Angela's Running Page

10/10/10 Melbourne Australia!

2010-10-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

One of the BEST vacations we have had thus far! It had absolutely everything! Motorcycle riding along scenic ocean views, running a marathon, seeing the Twelve Apostles, petting a Koala, feeding kangaroos, watching a great Moto GP motorcycle race at Phillip Island, climbing a bridge in Sydney, and enjoying the company of the friendliest people in the world!

This is the "before we rode 3,000 kilometers" photo.
You really don't want to see the "after" photo.

Once we landed in Melbourne and crammed two weeks worth of necessities into the rented motorcycle, we drove down to the Phillip Island motorcycle race track to stock up on souvenirs and gifts for friends before the Moto GP race. Along the way, we saw a sign for a wildlife preserve so we had to stop and visit.

Even though Mr. Koala was not quite as excited to see me, this was still quite a thrill!

I heart wallabies!

This is the "magic spot" on a kangaroo because they can't reach it themselves.

More please!!

They are all so adorable, and hungry!

The Nobbies at Phillip Island Nature Park.

Practicing our podium positions.

Then we got settled into our Melbourne hotel, thanks to a generous gift from our friends Sean & Sheena. We wanted to take just a quick nap and then see some sights, but woke up eight hours later! Oh well, at least I had plenty of rest before the marathon!

Three super heros in front of Rod Lever tennis arena.

Perfect running weather, 12.78 degrees Celsius! (55F)

Marathon finish at MCG - Melbourne Cricket Garden.

Final few yards to the finish line!

On the road from Melbourne to Sydney.

Our Couchsurfing buddy Wally and his place of employment, the Sydney Opera House!

Once we were in Sydney, we took a quick ferry ride to Watsons Bay. Crystal clear water and great view looking back at the city!

Lorenzo & Wally hike at park in Watsons Bay.

Opera House and Sydney Bridge in the background.

We didn't just admire the Sydney Bridge, we CLIMBED it! (the blue route)

View from the top!

After our time in Sydney, it took two days of riding to return back to Phillip Island for the Moto GP. Unfortunately, we encountered some rain... Both days.

Keeping the driver's hands waterproof AND ready to wash dishes or perform surgery too!

Drying out the gear.

10/17/10 Great racing weather at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit!

Watching the racers!

Turn 1 - like watching people fight with knives inside a phone booth, on motos!

The track was right next to the ocean!

Now for some exciting riding of our own on a world famous road!

Very useful reminder sign!

Passenger's perspective.

Here's your chance to experience without going to Australia or even getting on a motorcycle.

Stayed at a terrific bed and breakfast - with a pony!

The Twelve Apostles - how come this isn't one of the 7 Wonders of the World?

Another useful reminder.

Another friendly Aussie!

The Otway Treetop Walk was really cool!

On our last ride before leaving, it was a special treat to see wild Koalas!

Stop bugging me!

Our silhouette.

06/10/10 San Diego Rock-n-Roll Marathon

2010-06-06T14:57:00.000-07:00

New title: San Diego Robs-your-Soul Marathon

If you think that the third time would be a charm, you'd be incorrect. After doing this race in 1999 and 2000, in hindsight, I now realize that it took exactly one full decade to erase the misery and suffering. If my long term memory had been better, there is no question that I would not have signed up for this event. Now I remember that there is not a single musical act in the world capable of striking the perfect chords to ease the pain of this event. I'm not sure who exactly was supposed to be entertained by the twenty six bands along the course, but it definitely wasn't the runners. Even if my favorite band had been on the course at mile 17, it would've sounded like animals being tortured. I'm not sure anyone actually likes mariachi music, but at mile 18, I guarantee you everyone despises it. Music along a marathon route doesn't alleviate the suffering, it just adds a soundtrack to the ridiculousness of the whole experience.

I not only matched the local flowers, I moved about as fast as they did.

The start... I've got a bad feeling about this!

Let's climb aboard and sail to the finish!

Meanwhile up near the front, the really strong runners were still smiling!

See how the road was higher on the right, lower on the left?
This is less-than-ideal for running, especially for SIX miles.

Finally, a decent running surface!

Once the herds of people thinned out and there weren't as many bands playing, it was downright peaceful.

And scenic too.

Mile 25 on "Fiesta Island" was very much not a fiesta.

Now I understand the phrase "Lucky Dog!"

Getting this one engraved with "Never Again."

Finish time: 3:29:18. Exactly 6 seconds slower than LA Marathon just three months ago, but much more musical and brutal.

As always, thanks Lorenzo for photos, support, and love!

03/21/10 Los Angeles Marathon

2010-03-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to doing the math for my LA Marathon split. This was the wrong race to aim for a negative split because there was no marker at all for the 13.1 mile halfway point, so I simply guessed (randomly picked) a spot that seemed about one tenth of a mile after the 13th mile marker. According to my completely unscientific approximation at that point, my first split was 1:44:37, which is EXACTLY an even split for a 3:29:14 finish time. Of course, if I guessed wrong, perhaps my first half was 1:44:38 and my second half was 1:44:36...? Who knows.
In case anyone is interested, here are my mile splits.
1) 7:42 (faster than I wanted)
2) 7:23 (woops, too fast again)
3) 7:22 (downhill, sorry!)
4) 8:10
5) 8:42 (uphill - the "Music Center Mountain")
6) 7:32
7) 7:52
8) 8:02
9) 8:01 (finally settled into the pace I wanted for first half)
10) 8:03
11) 8:12 (if I had a nickel for every SRLA kid that passed me at "Red Bull" speed...)
12) 8:02
13) 8:30 (uphill, and I used this as a "rest mile" to get ready to speed up the 2nd half)
14) 7:58
15) 7:54
16) 8:05 (trying to speed up, but I think planet Earth must be slowing down or something)
17) 8:05
18) 8:12 (my plan was to get the 2nd half pace around 7:45, but things not going as planned)
19) 7:59 (okay, getting warmer...)
20) 8:01 (oh for Pete's sake... Who the hell is Pete anyway? Peter Piper? Peter Pan?)
21) 8:28 (uphill, grrr... completely lost my sense of humor, everything is now anti-funny)
22) 8:13 (I've stopped caring and just want it to be over. Hello wall!)
23) 7:54 (and now that I couldn't care less, I'm obviously relaxed and running faster!)
24) 7:52 (then I got through the wall and started passing people, including some SRLA kids!)
25) 7:41 (I told myself that everyone else's legs hurt too, so stop being such a diva)
26) 7:36 (once I could see the finish line, I was really able to push hard despite the pain)
I didn't feel tired at all. In fact, I remember that my mouth was completely closed and I was breathing through my nose for the last five miles - that's something I'm usually able to do when I run at a comfortable "fresh" pace. The problem seemed to be that my quads really started to hurt at the halfway point - not cramps or anything, just heavy and sore, like they were bruised from being beaten with a hammer. I'm pleased that I was able to increase the pace, despite the pain, during the last four miles, but in reality it's not too impressive considering those miles were all downhill. I think I wasn't ready for any uphill at all. As you can see, even the slightest incline really affected my pace. But I'm glad to be back under 3:30 and hoping to get even faster this year! I think my 30th marathon will be San Diego Rock 'n Roll on June 6th.

05/23/09 Jesolo Night Marathon, ITALY

2009-05-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

Italian Lesson One: "Dove Piazza San Marco?"
(Do-vay Pee-yaht-sah Sahn Marrr-ko? Roll the "RRR" in Marco)
Translation: Where is Saint Mark's Square?

After six months of Italian lessons, we arrived in Venice and immediately got lost.
But fortunately, the very first thing we learned was how to ask for directions to Saint Mark's Square in Venice. In my best Italian, I politely asked a man for directions.
He responsed with, "Es tut Mir Leid, aber Ich kann nicht Italianisch."
Which means "I can't speak Italian" IN GERMAN.
Lorenzo promptly stepped in and had a five minute conversation with the guy, IN GERMAN.

Good thing we spent all that time learning Italian.
And it was even better that Lorenzo mastered German back in high school...

The palace in Piazza San Marco.

Lorenzo at the Grand Canal in Venice.

I had to get in a little climbing!

It almost sounds edible in Italian, but it's still McDonalds.

Sun about to set before the start of the Night Marathon.

Seriously, this is NOT a postcard.

Lorenzo rented a bicycle towards the start and took some of these great pictures before the runners came along.

The pace car, a Lamborghini of course!

The lead pack coming down the street.

The first big wave of runners.

I started in the purple short sleeved shirt, but was sweating even before the start in 75 degree temperatures with about 80% humidity.

It was completely dark by the time Lorenzo was able to work his way through the crowd and catch up to me. But it was still warm and humid, so the shirt had to come off.

Even in Italy, they have Super-Size French Fries.
Mi dispiace! (I'm sorry!)

For those of you who know him, you'll agree that this looks EXACTLY like Keith!

The road was lit with candles for much of the course making it the most romantic marathon that I have ever run!

After running Vancouver and Toronto, I'm starting to get the hang of this Kilometer thing.
Marathons are 26.2 miles which is 42 Kilometers, so the course marker in this photo means there is still an eternity left before the finish!

When "FINISH" is written in big bold letters across the course, it means the same thing in Italian as it does in English!

My shorts were so sweaty that I had to repeatedly grab the hem and wring them out as I ran! This was by far the sweatiest I have EVER been!

Smiling in the internet cafe when I saw the marathon results.

Tenth female, first American female!

After the marathon, it was a perfect opportunity to rent a scooter and enjoy some Italian countryside scenery. It looks like Lorenzo was enjoying the scenery... of himself!

This is my "Perfect Italian Photograph" - the scooter, the Adriatic Sea, and cappuccino!!

Italian port-o-potties are "jolly" in Italy!

Our gracious hosts and their family at the beach, thank you Ivan & Franchesca!

Every meal was amazing, especially when staying with local hosts who were related to the owner and the chef!

A kiss in Venice IS even more romantic. In fact, the captain of a ferry pulled over and waited for us to take this photo before boating behind us. Afterwards, he gave us the thumbs up, the universally recognized sign for "Vita e buona" (Life is good).

02/08/09 Melbourne Florida Marathon & Mom's Birthday!

2009-02-08T12:58:00.000-08:00

The innaugural Melbourne Music Marathon was 2/8/09, and more importantly, so was my mom's birthday!

The course was made up of two laps around a 13.1 mile loop. It was mostly flat except for two bridges over the water, which each had to be done twice. Every few miles, we were treated to some musical entertainment.

It was so great to see Mom at the halfway point!

I can't remember if this was the first lap or the second... But it was so great to have Lorenzo keep me company and more importantly, he kept me smiling!

Mom and Grandma cheering at the finish made me feel like I could run the whole thing all over again!

I was shocked to see my results!

Due to the fact that this was the first year of this marathon, the organizers seemed a bit unorganized at the awards ceremony. We had to wait over an hour, but it was worth it to receive my first gold medal!

Marathon Results

The next day, we took our Couchsurfing host Rhonda to the rock climbing gym in Melbourne.

Then Lorenzo and I drove down to Key Largo.

John Pennekamp state park.

Feeding the tarpon.

Then it was back to Cocoa Beach to spend more time with Mom and Grandma. This is their "backyard" - the Atlantic Ocean.

Thanks to Grandma and Mom for all the homemade meatballs and lasagna!

11/02/08 Muddy Buddy!

2008-11-04T22:30:00.000-08:00

I've always wondered if "friendly competition" actually exists. So Lorenzo and myself reunited as Team Run Zola Run to compete against our friends Kevin & Aaron in the Muddy Buddy Race.

This event requires teams of two people to trade off between running and riding a bicycle, just one bicycle per team. So if this is something that you are interested in doing, make sure you pick a team-mate whose seat height is within the same stratosphere as yours. After consulting with several other friends who have participated in this event, we were repeatedly warned that it would be difficult to find our bike in the transition areas so I decided to decorate it with a sparkly wrap (as in gift, not gangsta).

We were also repeatedly warned that we should expect to get quite muddy. The last portion of the event requires both team members to jointly cross a mud pit on hands and knees to the finish line. Fortunately for you, the reader, our "friends" Aaron & Kevin beat us quite handily so Aaron had plenty of time to capture these muddy moments. If you look closely, you can see a very large quantity of mud backfiring directly up my nose.

Keeping true to the "friendly" part of the competition, here is where I most humbly post Aaron's victory video.

L.A. Muddy Buddy - 2008 from Aaron Price on Vimeo.

Thanks to my "friends" for showing me that competition can be friendly and fun! We gladly toasted "Here's to no more mud in our eyes!"

10/04/08 Femmoto!

2008-10-06T16:03:00.000-07:00

Dear Men,
I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to ride motorcycles on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend. But Femmoto is a women only motorcycle event in Las Vegas where the ladies get a chance to try out new factory motorcycles on a track. Although Laura, Robyn and myself certainly wished that a select few of your species had accompanied us to this event, the temptation it might have caused would have bordered on being unbearable, like being at a Victoria's Secret Clearance sale with a maxed out credit card. Prohibiting your testosterone-fueled desire to ride these magnificent machines would've caused momentary musings of gender reassignment surgery...
The freedom we women got to experience while riding the track without trying to impress you allowed us to simply enjoy ourselves and feel at ease with our fellow female riders. If you've ever taken off your bra at the end of a really hot summer day, you'd know what I mean, oh nevermind.
If you are still reading this, you are probably starting to think that I'm talking too much, so I'll share a few photos with you. The fact that the latest copy of "Performance Bikes" magazine had fewer words than pictures reminds me of how "visual" you are.

Normally I'm not the kind of girl that likes to hang out with a lot of girls for an entire day, but Femmoto wasn't just a bunch of us talking about nails or make-up. In fact there were a lot of what I like to refer to as "non-make-up-moments" as in it's a good thing I wasn't wearing make-up because it would've been smeared all the way to the back of my head right now. In particular, riding on the back with Ducati racer Larry Pelgram was more thrilling than combining every roller coaster I have ever been on - even the ones that made me throw up.

So in conclusion, I am sorry that you weren't there. But at the same time, I'm also relieved that you weren't because I'm pretty certain that this opportunity would've been too much for your testosterone-induced yearning to wreak havoc.

Okay, I'm done speaking. You can go back to "reading" your motorcycle magazines now!

And remember, if dinner isn't on the table next October, it's probably because she's at Femmoto!

Sincerely,

Angela Brunson, just one of the many Women of Femmoto

09/28/08 Toronto Marathon

2008-09-30T16:37:00.001-07:00

Angela & Coach John after her 25th marathon!

Thursday, September 25

Coach John, Mom and I arrived in Toronto. We met our Couch Surfing host Oliver who welcomed us into his downtown apartment. Great view!

Friday, September 26
On Friday, Mom and I set out with a plan to see certain parts of the city but that quickly changed as we found ourselves wandering into so many interesting stores. When we bumped into the Hockey Hall of Fame, we knew the agenda would be significantly altered!

Afterwards, we took a ferry and explored Wards Island.
And a trip to Toronto would not be complete without a visit up to the CN Tower - the world's tallest structure!

Saturday, September 27
On Saturday, we went to the Marathon Expo where we feasted on carbs, juices and indulged in some pre-race massage.

Sunday, September 28

The race was Sunday. I was still suffering the late stages of a sinus infection and jet-lag. It rained Saturday night and there was a chance of rain during the race, but luckily the weather wasn't as bad as we feared. Clean air, humid overcast skies at first, then by 11:00am, it actually got pretty warm. Temperatures ranged from 60 degrees F at the start, but got up past 70 before most of us finished.

The best part about the event was that Coach John rode a borrowed bike along the course with me so he could get some great photos, and keep me in good spirits. About an hour into the race, he called Lorenzo and let me talk to him on speaker phone! One other great bit was the highly organized start corral system with really high fences so no one could jump into a starting area in which they didn't belong. Two not so great things: 1) pretty dreadful music from the few live bands - a country music band crooned slow depressing ballad, then just before "the wall" we were treated to some sleepy "Kumbiyah" folk music... not exactly the kind up stuff to keep the "pep in your step" - but the African drummers near the finish were brilliant; 2) the entire course was marked ONLY in kilometres. At first it was nice not to worry about whether I was on or off pace, but eventually the impatient 5 year old in me wanted to know "how much fuuurtherrr?" And no matter how hard I tried, my almost 40 year old mathematically challenged brain could absolutely not compute the conversion. Finally, I remembered that a marathon was about 42Km and I took a lucky guess around marker 37Km that I had 5Km left. All I know is that the half way point was marked and it took me 1:40 for the first half, then 1:44 for the second - total time was 3:25:16 which was good enough for 5th place in my division.

The race organizers wisely offered participants the option to pre-pay for a post-race massage during the registration process. Best investment ever!

Monday, September 29

The day after the race, Mom and I enjoyed some spectacular flowers at the Allen Gardens, and a delicious lunch at Crepe It Up!

That night, Coach John joined us at the Air Canada Centre to watch a fantastic hockey game where the St. Louis Blues played the Toronto Maple Leafs. Even though it was only pre-season, the fans were really into it - everyone did the wave and cheered like crazy! The score was tied 3-3 at the end of regulation. Same score after overtime, so then it went to a really exciting shoot-out! Toronto won!!!

Tuesday, September 30

As we boarded our planes on Tuesday, the city bid us a tearful (rainy) good-bye. But I'm having thoughts of returning next year perhaps for the ENDURrun.

08/08/08 Craig Chambers

2008-08-08T23:30:00.000-07:00

In Memoriam...

I don't mean to brag, but I am one of those runners who will never finish "DFL." This is not due to talent, skill, or extra training dedication on my behalf. It's simply due to fear. I'll admit it: the prospect of being listed last on a results page scares this particular over-achiever out of her mind. So after having completed 20 marathons (and avoiding "DFL"), I figured I had been at it long enough to know what I was doing. Now thanks to "Moose Math," I've learned that my piddly amount of experience actually puts my level of running knowledge somewhere between zygote and embryo.

Craig completed the 2008 Catalina Marathon course while I was sitting around and moping about my "PW" (personal worst) finish. Long after the other participants had showered, eaten, boarded the ferry, and arrived back in Los Angeles, the Moose and his crew crossed the area where the finish line had been. He was smiling, as always. The fact that I didn't finish in the top 3 was killing me, but here came Craig, who was literally dying, and he was smiling. Moose was going to finish in a position far worse than I could've imagined possible: Post-DFL !!! Yet, I proudly stood and clapped as the tears flowed freely down my face.

Thank you Craig for teaching me the significance of finishing, simply finishing, be it first or last, with a smile on your face, surrounded by friends who love you.

July 18 - July 21 Motorcycle Trip

2008-07-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

Our amazing journey began in Los Angeles on a brand new rented Honda ST1300 motorcycle (it only had 18 miles on it). We traveled up the famous Highway 1 to San Luis Obispo where we visited with friends and went rock climbing, then continued north to Hearst Castle, and eventually to Monterey for the U.S. Moto Grand Prix Race at Laguna Seca Raceway.

July 19 - Hearst Castle

Lorenzo in front of the main entrance.

The 350,000 gallon pool.

"Hearst Angel, Hearst Angel... Would you be mine?"

Monterey was chilly, so we went to Fisherman's Wharf for some fish 'n chips, delicious clam chowder, and beer (but it seemed more appropriate to call it "ale"). As soon as we arrived in Monterey, we started seeing a lot of motorcycles.

Ordinary motorcycles.

And not so ordinary ones.

Ask anyone who's been to the U.S. Moto Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, and they will tell you that you MUST go to Cannery Row the night before the race to see all the motorcycles on display.

Here is a miniature version of Valentino Rossi's bike - just my size!!!

The bikes at Cannery Row came in every shape and color.

Tad and Robyn are not exactly "green" with envy about this one.

There were a lot of people trying to eat dinner on Cannery Row. We got "hosed" at every restaurant we tried, but eventually we had a really great meal as we were serenaded by the sounds of engines outside.

July 20 - U.S. Moto Grand Prix, Laguna Seca RacewayParking the motorcycle at the event was no problem at all.

"Tad, will you please remember where we parked?"

Finding the bike later however, might be a bit tricky...

The promotional booths at the race track had all sorts of motorcycles, everything from A to Z: Aprilia bikes, Buell bikes, custom bikes, Ducati bikes, energy efficient bikes, flashy bikes, GSX-R bikes, Hayabusa bikes, impressive bikes, Jagermaister bikes, Kawasaki bikes, little bikes, Moto Guzzi bikes, nitrus-powered bikes, one-of-a-kind bikes, pink bikes, quirky bikes, Road King bikes, Suzuki bikes, Triumph bikes, ugly bikes, Victory bikes, wild bikes, XT-660 bikes, Yamaha bikes, and of course ZZR 1400 bikes.

Tall bike: Lookout below!!!

Custom bike: Bling Bling!

VFR 800 (aka: Lorenzo's next purchase!)

Somewhere underneath Robyn's drool lies a Suzuki GXR.

Green Ninja? Not so good.

Blue Ninja - much better!

Ducati Island was really a sea of red.

When the race started, we were so thankful that we brought ear plugs. The race bikes were brain-melting loud and terror-inspiring fast!

First lap - Casey Stoner (red Ducati) leads with Hayden (orange Honda) and Rossi (blue Yamaha) right behind.

First Lap - Stoner still leads and Rossi has the inside advantage on Hayden as they round the turn.

First lap - the rest of the field is right behind!

Later in the race, Rossi and Stoner battle it out.

Rossi is a furious blur of speed!

Rossi's pit crew sign reflects his nickname "The Doctor"

Rossi's victory wheelie!

The podium - Rossi (under the Italian flag in the middle), Stoner (Australian flag on the left) and Vermulen (Australian flag on the right).

After watching a terrific race, the fans were treated to a stunt show on the track.

Lorenzo and I on the track - now if only I could borrow Rossi's bike...

After the race, lots of riders began the journey from the track, including this "Shark."

Bikes, bikes...

and more bikes.

My view over Lorenzo's shoulder of the rear view mirror reflecting yep, more bikes.

My own stunt show was performed for the purpose of taking pictures without Lorenzo's helmet in the way, but it also served to amuse the riders directly behind me.

Our travel companions Robyn and Tad leave the track. The "DANGER" sign stayed behind.

Robyn and Tad on Hondas. Photo by Angela on the back of a Honda being driven by Lorenzo.

The drive home was beautiful, but still a little chilly until we returned back to the sunny southern part of California.

800 miles in four days, on a motorcycle, with companions on motorcycles, to see others race on motorcycles. It was worth every tushie-testing mile!

07/16/08 Countdown: 24 Hours Until Vacation!

2008-07-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

Sure everyone says they need a vacation, but Lorenzo and I are desperate for one!

Lately, Lorenzo has been working harder than Brittney Spear's image consultant. As my training has increased for the Toronto Marathon, my muscle soreness has increased, thereby causing my enthusiasm to decrease.

Tonight, we will be engaged in the frenzied ritual of packing, unpacking, and repacking which we do before most of our trips. However, this night will be even more special as we try to whittle the list of necessary items down to the size of a motorcycle compartment.

Tomorrow morning, we pick up our rental - a two wheeled "Starship Enterprise" - for the journey. Then we are off to go rock-climbing in San Louis Obispo, a tour of Hearst Castle, and eventually, to Monterey for the Moto GP United States Grand Prix at Laguna Seca Raceway!

Live Long and Prosper...

06/28/08-06/29/08 Paragliding Santa Barbara

2008-06-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

Silly String!

If you are like me, you had a lot of "flying dreams" when you were a kid, and you still do. Well, thanks to a wonderful birthday present from Lorenzo, my dream became reality. Keep in mind there's a difference between "flying dreams" (good) and "falling dreams" (bad, very very bad). This is the story of how a good dream came true.

I got a brief taste of my dream a few months ago during Kernville when I saw my friend Aaron flying and - more importantly - landing safely.

Then on Saturday, Edward, Lorenzo and I arrived at the top of the hill in Santa Barbara. The instructors at Eagle Paragliding made us feel at ease, just as soon as we finished signing a thirteen page waiver. After a little over an hour of instruction, we actually each took our first solo flight! Once we were told how to contol the paraglider, we walked down a gently sloping hill at Elings Park that overlooked the ocean.

Before I knew it, the breeze lifted me up and it was just like my dream - only I was in a rather comfortable seated position instead of a Superman-pose. The height of the view was similar to what I had seen before when I've looked down from the top of a rock climb, but minus the rock. The best way to describe it would be like sitting in a Lazy Boy recliner at the beach, except 300 feet higher.

Although I didn't actually see it, Lorenzo's first landing would be more accurately described as a face plant.

The instructor said that my first landing was like "an angel floating to the ground." Lorenzo always has been the more adventurous one, trying to get the complete experience which apparently included "tasting" as well. As for me, I can be seen here trying to taste as many bugs as possible while up in the air...

Actually, I wasn't really scared at all, but I was trying to yell something to my instructor. Once we landed, the van took us back up the hill to go again, and again, and again! Trying to get five or six flyers and their paragliders into the van brought back images of teenage girls on prom night cramming layers upon layers of tafetta dresses into a Volkswagon Rabbit, but it sure beat walking!

Was I scared? No, actually never had a fearful moment. Would I do it again? Absolutely. I will return soon to give our instructors a gift or two.

Many thanks to Cameron & Giuliana for the pictures!

05/17/08 Bishop

2008-05-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

SATURDAY, MAY 17TH: RACE & BOULDERING

Sixth year out here and it still looks amazingly beautiful!

We were pretty warm at the 6:00am start so we knew it was going to be a hot day.

Beautiful scenery in every direction!

Angela = 3:20 (1st female), Lisa = 3:25 (2nd female)!

Lisa's foot.

Not root beer.

The girls display their awards in front of our hosts' lovely home.
Thank you Couchsurfing.com and thank you Carl & Kay!

Carl, Kay, Edward, Angela, Lorenzo, & Aaron.

Aaron works up an appetite for lunch at Schat's.

Boys on toys.

After lunch, we went to the Buttermilk area to wrestle with some giant pebbles.

Kevin tries to score a take-down.

Everyone enjoyed rocking out in the sunshine.

SUNDAY, MAY 18TH: CLIMBING & GOURMET GAS STATION

In order to get out of the heat, we went to Clark Canyon near Yosemite.

Every time we reached the top of a climb, we were treated to an incredible view!

Lorenzo finds some peace and quiet.

Some other climbers told us about the "Gourmet Restaurant" at a Mobil Station near the Tioga Pass. You've got to try the Whoa Nellie Deli!

Angela & Edward dance for their dinner with Mono Lake in the background.
When's the last time you saw people this excited about paying $4.59 per gallon?

Angela & Edward were exceptionally hungry & thirsty.

On the way back through Bishop, we made the traditional stop at Baskin Robbins.

Aaron is a very alert driver.

The moon tried to lure us into staying longer. We didn't get home until almost 2am, but we are already anxious to return soon!

05/10/08 Malibu Creek Trail Challenge

2008-05-10T22:36:00.000-07:00

Erick the Weatherman predicts a partly cloudy course full of cool runners.

Fellow Mountain Goat runner Lon and I try to keep warm at the start.

During the race itself, I wished for the ten-thousandth time that I had a camera with me. The purple wildflowers were amazing! Every time I saw them, I told myself that they were giving me "Purple Power!" At the top of a particularly grueling hill, just when I thought I was pretty much out of gas, I looked down the back side and saw an entire valley of purple flowering bushes that literally gave me the strength to finish.

2:14:26 - Thanks Purple Power!

Coach John, myself and Erick representing west, east, and south.

05/03/08 Rafting & 05/04/08 Climbing in Kernville

2008-05-04T23:54:00.000-07:00

The superheros get ready for action.

Super-Puffy-Arm Woman wants to go rafting NOW!

My arms only look juiced, but here's Jack & Rebecca getting juiced.

Rafting was great, but the river is freezing (well, not quite, just 36 degrees or so) thanks to the melt from Mt. Whitney. The rafting company required everyone doing Class Five rapids to pass a "swim test" which unfortunately was NOT in a swimming pool. Basically, just jump in, float downstream through some Class Two rapids, then prove that you can make it back to shore, even though the water was like Kryptonite and sucked away all your powers. Miserable. Of course, it was a great way to start the experience because it certainly couldn't get worse than that!

Instructor James explains that even superhero powers are no match against the river.

My very cold life was flashing before my very cold eyes.

Jack & Rebecca making it look easy.

Once inside the raft, we thawed out and our strength returned. The morning was Class 3 & 4 stuff, then they served a really good lunch, perfect for tasting a second time when we went to the Class 5 stuff in the afternoon. When we got to the first Class 5 rapid, everyone got out of the boats and had to walk downstream to check it out first. That's when I tasted Lunch, Version 2.0. The guides showed us which "line" to take, but if you saw it, you would realize water that strong pretty much has a mind of its own. And regardless of which "line" you intend to take, it's up to the river as to whether or not you actually take it. All I remember is a bunch of water, very cold water everywhere, a few paddles being tossed about, a lot of yelling, then an eerie quiet when we made it through. Once we realized that no one came out of our boat and we were all relatively unharmed and accounted for, we started whooping and cheering. Later, we went through another Class 5 section and it was just as thrilling. Like being inside a washing machine strapped to a roller coaster, while wearing neoprene.

The superheros survived!

After rafting, I went for an easy 10 mile run on the road and saw LOTS of motorcycles: all different kinds - fat people on Harley's, kids on little dirt bikes, a few sport bikes and everything in between. Then it was time to cook hot dogs at Camp Thunderbird which was only five miles from the rafting area and right across the street from the Kernville Slab climbing area.

Meanwhile, back in Gotham City ("Kernville"), our super-friend Aaron leaped over buildings (hillsides) in a single bound (with a paraglider).

More Super-Friends met up with us for climbing on Sunday. We battled a steep approach, snakes, and other forces of evil (well, one large spider). But the rock was quite friendly, allowing us to put on a spectacular display of our amazing Spider Man abilities.

Na-nanananana-Gear Girl!

Gear Girl's alter ego: Crack Head.

Crack Head gets higher on crack.

Yesterday the river, today the wall.

Rick stays positive.

Lisa the Wonder Woman learns to rap.

Aaron spreads his wings, again.

Wonder Woman overcomes her fear of heights.

An amazing day of climbing was had by all. And I'm looking forward to a possible return trip once the river warms up, perhaps in July!

04/27/08 Orange County Adventure Race

2008-04-27T23:40:00.000-07:00

We got 7th place out of about 20 teams in the 2 person co-ed division - and we were just out there to have fun, not to RACE it because we had camped and hiked and/or run all over Mt. Baldy the day before!

Team "Run ZoLa Run" total time was 2:24:05. Results

Get it? lorenZO + angeLA = ZOLA, then combine that with the movie called "Run Lola Run" and you get Run ZoLa Run. Or as Coach John suggested - we could be named after the famous barefoot Olympic runner Zola Budd.

But did Zola run barefoot in the desert hills of Irvine? Didn't think so...

Well, we didn't win any awards for "Best Team Name" or "Best Team Costume" (because we certainly weren't going to wear what the main character wore in the movie- a gray COTTON tank top with NO SPORTS BRA), but it was easily the most fun event we have ever done together! From making our own paddles (my thanks to whoever invented duct tape), to completing tasks while blindfolded - loads of fun!

More pictures from the event HERE.

04/26/08 Mt. Baldy

2008-04-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

Camping the night before with a pre-dinner session of glow in the dark frisbee, cooking hot dogs on sticks, and basking in the warmth of the fire with friends - I never wanted it to end, but there was that pesky training schedule... The group started around 9am. There were 8 hikers planning on doing various distances up the Sierra Club Hut Trail (pink dashed line) and 4 runners training for the Bishop High Sierra race on May 17th who were going to run up and down, and perhaps up and down a second time, on the fire road for a total of 20 miles (purple dotted line).

Standing: Mat, Edward, Libby, Aaron, Theresa, Anthony, Eric's folks.
Kneeling: Lorenzo, Lisa, Angela, Eric.

Lisa drags Angela away from camp. Edward is wide awake.

Eric's folks enjoy the waterfall.

The run became more of a "slog" (slow-jog), but it gave us more time to enjoy the scenery!

Eric and Lisa protected their eyes from the snow-shine.

Devil's Backbone (elevation 8,400 feet). Lisa and Angela climbed the Devil's Backbone tree for some advanced altitude training.
Suffering from a lingering cold, carrying a way-too-full pack, breaking in a new pair of socks - just some of the excuses I used to turn the second trip up into a hike and cut it short at the ski lifts. Total distance: 16 miles. But I'll try for more again on May 11th.

It was the first time Libby has camped in, well in quite some time. And congrats to her for a successful hike to the Sierra Club Hut! Her first hike since... well, way too long. So hopefully she can join us again very soon!

More photos.

4/4/08-4/7/08 Mom's visit!

2008-04-08T14:01:00.001-07:00

Friday, April 4th - The Craft & Folk Art Museum

This is the place where creativity and a lot of free time combine to make really unique pieces. Where else could I have bought a purse made from beer cans?

Mom at the entrance of the Craft & Folk Art Museum on Wilshire Blvd.

Saturday, April 5th - The Great Race of Agoura

Mom has been the official "cheerleader" for me at many races and marathons. This time, it was our first Mother-Daughter event where we would BOTH be participating in a 5K at the Great Race of Agoura.

Mom's first bib number!

Jet-lagged and still on Eastern time, just getting to the start at the top of a steep hill was quite an accomplishment for Mom!

Mom, Coach John, me and Lorenzo at the start.
Combined ages = 197 years young!

More than halfway done, and having a great time!

Mom's finish - 59:47, that's an average pace of 19:18 minutes per mile! Yay Mom! Click here for results.

Lorenzo and I also did the 10K. And I have to admit that I was a little tired afterwards...

After a hard day of racing, we decided to relax at the last game of the season for the L.A. Kings. Mom & Angela & Wayne "The Great One" Gretzky in front of Staples Center.

Hooray for our favorite second-to-last-place team!

Queen Joanne and Princess Angela on the thrones. Even though the Kings lost, it was still a terrific day - nachos, beer and caramel apples!

Sunday, April 6th - Marina del Rey & Santa Barbara

After her first 5K, Mom continued to make history with her first kayaking experience.

Mom and Lorenzo get set to take the plunge!

I chased Mom and Lorenzo around the marina for an hour. Then we drove to Santa Barbara where we feasted on seafood and clam chowder.

When I was in 3rd grade, my nickname was "shrimp" - probably because I was about as big as this one. So here I am demonstrating my cannabalism skills.

I couldn't believe he got the whole thing in his mouth! Apparently, Lorenzo couldn't believe it either!

It's easy to be a "strong eater" when the food was that good!

Mom and I both found sand dollars on the beach!

We saw seals, a sting ray, and lots of real dolphins too!

Monday, April 7th - Brunch & Motorcycle Ride & Old Fashioned Meatloaf

My good friend Laura has a two year old and is pregnant with her second child, so it's been difficult to catch up with her hectic schedule. Mom and I finally got a chace to reunite with Lexie (which she proudly pronounces as "Sexy!") for an entertaining brunch in Santa Monica. Who knew a simple drinking straw could be so much fun?

A 5K race, kayaking, hiking in Santa Barbara... Mom officially became an adrenaline junkie! What's next, motorcycle riding?

Yep.

After her test ride, Mom made one of my childhood favorites: meatloaf! Then a quick nap and my Lady Kings semi-final playoff game.

We won 4-1!

I was so glad Mom was there to see it. In fact, the entire weekend would not have been nearly as special without Mom!

More pictures of good times with Mom can be found here!

03/30/08 Mammoth Ski Trip

2008-03-30T22:53:00.000-07:00

Has anyone ever gone to Mammoth and NOT taken this same photo (but with different people)?

Mammoth's official mascot: "Wooly" - betcha probably saw that one coming.

Bacon cheeseburger and chili fries in Eagle Lodge.

Best part: everything tastes EVEN better at 10,000 feet!

Yes, that IS my boyfriend. And no, you can't have him.

Besides, if you saw what happened after the picture, you just might change your mind. No broken bones.

So there's this run called "Lost in the Woods" and it totally didn't disappoint.

In case you were wondering, it's a boy mammoth.

We highly recommend the beds in Bishop at the Ramada!

And still no broken bones.

Test driving Harley Davidson's latest model at Schat's bakery in Bishop.

Pastries and testosterone. Who could ask for anything more?

03/29/08 Death Valley Run - Titus Canyon

2008-03-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

Larry Meyers organized a fantastic running trip to Titus Canyon in Death Valley. March is a nice time to go because it was not too hot, not too cold and there were even some beautiful wildflowers!

Thirteen miles uphill, then thirteen more downhill. As the run progressed deeper into the canyon, the walls got closer and closer together and formed spectacular rock formations. There is very little traffic, just a few adventure motorcyclists, and the canyon is one-way.

Halfway point.

After doing about fifteen miles, I decided to appreciate the rest of the canyon from the car. Whether on foot or not, the canyon was really scenic and very other-worldly!

Afterwards, we went to Scotty's Castle which is this magnificent place in the middle of absolutely nowhere and it didn't actually belong to Scotty at all.

Scotty had an appreciation for guns and music - a man after my own heart! Oh my Scotty, what a big organ you've got there!

Death Valley is a magical place. Titus Canyon and Scotty's Castle are just a small part of the area. Anywhere you go out there, it is sure to be an experience like no other!

03/15/08 Catalina Marathon

2008-03-17T18:21:00.000-07:00

Me = Catalina Geek

Monday, March 17, 2008

Greetings from the beautiful island of Catalina ,
This has been my home since Friday night and will continue to be my second home until they allow the boats to leave again - hopefully sometime around Monday evening. Although the skies are clear, it is quite windy. As I know all too well, wind and ocean travel don't mix well. Getting over here Friday night was quite an adventure - did you see the movie "Titanic" - okay, not quite that much of an adventure, but close. After being tossed about like a rag in a washing machine on a boat, I kissed the dry ground and started off to find the new runner check in hotel. It used to be right by the port but this year, it was relocated to the Catalina Canyon Resort & Spa - sounds nice, right? Well, I have never before wished so hard for a building to descend itself down a hill. Trekking uphill at 8:30pm while carrying the laptop, and necessary race gear including a few quarts of Gatorade was not exactly pre-race resting. Naturally, I would not be staying at the Catalina Canyon Resort, so I trudged downhill, now carrying the additional "goody" bag, across the island to my hotel. Got a few hours of sleep until 4:00am, then it was off to the 5:00am ferry where 600 very well hydrated runners boarded for our ride to the 7:00am start in Two Harbors. Who knew "Titanic" had a sequel...?

Despite two turbulent boat rides in the 12 hours prior to the race, the Catalina Marathon on Saturday was terrific. I finished in four hours and 38 seconds, fourth in my age division. It was my slowest time ever, but I still had a lot of fun. To begin, I knew I wasn't in "race shape" having just run the Napa Valley Marathon two weeks ago. Also, it was windy. Really windy. I literally counted more swirls of dirt devils than runners. The wind made for some really fantastic clear views along the way, but alas still no buffalo sightings. For those of you keeping track, this is my fourth Catalina Marathon and I have NEVER once spotted a buffalo or a bison or anything of that sort while running out here - unless you count the pictures on the finisher shirts. Personally, I think it is all a conspiracy to make me keep coming back in hopes of seeing one.

Trying to tough it out sideways on the floor during the ferry to the start.

That tiny speck is the boat after it dropped us off in Two Harbors. Now the only way back is to run...

Ben Brown wins for the second year in a row. Julie Allen was first female in her marathon debut, and she later gave me my first ride in a golf cart to the post-race party. Results.

The highlight of the trip so far was seeing fellow Mountain Goat running friend Craig "Moose" Chambers finish in 10 hours and 58 minutes. Even though the actual finish "line" was long since packed away, there were a few of us stray Goats waiting for him. The race photographer stuck around and the person in charge of medals gave us a few to give to the "Moose Crew" when they arrived.

The Amazing Moose and the Cutest Froggie

The second best part of the trip was the "Segway Tour" available to guests of the Seaport Village Inn. I must mention how great this hotel is because when I told them my boat was cancelled, they allowed me to stay the extra night in my same room and only charged me a $35 cleaning fee. I've stayed here every time I've run the Catalina Marathon. And thanks to the hospitality of the owner Don, I will always stay here.

Guess what I want for Christmas?

This hotel also offered the third best part of the trip - the bathtub had hot tub jets! Oh, and let's not forget the elevator which was especially great after the race for getting to my third story room.

Waiting for the elevator right after the race.

Feeling much better now, thanks!

Fourth best part: MOJITO after the bath! Followed by a seafood salad at Original Jack's that was so good, I had to write a review. Dessert: Pistaccio Nut Ice Cream from Big Olaf's.

Well, it can't ALL be good food, right?

Although the entire trip may seem to have been problematic, and my race results were not exactly "racey" - I must say that this has been one of the greatest experiences in my life. There were times when I seriously considered sending for my belongings and permanently relocating to the quaint little town of Avalon. With my qualifications, I'm pretty sure I could quickly become gainfully employed as an ice-cream critic and part time running coach. When I'm not hard at work, I could spend time on the miniature golf course, ride the horses at the stable, go on long runs, learn about the birds at the Catalina Island Conservancy, and do my part for the environment by commuting on a Segway... Well, it sure beats getting back on the Titanic, Part Three!

03/09/08 Trapeze Class!

2008-03-09T21:29:00.000-07:00

Enjoying the view!

Climbing the rickety ladder to the itty-bitty suspended platform a gabillion feet above the ground was the easy part.

Much higher than it looks!

And I didn't mind when the trapeze bar was handed to me by one assistant because the other assistant placed his burly arms around my waist to keep me from falling.

Ready... Set... Hup!

As I stood there trying not to ponder the abilities of a human body to withstand a fall from this height, I fancied myself floating gracefully and twirling effortlessly from bar to bar, a modern day Georgina of the Jungle. Then came the commands from the teacher below, "Ready... Set..." And next he would soon say "Hup" - but I didn't want to hear the "hup" because "hup" meant burly arm would be gone, and it would be me, my death grip, a lot of momentum, a poor knowledge of physics but a keen understanding of what gravity does to a human brick. I didn't want to hear "hup" because I was ready to get down. I had been up the ladder, I had touched the bar, and I had visualized the dream. The need to live the dream had significantly subsided, but then came the "hup" and the dream, well it did not exactly become a reality... Sure, I was flying through the air, but forget that part about the greatest of ease. I thought oh my God, this is it, I am actually going to die, as I put my knees on the bar. Then came the next command, "Let go with your hands." To which I actually responded "I don't want to." The teacher repeated the command. I repeated my refusal. This went on for a while until I finally complied. I think I tasted my spinal fluid in the back of my throat.

Getting the "hang" of it! High as a kite!

But the best was yet to come. The command, "Let go" came from below and suddenly I rather liked it up there. In fact, I was quite comfortable. The rest of the class could go home now because my turn wasn't ever going to end, not if it meant falling to the net far, far below. And get this, I am supposed to fall on my back, leaving the staff plenty of time to unrig the entire set up as I descend to my death. So I decided to compromise: I would let go, but I was going to keep an eye on the net to make sure it stayed in place during my descent. Yep, face first, belly flop. And then, the worst drymouth ever, like worse than your worst morning after tequilla in TJ cotton mouth. But I survived. And I actually got the hang of it, pun intended. In fact, I even loved it!

I've never gripped a man this hard before!

The teacher must have confused me for some other student because he told me to get ready to learn how to "return to the bar." Now I've been to plenty of bars, and I'm always ready to go back, at least to the ones that will still have me... but this was different. I had leave my trapeze bar, cling to the "catcher" for one full swing, then let go of him while spinning around in the air to return to the first trapeze bar where I started. Everything was going as planned until the spin, that part where I'm no longer holding the catcher or the bar. And this is where my keen understanding of gravity kicked in - if I'm not holding anything, I just knew I'm going to fall - I'm smart like that - which is exactly what happened.

The human brick in action!

Forty five dollars, ninety minutes, and savoring the taste of internal organs while flying through the air... The most thrilling rush ever!!! I can not wait to go back to Richie's Flying Trapeze School in Woodland Hills!

Perfect dismount!

Lookout Barnum & Bailey - make room for Brunson!

03/08/08 Great Urban Race Los Angeles

2008-03-08T23:12:00.000-08:00

Crazy clues, fun costumes, Hollywood, subways, Dodger Stadium, free pizza (free does not necessarily mean good), handstands, puzzles, Google.com, downtown Los Angeles, four leaf clovers, Laurel & Hardy, red hot chili pepper (the kind you eat, not the band), running around (on a warm day) asking Los Angelenos for directions, and Muddlebugging across the finish line. That about sums up the experience Lorenzo, Lisa, Martin and I had at the Los Angeles version of Great Urban Race! Lorenzo and I were "Team Run ZoLa Run" and we finished 28th out of 202 teams with a time of 3 hours and 31 minutes. It probably would've been faster if I hadn't been the one navigating - we did LOTS of running! Lisa and Martin were "Team What the Fox?" and they kept us smiling as we tried to keep up with their cute little tails. It was silly and fun and a lot of work!

03/02/08 Napa Valley Marathon

2008-03-03T14:39:00.000-08:00

I didn't know 30 wineries would even fit into the space of 26.2 miles!

On Saturday, we had breakfast at this quaint cafe in Glen Ellen that was so good, I had to write a review.

The race started at 7:00am on Sunday with clear skies and a strong breeze.
Do as I say, not as I do!
Although the longest run I've done all year was the Buffalo Run HALF Marathon on February 9th, I do know that proper marathon training requires a few more longer runs than that before a marathon. Yah, yah... don't lecture me. Therefore, the Napa Valley "Training Run" was just meant to help me get back into the marathon groove. Also, I'll be running the Catalina Marathon on 3/15/08 so I didn't want to go nuts in Napa and injure anything before another rather expensive race in two weeks. So for those of you who are new to the sport of marathoning, do your long runs BEFORE the marathon. Once you have a "base" of distance running, then you can try running a marathon while being seriously under-trained. Until then, do as I say, not as I do.

The course started in Calistoga and ran down the Silverado Trail (which is paved) into Napa. The scenery was amazing (If I had a nickel for every "Ooh, look, another winery"...)

The weather was perfect and we even had a bit of a tail wind for some of the course. I grouped up with a few other girls around mile 5. Once we learned that we were all aiming for 3:30, we stuck together and chatted all the way til the end. It was nice to run at a pace that allowed us to enjoy each others company. I felt like I had a nice smooth stong kick at the end, and the second half split was pretty even with the first half.

Some of the surroundings reminded me of "Little House on the Prairie."

There were only about three gradual uphills (Mile 1-2, Mile 5-6, Mile 18-19). My slowest mile (Mile 24) was perfectly flat. I think that mile was slow because I could see where the next turn was and it looked outrageously far. For me, I felt that Miles 1-10 was the warm up, Miles 11-20 just flew by, and then time stood completely still during Miles 21-25. That probably would not have been the case if I had actually trained with a couple of long runs.
So please: Do as I say, not as I do!
Because I said so, that's why.
Well if your friends jumped off a cliff, would you jump too?

Napa Course profile
Marathon results

Total time 3:30:27
Average pace 8:02 minutes per mile
244th place out of about 1800 total runners
29th female out of 745 female runners
10th female in age division 35-39 out of 130 runners in that division.

Afterwards, Lorenzo and I visited the cafe again, then went to the Benzinger Winery.

As we drove back to the Oakland airport, we noticed this beautiful villa, but decided it wouldn't be that nice of a visit.

02/09/08 Buffalo Half Marathon - Catalina

2008-02-10T13:22:00.000-08:00

It ain't easy being green... especially if you are trying to run a hilly half marathon in warm weather.

Everything started pretty well, maybe too well. I began the steep uphill climb doing about 8 minute miles. Then at mile 3, I got hot and cold and nauseated. My skin had goosebumps and was beginning to resemble a cactus. Fellow Mountain Goat runner Keith passed me as I pulled off the course, and he later told me that I "didn't look well." The race official informed me that I was going the wrong way and I responded that I needed a moment. The moment turned into 18 minutes as I pondered which end the inner alien would chose to escape. My fear was that it would choose the most direct route through my belly button like a scene from a movie. Eventually, the demons were exorcised and I continued on my way. I was now with the back-of-the-packers who were so kind with words of encouragement as I tried to whiz by them in slow motion.

Since I had not trained very hard, this was supposed to be a "fun and easy" run, but I learned something rather interesting about myself: Apparently, I don't believe in "fun and easy" running. Despite my intestinal turmoil and below average position on the course, I did anything but take it "easy." I was now desperately trying to make up for lost time - on a clock that wasn't even supposed to be ticking. Nausea, warm weather, under-training: Not exactly the combination to a successful finish. 2:24:05, 96th overall, 9th in my division. So I've now re-defined successful finish to mean that I finished eventually. The "successful" part will be the lesson learned: just because I want to run fast doesn't mean that I can run fast, especially if I'm green.

Click here for Buffalo Run video!

A little less green after the race was over.

Even a bad race at Catalina is still a great day!

Thanks to Erick Potel for the photos!

12/02/07 California International Marathon - NEW PR!

2007-12-04T10:22:00.001-08:00

The California International Marathon took place on Sunday, December 2nd in Sacramento. About 6,000 runners and 3,000 relay runners participated. This event is known for being speedy since it starts in Folsom at 338 feet above sea level and finishes at the Capitol Building in Sacramento which has an elevation of 21 feet. However, there were lots of short rolling ups and downs, including a bridge over the American River at Mile 22. The weather was about 39 degrees at the start and around 52 degrees at the finish with some breezes. In other words, we went from "Way too cold to do anything except stay in bed" to "Perfect weather for running!"

The night before the race, I ate my usual white rice in the Sheraton Grand hotel room with Mom & Lorenzo. My fortune cookie note stated: "Tomorrow will be a happy and memorable day for you" which sounded too good to be true, but I tucked the slip of paper into my racing shorts, just in case... Sure enough, sometimes the cookie writers are suprisingly accurate! I finished in 3:17:51 feeling better than I can ever remember feeling, considering I was running a marathon. (Previous PR was 3:19:17, Detroit, 10/17/06). I attribute that mostly to Coach John for bringing me so very close to death during my track training sessions, thereby making the marathon seem somewhat easy in comparison; to my training partner Lisa for being "anal" about training, and to Lorenzo for his terrific impersonation of Governor Arnold saying "Ah'll see yoo aht da feenish line" sometime during Mile 22! And of course, to Mom, for being at Mile 7 and the finish! CLICK ON PHOTOS TO SEE THEM BIGGER.

Mom waving at Mile 7.

Autumn in Sacramento.

It looks like we are running right into Denny's during Mile 9!

Beautiful colors along the course...

More amazing colors!

Plenty of aid stations, great volunteers!

I did not make that mess!

Rare sight: Runners running away from a bagel shop!

Another strange one: Running towards the bulls!

Somewhere around Mile 20.

Up the bridge at Mile 22.

Racing my shadow across the American River.

The downhill after the bridge was "lucky and memorable" - just like the fortune cookie predicted!

Friend and Sacramento local runner - Michael Farrell at Mile 25.

Just two more left turns to finish at the Capitol!

I was thinking that this was a pretty long campaign trail!

Feeling pretty good at Mile 26.

Last turn before trying to "sprint" to the finish line!

Thanks Mom!

It "SHER" felt great to finish!

Angela's height + Mom's height = Michael's height!

Michael had a great race considering he ran at high altitude!

CHRISTMAS TREE

(get it, "capital" Christmas Tree!?! Ha!)

After the photo, we rang the doorbell and then ran away before Arnold could answer the door!

Terrific event, nice town, great weather, and lots of fast finish times! Definitely was "happy and memorable!" Thanks Fortune Cookie Writer!

For results, click HERE.

What is a Bozzee?

2007-12-01T14:53:00.000-08:00

First let's define some basic vocabulary needed to understand this post...

Nike+ iPod Sport Kit: The geniuses at Nike and Apple have created this 2 piece combo which includes 1) a sensor that goes into a hole in the insole of specially built Nike shoes, and 2) a receiver that plugs into your iPod Nano. The kit costs $29.95.

Nike+ shoe: Shoes that have a special hole in the inside of the left insole where the sensor goes. These shoes start at about $85.00. And there are NO TRAIL models that support the Sport Kit combo (which is why Bozzee is so great!)

Sensor: About the size of three stacked quarters. It magically sends information to the receiver attachment to your iPod so your mileage and other data can be seen on your iPod display. The sensor is the orange thing below that has an apple and a Nike swoosh on it.

iPod Nano: If you don't know what this is, ask the nearest 12 year old kid and they will show you theirs. It is like a "walkman" only way cooler. The iPod Nano is the white thing below with a display screen and a gray dial. The receiver is the smaller white box attached to the iPod Nano.

Okay. Now what is a Bozzee?

It is this cool little plastic carrier that holds your Nike iPod chip on any shoe you want. Now you don't have to only use Nike+ shoes in order to get your cool Nike+ iPod Sport Kit to work.

Now, I am not much of a gadget guru, and it shames me to admit this, but at first I was honestly confused by the Bozzee instructions. For some reason, I thought that the "sled" was encrypted with the same information as the sensor that goes inside the bottom of Nike+ shoes. So I put the sled on my shoe, plugged my Sport Kit receiver into my iPod, then jogged around my living room waiting to hear Lance Armstrong's voice. In other words, I thought the "sled" was a REPLACEMENT for the sensor. In my defense, nowhere in the directions does it state "Place the sensor ON THE SLED." But luckily, I'm not just a pretty face and eventually, I figured it out. Wore it trail running on Saturday for an 8 mile run in the Santa Monica mountains. Loved it. Absolutely loved it. Used the "timed workout" feature because I already knew the distance of my run ahead of time. Also think it's great because Nike doesn't make any Nike+ trail shoes so the entire Sport Kit is useless you want to run in Nike+ street shoes on trails (and enjoy your iPod while being treated in the emergency room). Other "run-nerds" have started noticing it and getting extremely jealous. One of them had previously tried duct taping the sensor to the laces of their shoes, but it didn't work and he had to buy a whole new Sport Kit when his sensor fell off the shoe and got lost.

For more information on how to enjoy your Nike iPod Sport Kit in your trail shoes, or any other pair of Non-Nike shoes, visit http://bozzee.com/

Happiness & Health to you in the New Year!

10/14/07 Long Beach Half Marathon

2007-10-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

The full marathon course is yellow and red. The half marathon is just yellow.

It looked like a nice day for a run. There were 2,340 marathon finishers and 5,967 runners finished the half marathon. Both events started together at 7:30am on Shoreline Drive. I ran the half marathon. It was humid. Although it was sunny, temperatures were pleasant and there was a slight ocean breeze. It was quite humid. For the first half of the event, we ran directly into the sun. Did I mention it was humid? For the last three miles of the half marathon, we completed the loop by running away from the sun down Ocean Blvd. Every so often, someone would cheer, "Come on Runner's High!" I'm a big fan of 'runners high' so I cheered for it too. Who doesn't love that feeling of delirium that often occurs after a run?

His sign said "Last Mile - All Downhill From Here!" I guess he didn't think we could handle the truth: "Last Mile - All Flat From Here!"

The goal for my "training run" was to run at 7:30 pace. I finished in 1:37:36 which was about 7:27 pace.
Well organized, fun bands, aid stations with cute themes, and nice weather - especially if you like humidity! Click HERE for results.

As always, thanks to Lorenzo (see the lower left corner of this photo) who told some great jokes to keep my spirits up, took amazing photos while riding his bike alongside me for much of the course, and picked up my extremely sweaty clothes afterwards!

09/30/07 Subaru Urban Assault Race

2007-09-30T21:51:00.000-07:00

What a great way to disguise a 30 mile bike ride: place a few checkpoints in between where the riders have to perform whacky stunts which actually make the ride seem easier and more fun.

Edward & Rebecca were named "Whole Wheat Two Wheeled Ninja Warriors." Even though our team name was somewhat less extreme, Lorenzo and I were called "Team Extreme." He was right at home on his triathlon bike and I just took the training wheels off my mountain bike. Quite a mismatched team, but we both like whacky stunts, so at least we had that in common. The course took us on a tour of Long Beach that included downtown, the Aquarium, Cal State Long Beach campus, Belmont Shore and the ocean.
Zo, Edward & Rebecca. They may look tough now, but just picture them on Hippity-Hops...
Beautiful day for a ride near the Aquarium of the Pacific.

The first challenge, hippity-hopping up and down a hill. Not easy, but definitely funny!

Next was the wheelbarrow run at Cal State Long Beach.
I laughed so hard during this part that I almost fell out!

A few miles later, Lorenzo carried a tired Angela through a slalom maze of cones on a kid's bike. His knees didn't like it nearly as much as I did.

I hadn't ridden one of these since I was a kid! I wasn't very good at it then, and haven't improved much with age. But still had a ton of fun!

Results and more photos are HERE.

At one point near the end, I told Lorenzo that my GPS watch said that we had covered 27.92 miles. He asked, "What's the farthest you've ever ridden a bike before?" To which I tiredly replied, "Twenty-seven point nine two miles." Although he coasted through most of it and I struggled, we both still had a great time and would gladly do it again - especially the parts where he did all the work!

Click the play button below to see a video of this crazy event!

09/23/07 Gift for Coach John

2007-09-23T23:04:00.000-07:00

For those who don't already know, John Medina is the greatest coach ever. Although he tortures me on a weekly basis, especially at the track, he's actually a great guy. Lorenzo and I decided that it was time to upgrade John's antique mountain bike to something a bit more modern. So before my Sunday run with the boys, Lorenzo and I called John over to ask him a question. I'm sure John thought I was dilly-dallying, but after I asked him "What do you think of this?" and when he saw a new Cannondale, I think he completely forgot about the schedule.

"I have to ask you something over here..."

"What do you think of this?"

"Does the envelope say 'Coach John?' - What the...?"

"Is that for me?"

"You're kidding, right?"

"John, it's for you. Thanks for everything."

The card from Lorenzo and Angela makes it official.

Happy Coach and Happy Runner.

Now I will never be able to keep up with him!

09/15/07-09/16/07 Joshua Tree

2007-09-17T22:11:00.000-07:00

Sleeping under the stars, hotdogs & s'mores around the campfire, juggling, lots of climbing of course, and people doing something new for the first time of their life.

Rebecca's FIRST time climbing outdoors!

My first climb of the day after a Saturday morning run.
Rebecca's first mini-camera.

My first: set up a top rope, rappel down that rope, then climb back up it.

Gloria & Mauricio

Agnes & Harold

The Wall of Absurdities

Lorenzo places gear at Hemingway.

Rebecca uses her head and later her chin at the Hemingway Buttress.

Edward gave impromptu juggling lessons.

Gray took some of the most amazing photos.
The next five shots are from his camera:

1) A "couple" of us at Wall of Absurdities.

2) It's Pomegranite Soda!

3) The girls bravely stood between Edward and Lorenzo during their amazing night time juggling display with glowing clubs!

4) Just after sunset.

5) The moon and a Joshua Tree at night. So serene.

Gray is "King of the S'mores!"

Angela, Mauricio, Gloria, Gray, Agnes & Harold.

Zo heads up the rock!

Those were just a few of my favorite pictures.
Click here to see Lorenzo's full gallery of the trip.

09/02/07 New Mexico Marathon

2007-09-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

What a day! I don't know what was more of a shock - getting up at 4:30am (which was 3:30am in Los Angeles) to start at 5:30am, the altitude (5,000-6,200 feet), or all that clean air.

It was particularly special for me to run in my old hometown (La Cueva High School, class of 1989; University of New Mexico, class of 1993).

The marathon started on Tramway, which parallels the city along the base of the mountains. When I lived in Albuquerque, I used to run along this street quite frequently, but never before in the dark. It was actually quite pleasant despite the 8 miles of uphill because there was a beautiful view of the city lights below and also because it was difficult to see just how steep the hill was in the dark.

Bright camera flash + early morning darkness = funny facial expression.

The start!

Running north on Tramway near the top of the hill just as the sun came up.
Dad asked me if I wanted any coffee around Mile 8.

It made me smile and suddenly, I no longer needed coffee. Thanks Dad!

Then the sun was up by the time I started the seven mile downhill cliff.

That was quite an awakening.

Dad kept up a pretty impressive pace during this gel handoff. The Sandia Mountain range is seen in the background here at Mile 13. During the race, I saw cows, a hummingbird and lots of roadkill - very different than my usual LA city scenery.

Nancy and Dad stood in this front yard of a house along Rio Grande Blvd. Notice the Christmas tree lights still attached to the wagon wheel. As runners went by, they thanked Dad and Nancy for "coming out" to cheer. Nancy realized that the runners probably thought that they lived inside that house. Big misconception. Dad usually gets the Christmas tree lights down by April. Around Mile 18, the runners were on a bicycle path for about three miles in the Alameda open space so Dad handed me a gel that I saved until Mile 20.

Deputy James McGrane, with the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department, was killed in the line of duty on March 22, 2006 while making a routine traffic stop. His family has started the Deputy James McGrane Officer Survival Training Fund to support a street survival seminar for law enforcement officers in the State of New Mexico, with the objective of helping police personnel stay alive throughout their careers regardless of assignment or incident. Part of the entry fee from this event went to that fund. Deputy McGrane's parents are seen here at the finish line behind me.

My average pace was 8 minute miles for a total time of 3:29:38, but more importantly, I felt pretty good. The finisher's medal is actually a hand painted ceramic medallion with the state flag and red chili decorations.

Third place in my division (females age 35-39) and fifth woman overall out of 108 women. There were 182 men for a total of 290 runners. We had lots of room to run, and there was never more than 3 people on any street corner yelling at the runners.

Smiling at Dad during the award ceremony.

The post race phone calls to Mom, Lorenzo, and Coach John.

I definitely would not have had such a great day if Nancy and my Dad hadn't been there. Thanks to them, I kept smiling, stayed energized and felt great!

New Mexico Marathon Results Page

08/26/07 Urban Dare Los Angeles

2007-08-26T23:50:00.000-07:00

After a morning of running in the trails while my coach rode along, John and I went to the Pan Pacific Park near the Farmer's Market Grove for the Urban Dare Adventure Race which started at noon. This event permitted participants to walk, run or use public transportation as they went in search of checkpoints which they photographed with a digital camera and showed to the race director at the end of the event. Some of the early tasks took place in the park: find a tennis ball with your team number on it (there were A LOT of tennis balls all over the place), then take it to the race monitor who then gave us a sheet of paper with the word "University" on it which meant that we had to find little signs scattered about, each with one letter and a number on them, for instance "S=18" then find all the letters in your word and add up the corresponding numbers. Then we had to turn in the number to a race monitor who stamped our race "passport" and it was off to the Grove and the Farmer's Market where we had to find the next items, one of which was an Angel sculpture decorated as a tourist.

Next we had to find the park named for the actor who played George Von Trapp in the "The Sound of Music." Now I can recite and sing the entire soundtrack for this film - a talent that I am not terribly proud of, but I attribute to my mother's love of this musical. Since the rules permitted us to call anyone we wanted for assistance, I called Mom and asked her if she remembered the actor's name. Her response: "Oh, I know this! He's .... (silence), well he sang 'Edelweis' and fell in love with Maria, and oh my he certainly is handsome in that uniform!"

To which I replied, "Yes Mother, but what was his NAME?" Eventually, I had to ask her to call me back if she remembered - which she did later, just as we were about to cross the finish line. After we went to PLUMMER Park (named for Christopher Plummer), we had to solve more clues, complete more tasks, and perform a few dares, then we eventually made our way into Hollywood where we had to find the Star for the only person to ever win a Grammy, an Emmy, a Tony, and an Oscar Award which was for best supporting actress in "West Side Story." Now I must tell you that this is my mother's OTHER FAVORITE MUSICAL which I can also recite backwards and forwards. Fortunately, I didn't need to call Mom for this one. I remembered Rita Moreno from a kids' program called "The Electric Company" as well as the song about how much she liked to "Beee Eeen Ah-mer-eee-ka!" The problem was how to find her star on the Walk of Fame. Fortunately, John's friend (thank you John Elder!) was able to find it on the internet. Of course, when we went to the address, we couldn't find it so I looked around and saw other adventure racers across the street huddled over a star on the sidewalk. We quickly crossed the street and we were about to pose for our picture in front of Bob Marley's star when I thought to myself, "Hey, he wasn't in West Side Story!" That's when we discovered that each set of racers had a different set of instructions. Clever race director. Luckily, Rita was two stars away from Bob.

The "Five Minute Time Bonus" Challenge gave us the option of asking six non-racers to form a human pyramid. As we were running down Sunset Boulevard towards the finish line, I realized our options for finding six people were rather limited so I had to get resourceful. First stop: The Body Shop but there were only four "employees" taking turns on the pole at that hour. Darn, our team probably would've received a TEN minute bonus if that plan had worked. Next, I dashed into the pool area at The Standard Hotel which was full of people dying to see and be seen. The first table I happened upon had five guys and one girl. I asked politely, "We are in this scavenger hunt race and need a picture of six people forming a human pyramid, so could you please do it for us?" Then I turned to the girl and said, "You could be on top!" They all laughed and thought it was funny, then one of the guys said, "What's in it for us?" Well, $20 later, they eventually agreed and we got this great photo while they got a little humiliated in front of the beautiful people and probably only got about a drink and a half out of my $20.

Then it was off to the finish line at the bar named for a beautiful rock formation that was also an ampitheatre in Denver. Now if there is one thing I know, it is the location of the bars on Sunset. And NO, not because I frequent them often. It's because part of my eight mile running route includes two miles of the the Strip. Once we arrived at the Red Rocks Bar & Grill, we weren't officially done until one of us made a "bullseye" on the dart board. Although we were both hot and exhausted, John and I took turns trying not to injure any bystanders. At one point, I threw all the darts together because my arm was getting tired and I was trying to save some strength for the lifting of the beer mugs that was soon to come. About 5 minutes and 3 snapped arm muscle fibers later, I actually hit a bullseye! We turned in our camera three hours and forty minutes after we started with only one wrong turn that caused about a 15 minute delay and one wrong photo (I thought the first Academy Awards were held at the Pantages, but the right answer was the Roosevelt Hotel). John and I gave each other a high five, then turned around to see about 30 other teams already seated in the bar drinking what could've easily been their second or third beer judging by the volume of their voices. We heard that the winning team finished in under two hours. I'm pretty sure they must've been riding city busses that were "juiced" or else they used jet packs. Anyhow, we had a terrific time discovering sections of Los Angeles that we never knew existed. Afterwards, we were pretty tired, but with a new sense of accomplishment: we had battled with bad cell phone reception, out run city busses, successfully navigated about 8 miles of the wild west side of Los Angeles, conquered the cool kids in the cobana, got to see a stripper in action without paying cover charges or buying a single drink, and managed to have a blast during most of it!

Ninja Warrior game show - Audition Video

2007-07-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

If you are like me, you probably don't watch a lot of television so you've never heard of a show called "Ninja Warrior" or a channel called "G4" - but I have to admit that I can't watch enough of it! The show is an obstacle course game show where the challenges are extremely tough - many people don't even get past the first stage! And now I am officially entered into a contest to become the lucky winner who gets flown to Japan to compete on the show!

Click here to see why it is the best show ever!

Click here to see my American Ninja Warrior Challenge Contest Video!

Remember to check the Ninja Warrior website again after August 3rd to see if my entry becomes a Top 10 Finalist!

Thank you so very much to Lorenzo for being a video and editing genius!

AUGUST 3rd UPDATE - Well, my video didn't get selected as a top 10 finalist, but I had a great time making it and thanks to everyone for all the support!

07/14/07 Ten Hour Scout Adventure Race!

2007-07-14T19:24:00.000-07:00

My first adventure race was the Scout Adventure Race in Orange County, California near Irvine Lake where teams of four people would have to navigate, trek, mountain bike, kayak, rock climb, zip line and traverse slack lines in order to accumulate points. My first official adventure race team was named "My Kind of Party" and included two veterans (Nick & Louis - both of whom were local to the area) and two rookies (myself and Corey). No, we didn't wear all matching outfits - we wanted to have fun, not look like idiots. We were supported by Lorenzo who stayed at base camp keeping our drinks cold, our tires inflated and our spirits lifted.

The start/finish area was at a campground near the lake. The mandatory team meeting started at 8:30pm the night before the race. During this meeting, the race director cheerfully announced that the race would begin at 3:30am, and better yet - the maps were still being copied and would not be available until 10:30pm, a mere five hours before the start. Fortunately, I was not the designated navigator so the map was meaningless which allowed me to leave the meeting early and try to get some extra sleep. Ignorance truly is bliss. However, I soon realized the other teams' strategy: Bring numerous small, loud children to the campground, get them all hopped up on sugary caffeinated snacks, then let them roam free and create havoc as other teams tried to map check points or rest up before the start.

This race had an extensive list of "Mandatory Gear" which competitors had to keep with them at all times throughout the event. One of these required items was a compass. Since I don't know how to use a compass, I resented this unnecessary burden of 3 extra ounces. But after careful consideration, I realized that the compass might indeed serve a useful purpose after all - I could always drink the liquid inside of it if the situation became desperate enough. Proud of my resourcefulness, I gladly tossed the borrowed compass into my Camelbak.

Oddly enough, the mandatory gear list did not include flare guns. How would the search and rescue team ever find us? I seriously doubted the helicopter pilot would be able to hear me blowing my mandatory plastic whistle over the roar of the chopper engine. I thought about asking Nick and Louis about flares, but didn't want to insult their navigational skills.

The race began on foot in complete darkness. Click HERE for a short video of the start. The topographical map showed the elevations of hills and valleys with checkpoints scattered all over like bad acne. I had no idea how we were going to find any of those pimples in the dark. But fortunately, Nick and Louis had a pretty keen sense of direction, and we found the first four CPs after covering almost four miles in about an hour. Then it was back to base camp to pick up one more mandatory map, grab a quick snack and head back out into the darkness on foot for some CPs that were at the top of three different steep hills - much too steep for bikes.

At one point, Louis asked me if I had a lighter because Corey had a tick lodged into his shin. Contemplating just how tough Corey might be, I was fairly sure he could withstand a few seconds of leg hair scorching, but considering the fact that Corey had doused himself with potentially flammable insect repellent and he possessed an above average quantity of body hair, I was hesitant to risk the possibility that he would become completely engulfed in flames. I doubted anyone was tough enough to survive that and still finish an adventure race. I didn't want to lose a valuable member of the team, and I especially didn't want to carry his charred remains across the finish line in order to avoid disqualification, so I found a tube of Aquaphor (like Vaseline) in my pack and smothered the tick. Eventually, I used some tweezers (the one item of mandatory gear that proved useful) to pull it out of his leg.

During the run, I literally tripped over one of the check points and Corey also found another that we weren't even trying to find. Five hours and sixteen miles later, we had apparently used up my supply of "Dumb Luck" and Corey's supply of "Beginner's Luck." So we went back to camp in order to transition to the next phase of the event. Corey and I easily climbed the rock wall and floated down the zip line before the boys all eagerly jumped on their mountain bikes. Being the chick who was less than enthusiastic about the prospect of spending hours on my least favorite event (aka: walking and pushing the bike) in the sun, I used my gender-based excuse, "I have to change my sports bra" in order to procrastinate just a bit longer. In reality, changing that sports bra really did give me a renewed sense of energy and I was ready to go. We cheerily clicked along for about three miles downhill before realizing that someone forgot to bring the map. Rookie mistake. This is where "Beginner's Luck" and "Dumb Luck" combined to create "Dumb Beginner's Luck." After about a 45 minute delay, we were back on track and on our way to collecting more checkpoints. The ride was really not that bad. Even the part where I fell didn't suck until the bruise really started to develop a few hours later.

Hey guys, wait up!

Unfortunately, my bike got tired before I did and simply refused to cooperate. The rear brake kept engaging making each rotation of the chain harder and harder. Although the boys were all rather experienced bikers, none could really figure out the problem because they seemed unfamiliar with my hydraulic disc brakes. I silently cursed my decision to buy whatever gear the cute guy at the bike shop recommended as my team mates stuck alan wrenches into my bikes many orifices, all to no avail. Between the map delay and my bike's technical difficulties, we were quickly running out of time and we realized we would not be able to accumulate any checkpoints on the kayaking portion of the event. So we went back to camp hoping there would be enough time to complete the slack lines and then cross the finish line before the race finished at 1:30pm.

On the way back around noon, the weather was pretty warm. I actually felt fine for most of the event. But it suddenly became downright HOT once Louis announced that it was 99 degrees. This was one of the few moments when I wished there was a solo entrant division. Again I pondered the necessity of carrying a mandatory glow stick, space blanket and long sleeved shirt during this portion of the race. Maybe if three of the hungry and stranded team mates became desperate enough, we could baste the fourth member of the team in glow stick juice, spread him out on the tinfoil blanket and broil him.

When we got back to camp, we had about 45 minutes left before we had to finish. Just enough time to eat something and regain some leg strength before attempting the slack lines. As I munched on what seemed like the 256th energy bar I had eaten that day, I desperately wished Clif bar came in "Corona w/Lime" flavor. Then I got up and began to put my climbing harness on. As the belt lightly slid up my backside, an excruciating pain radiated from a place deep within me where the sun doesn't shine. I wondered how many female adventure racers still possessed the ability to bear children and I seriously considered replacing my bike saddle with a 1961 Chevy Impala bucket seat.

For those who don't know, traversing across a slack line is like the opposite of tightrope walking. The line you have to walk upon is not tight, it is "slack" - hence the name. For support, you can hold onto a rope above your head, but this rope is also slack so it isn't very helpful because it jiggles back and forth. A LOT. After more than 16 miles on foot going up and down steep hills and ravines, and bushwhacking through sharp prickly shrubs, then another 20 miles or so of hot mountain biking on fire roads with no shade, sprinkled with a little rock wall climbing and a touch of zip line - just to ensure your nerves are completely and utterly frayed - apparently the race director and my team mates thought it might be yet even more "adventurous" for Corey and myself to attempt this slack line section, you know, to get the full experience (translation: to cause an absurd amount of damage to each and every fiber of muscle in your body). Whatever miniscule bit of strength I may have had left in my legs was quickly extinguished as I watched the participant before me convert his slack line into a slingshot and fling himself face first into the ground about three feet below. By now I was out of clean sports bras and could not think of any other believable excuse that could create enough delay to skip this event so I climbed on and tried to get it over quickly with minimal wobbling. Naturally, it lasted for an eternity and my stomach felt like a blender full of Clif Bar/Gatorade martini - shaken, not stirred. But I managed to avoid the face plant and still had enough fumes left in me to grab my team mates' hands and jog across the finish line.

Nine hours, forty-five minutes after we started, we gave each other high fives, simultaneously congratulating and thanking ourselves for not abandoning, maiming or killing one another.

Click HERE for Lorenzo's photo gallery of the event.

If you are a data geek - here is the first 8.5 hours from my GPS watch (the batteries ran out before we finished!)

07/04/07 Holiday Mountain Bike Ride

2007-07-04T14:50:00.000-07:00

I decided to use my day off to train (my rear end) for the mountain bike portion of the Scout Adventure Race which is coming up on July 14th. So I went to my favorite trail run, Sullivan Canyon in the Santa Monica mountains. It was a beautiful day and Sullivan provided lots of shade. Unfortunately, this trail was also as busy as the 405 freeway during rush hour. As I started at the trailhead, I saw two fellow Mountain Goat trail runners, Peggy and Rob. I said "hello" to them and got no response until I added, "It's me, Angela. You probably don't recognize me on two wheels." They briefly greeted me, then turned around and mumbled something that sounded a lot like the word "traitor."

I continued up the path just as many bikers were coming down it. Faced with the sudden prospect of repeated head on collisions, I tried to quickly remember the proper trail etiquette: Downhill bikers yield to uphillers, or was it the other way around? When in doubt, I figured it couldn't hurt to pull off to the side of the trail no matter which way I was going. Of course, this led to quite a few standoffs where both I and the opposing biker would simultaneously dismount and command each other to "go ahead." It got to the point where I was getting more exercise simply mounting and dismounting than I was from pedalling. As I made my way farther up the trail, there was less traffic, but I still had to dismount for the occassional tree trunk across the path because my bike jumping skills are non-existant (and I have the scars from previous attempts to prove it). In fact, when I stepped one leg down to contemplate the best way to get over another tree trunk, I actually tipped over and fell to the other side, so just the thought of jumping an obstacle causes problems. I snuck a guilty glance to make sure no one saw my tumble, then reminded myself that it might not technically be a "fall" because I was actually standing still at the time. Falls = zero, Tip Overs = 1. Then I walked the bike over the jump. It didn't help when a 40-something year old mom, and her three little kids all zoomed right by and gracefully jumped over the same tree without the slightest pause. Not to be deterred, I forged ahead until I reached a pretty steep gulley or trench or whatever you call a 15 foot downhill followed immediately by a 15 foot uphill. After seeing small children whizz through the air with the greatest of ease, I was both humiliated and inspired. The inspired part of me really wanted to tackle that gulley, but there was some sort of official pit stop party taking place on the other side where about 7 riders casually munched on energy bars and seemed to be waiting for some form of entertainment as they looked in the direction of the gulley. Determined not to suck at this sport any more than I already had during the past 45 minutes, I decided to dismount the bike and inspect it for some sort of mysterious technical problem. Relying on my acting background, I pretended to adjust important looking gadgets and hoped the audience would continue on their way soon. Unfortunately, I now think that the peanut gallery was on to my stalling tactics because they slowed down their consumption of food to ESPN super-slow-motion speed. Then, of course, who should appear but the Mom and her kids, hooting and hollering on their way back through the gulley towards me. That did it. I decided that I could not take any more embarrassment, nor could I afford to risk further injury less than two weeks from the race so I turned away from the Trench of Terror and went back down. When I finally reached the end, I realized that I could have completed the same distance in less time if I had been running and carrying my bike. At least then I wouldn't have had to spend all that time getting off and back on again.

Driving with the bike on the back of the car - hopefully this is legal during the race...

06/21/07-06/24/07 Hockey Camp!

2007-06-24T22:52:00.000-07:00

Weekend Warriors Hockey Camp - Vail, Colorado

Coaches: Jim, Kevin, Rob, Nate, & Nick, the goofy looking guy on the right

Jim was our Goalie Coach, and Canadian Kevin talked funny.

He would say, "It's all ABOOOT OH-FENCE."

It was a weekend of reviewing basics, acquiring new skills, playing some great hockey, and making new friends, including a goalie named Chris - who looked suspiciously identical to J.S. Giguere. What do you think?

Coach Jimmy taught the four goalies some new warm up techniques.

Highlight: facing my first ever penalty shot - and making the save!

Rick, the camp director seemed equally happy at the bars as well as on the ice, while Chris and I decided to see if our goalie instincts could withstand the challenge of alcohol.

Jimmy, Angela, Chris and fellow goalie Mike try not to think about the Sunday morning game that started a few hours after this photo. Of course, during that game, Coach Jimmy taught us yet another valuable hockey lesson: How to convert alcohol into energy.

Coach Jimmy was just as helpful off the ice, but later that night, Chris and I started suffering from some mysterious form of "Goalie Vision" and Coach Jimmy was nowhere to be found.

What is camp without a practical joke or two? And when I was asked about the sudden appearance of "silly string" and water balloons after the final Sunday game, I simply responded that I had suffered too many pucks to the head - yet another helpful piece of knowledge I learned while at camp. Thanks Weekend Warriors!

06/20/07 Denver

2007-06-20T23:09:00.000-07:00

First stop - ESPN Zone in Downtown Denver where the weather was 97 degrees outside. Had a terrific lunch with my brother, played video games until our brains imploded and saw this sneak preview of tonight's game at Coors Field: a model of the stadium made out of Coors labels and caps. Pretty cool, if you like Coors or the Colorado Rockies...

Ric bowling at ESPN Zone.

After zoning out at the Zone, we went over to the stadium for the pre-game activities (aka: ordering more food from our seats in the Club Level!)

My first ever Yankees (and Rockies) ticket!

Batting practice.

The famous "Rock Pile."

Derek Jeter swings!

The Brunson kids chow down on ball park grub.

The Yankees may have lost, but good times were had,

at least until the indigestion started.

What's the perfect cure for the morning-after a Yankees loss-hangover? Touring the Coors brewery! After spending a night at the uber-hip The Curtis Hotel , Ric drove the sleepy sister towards Vail for hockey camp. The drive is about 2 hours and goes right past Golden, Colorado: home of the Coors Brewery. Normally, this would not interest me, but when the little brother mentioned "free samples" there was a sudden urgency to learn more about this historic site.

We started drinking before noon. Mom would be less than proud...

Beer can be fashionable!

At this altitude, it is important to stay hydrated!

06/14/07 Surprise party for Lorenzo

2007-06-14T23:34:00.000-07:00

My mission - gather Lorenzo's friends and some food at Rockreation climbing gym and surprise him for his birthday. The friends: Gray & Mary, Staci, Don, Mimi, Snow, Laura & Lexie, Jenn, Miles, Keith and Lindy and Tess, Glen and Mikey and Krista and one more in the oven and other friends. The food: Clif Bars, Boulder Mountain Chips, Pop Rocks, Sierra Mist, Mountain Dew, (catch that clever rock climbing theme...?) and of course The Cake, which I ordered in his favorite flavor - banana (usually bleccchy, but turned out to be pretty good!)

Jenn & Staci kept Lorenzo distracted in the gym until I sent the signal from the party room.

Lorenzo had NO idea and was rather surprised!

He recognized the photo on the cake from our trip to San Louis Obispo, then blew out the candles.

I wonder what he wished for....?

Maybe he wished for a bigger piece of cake!

Thanks to Snow for being such a great photographer! Here are some of my favorite photos from the evening.

06/10/07 Valley Crest Half Marathon

2007-06-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

Lots of "valleys" and "crests" in the Valley Crest Half Marathon

1:44:35 - 2nd place in division!

Just when you think you can't possibly run one more step uphill, the Valley crest marathon course makes you go about three more - but then you get a break. Of course, this process then repeats itself downhill, but eventually the uphill nightmare begins once again. Despite the bipolar terrain, the weather was perfect. The event began with June gloom overcast skies. When the haze cleared, there was still a nice breeze generated by other runners passing me uphill. The course has two u-turns in it which is maddening for serious racers as they try to count those in their age division running past them while still paying attention to where they are going. This skill is especially tough to master when counting females in the 35-39 division since they seem to either look much younger or much much older, depending on their level of sun exposure. The event has one of the nicest race directors around - Nancy Shura. Her side kick this year was a particularly informative park ranger who reminded us that there was "No smoking on the course" just before the start. My favorite part of the race? The downhills - all of them. Nobody passes me on a downhill. Nobody. Except Diana Rush. But her polite British accent actually made it a rather lovely and pleasant experience for me. I guess the only unpleasant part of the race was watching the other runners navigate the extremely steep downhill finish. No matter how "in shape" any of them were, the sight of them coming down on wobbly legs and the jarring thereby induced caused a severe "jiggle" factor that affected jowels, foreheads, and mid-sections in a most unflattering manner. As I pondered the effects of gravity upon the human body, I distinctly recalled hearing at least 10 camera shutters clicking when I ran down this exact hill. Great, soon there will be photographic proof that the "valleys" and "crests" of the Valley Crest Half Marathon weren't limited to describing the course.

Nancy Shura gets bullish.

Keith from Mountain Goats
and Valley Girl at awards ceremony.

Jimmy, "I feel fine!"

Keith models a new accessory, the Valley Crest Finisher Medal!

06/9/07 Mountain Goats Grad Run

2007-06-09T14:41:00.000-07:00

Sycamore Canyon

Lisa is excited about her first Grad Run.

Half way done!

Lisa was still smiling at the finish!

Awards Ceremony

Some "Old Goats"

Lisa thanks Angela for the great run!

Death of Lisa Conover

2007-05-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

I am so saddened by the news of Lisa's death. She and I battled it out in 2001 at the San Diego One Day track event. It was my first attempt at a distance longer than a marathon. Before that event, I was accustomed to competitive street races where runners' attitudes bordered on being somewhat fierce. I'll never forget how shocked I was when Lisa struck up a pleasant conversation with me somewhere around mile 80! What, a friendly runner? I don't remember if I was leading at the time, or she was, but I recall the standings were quite close so it was odd that a close competitor would waste her valuable breath on saying nice things to me, an ultra rookie - whereas she was an experienced veteran. Lisa really showed me the friendlier side of running, a custom I have tried to continue especially whenever I encounter a newbie. I'm sorry I never got to thank Lisa for instilling in me the notion that competitors can be your friends too.

A memorial service to celebrate Lisa’s life will be held at the Wichmann Funeral Home at 537 North Superior Street in Appleton, Wisconsin on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers her husband requests that donations be made in her name to the Living Desert at:
The Living Desert
Attn: Shirley
47-900 Portola Avenue
Palm Desert, California 92260-9817

05/19/07 Bishop 20 Mile Trail Race

2007-05-19T22:28:00.000-07:00

There's a reason I don't repeat races. Ignorance is bliss. 364 days isn't always enough time to forget the (insert any/all of the following) heat, steep up hills, kamikaze down hills, soft sand, high altitude, head winds... As I trudged up the sandy start of the race, I specifically remembered how much better I felt last year when I had actually trained for Bishop. Apparently my aging process has not affected my long term memory one bit. It's the short term memory, (as in trying to remember whether or not I had even trained at all for this) that is becoming increasingly - uh, what was I saying? I do remember receiving a terrific "ultra" compliment from Robert Andrulis just before the race, "Angela, I'm Robert, and you are the reason I started running ultras. I heard you on NPR." My immediate reply was, "I'm terribly sorry." I would've started begging for forgiveness, but the race was about to begin. In addition to making new friends, it was good to see familiar faces like Kari Marchant, Dale Reicheneder, Michelle Barton, Greg Minter, Peggy Geibel, and Xy Weiss. Also, the Mountain Goats made a good showing: Jack Murray and Scott Sullivan both completed the 50 mile course while Elena and myself stuck with the 20 mile "Fun" Run. Keep in mind that Race Director Marie Boyd signs her e-mails as "The Race Director from Hell" so when she calls the 20 mile distance "Fun" her perception is somewhat skewed. Having done the race four previous times, I should know better, but I had two legitimate excuses this year: 1) free entry from winning last year, and 2) having gotten into rock climbing, the race goes right through the famous Buttermilks Bouldering Area and I badly wanted to climb them, even if I did it badly. I told myself to run a smart race and conserve energy at the beginning, oblivious to the fact that "conserving" and "running" are diametrically opposed. Soon I began to wonder why "conserving" was sapping every last drop of energy. Around mile 6, an observant aid station volunteer commented, "Honey, you've got goosebumps, I think you're dehydrated." I proudly responded something about how "conservative" I'd been running thus far so I was fine. Then I proceeded to almost tip over when she put the weight of my now full water bottle back into my hand. At mile 9.7, I told myself that I was almost half way done, but my body was more like 7/8 done. Fortunately, my favorite part of the course was coming up soon, a two mile rocky and technical descent where I would not have time to think about anything other than foot placement, or the unpleasant consequences of careless foot placement. It was during that descent that I finally began to feel good and actually looked forward to rock climbing after the finish. But then came the sand at the bottom of the hill and soon I was desperately clinging to the possibility that I would simply sink - feet to head - completely below the soft quagmire that had whammmied my legs throughout the race. Somehow, I swam through the sand - breast stroke proved to be the most effective method - and finished in 3:19, 2nd place female, but my slowest time ever by two minutes. All in all, having a less than stellar day reminded me of just how good it felt to run a race after properly preparing for it and I've already begun the countdown of how many training days are left until next year's Bishop High Sierra Race. Now if I can just remember what I'm supposed to do until then...

Fun Run. It says it right there in the fine print!

Mountain Goats: Jack Murray, Elena, Scott Sullivan,

and Short Term Memory Loss Lady.

Warning: Running Bishop High Sierra makes you shorter.

The scenery is unforgettable!

In a moment of weakness, the Race Director from Hell gives me a finisher medal.

Running in the sand made my feet thirsty.

1 min, 2 secs behind Laila from San Francisco.
Stay tuned for the rematch at Quad Dipsea!!!
Perspective: Detroit Marathon time (26.2 miles) = 3:19:16.
Bishop High Sierra 20 miles = 3:19:13.

Scenic reminder of the race.

Then a shower and some grub and it's time to climb!

As Lorenzo and I went bouldering in the Buttermilks...the 50K/50mile runners were coming into a nearby aid station.

Way to go Jack!

The next day, we went to the Owens Gorge for some great big wall climbing!

Great weather, restroom with helicopter rescue basket, lots of climbing - everything an adrenaline junkie could possibly need!

Lorenzo & Jack get ready for the first ascent of "China Doll" at an area called The Great Wall of China.

Top rope warm up.

Angela belays Chris on his first ever climb!

Lead climbing.

Placing gear while lead climbing.

Getting down and back up the Gorge while carrying gear was almost as much work as running 20 miles - but I'm looking forward to more climbing at Bishop again hopefully very soon - and I've already registered for next year's Bishop High Sierra 20 mile race!

04/08/07 Mt. Baldy Training Run

2007-04-09T14:24:00.000-07:00

Trail racing season is approaching and the streets of Los Angeles don't provide much altitude or hill training so I set out to find both about and hour east of the city. I went with my fellow Mountaingoat runners Lorenzo and Lon. Lorenzo hiked it, Lon and I ran up together the first time, then I did it again a second time solo, only with a bit more walking. Mt. Baldy summits at 10,064 feet, but the part I find most impressive is called "Devil's Backbone" which is only about 8,600 feet. Imagine standing on a path about the width of a six pack, then looking at clouds that are 2,000 feet below to your left and right.

The path I chose started at Mankor Flats (elevation about 6,200) then climbed for 4.6 miles to Devil's Backbone. It took Lon and myself about an hour and fourteen minutes to get up and about 45 minutes down.

Lon and I coming down

A quick snack at the car, refill the the bottle, say bye to Lon and then run back up again. The second time also took an hour and fourteen minutes, so apparently power walking DOES take the same amount of time as trotting mini-baby step style up steep hills!

If I look a little dismayed, it's because this is my second trip up

Look really close - you can see me going up between the trees

This is the top of the chairlift, about a quarter mile before Devil's Backbone with the peak of Baldy just beyond the trees.

Yes, that is SNOW to the right side of the lift!

Thanks to Lorenzo for the pictures!

Angela's Amazing Ab Adventures!

2007-04-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what you are supposed to do with those Swiss Exercise Balls? Whether you are a runner or not, if your core training needs a boost, you might try some of these free abdominal exercise videos - they are better than going to Boot Camp because you can do them in the privacy of your own home. I got the idea to post them when my brother bought a Swiss Exercise Ball, but he needed some instruction on how to use it. Everyone who has tried these ab exercises so far has told me that their abs burn, but they like the results.

My secret to success!

03/04/07 Los Angeles Marathon

2007-03-04T15:32:00.000-08:00

I don't think you would've liked the LA Marathon course - in fact, I don't think ANYONE liked it. Lots of hills, turns, and not very scenic at all. The best part was running through fire hydrants to cool down, but then my shoes got wet and now I have horrible blisters! Although I'm disappointed with my time, I'm rather proud that I didn't quit even though I really wanted to. And not just for a moment or two, I mean for the entire time from mile 9 until mile 23, I couldn't stop thinking about quitting. This was my 20th marathon and I have never before struggled this much with the thought of quitting. I started the race at 7:20 pace for the first 10K. By the half way point, I was running an 8:20 pace, and my average for the entire race was 9:00 minute miles - so that tells you how much I dragged the second half. Felt pretty weak and dehydrated for a while after the race, but not too sore. Glad that one is over and this time, when I say "I'm never doing this race again," I really mean it!

I ran through the tunnel hoping for some sprinklers. Nope, just loud music.

The scenery was great if you liked seeing just how far away it was to the finish...

Fake smile.

Scenery? Oh, look a doggie!

More pavement and buildings.

Another fake smile.

Buildings.

Finally something good to see - the finish line!

It was so hot, the last thing any of us needed was a blanket.

Cool medal, but can it cure blisters?

2/10/07 Catalina Buffalo Half Marathon Trail Race

2007-02-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

Keith and Angela head over to the start.

Lorenzo and Keith enjoy the sun.

When you get to the uphill, just keep going.

Since the course was going to kick it, I better warm it up.

Ppppfffflthththt.

Keith, Lon & Angela - the Mountain Goats.

Keith gets ready to sprint.

Shortly after the half marathon started, the 5K race began.

Lorenzo enjoyed the 5K and his first visit to Catalina.

I enjoyed resting after the half marathon.

Other finishers enjoyed cooling their legs in the ocean.

Medal.

After the race, I got really hungry!

10/29/06 Detroit Marathon

2006-10-29T21:18:00.000-08:00

3:19:16 - a new PR!
The weather was ideal, and the extra hour of tossing & turning last night didn't hurt either. During the first mile, a band played "One, Two, Three O'Clock, Four O'Clock Rock" which permanently embedded itself on loop play in my brain. The only hills to speak of were the verrrry steep bridge at mile 3 into Canada and the tunnel to get back into America. The Canadians were quite supportive and could be heard to cheer us on with, "Good pace, eh!" and "Keep it going, eh!" Then at mile 7 we returned to the States via underwater bridge, the only international underwater mile in a marathon. Little did I know that the underwater mile was timed. Mine was 6:55 which was apparently good enough to allow me to re-enter my home country. The tunnel also provided a nice break from the wind. Although it was sunny, the wind was non-stop. One of my later miles was 7:35 but I must admit that was the only time we were traveling with the wind at our backs. Everything else seemed like the gusts were from the side or straight against us. I'm no wind expert but others were heard to say that the gusts reached up to 25 miles per hour. The scenery was either really dull (factories) or really spectacular (running alongside the river inside a park with amazing fall colors in the trees). It was a particularly great race for a sports fan since we ran past the Joe Louis hockey arena, the Comerica baseball park, and finished on the 50 yard line of the Ford Field football stadium which was fortunately a dome stadium and warm and indoors and wind-free. Spectators filled the seats and finishers were shown on a giant indoor television monitor, which is as close as I've ever gotten to having an NFL career!
Results: http://www.detroitfreepressmarathon.com/results.htm

Starting into the sunrise.

The fall colors were amazing!

General Motors world headquarters in the background.

Approaching the finish inside Ford Field on the 50 yard line!

Mom and I are both thrilled at the finish!

Mom and the medal!

A few days after the marathon, we took a trip to Niagra Falls!

Mom and I are amazed!

The Niagra Conservatory was colorful and beautiful.

Walking with Mom.

A highlight of the trip was the Detroit Red Wings game on November 1st.

But before the game, we had to gear up with official Red Wings souvenirs at HockeyTown!

Having lived in Detroit, Lorenzo is a true "Wing Nut!"

Red Wings jersey and foam finger, mandatory items for every true fan!

Great seats!

An exciting game winning goal in the third period!

This statue is called "The Spirit of Detroit" and I'm showing my spirit!

Lorenzo and Angela near GM headquarters.

Running along the river two days after the race.

Outside the Joe Louis Arena, just a half mile from our hotel.

The Ambassador Bridge to Canada, which was mile 3 of the race and the steepest part.

A statue of Joe Louis' fist.

Getting a "high five" from Joe.

Angela tries to keep warm near the cold hard fist.

Lorenzo learns to pick on someone his own size...

Had a great lunch with my 2nd cousin Sherry in Ann Arbor.

10/02/06 Lorenzo's Account of San Luis Obispo Trip

2006-10-02T09:07:00.000-07:00

Tired of running around LA and Santa Monica, Angela was hoping for some new scenery on her long training runs in preparation for the Detroit Marathon. Solution? Couchsurfing in San Luis Obispo! Of course, while we're up there, what else to do?
Rockclimbing, of course!
We stayed with the most amazing folks in the most amazing house. I wish I had taken pictures! Laurie, Sean and Larry actually live in Atascadero, not far from SLO. Their house is practically a resort - definitely a "retreat" - at least for easy-going, eco-conscious, nature-loving weirdos... like us!
We arrived Friday night, having left work early. Lucky for us, Laurie and her housemates were hosting a Raw Vegan Foods dinner party, and several friends came over to help prepare and share. Angela and I spent some fun, messy time cramming hundreds of tiny green grapes into a noisy, thrashing juicer. The grapes came from a local un-tended vineyard, and they had brought back at least 50 lbs! The resulting juice was incredible. Dinner was a wonderful event, and afterward we all "retired" to the living room for hula-hoops, juggling, acrobatic yoga and fun trivia quiz!
Saturday morning Angela ran a quick 7 miles on a paved trail from the 101 to Avila Beach, while I rode my bike along for company. Afterward we went back to the house and packed up for climbing. Laurie and Larry had never been rockclimbing before, even though SLO offers some excellent crags and supports a healthy community of climbers. So we got to break them in... and WOW - Cabrillo Rock couldn't have been a better spot to do it! At the end of the day we were still up on the mountain for the sunset. We paused our activities and sat on the rock to watch the sun sink below the horizon. I'm confident it was the most amazing sunset I've ever witnessed.

After an amazing afternoon and evening of climbing, Sunday dawned cold and damp, and Angela had 15 miles on the training schedule. We went out into the wine country and did a loop route through the rolling hills of vineyards. As usual I rode my bike - I have a long way to go before I can run anything like this with the strong and speedy Angela. Under an occasional light drizzle and cool breezes, the SLO valleys were foggy and clouds hugged the low mountains around the valley. Why didn't I bring my camera?! The back roads through the vineyards are perfect for running and road cycling, though our route did take us on a little too much 4-lane highway. We'll plan the route more carefully next time.
We made some wonderful new friends and we're all planning a Joshua Tree climbing trip soon, which I'm sure will generate even more to photograph and write about.

9/04/06 Kern Climbing Trip

2006-09-05T23:56:00.000-07:00

http://lgonzalez.net/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1110

8/19/06-8/20/06 Big Bear Biking Camping Climbing Fishing & Running

2006-08-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

Be sure to look for the blood all over my right leg - just a scrape, but looks really hardcore! Saturday was fishing and mountain biking. Don cooked an amazing dinner - curry stew over rice. Saturday night was a snipe hunt and ghost stories, then card games and chess. Sunday was a four mile run, followed by Giuliana's Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes. Then we climbed all day. Dinner was at a local Big Bear cafe with magnificent burgers and we sang "Happy Birthday" to Giuliana.
http://lgonzalez.net/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=843