Running outside in California was nothing short of glorious. However, there was a lot of shin pain involved since I've grown accustomed to the cushioning of the treadmill. Since I have two races coming up next month, I've resolved to run outside at least twice a week. When I ran 7 miles last Friday in California, it was in the 70s. When I ran 3 miles yesterday in Minnesota, it was 20 degrees with windchill. This may take some getting used to.
Our trip was great, but it was way too short. Saturday night I wanted so badly to change our tickets and stay another week, but that's super expensive and I didn't have enough PTO.
Highlights of our trip included:
Jay Leno with Dave Salmoni and The Fray
We were pumped about getting tickets for this show! If you don't know who Dave Salmoni is, he hosts a show on Animal Planet called Rogue Nature, and if you have Netflix you should check out his other show, Into the Pride. Ben tweeted Dave asking if he'd be bringing any animals on the show, and he replied with "You bet I am!" He definitely didn't disappoint- he brought a baby jaguar, baby Eurasian brown bear, a ring-tailed lemur, and an albino python. The Fray performed their newest single "Heartbeat" and they sounded really good live. Christina Aguilera flaked out and cancelled, but we didn't want to see her anyways.
Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach
It was just fun to go for a walk on the beach. The water is freezing this time of year, so we didn't go swimming or anything. Venice Beach was really interesting... lots of characters there. "Marijuana doctors" are everywhere, as well as lots of homeless people. They have the right idea- if I was homeless, I would definitely live on a beach! We also saw Muscle Beach, where Arnold Schwarzeneggar used to work out. Later on I suffered a short bout of heat exhaustion (and no, this isn't the first time this has happened in 70 degree weather). Luckily I caught it early, chugged some water and rested, and was fine within an hour.
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| Ben and I at Santa Monica Pier |
My 7 mile run in 70 degree weather
Lame, I know, but this was definitely a highlight for me. Ben ran with me for the first 3.5 miles (I love having my running buddy back!) so that made the entire run go by super fast. I felt like I could have gone another 7 miles! It just feels great to be getting my long run mileage back up (slowly but surely).
Finding a pair of Nike Tempo shorts for $10
Also lame, but definitely worth mentioning ;)
Pinkberry
OMGGGGGG, best froyo ever! I got their blood orange frozen yogurt with blueberries, raspberries, blood orange pieces, strawberries, mango, and pineapple. So refreshing and delicious! It's a shame we only got to go one time. We thought we were in luck when we saw that there was one at the San Francisco airport, but it turns out you had to leave security to get there :( Our next Pinkberry experience will have to wait.
Horse Races at Santa Anita Park
This is where the movie Seabiscuit was filmed. Jenni and I had no idea what we were doing, but Ben did his best to bring us up to speed. Ben ended up winning $35 on the first race because his horse won. I had bet on the horse with the worst odds, but he got passed by Ben's horse right at the end. I lost $10 altogether, and we ended up finishing $10 up on the day. But we didn't get charged for parking (the races were almost over) and we got in free because we accidentally walked in the employee entrance. So overall, it was good, cheap entertainment!
San Diego Zoo
We walked around for about 5 hours and still weren't able to see everything! This was definitely the coolest zoo I've ever been to (which actually doesn't say much, considering it's closest rival would be the Alaska Zoo). My favorite animals were probably the elephants, gorillas, and giraffes. We didn't get to see the pandas because we went on a Saturday (the busiest day, and on President's Day weekend) and we would have had to wait in line for about 45 minutes. It's okay though, I've seen them in the movie Anchorman.
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| This elephant kept using a log to scratch his back. |
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| Angry gorilla pouting in the corner. |
Today I experienced my very first Fat Tuesday! I don't know how I've never heard of this wonderful celebration. I've never given up anything for Lent, but I would have at least celebrated Fat Tuesday with people who do give up things for Lent. This morning I had breakfast with some friends before work. I consumed four pancakes, two sausage patties, and a whole lot of fruit and orange juice. I took a late lunch for me (2:30) and still wasn't hungry, so all I had was a protein bar and two Samoa cookies. Then for dinner I had three pieces of pizza and two breadsticks. A successful Fat Tuesday, if you ask me. Good thing I'm going to PiYo and running 5 miles tomorrow!
Are you a Jay Leno fan?
Have you ever been to the San Diego Zoo? What are your favorite animals to see at the zoo?
Do you celebrate Fat Tuesday?
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