When I was trying to decide if I should sign up for High Lonesome 100 or not there was a Plan 1 and Plan 2. Plan 1 was to run Kendall Mountain, Mt. Sneffels Half and the Silverton Alpine 50K. Plan 2 was High Lonesome. Now that High Lonesome isn't going to happen, I am looking at going back to Plan 1. No firm decisions yet, but all three of these races are a possibility.
Monday:
I intended to run when I woke up today, but that didn't happen. The neighborhood we are staying in is basically one circle. I am guessing I could get about a half mile in one loop, but I also knew we had a long drive ahead of us so I opted to sleep more and hopefully get home at a decent hour because I have to teach in the morning.
We did not get home at a decent hour. And I am about to ban my family from traveling with me. Here are my complaints. 1. Norm drives slower than me, but insists on driving. One of the great things about Norm is that he is pretty easy going. This is not a good quality when you are stuck behind a truck driving 40 miles an hour in an 75mph zone and Norm is happy to just enjoy the scenery. But also he seems to have some driving control issue. He will be over there sighing and shifting and in general coming across as miserable, but will NOT let you drive no matter how many times you ask if he would like you to take over. 2. Norm can’t use an iPhone. When I first met him I upgraded his phone from what looked like the very first flip phone. I was dirt poor, but that phone was ridiculous. I added him to my plan and got him a smart phone the minute it became clear we were a serious couple. 7 years later he still can't use it. And the map feature, any map feature, is a situation. He missed exits, can't find places and somehow had direction for us to walk to Chipotle in Palm Springs. 3. Norm does not talk during a car drive. Now at home I won't let him talk and drive because when he is talking he drives progressively slower. Seriously, as he tells a story you can watch the speedometer go down. I am not the only person to comment on this. And I usually enjoy traveling with Ava, but she was really silent on the way home. Or sleeping. Okay, so yes I am giving Norm a hard time, but he is a great guy and he puts up with me so there is that. For the most part I love him so much my heart might explode, just not when he is driving.
Lots of potty stops for the dogs and the people. One missed exit in LA traffic and one meal stop at Chipotle in Palm Springs and we were home at 1am.
Monday:
I intended to run when I woke up today, but that didn't happen. The neighborhood we are staying in is basically one circle. I am guessing I could get about a half mile in one loop, but I also knew we had a long drive ahead of us so I opted to sleep more and hopefully get home at a decent hour because I have to teach in the morning.
We did not get home at a decent hour. And I am about to ban my family from traveling with me. Here are my complaints. 1. Norm drives slower than me, but insists on driving. One of the great things about Norm is that he is pretty easy going. This is not a good quality when you are stuck behind a truck driving 40 miles an hour in an 75mph zone and Norm is happy to just enjoy the scenery. But also he seems to have some driving control issue. He will be over there sighing and shifting and in general coming across as miserable, but will NOT let you drive no matter how many times you ask if he would like you to take over. 2. Norm can’t use an iPhone. When I first met him I upgraded his phone from what looked like the very first flip phone. I was dirt poor, but that phone was ridiculous. I added him to my plan and got him a smart phone the minute it became clear we were a serious couple. 7 years later he still can't use it. And the map feature, any map feature, is a situation. He missed exits, can't find places and somehow had direction for us to walk to Chipotle in Palm Springs. 3. Norm does not talk during a car drive. Now at home I won't let him talk and drive because when he is talking he drives progressively slower. Seriously, as he tells a story you can watch the speedometer go down. I am not the only person to comment on this. And I usually enjoy traveling with Ava, but she was really silent on the way home. Or sleeping. Okay, so yes I am giving Norm a hard time, but he is a great guy and he puts up with me so there is that. For the most part I love him so much my heart might explode, just not when he is driving.
Lots of potty stops for the dogs and the people. One missed exit in LA traffic and one meal stop at Chipotle in Palm Springs and we were home at 1am.
Maui felt the same as the rest of us. No one wants to go back to Phoenix.
Long drives are the worst!
Tuesday:
I really did set an alarm to get up and run. But I did not get up and run. Oh well, with my mileage decreasing the last 3 weeks down to a whopping 4 miles last week no need to over do things this week. I am very happy I had scheduled a lab day for my students to work on a project because I am not sure my lecture would be super inspiring today.
Talked to the kids. They made it to Silverton and froze to death sharing one small blanket. I thought they were going to stop to buy sleeping bags in Durango but I guess not. (All of their blankest were ruined in the Maui Diarrhea Situation of 2017 the week before.)
When I came home from the work the AC did not seem to be working so well. Again. This has been happening off and on for a month or so now. Usually if you turn it off and wait half an hour it will work again. Norm says it might be freezing over. Anyways, using our typical great adulting skills we have been ignoring it and now it is an actual problem. Norm says he is going to crawl up and look at it later. I don’t think he actually knows anything about air conditioning units, but okay.
Wednesday:
I did get up and run! Just a short 6 miles on the canal. I was planning 8 miles but I didn't get out the door as early as I wanted and I wanted to get weights in before going to work. I got home to find that Hank (the new puppy) was going bat shit crazy. To keep Norm from killing Hank I took Hank for a 10 minute run. Once he learns how to run without crossing in front of me randomly he is going to be fast. He seems to love running. I actually hate running with dogs, but he is clearly going to need the exercise. I originally thought Norm could run with Hank, but Hank might be too fast for Norm.
Finished planning some last minute details of the trip. I am a little bummed. I usually leave for the summer and spend a week or so in California with the rest of the time in the mountains with some cool air. That is not happening this time. We will be in LA for 5 days or so and it should be nice. But Sacramento will be hot. And Murray, Utah (I booked months ago) will be really hot! I won’t be in cool mountain air until July 12th. But the first part of the trip is the kids getting to do what they want to do. This trip has been hard to plan. Trying to coordinate all the schedules and Enzo working in Silverton all summer but wanting to try to see him sometimes. I am always asking the kids their opinion about where we go and where we stay, but really they couldn't care less. If there is an internet connection and electricity, all of their requirements are being met.
The good news is my daughter told me today that she may complain about the traveling for races, but she is glad we do it. That it’s fun to see new places and even go to the races. She also thought it was cool to know a lot of random information about races and the “lingo” that we use. So I guess I am not ruining their lives after all. Good to know!
The AC is officially broke. I wanted to go to a hotel, but no one else wanted to go. When I went to bed it was 91 degrees in the house. I actually stopped sitting in the new chair I bought because I was sweating so much I was afraid I would make the fabric stink. So if you come over, sit in my chair, not Norm’s chair. He just sat there sweating all night. I also went to bed at 8pm because my head hurt and I didn't want to think about being hot any more.
Thursday:
I spent the night thinking that my sweet Hank had been sleeping next to me all night. What a cutie! I was incorrect.
The neighbor who is house sitting came over at 10pm to talk to Norm. At the end of their conversation, Hank managed to bolt out the door and took off running. Norm was chasing Hank through Sunnyslope in his bare feet. He said people would see Hank running with the leash dragging behind and ask “Are you chasing that dog?’ Norm found this greatly annoying. I told him he should have replied, “No, just practicing my barefoot running, I don’t know who that dog is.” Lots of people out and no one helped. Once again, Sunnyslope for the win. Hank was quite the asshole about it. He even stopped, took a dump and before Norm could grab him took off again. See, I told you he is too fast for Norm. So, what I thought was sweet Hank was really Hank cuddling close to me to keep Norm from killing him. (Norm wouldn’t really kill him, but if this were a cartoon world, Hank would have had an anvil dropped on him for sure!)
Despite Norm’s middle of the night speed work out, he did go with me for an easy 6 mile run on the trail. Even went on the 1 mile Hank run. But that was probably to spend time with me, not Hank.
This is a side note about teaching and has nothing to do with running. I often teach ACE classes at the community college. These are high school students taking college classes for credit. Today their final projects were due for Psychology and Culture. They have known about these projects since the first day. They have been reminded by me, been given a rubric and we have discussed it in class. I am shocked at how many people did not present their project because they did not have it done. What? This class is over today! Turn in your project!
Oh yeah! The AC is fixed and it was an easy fix.
I really did set an alarm to get up and run. But I did not get up and run. Oh well, with my mileage decreasing the last 3 weeks down to a whopping 4 miles last week no need to over do things this week. I am very happy I had scheduled a lab day for my students to work on a project because I am not sure my lecture would be super inspiring today.
Talked to the kids. They made it to Silverton and froze to death sharing one small blanket. I thought they were going to stop to buy sleeping bags in Durango but I guess not. (All of their blankest were ruined in the Maui Diarrhea Situation of 2017 the week before.)
When I came home from the work the AC did not seem to be working so well. Again. This has been happening off and on for a month or so now. Usually if you turn it off and wait half an hour it will work again. Norm says it might be freezing over. Anyways, using our typical great adulting skills we have been ignoring it and now it is an actual problem. Norm says he is going to crawl up and look at it later. I don’t think he actually knows anything about air conditioning units, but okay.
Wednesday:
I did get up and run! Just a short 6 miles on the canal. I was planning 8 miles but I didn't get out the door as early as I wanted and I wanted to get weights in before going to work. I got home to find that Hank (the new puppy) was going bat shit crazy. To keep Norm from killing Hank I took Hank for a 10 minute run. Once he learns how to run without crossing in front of me randomly he is going to be fast. He seems to love running. I actually hate running with dogs, but he is clearly going to need the exercise. I originally thought Norm could run with Hank, but Hank might be too fast for Norm.
Finished planning some last minute details of the trip. I am a little bummed. I usually leave for the summer and spend a week or so in California with the rest of the time in the mountains with some cool air. That is not happening this time. We will be in LA for 5 days or so and it should be nice. But Sacramento will be hot. And Murray, Utah (I booked months ago) will be really hot! I won’t be in cool mountain air until July 12th. But the first part of the trip is the kids getting to do what they want to do. This trip has been hard to plan. Trying to coordinate all the schedules and Enzo working in Silverton all summer but wanting to try to see him sometimes. I am always asking the kids their opinion about where we go and where we stay, but really they couldn't care less. If there is an internet connection and electricity, all of their requirements are being met.
The good news is my daughter told me today that she may complain about the traveling for races, but she is glad we do it. That it’s fun to see new places and even go to the races. She also thought it was cool to know a lot of random information about races and the “lingo” that we use. So I guess I am not ruining their lives after all. Good to know!
The AC is officially broke. I wanted to go to a hotel, but no one else wanted to go. When I went to bed it was 91 degrees in the house. I actually stopped sitting in the new chair I bought because I was sweating so much I was afraid I would make the fabric stink. So if you come over, sit in my chair, not Norm’s chair. He just sat there sweating all night. I also went to bed at 8pm because my head hurt and I didn't want to think about being hot any more.
Thursday:
I spent the night thinking that my sweet Hank had been sleeping next to me all night. What a cutie! I was incorrect.
The neighbor who is house sitting came over at 10pm to talk to Norm. At the end of their conversation, Hank managed to bolt out the door and took off running. Norm was chasing Hank through Sunnyslope in his bare feet. He said people would see Hank running with the leash dragging behind and ask “Are you chasing that dog?’ Norm found this greatly annoying. I told him he should have replied, “No, just practicing my barefoot running, I don’t know who that dog is.” Lots of people out and no one helped. Once again, Sunnyslope for the win. Hank was quite the asshole about it. He even stopped, took a dump and before Norm could grab him took off again. See, I told you he is too fast for Norm. So, what I thought was sweet Hank was really Hank cuddling close to me to keep Norm from killing him. (Norm wouldn’t really kill him, but if this were a cartoon world, Hank would have had an anvil dropped on him for sure!)
Despite Norm’s middle of the night speed work out, he did go with me for an easy 6 mile run on the trail. Even went on the 1 mile Hank run. But that was probably to spend time with me, not Hank.
This is a side note about teaching and has nothing to do with running. I often teach ACE classes at the community college. These are high school students taking college classes for credit. Today their final projects were due for Psychology and Culture. They have known about these projects since the first day. They have been reminded by me, been given a rubric and we have discussed it in class. I am shocked at how many people did not present their project because they did not have it done. What? This class is over today! Turn in your project!
Oh yeah! The AC is fixed and it was an easy fix.
Hank trying to look sweet so all will be forgiven.
Friday:
We did a six mile run. I did some interval work and Norm carried my water so I could run back to him and get it during the easy parts. Hank was a complete disaster on his run and we decided to cut it short and just walk him home. It’s like he knows something is up.
Finally we are leaving for vacation. I am worried about leaving Hank. His skin seems to be getting a lot worse. We are rubbing coconut oil on him and hoping this helps. I did feel better when the house sitter told me that she has always wanted a pit bull and is really excited about staying with him. She even seemed happy when I said he would love to sleep with her.
I wanted to leave at 9am but we left at 11am. I know my family thinks that I am just being difficult, but there is a reason. We have to get there and then we still need to grocery shop. I also do not want to be driving at rush hour through LA traffic.
But alas, we arrived at 5:30pm and still have to go to Anime Expo to pick up badge for tomorrow. By the time we get home everyone is starving and we order dominos pizza. Really? There are a million authentic Mexican restaurants within a half-mile and we are ordering dominos pizza. Ugh!
But the house I rented is amazing. We are in Highland Park. I am in love with this neighborhood. You can walk to everything and within a mile to mile and a half there is everything I need. Ava is going to the LA convention center every day for anime expo and it takes us about 20 minutes with traffic. The house itself is really cute. It’s like living in a Dwell magazine. It’s going to be hard to go home to my house that still needs to be renovated after staying here.
We did a six mile run. I did some interval work and Norm carried my water so I could run back to him and get it during the easy parts. Hank was a complete disaster on his run and we decided to cut it short and just walk him home. It’s like he knows something is up.
Finally we are leaving for vacation. I am worried about leaving Hank. His skin seems to be getting a lot worse. We are rubbing coconut oil on him and hoping this helps. I did feel better when the house sitter told me that she has always wanted a pit bull and is really excited about staying with him. She even seemed happy when I said he would love to sleep with her.
I wanted to leave at 9am but we left at 11am. I know my family thinks that I am just being difficult, but there is a reason. We have to get there and then we still need to grocery shop. I also do not want to be driving at rush hour through LA traffic.
But alas, we arrived at 5:30pm and still have to go to Anime Expo to pick up badge for tomorrow. By the time we get home everyone is starving and we order dominos pizza. Really? There are a million authentic Mexican restaurants within a half-mile and we are ordering dominos pizza. Ugh!
But the house I rented is amazing. We are in Highland Park. I am in love with this neighborhood. You can walk to everything and within a mile to mile and a half there is everything I need. Ava is going to the LA convention center every day for anime expo and it takes us about 20 minutes with traffic. The house itself is really cute. It’s like living in a Dwell magazine. It’s going to be hard to go home to my house that still needs to be renovated after staying here.
I packed the essentials.
I have finished one and a half books so far.
Dead plants aside, this back patio is perfect for afternoon drinks.
Cafe De Leche Saturday:
No coffee in the house because we got here so late last night that no one wanted to go grocery shopping. All these coffee shops are right here, but none open until 7am. Who waits until 7am to have coffee? We got our coffee and then walked to grocery store. Disaster! I have no list, I have no idea what to buy. I grab the basics and head back home. We had breakfast, waited a bit and then went for a run. I had read that the Arroyo Seco trail was close but couldn't quite figure out how to hop onto it. I figured out to how to get us to the general area, but where was the path? Luckily there was another runner and told us to go under the bridge and we would be on the trail. As we took his advice we were a little skeptical… This didn't seem like the way you would go, but we dropped onto a dirt path and before long it became clear we were in the right place. We were headed toward the Rose Bowl. This trail is pretty cool. A wide dirt path where you basically run from park to park. This meant bathrooms and water fountains. Thank G-D for the water fountains because it was warmer than expected as the clouds burnt off and we did not bring water. At one point we passed an archery area that had been there for many, many years. At the 4 mile point we could see the Rose Bowl, but we were also dropping onto a sidewalk and decided to head back to the house. Running the neighborhood to get to the trail is pretty sucky. The traffic is bad and the sidewalks are a total hazard from tree roots breaking them apart and lifting them up. It’s hard to get a decent pace going with all the stop signs. There is also a large stair case that makes me reconsider any thought of ever running the Bisbee 1000. But the trail is an amazing find. If I could convince Norm to run 20 miles we could go all the way to national forest.
On our run we decided that every place is better than Phoenix. I know a lot of people love Phoenix. And good for you! Something for everyone. But Norm and I can't wait to be able to leave.
Sunday:
Today Norm wanted to run the opposite direction on the Arroyo Seco Trail. We took the route from yesterday to get to the trail and hopped on to head south. The path this way is totally different from heading north. It is a narrow trail with a lot of tree cover. You run past a golf course. We saw hardly anyone as compared to the day before when the trail was full of runners and walkers. We felt totally alone on this trail. All of the sudden we see a beautiful garden on the side of the path. Past this the trees disappear and you are running with horses to one side and the storm water run off channel. It seems like you are going into a dead end, but you actually come into a park. From here you can drop down to the run off channel where there is also a cement bike path. A sign indicates that Montecito Park is 2.5 miles away. We didn’t have time for that today because we are dropping off kids at Anime Expo.
No coffee in the house because we got here so late last night that no one wanted to go grocery shopping. All these coffee shops are right here, but none open until 7am. Who waits until 7am to have coffee? We got our coffee and then walked to grocery store. Disaster! I have no list, I have no idea what to buy. I grab the basics and head back home. We had breakfast, waited a bit and then went for a run. I had read that the Arroyo Seco trail was close but couldn't quite figure out how to hop onto it. I figured out to how to get us to the general area, but where was the path? Luckily there was another runner and told us to go under the bridge and we would be on the trail. As we took his advice we were a little skeptical… This didn't seem like the way you would go, but we dropped onto a dirt path and before long it became clear we were in the right place. We were headed toward the Rose Bowl. This trail is pretty cool. A wide dirt path where you basically run from park to park. This meant bathrooms and water fountains. Thank G-D for the water fountains because it was warmer than expected as the clouds burnt off and we did not bring water. At one point we passed an archery area that had been there for many, many years. At the 4 mile point we could see the Rose Bowl, but we were also dropping onto a sidewalk and decided to head back to the house. Running the neighborhood to get to the trail is pretty sucky. The traffic is bad and the sidewalks are a total hazard from tree roots breaking them apart and lifting them up. It’s hard to get a decent pace going with all the stop signs. There is also a large stair case that makes me reconsider any thought of ever running the Bisbee 1000. But the trail is an amazing find. If I could convince Norm to run 20 miles we could go all the way to national forest.
On our run we decided that every place is better than Phoenix. I know a lot of people love Phoenix. And good for you! Something for everyone. But Norm and I can't wait to be able to leave.
Sunday:
Today Norm wanted to run the opposite direction on the Arroyo Seco Trail. We took the route from yesterday to get to the trail and hopped on to head south. The path this way is totally different from heading north. It is a narrow trail with a lot of tree cover. You run past a golf course. We saw hardly anyone as compared to the day before when the trail was full of runners and walkers. We felt totally alone on this trail. All of the sudden we see a beautiful garden on the side of the path. Past this the trees disappear and you are running with horses to one side and the storm water run off channel. It seems like you are going into a dead end, but you actually come into a park. From here you can drop down to the run off channel where there is also a cement bike path. A sign indicates that Montecito Park is 2.5 miles away. We didn’t have time for that today because we are dropping off kids at Anime Expo.
This guy spent over a half hour getting into this costume.
Norm could only focus on the hotdogs.
