So Long, Farewell

AM: 57 mins. (8 miles)
PM: Travel

Wow. Where did the time go? As is usually the case, our vacation--and our final vacation run--passed way too quickly. This morning Jordan and I rose early to put in one final loop around Balboa Park and up Oompa Loompa before departing eastward. I can't say I'm looking forward to the heat and humidity that await me, but at least I can confidently assert that I made the most of the advantageous training conditions while I was here.


Prado fountain at sunrise

Until next time, San Diego, thanks for the memories.

Read More

Balboa Park Fartlek

AM: 3 mile w/u
Target: 5 min, 5 min, 3 min, 3 min, 1 min, 1 min hard all w/3 min. rest
Actual: Above
1+ mile c/d
Total: ~9 miles
PM: 29 mins. (3.5-4 miles)

I asked Coach Jordan for a workout, and he did not disappoint. Though it doesn't look that tough on paper, I was completely gassed by the end of this. Most of that I attribute to the undulating terrain and uneven footing of the park. Had I done this same workout at the same pace on the flat dirt of McAlpine I doubt it would've been nearly as tough. As it was today, I pushed myself pretty hard on the uphill portions of the 5-minuters and, as a result, was sucking wind on all the shorter segments. Fortunately Jordan was running with me and keeping the pace honest, otherwise I'm sure I would've been dragging even worse toward the end.



The best part of this workout? The post-run brunch we enjoyed at the legendary Hash House. To say the portions were huge would be an understatement, and even in our ravenous workout-depleted state Jordan and I could only finish half of our respective entrees (griddled French Toast and smoked chicken, sundried tomato pesto, spinach and goat cheese scramble, in case you were wondering). It. Was. Awesome.



This afternoon, after a breakfast-induced coma and family field trip to Coronado Island, we ran another short park loop before finishing up at Trader Joe's. Jordan is in charge of preparing tonight's meal and was in need of supplies, so a dual purpose run made sense. Luckily the walk back home from the grocery store with our heavily laden bags was no more than a mile.


On the beach at Coronado

Read More

Easy Oompa Loompa Loop

AM: 55 mins. (7.5 miles)
PM: 33 mins. (4+ miles)

Nothing but easy Balboa Park running on tap today. This morning Jordan and I did an abbreviated version of the loop I ran solo on Friday, including the always humbling shuffle up Upas (aka Oompa Loompa). We enjoyed a few more easy miles on the grass in Balboa Park in the evening before heading off to dinner with my college friend Amy.


Balboa Park bell tower at dusk

I'm not sure what tomorrow holds, but I know I'd like to get in some semblance of a workout in preparation for Saturday's Run For Your Life 4 Miler. We'll see what Coach Jordan can think up between now and then.

Read More

Harbor Run

AM: 65 mins. (9.3 miles)


Post-run apple fritter worthy of our good buddy Scotty D

My partner in crime joined us late last night, and I was excited for the two of us to have a chance to catch up on the week's happenings while on our run this morning. For the second day in a row we had absolutely gorgeous weather--blue skies, warm sunshine and low humidity--and it was truly a joy just to be outside soaking it all in. Instead of returning directly to the park, I proposed a route that would take us down to the harbor and along the water before bringing us back up through the historic Gaslamp district and, finally, to the park's familiar setting. We did a similar run last time we were here and thoroughly enjoyed it despite the fact that it consisted solely of pavement. The miles along the water flew by as we were engrossed in conversation, and before I knew it we were back at the edge of the park and headed homeward. The pace felt relaxed and easy, and for the entire run I thought we were moving at a fairly pedestrian speed. Imagine my surprise, then, when I heard Jordan's watch beep at 63 minutes. I asked him if we'd just passed the 8-mile mark--that's how leisurely the pace felt to me--but he laughed and said that we were actually at 9. Who knew?!


Entrance to the Gaslamp District


Taking in the scene at the pride parade in Hillcrest

Jordan opted to double in the evening, but I was content to settle in for a delicious nap and a few minutes of reading. Afterward the four of us headed out to a dinner of tapas and tasty sangria at Tapas Picasso around the corner. It was the perfect end to vacation day #2.


Father and son

Read More

First Balboa Park Run

AM: 60 mins. (8-8.5 miles)
PM: 3 miles

When I woke up this morning I could hardly contain my excitement for the prospect of running in Balboa Park. We've run here many times since Jordan and I started visiting his dad here, and though I suspect the usual route would grow tiresome after a while we haven't yet come here enough for the novelty to wear off. This time, however, would be the first outing I'd undertaken solo, as Jordan won't arrive from NorCal until late tonight. At 10am I laced up the shoes and headed out the door for what I hoped would be a fun, hard solo exploring effort.

The first few minutes of run took me north down the palm tree-lined streets of Hillcrest toward the edge of the park. Once there I was able to run on the grass next to the sidewalk until I looped back toward the Prado, the long bridge overlooking the freeway and the downtown area that leads to the zoo and the park's many museums. If planned properly 2/3 of this run can unfold on grass and dirt, and I made sure that happened today. From the Prado I ran down the zig-zagging sidewalk to the highway crossing, then ascended the steep dirt path that leads toward the velodrome and the Footlocker XC course on the other side. I was huffing and puffing profusely at this point and loving every second. I meandered around for a few minutes on this side of the park before checking my watch and deciding it was time to head back. I knew from prior experience this would mean I'd have to conquer Upas, the steepest street I've ever ascended, one that had reduced me to walking many times. Today I vowed that Upas (which I at one point renamed Oompa Loompa, because of the similar assonance sounds and, well, because I love midgets) would be my bitch. As I approached its looming facade I looked up, steeled my resolve, and said aloud, "Upas, you are my bitch." I then proceeded to stagger up it at 12-minute pacing while wheezing like a chain smoker. (You can view a photo of this monstrosity here.)


Lily pad pond near the museum area at the
top of the Prado

Heading back along the Prado I felt like I was flying. I knew I couldn't slow down at this point so I picked up the pace even more as I returned homeward. By this point the sun was high in the sky and I was sweating like crazy, but it felt like the right thing to do. The run concluded as every good run should, with me breathless and exhausted but eager for the next go.

But first, it was time to relax with Gary and Roger and take in a flick. I knew Caitlin would be beyond jealous that we would be among the first in the States to view The Girl Who Played With Fire, the second installment in the Dragon Tattoo series. The coolest part was that for the climactic scene in the film, the main character (Lisbeth Salander) is sporting a Craft half zip sweat sweatshirt! She literally wears it for the last 30 minutes of the film, during the course of which time ******SPOILER ALERT****** she gets shot twice, buried alive, rises from the grave and beats the crap out of her father with an ax. Needless to say, she gets her money's worth out of the sweatshirt (as we do from the watching) and it ends up quite bloody and dirty by the end of the film. I guess they say no publicity is bad publicity?? She is the most badass book heroine to come along in quite some time so I'd say it's a win for the brand.

P.S. I will be taking some photos today so I can better illustrate the blog tomorrow. Until then, just picture the most awesome weather and scenery you can imagine. That's what I'm working with.

Read More

Upas Loop Encore

AM: 60 mins.
8+ miles
PM: 15 mins. ellip.

For our last morning in San Diego, Jordan and I were once again greeted by warm sun and clear blue skies. In light of the rest of the country suffering a severe cold snap, I'm equal parts appreciative of our mild conditions and dreading the return to Charlotte in a few short days.

We planned to run what I now refer to as the "Upas Loop," or, inexplicably, the "Oompa Loompa" (because it sort of sounds the same and I like midgets?), which essentially involves a big loop around the upper part of Balboa Park and across the Prado, then crossing the highway and making a mini-loop up the trails and across the Footlocker course, then a hellacious climb up Upas, then a return down the Prado and back home. It adds up to almost exactly 8 miles and provides a mix of grass, road and dirt surfaces. As one might expect, there was lots of action in the park, and the miles fell away quickly. The only downside is that my legs were more or less trashed. I guess it's to be expected; it's not too much of a spoiler for my forthcoming Week in Review to say that the quality and quantity of mileage I did this week is more than I've notched since before my August injury. As such, I was dragging up Upas, but fortunately retained my pride and managed to keep from walking. Jordan and I split up once back on the upper section of the park, as he had to run to pick up the rental car, but I tried to keep the pace as uptempo as possible until reaching home.


Which is better? A San Diego sunset...

Fast forward to a few hours later, and we loaded up in our new Chevy Aveo and departed back to the desert. Our time in San Diego, though relatively uneventful, was an absolute blast. I'm looking forward to enjoying our final few days in paradise relaxing in the comfort of the Biltmore. On that note, I'm headed to the hot tub. Strictly for rehabilitation purposes, of course.


...or a Palm Springs sunrise? I'll take both.

Read More

Touring the Harbor

AM: 60 mins. (8+ miles)
PM: 28 mins. (3.5+ miles)

Yesterday I was shaking my head ruefully and commenting about how much different you can feel from one day to the next. Today I was saying the same thing, but in a positive way. Looks like the afternoon/evening of rest and relaxation last night--combined with a few hits of ibuprofen and some of Jordan's newfangled healing techniques--did just the trick, as my leg (and entire body) felt dandy on this jaunt today.

In search of a change of scenery, Jordan and I decided to forego our usual park route and instead venture down to the harbor for this run. Turns out it takes right around two miles to run down to the airport (good to know for our rental car pickup tomorrow morning), and from there it takes about, oh, 20 yards to find the shoreline. From there we turned left and headed in the direction of downtown and all the seaside action. And action there was; the next few miles were filled with lots of bobbing and weaving and stops and starts as we navigated around other runners and cyclists, as well as tourists and dock workers, all of whom were out enjoying a beautiful morning seaside. After making fitful progress the crowds finally thinned out a bit, and the next few minutes went by relatively smoothly. We finally reached what appeared to be a large convention center adjacent to the stadium where the Padres play, and at that point we made the executive decision to exit the shoreline and attempt to meander our way home through downtown.


View of downtown and the harbor

When you're feeling crappy, not knowing where you are located on a run can be a source of frustration. When you're feeling good, it usually ends up being a lot of fun. Fortunately the latter was the case for both of us; even though we weren't exactly sure how to get home, we didn't mind taking a tour of the Gaslamp and other areas not normally seen on our jaunts here. After several minutes of wandering we discovered our bearings and found a straight shot up to Balboa Park. When I say "up to," what I mean is that we spent the entire last half of the run climbing uphill. I'd known it was coming; the run started with a few steep downhill miles followed by a flat section along the harbor, so it was only a matter of time before we'd have to retrace the incline on the way home. I was flat out hurting the last three miles of this run, but unlike yesterday's pain this was a welcome feeling. We finished up feeling hot (both of us), tired (mostly me), hungry (me again) and thoroughly satisfied with our sightseeing efforts.


Catching some sun on a perfect Saturday afternoon

After treating ourselves to a weekend brunch at Urban Mo's, we found ourselves back at the park for some afternoon sunshine. My leg felt good on the long walk there and back, enough so that I was confident in my ability to embark on a very easy double. Jordan was a sport and didn't mind ambling along at my pace for the first 20 minutes or so. At that point he turned back for another upper loop and I headed back home, content with the day's endeavors. Balboa Park may not be the best training venue ever, but it's hard to beat a few warm and sunny afternoon miles under the palm trees enjoyed in the company of other runners, cyclists, dog walkers and volleyball players. Oh, and there was even one guy pushing his baby in a baby jogger--while riding on a skateboard. True story.


Our afternoon view in Balboa Park

Read More

Hobbling Into 2010

AM: 45 mins.
~6 miles
PM: 25 mins. yoga/core

Well, I must admit that my first run of 2010 wasn't nearly as glorious as my final run of 2009. Instead of feeling fast, light and strong like I did yesterday, today I felt stiff, awkward and hobbly. I barely made it around two loops of the upper section of Balboa Park without Jordan falling asleep, not to mention that my leg never really warmed up or felt normal. I'd harbored grand intentions of doubling today, but after such an embarrassing showing this morning I put all such thoughts aside. Instead, I spent the afternoon icing and yoga-ing while Jordan trotted out his second run. We also got in a long walk earlier in the afternoon, probably 3-4 miles total through the Hillcrest neighborhood and around the upper section of the Park, so hopefully that will facilitate a better showing tomorrow as well. Not an auspicious beginning to the new year.

Read More

NYE Workout

AM: 10 mins. core
3 mile w/u + stretching
Target: 3xmile @6:00, 5:50, 5:40
Actual: 5:57, 5:45, 5:32
3 mile c/d
Total: 9 miles

I woke up this morning excited to don some flats and attempt a baby workout. Originally we'd planned to get out the door in the afternoon, then revised our plans to 11, then bumped it down to 10 once we found out the OU-Stanford game would be starting at 11 our time. It was fine by me, as I was anxious to get out the door. With temps in the low 60s and a sky full of sunshine, the conditions were shaping up nicely at go time.

Since we're sans vehicle for the rest of our stay here, this meant that running to a nearby track was our only transportation option. Fortunately we're just about 3 miles away from the San Diego High School track, and since school isn't currently in session we didn't anticipate getting kicked off like last time. As we were approaching the stadium from the concrete overpass that bridges the highway, we noticed that the athletic department had undertaken some pretty impressive renovations with the football field since we were last here: new high-tech turf, new throwing and jumping areas, and a brand new paint job. It was only when we drew closer that we discovered this had come at the expense of the track. To be precise, the area where the track belongs was still there...but it had been completely paved over and all the lines and lane markings were removed. So essentially we would be doing our workout on a road that just happened to be a 400-meter oval. Awesome.

As I changed into flats and began stretching, Jordan outlined the plan. Basically he wanted to run 1000-m intervals at his goal pace, while pacing me on my miles as his recovery in between 1000s. Essentially he would be doing a long tempo at varied paces, while I would be doing my miles with just over a 3-minute rest. This would give me ample time to jog across the perfectly manicured field to the opposite 200-meter marker, where I would join Jordan for the next interval.

Believe it or not, the plan worked out perfectly. Jordan ran his k's right on target and was able to transition smoothly into my pace each time he picked me up. The "goal" times I came up with above were really just arbitrary ballpark figures; what I really wanted was for the first mile to feel easy, then to focus a bit more on the second one, and finally to open up and see what I had left at the end. And, essentially, that's what happened. I felt very comfortable on the first two intervals and used them as an opportunity to focus on keeping my arms low and driving forward. By the second lap of the final mile I was laboring, but I stayed strong and finished very much under control. Given that I haven't done much in the way of speed work lately, this was a huge confidence booster. The best part was that despite wearing flats and running on what could have been the interstate, my leg felt fine throughout.

As is always the case with this kind of effort, the worst part was the jog home. We kept the pace very relaxed, even stopping for a minute to check out what looked like the makings of a 5k taking place in Balboa Park. I'm not sure what the plan is for the rest of the day, but with a solid workout in the rearview mirror we're both guaranteed to be in a good mood.

Read More

Balboa Double

AM: 58 mins. (8 miles)
PM: 29 mins. (~4 miles)

After today, I'm actually starting to feel like a real runner again. Not only did I turn out a legit double, but I'm even contemplating a baby workout for tomorrow. Crazy, right?

The good news is that on both runs, once the leg had 5-10 minutes to warm up it felt just as good as yesterday. I will definitely keep this in mind if said workout occurs and make sure to take ample warmup time. The other good news about today is that I actually ran up the Upas hill without stopping for the second day in a row! Big time. I wanted to include a pic of the hill in my blog just to give you an idea of what we're dealing with, but unfortunately the photo I found on Flickr is copyrighted. However if you click on this link you'll be able to see the photo of the hill in all its glory. It's pretty real. Actually, although our total time/pace isn't that impressive, if you take out this stretch on Upas (which undoubtedly added at least a minute to that mile) and a few of the more tedious zig-zaggy portions going down to and up from the highway crossing in Balboa Park, this run would end up maintaining quite a respectable clip. I felt like I was pressing throughout but was always controlled, which in my opinion is the best kind of run.

Read More

Balboa Park with Graddy

67 mins.
9 miles

That's right, folks, I ran 9 miles. And, more importantly, my leg felt pretty darn good once it got warmed up. I haven't run this far in quite some time, so I consider this to be a rather significant development. Perhaps most importantly, I had a lot of fun. Jordan's former Brown teammate Ryan Graddy drove down from his parents' place in Torrey Pines to meet us for a jaunt before he flies out tomorrow. We ran with Graddy last year on the now-infamous "Jordan forgot his shoes" run, and I had a surprise encounter with him most recently at the Stanford Invite early last spring. Needless to say, our group had lots to catch up on since then, most notably the stellar marathons both of these guys and their teammates have run in the interim. (You can find more details and more bragging by Jordan here.)

We started the run in Hillcrest just after 9am, and already the sun was shining brightly. I was excited to embark on my first long-ish run in Balboa Park since our arrival (though at the outset I didn't know how long it would end up being). However, within a few blocks of setting out, we were very rudely accosted by a (possibly deranged) female on a bicycle who nearly ran us over at a street corner. She dinged her bell angrily and yelled "Idiots!" at us as she passed. Since we were on the correct side of the road and doing nothing wrong, Jordan responded back with an artfully worded suggestion for what she might do. She responded by inexplicably yelling, "Make me, Grandma!" What a way to start the run. Fortunately our spirits were buoyed less than five minutes later when we ran past a Richard Simmons look-a-like power-walking in the park who shouted encouragingly, "Great job! Keep it up!"

From that point on we would have no more close encounters, and we were free to enjoy the beautiful day in the park. Midway through the run we accomplished one of my long-time goals of locating the Footlocker XC course, courtesy of Graddy. Since he'd run there several times in high school he was able to point us to the start and the basic loop. Turns out we'd run on or near the area several times before but never really known exactly where we were.


View of downtown San Diego from the Prado overpass in Balboa Park

The change of scenery made the time pass quickly, but before long I realized I would be in over my head if we didn't turn around soon. Fortunately, Graddy was on the same page, so we persuaded Jordan to turn back. Unfortunately, the quickest way back meant we had to climb the hill on Upas, which I'm ashamed to admit I've never crested without walking before. Whether it was shame or a newfound pep in my step I'm not sure, but at any rate I made it to the top without stopping this time (though you wouldn't have been able to tell by the snail-like pace I maintained). From there we had several miles to go before reaching home, but surprisingly my legs still felt light and fresh. I finished out the run feeling better than when I'd started, which is always the goal but rarely the reality. I'll attribute it to the beautiful weather and the great company. All in all this was a fantastic run and I'm hoping to replicate this feeling tomorrow.

Read More

On the Road Again

AM: 45 mins. ellip.
PM: 27 mins. (~3.5 miles)
10 mins. stretching

My parents' brief time in Palm Springs is drawing to a close, which meant that Jordan, Gary and I piled into the car with them today to deliver them back to Ontario airport. Then we thought, hey, we're already halfway to San Diego. Let's just go there. Coincidentally we already had all of our stuff packed so the plan worked out splendidly, and within several hours we had bid my parents farewell and were en route to the Hillcrest neighborhood. I was disappointed that my dad wasn't able to run with me while he was here--he was experiencing some old-person back problems--but at the same time I was glad to take the morning off today so that I'd have a chance to run in Balboa Park later this afternoon.

Though it's been a year since our last visit, things looked much the same in the surrounding neighborhoods upon our arrival. I'm excited to spend the next few days visiting some familiar locales, catching up with friends, running in Balboa Park, and perhaps even visiting some tourist attractions we haven't gotten around to yet (zoo, anyone?). Stay classy, San Diego!

Read More

Until Next Time, San Diego

61 mins.
8 miles

Jordan and I woke up fairly early this morning to finish/start packing for our respective return trips home. I can't believe our entire 10-day stay in California is already over and I must admit I was feeling quite sad as I organized my suitcase. Once we had most of our belongings situated we headed out the door for our final run in Balboa Park. We meandered around in the upper portion for a while before taking a new route on the sidewalk all the way to downtown San Diego. We passed within inches of San Diego High School and I suggested we cut a few shapes on the track where Meb's high school coach kicked us off last time. Instead we kept running, made the block a bit farther downtown, then headed back up to Balboa Park along the outskirts of the zoo.

Read More

Balboa Park Long(ish) Run

88 mins.
~12 miles

We awoke to a beautiful sunny morning in San Diego and headed over to Balboa Park to put in a longer effort. I had 15 on tap and was remarkably not sore from last night's drills, so I was hoping to complete the run fairly easily. Jordan planned on staying on his feet for another hour or so in order to bang out his longest run in his Austin Marathon training cycle, so we each packed a few GU's before heading out the door.

Despite the auspicious beginning, I could tell after 30 minutes or so that my legs were pretty dead. I'm not entirely sure why, unless I'm dealing with some residual fatigue from Friday's tempo, but nonetheless by an hour I was cashed. I also feel the beginnings of a cold coming on which could've contributed as well. We covered all the familiar Balboa Park terrain and I was enjoying the weather and the time with Jordan, but I could tell I needed to cut things shorter than I'd planned. Jordan knows me well enough that he can tell from the sound of my breathing or the inflection of my voice whether I'm having a good effort or not, and he agreed it was time to deliver me back to the house. He dropped me off just shy of 90 minutes and then headed out for the rest of what turned into a 23-miler. While I was disappointed with my lackluster performance, I will still easily hit my mileage goal for the week so I'm not too upset about it.

Read More

I'm With Stupid

AM: 59 mins.
8 miles
PM: 4 miles, drills

For our first run in San Diego, Jordan and I made plans to meet up with his college buddy Ryan Graddy at the Torrey Pines State Beach. Graddy's folks live just around the corner and he was quite familiar with the area. Jordy and I suited up and left Hillcrest around 8:30 to make the ~20 minute drive up north. The day was surprisingly dreary and blustery and I was already abandoning all thoughts of laying out at the beach later in the day, which was disappointing.

Jordan and I arrived early, a sensation he is largely unfamiliar with, and had a few minutes to dawdle around in the car before Graddy arrived. About 5 minutes til 9:00, Jordan popped the trunk to take off his top-layer pants and put on his running shoes...and realized he'd left the shoes at home. That's right. He forgot the ONE THING you need for a run. That Ivy League education is paying dividends. After a few moments of head shaking (me) and cursing (him), resourcefulness took over and Jordan put in a quick call to Graddy to see if he had an extra pair. Fortunately he did, and only wore a half size or so smaller than Jordan, so he was able to make a quick return to his house and snag the kicks for our forgetful friend. Problem solved.


Torrey Pines State Beach

The run itself was quite scenic from the outset, as we started on the sandy/rocky cliffs overlooking the beach. After a few miles we merged onto a bike path that ran parallel with the water and then through the streets of Del Mar before flipping a U at 30 minutes. I'm not sure if it was the tempo yesterday or what, but I was pretty fatigued and breathing much harder than necessary for the last few miles. Fortunately Jordan and Graddy had plenty to catch up on and didn't mind me tucking in behind and staying relatively quiet. A steady drizzle was falling throughout, which added to the melancholy beauty of our surroundings, and I was glad we got to experience a new setting in San Diego.

In the evening we took a quick spin to the now-familiar Balboa Park for a jog and some drills. We found a bench to do the hopping exercise that left us so sore the last time, so we'll see if it produces the same result the second time around. Darkness fell quickly and we headed home before showering up and heading out for a delicious Moroccan dinner at Kous Kous. What a great night to be out in the beautiful Hillcrest neighborhood with Jordan and his family.

Read More

Bidding Adieu to Balboa Park

90 mins.
11-12 miles

On our last morning in San Diego, Jordan and I decided to go on a long-ish run and explore a few more sections of the park. This was by far my favorite run in San Diego, as we spent most of the time wandering around with no idea of where we were or where we were going yet being perfectly content.


The Prado fountain at sunrise

During the course of the run we ran through or past the Prado, the Haunted Trail, the sports complex with the velodrome, the Balboa Park Golf Course and several other dirt and rock trails. Several portions of this run were up and down steep embankments and also through some wooded areas (most of which seemed to take us in rather convoluted circles and ended up depositing us right back where we'd entered them). We kept the pace pretty uptempo on the flats, but there were plenty of hills and uneven footing to slow us down.


Balboa Park trails

After the run it was back to Hillcrest to shower and eat breakfast before heading to the airport. I was sad to see the vacation come to an end, but what a fantastic week.

Read More

Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diego, which of course in German means...

AM: 38-39 mins.
5 miles
15 mins. core/stretching
PM: 42-43 mins.
~5.7 miles
3.5 hours walking around
~5-6 miles

Jordan and I ventured out for a quick run this morning in Palm Springs before heading to San Diego for the remainder of our trip. We were looking forward to some cooler weather, which unfortunately didn't pan out as we'd planned. Temps were well into the 80s and perhaps even low 90s when we arrived, but nonetheless we wanted to walk around and explore the Hillcrest area and the neighboring Balboa Park. We spent the entire afternoon meandering around, spending most of our time in the park and even taking a spin through the Museum of Man. Jordan insisted on walking around without his shirt on ("We're in a park!") so I pretended not to know him for most of the day.


A fountain and one of the museums along the Prado

After taking a few minutes to relax and drink a gallon or so of water, we headed out for an evening run around 5pm. It was still quite warm and sunny, but at least the humidity was low, so overall the run was quite enjoyable. We headed back over to the park and ran along Prado, the main street where all the museums and fountains are located, then meandered down through some of the trails before crossing a busy street to hook up with more trails. We passed a sports complex which included some baseball fields and a velodrome (not a track, which we'd thought/hoped it was after looking at a Google map), then decided to turn and head for home. Unfortunately this involved running up the steepest hill I've EVER seen on a street called Upas. To add insult to injury, Jordan charged up it about 90 miles per hour and left me behind. I walked. Life's like that sometimes.

.
Jordan finds a friend at the Museum of Man

Read More