Sunday in the Park

My run went so much better than breakfast afterwards.

(Yelp Alert: Paty's in Burbank...good food, good prices, brain-dead service.)

What is it sometimes with servers? Why is it that when I'm the nicest, most accommodating, most understandable guest, I get screwed the first? How hard is it to get right two scrambled eggs, two pancakes (with strawberries), with a turkey patty and orange juice? Compared to multiple omelets ordered by my fellow Valley Coach/LA Tri Club athletes? Yet, there I was, last to receive my food, with the order completely jacked up. No strawberries. No orange juice. Turkey patty delivered without the eggs and pancakes. Really? No, seriously...really? My bad luck continued through the end of the meal when the group had to wait outside for me as the bill had to be first recalculated to account for the missing orange juice order I got charged for, and then when my change wasn't returned to me. Actually, the server had the chutzpah to ask me if I wanted change after giving $20 for a $10.40 bill. Uh, yes please.

...And scene.

Phew...that felt goooood! I needed that.

OK, on to more important things, like the run itself. We had three options today, a seven, 11 or 14-mile trail run in Griffith Park. I had never run in the hills there, and I've never run more than a half-marathon.

Today was my lucky day. Or at least it was at 7:30 a.m.!

First of all, if you haven't run the Griffith Park trails...wow. Once again, I've been treated to a new side of Los Angeles. And there was no smog today, so the views of downtown, Glendale and the San Gabriel Mountains were gorgeous. Wish I had brought my camera along for the run (it bangs against my leg, unfortunately).

My assignment today was to run for 2:30, with the usual 22-count/15-second cadence. Until today, I had never run longer than two hours, which occurred last week on the Nike trail run. Overall, I felt good at the end of the run, but don't think I could have run much more today. The hills were manageable and the backs of my knees didn't ache during the run like last week. Around mile 13, my IT bands started to tighten up on both legs, but I managed. My overall HR average was around 141 (though the final 20 minutes were spent in the mid-150s) and I burned through a whopping 1,600 calories.

I experimented with some new nutrition on the run at the urging of Coach Gerardo. I tried Herbalife's "Fuel Good" energy supplement (a tablet that fizzes into your water) and Powergel. The verdicts: "Fuel Good" made me feel good and Powergel gave me a power stomach ache.

My favorite part of the run, once again, was getting to know my fellow triathlete friends. Each has their own story and motivations. Today, I spent the most time during the run with Christina (pictured, back row second left), a mother of two and a two-time Ironman finisher. She recently completed Ironman Arizona, shaving off three hours from her previous Ironman thanks to extensive training from Vinnie (whom I wrote about yesterday). Christina is hoping to podium at an Ironman event within the next eight years, and with her training regimen and mental outlook I think she can do it. In fact, I think Christina is the kind of person who can do just about anything she puts her mind to.

Too bad she wasn't in charge at Paty's this morning.

338 days and counting.

A Cold (War) Run

I'm beginning to see a pattern in my Ironman training.

The harder it is to get out of bed, the bigger the reward for doing so.

It rained hard last night throughout Los Angeles. HARD. So, once again, early this morning my bed was cozy and the room was super dark. Just the way I like it.

Oh yeah, and it's Sunday. The Day G-d invented for NFL football.

But, training beckoned. So did Coach Gerrardo's brother, Rey. The elder Barrios was leading a small group of Valley Coach and LA Triathlon Club athletes (pictured) on a jaunt through what's called the Nike trail. Surprisingly, it's not an ode to Phil Knight's company, but rather an homage to an ominous monument from the Cold War. It's hard to imagine a time when the US Army felt a need to have missile stations watching over Los Angeles in fear of a Soviet attack. But there the restored structure stands, complete with a creepy abandoned watch post station just off the main trail, along with educational signs. When I walked up the small hill towards the missile launcher, I could almost feel the tension that seemed to choke some of the fresh air out of the crisp morning.

And crisp it was. My fellow LA Tri Clubbers and Valley Coach teammates laughed about the steam rising from our bodies in the 55-degree chill (Weather Wuss alert!) after the scenic 11-mile birds-eye tour overlooking the San Fernando Valley. But it was so worth it. I've lived in SoCal my whole life and in the short few years I've been training for triathlons, I've been delighted to see a side of greater Los Angeles that I didn't think existed.

There's still nature here! Paradise hasn't quite been completely paved, and that parking lot, well, there's still a lot of trails and gravel left to explore.

On a cold, wet, Sunday morning, I couldn't be happier I rolled out of bed early. I hope the next time you're contemplating turning over in that comfy bed to get a few more hours of marginal, guilt-ridden sleep, you'll think first of the unseen world in your backyard that's waiting to be enjoyed.

Rise up. Launch yourself out of bed. You won't regret it. And who knows what hidden monuments you may find.

345 days and counting.