the first customers of the day because they gave us rather hefty pours of nice white wines (a really great and non-oaky Chardonnay) and tons of Pinot. It was a fairly rustic winery, definitely not as polished as those that we've visited in Napa. The bathrooms were not exactly the finest, but they were clean! My dad and I made a bee-line when we arrived! Although we honestly found the winery thanks to a friend's recommendation, it turned out that Sideways (the movie) did feature it and our Lonely Planet guidebook included it as well. We felt quite trendy!

From the Buellton/Solvang area around Santa Barbara, we drove north to Paso Robles, an upward-trending town that is trying to promote itself as the latest wine-tasting mecca in California. We pulled in around 5:00 pm, headed straight to a cheese store which fortunately was still open so that we could stock up for the evening. We ended up eating a lavish dinner of wine, cheese, fruit and crackers. I was clearly excited about the experience:

On Monday morning, we set out to the coast to the charming villages of Cambria and San Simeon, the Hearst Castle being our destination. This was my first time visiting the "castle" built on what Hearst called Enchanted Hill, and it was an impressive place, to say the least. Actually, it is a bit of a marvel, to think that William Randolph Hearst decided to build and to create this showplace in such a remote yet breathtakingly beautiful place. The castle and grounds certainly reminded me of the grandeur of a past era - a table that could have fed 30 or so people, guest houses in a Spanish-style that looked fit for a king or queen (to me, at least!). While the buildings were impressive, I truly envied the view and the pool (and the view from the pool). I can even envision myself swimming in the pool, or reading a good book while I lounge in the sun!

After touring the Hearst Castle, we ate sandwiches and enjoyed views of this beach. Yet again, I kept pinching myself to verify that I really WAS in such a beautiful spot.

After devouring our sandwiches and plenty of oohing and aahing, we drove back to Paso Robles, winding our way through valleys and hills. It was SO green thanks to the recent inundations in our lovely state. Once back in the Paso Robles area, we stopped by the Tablas Creek winery which another friend had recommended. We did not love the Tablas Creek wine, but through their recommendation, we hit up Halter Ranch before returning to the hotel, and we did enjoy their Sauvignon Blanc and several reds. The day ended with an evening at Artisan, one of the best restaurant experiences that I'd had in a while. The ambiance was relaxed and fun, food was local and fresh, and prices reasonable. At the end of that evening, we rolled into bed, content to have shared good food and conversation, and a day full of experiences.

But wait, there's more! That will have to wait until tomorrow, however!