On the "Run" - 12/30/07

2.58 Miles / 43:09 Min / 16:40 mpm

Walked 30 min, ran 5 min, walked the rest of the way. I had intended to go one hour total but at the 43 min mark, we reached the dawg park and the dawg was jones-ing for some face-chewing action so we called it.

The photo above is of the Cabrillo Bridge, named for San Diego's European Discoverer. It formed the ceremonial entrance to the 1915 Exposition. Frankin Delano Roosevelt was in the first car to drive across the structure during it's dedication ceremony in 1914.

It is 450 feet long and 120 feet high, modeled after a Romam aqueduct. While highway 163 currently runs underneath, originally the bridge spanned a lagoon.

On The Run, 09/14/07

3.77 miles / 37:37 min / 9:58 mpm


This is the fountain at the West end of the plaza. Beyond the fountain, you can see the plaza - the botanical building is on the left. The Dawg's fountain is at the far end - left-hand-side and the big fountain is just beyound that.

Fine run this morning. Wednesday's run went so well I was eager to see how this one felt. About average, I suppose, but the dawg started to really lag around the 25 min mark.

It's tough. You have to wonder, is he hanging back 20 feet just because that's where he wants to be this morning? or is something wrong? does he not feel well? is he just overly tired? Is part of that stuffed animal he ate yesterday still caught in his throat?


After watching him for a few minutes, I figured we better cut it short. Pretty sure it was the right idea since he is currently passed out at my feet.

I am scheduled for a 6-miler on Sunday - I think I will bench him for that one.

On The Run, 09/11/07 - Doing My Part in the GWOT

5.01 miles / 50:15 min / 10:01 mpm

Wonderful Glorious Beautiful Rapture.

Not like the run-who-shall-not-be-named from three days ago. The difference? 10 FREAKING DEGREES.

Seems to me that for every 1 degree rise in temperature, you might as well put two pounds of sand in a bucket and carry the bucket on the back of your neck while you run.

But not today friends, no-siree-bob. The sky was dark, the air was crisp, the Itunes were peppy and we launched out. We watched the sky lighten and the sun come up - bouncing off the dew-covered grass like a million "spawkwing diamonds". Seriously - it did.

We were tearing it up this morning - even ran through a couple of sprinklers just because we can.

The dawg and I rounded the corner and came thundering through the plaza on wheels of fire. When the nano announced that the workout was completed, a recording of Lance Armstrong came on to congratulate me on a new personal record for the mile.

"Is that all you got?! I screamed into the headphones in reply. "I say, I say, IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?!"

So take THAT you cave-dwelling-braying-bearded-goat-monkey.

Because no matter how badly we got thumped the last time we stepped out the door, every morning begins a new day. We step to the door, turn the knob and step out with a, "Thank you sir, may I have another?" And we get after it.

This is America - its what we do.

(okay, maybe I got a little carried away at the end there - I hear endorphins can do that to you)

On The Run, 09/05/07

4.75 miles / 50:20 min / 10:35 mpm

So there I sat, in the 5am darkness, tying my shoes and anticipating this morning’s run. Let’s see.

1) I have blisters on the bottoms of both my feet from my Saturday Weekend Adventures

2) Because I have blisters, I haven’t run in four days

3) Today will be the maiden voyage in a brand new pair of shoes (the ones I got in June had a piece of tread coming off so I traded them for a new pair yesterday)

4) Today is the day I am supposed to add time / mileage to my run and that means adding in a couple hills or retracing my steps (which I hate to do)

What could possibly go wrong?

Better leave the dawg at home. After all, he is still a puppy and it might be bad for him to see the “Big Dawg” fall to pieces half-way through.

Turns out, things went just fine. It was hard, but that had more to due with my expanding waistline than my feet.

School is back in session and that means hoards of college students flooding the city. Morning runs are no different. It seems like you can’t turn a corner without having to dodge a female coed.

There is something about running in the presence of college-aged gals that causes a 37-year-old, slightly-over-weight, decade-and-a-half-married, running-hack like myself suck it up and work to keep his composure.

Never let ‘em see you sweat – ‘er, if they do, don’t let them see you cry about it.

This is one of the wife's favorite spots at Balboa Park. It is a grove of magnolia tress that is wonderful.

Weekend Adventures, Labor Day '07 - Part 2

I know, I know - by blogging standards, this past weekend is ancient history by now. But I just want to prove that the whole weekend wasn't barefoot death marches through the heatwave.

Sunday we got up, watched CBS Sunday Morning and watched the temperature rise on our thermostat. Time to get out of dodge.

We packed an ice chest, loaded up the dawg and headed to, where else? Balboa Park.

We found a shady spot and had a glorious time.

Afterwards, we headed to the same friends' house I had showed up so unexpectedly at (and practically naked) the day before to celebrate a couple of birthdays.

When we got back home, I checked the thermometer - 103 was the high at the ol' homestead this past Sunday. Not bad - but we hadn't seen nuthin' yet . . . .

On The Run, 08/28/07

4.44 miles / 45:27 min / 10:13 mpm

This is the main fountain in Balboa Park. It is located at the east end of the plaza and if you are running down the plaza at the right time, you can watch the sunrise behind it.

I have heard of people training for marathons on their local high school track. Round and round and round. No thanks.

I like to actually go somewhere when I am running and I try to avoid retracing my steps whenever possible. I also don't like to run near traffic and I prefer dirt trails to pavement. All this means that I have to be pretty creative at times when mapping out my route.

Lately, I have been staying off the dirt paths in an effort to give my IT band a chance to recuperate. But as I build up my mileage, it gets tougher and tougher to avoid retracing my steps through the flat paved areas of the park.

This morning I got to the end of my route and still had 5 minutes left - round and round and round I went. Like a hamster in a wheel - squeak squeak squeak.

It may be near time to hit the dirt again.

On The Run, 08/21/07

3.98 miles / 40:12 min / 10:05 mpm

I have always wondered about this statue in Balboa Park. It is striking and it sits in a very prominant location. This morning, I decided to snap a photo on my run and look it up when I got home.

It is a statue of a Spanish warrior named Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar who was referred to as El Cid. Turns out, he became famous during Spain's war against Muslim invaders.

Some things never change, I guess.

Had a great run. Even though my new "Mr. Clean" haircut was an accident, it sure is a nice hair style for running. I have never felt cooler - it was as if 1/2 the heat and sweat just poured out the top of my head and into the morning air.

For some reason, the nano kicked up a "rock-block" of U2 this morning. There are a lot of great tunes to run to but if I could only pick one band or one album, it would have to be U2. They might be the best running music ever. Their confident, forward-leaning beats and their alternating solitary and celebratory songs make a great mix for running. Fun.

There is a woman who walks her Cocker Spaniel off leash in the mornings and we recognize each other enough to exchange pleasantries. This morning, as the dawg and I jogged by, the two dawgs had a drive-by frolick. Fun Fun.

As the dawg and I rounded the south end of the park, a jogger came up an adjoining path with her Boxer, also off-leash. Since we were running the same direction, the dawgs had a good romp for about 100 yards or so before we went our separate ways. Fun Fun Fun.

I hadn't run since Friday due to all the weekend adventures and this being only my second 40 min run since the IT Band incident, I was a little apprehensive. I am glad to report that I felt like a million at the end of the run today.

Since I missed the run on Sunday, I think I will hold off on increasing my runs to 45 min until the weekend.

Smile! It's not Monday and tomorrow we will be 1/2 way there!

On The Run, 08/11/07

Went for a run this morning. I let the Dawg off the leash at the half-way point since by then he has usually run all the "squirrelies" out.

He did just fine but it was short lived as the park was a little crowded and the sight of an 85 pound dog running free makes some people nervous.

Near the end of the run, I heard the Dawg scuff one of his paws as if he had sort of stumbled, I looked down and he was favoring his front left leg.

We stopped right away and he was all too happy to lay on the grass and let me check him out. I checked each paw twice - everything looked fine.

We walked back towards the car and I watched him closely - he seemed perfectly fine. Maybe he just did the dawgie equivalent of stubbing his toe or something.


This fountain is near where we park when we run at Balboa Park. Last week, the Dawg stopped to drink out of the fountain and proceeded to jump in and slosh around.

It has pretty much become ritual now. At the end of each run, we go by the fountain and he jumps in and gets a drink. I don't really mind as it makes him feel good and gets some of the dirt off him (especially if we have been running the dirt trails).

On The Run 08/09/07

It's strange that the longest day of the year is June 21st but the hottest month of the year for San Diego is usually September.

From the end of June, to the middle of October or so, the days get progressively darker and hotter.

It's like going into some sort of steamy black tunnel.

The Dawg and I had a good yet uneventful run.



This is the east facade of the Casa del Prado building at Balboa Park.

I have always wondered about the statues and reliefs that make up the architecture of the park. I figured I would snap a photo and google the info. Not so apparantly. At least, I didn't find the info in the 2.5 minutes of time that I allotted for looking.

Funny how computers have made us so impatient. It was not that long ago that if you wanted to find out info on the statues in Balboa Park, you would have to truck on down to the library, find the card in the catalogue box, and head off into the stacks to find the book you were looking for (if it wasn't already checked out). "Sorry honey, come back in two weeks - maybe they will have returned it. Do you want to be put on the waiting list?"

Now, if we can't find something in second and a half from the comfort of our own home, we lose interest.

I haven't lost interest though - I think I will visit the park gift shop the next time I get the chance and look for one of those . . . what do you call them? Oh, yes . . . books.