I'm at my parents' house in the Bay Area and I must say it's nice being in the sun. I couldn't believe the storm we ran in last night at the Greenlake track. A few steps out of my car, I stepped into a huge puddle. Oh, you know that feeling when you thoroughly soak through your shoes and socks? At that point I felt committed and might as well get a workout in. So, Cindy and I braved the wind, rain and darkness to get a solid run in. The track was flooded, so we did what we could and ran the lake. We figured that we got bonus points just for showing up last night. Yes, it was that miserable last night, that I felt the need to write it in my blog and get some kind of "tough guy" credit from my friends.
I was bummed to find out that my team entry into the Hood to Coast Relay didn't get chosen in the lottery. The race is 197 miles and starts at the top of Mt. Hood and ends in Seaside, OR. Teams consist of 12 runners in two vans and they run the relay non-stop until they hit the finish line. Yes, I'm sad that I don't get to run three legs in two days and live in a van with five other smelly runners. And no, I'm not willing to admit that I have a problem...I didn't get in, so that makes my schedule next year lighter, right? As long as I have friends that do Ironmans, which I think is totally nuts, I look sane by comparison.
Despite being the heaviest travel day of the year, the trip over was extremely easy. I think most people have figured out the 3 oz liquid restrictions in the airport. On a side note, I wonder how many women will be wearing less makeup because of it? I know that I, personally, had to make some tough decisions when I was packing since I didn't want to deal with checking my bags this holiday weekend. I had to prioritize whether chapped lips, frizzy hair, or cracked cuticles warranted precious space in my quart-size plastic bag for the plane.
I'm looking forward to seeing some of the family tomorrow (my extended family is so large, that it's pretty difficult to get us all in one place at the same time). Dad is making a SF specialty, Cioppino, which is a fish stew. The fisherman in the area would throw a mix of different seafood into a tomato-based broth and serve it with sourdough bread. I have to confess that I like it better than Turkey. Happy Thanksgiving!
