Newport Beach

View of the condo - to the right of the telephone pole


View of the beach

I'm pulling an "Eric" and posting three runs at one time:


Friday's Run: 5 miles
Time: 55:24
Temp: 69, foggy, and comfortable

We spent the weekend at a friend's, Bryan Shirley, condo that is directly on Newport Beach. People thought I was exaggerating when I said, "right on the beach," but it was precisely that. We had a few of our SoCal friends stop by and they couldn't believe the location of his condo. Bryan has a little slice of paradise there.

Newport run observation: If America is getting obese in epidemic proportions, you wouldn't be able to know by strolling around Newport Beach. All the girls were in bikinis and they had the bodies for it, and all the men were tall with mesomorphic bodies and great tans. It was crazy.

Newport run observation 2: What an insane plot of real estate? During my run I saw homes that were about to fall down (probably could be purchased for $2.5mil) next to homes that were on two plots of land, with a full basketball court with NBA style hoops, fire pits, and every other amenity you could possibly imagine...and it was a weekend retreat, not a primary residence. I couldn't fathom the price of those places.

Newport run observation 3: Having money doesn't mean you have taste. Life sized sculptures of Botticelli's Venus is not a good thing. Fountains belong in parks, not taking up half of your backyard. Just because you love the crazy colors of the homes on the Italian Riviera doesn't mean that your neighbors will share your excitement when you paint your house a color that can be seen 5 miles out at sea.

Needless to say, I don't remember a second of my run. It was totally erased by the sights and sounds of Newport.


Sunday's Long Run:
Run: 8.7 miles
Time: 1:43:10
Temp: 66
Quality: 7/10

Running early on Sunday morning offers you a new perspective of Newport Beach, the aftermath of Saturday Night. I ran past a strip of very popular bars and had to dodge not one, but sections of sidewalk that were hit hard by someone who drank too much the night before (use your imagination). I also ran past one person who appeared to have passed out mid-stride while walking on the beach. I don't think he had a very event filled Sunday.

My run was sloooooowwww. I was passed by everyone; old ladies, old men, young men, young ladies, I barely edged a power walker (why is that an Olympic sport) and even an exceedingly old lady walking her little terrier proved to be a challenging target to overtake. Oh well. My mantra right now is "distance, not speed; distance, not speed; distance, not speed".

I also discovered how climate can dramatically affect the run. I usually kill the 50oz CamelBak through the course of my runs when I'm in Arizona, but it is hot and dry here. I drank fluids as if I were in the desert and needed to stop twice for potty breaks, which never happens in AZ. People always talk about the importance of drinking tons of fluids before a marathon or a long run, but I'm beginning to realize that you need to consider temp, terrain, and humidity before you start diving into the electrolytes. I've had some very forgettable marathons where I had to pee every 2 miles because I had totally saturated my body with water. Not fun. Learn from my mistakes.


Tuesday - Back in Arizona

Run: 3 miles
Time: 36 minutes (but I stopped to pet a dog and I was pushing Reese in the stroller)
Quality: 8/10

Reese got the stomach flu yesterday and slept for the better part of our 6 hour ride home from California, which meant that he was up before dawn and very eager to join me on my run this morning. Needless to say, my initial plans of doing 5 were downsized due to the additional 45 pounds I had to push. He's getting big. Still, we had fun. We also got a chance to pet our favorite blood hound, Katie. She was happy to see us and eager to sniff every part of Reese, which tickled him and caused him to laugh nonstop through the entire experience.

Now get back to work.