Hot and Hotter

8am 80 degrees. Needless to say, it was a tough 4.5 miles. It felt like it was harder than a half marathon. Temps rose to 89 degrees during the day, so maybe it was fortunate that our baseball game was changed to 5:30p instead of 1p. We took refuge at the movie theatre, watching The Campaign - a so-so comedy, but the air conditioning was worth it. Afterwards, we headed to Petco Park for the Giants/Padres game. Hope it gets cooler soon!

Glad we're in the shade



Great view from our seats

Catalina Island

For my 34th birthday, Eddie planned a trip to Catalina Island. We started our day with a 6 mi 'ish run. A 1.5 hr drive and 1.2 hr ferry ride later, we arrived at our quaint bed and breakfast, the Turner Inn. Complete with a grand piano. Unfortunately, our casino tour was cancelled, but we were still able to go on our Extreme Catalina Tour, which consisted of a hummer ride through back roads and hills. Our guide, Bear (yes, this is his real name) kept us laughing with his jokes, and it was a nice ending to the day with a dinner at Ning's - leave it to us to find a Chinese restaurant on an island. Succumbing to the heat and more than a slight food coma, we trudged back to to the comfort of air conditioning. We welcomed the day with breakfast at the Pancake Cottage and a quiet walk along the water. Off to the ferry, but this time - we scored seats on the top deck and took in dolphin sightings and the fresh ocean air.

The Turner Inn

Doh a deer, a female male deer...



View from the top

Nice to take a break from the bumpy ride

Bye Catalina - we had a wonderful time

Training Begins

The kick-off of our official running group was Saturday. While Eddie will say we did 4.5 miles - I like to round up and say we ran about 5. It was a perfect day for a run, overcast and slightly windy along the coast. To ensure we stay on track - this is our ambitious schedule.

Week #	Starting Date	Sat
1	7/28/2012	1 mile
2	8/4/2012	5 miles
3	8/11/2012	6 miles
4	8/18/2012	7 miles
5	8/25/2012	8 miles
6	9/1/2012	9 miles
7	9/8/2012	10 miles
8	9/15/2012	11 miles
9	9/22/2012	12 miles
10	9/29/2012	6 miles
11	10/7/2012	Half
12	10/13/2012	Break or 7 miles

Day at the Races

We enjoyed Gourmet Food Truck Day at the Races on a sunny Saturday. While we scored with the food, noshing on a taco, rice bowl, and sliders, we flopped when it came to picking horses. In the spirit of being at the track, I donned a black hat and Eddie sported a polo. We also learned that in the future we need to buy tickets to ensure we have assigned seats or risk being asked to move. Better luck next time, but we still had a great time.

Del Mar Race Track

A Hilly 5 mi Run

We both felt unmotivated on this Saturday, opting to go back to sleep instead of going on a 7:30a run. I was so proud of us for going anyways. We didn't anticipate that our last run with our our InMotion Fit Plus group would be tough, but it was...with rolling hills in the beginning and end of our 5 mi course. Because of our hard work, we'll be better prepared for the start of our official InMotion Fit group training season on 7/28. In addition to prepping for the Long Beach International Half and Santa to the Sea, we're looking forward to getting our t-shirts and hoodie (love the swag!). Eddie is making chicken parmesan tonight - can't wait for dinner.

Oh yes we did!

We're doing the Long Beach International! It's fast loop half marathon along a beach path in downtown Long Beach, about 1.5 hours north of San Diego. We're looking forward to attending a large expo this time since the last one we attended in Santa Barbara left much to be desired. Since this is a much bigger race, this should be a high energy race. The start and finish is right outside our hotel so we're definitely going to take advantage of all the festivities. With plenty of restaurants within walking distance, we finally have a half where we're not confined to waiting around for room service. With entertainment nearby, we'll be heading out to a dueling piano bar the night before and maybe a a movie the next night. Long Beach - here we come!

Eddie @ Eddie V's

We celebrated Eddie's 15th Anniversary at Eddie V's Restaurant in La Jolla. After reading some strong reviews on yelp, this oceanfront spot seemed to be the perfect place for the occasion. The service was top notch and they even surprised us with a card congratulating Eddie on his success. We sat on the terrace with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean. The truffle macaroni and cheese, which reminded me of Thanksgiving and Christmas, was amazing. But the surprise knockout of the evening was the Bananas Foster. The bitterness of the alcohol was more prominent than I had expected making it a very grown up dessert. A delicious ending to a great day.

Happy as a clam



The remains of the Bananas Foster

Sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean