Trail Run and Cafe Rio!

It happened. Jake got to try my most favorite restaurant in the world, Cafe Rio.

The line was long (as usual) but worth every second of the wait. Jake said,"this is my version of a candy store" when he was ordering his sweet pork salad. 

He declared I was amazing all day just for introducing him to such a place. The things I have to do to win his heart ;) we will be going at least one more time... Or maybe two while we're here! 

Rewind a few hours and I got to explore the a gorgeous trail right behind my parents house. 

Me, the red rocks, blue skies, and a secluded trail = one happy Brittany. 

The only problem with the trail was that every turn looked the same and there were multiple trails leading off every turn... so I had to take a mental note of where I was going! My trusty - or not so trusty - iPhone failed me and randomly shut off after taking the above picture. How is it possible to go from 73% battery to 0%? Anyone have the answer to that mystery?? 

I used good-old fashioned navigation skills and made it back without getting too lost!

Gavin's great-Grandma arrived last night and he is officially the most spoiled and loved little guy ever now. Such a blessing that we get to spend the holidays with family!  

Now we're off to Zion! 

Go where there is no trail, and (attempt to) make your own...

My sister moved back to Alaska in June which has been amazing.  She is probably the most hard-core trail runner and talented athlete I know!  We just started running together because I hadn't been physically ready her 4 hour adventures in the mountains until lately.  I take that back.  I thought I was ready for an adventure with her, but this morning I realized very quickly this was not going to be your average trail run.

After dropping Gavin off with his grandparents, my sister and I drove up to Glen Alps trailhead and started our trek into a dark,  winter wonderland toward Williwaw Lakes.  The temperature was perfect, the city lights twinkled in the distance, and I was feeling great.

Anchorage in the distance

After a couple of miles on a snowy, but well-packed, trail, we steered off to a single-footprint led "trail" (not even). The snow was deep and covered roots, rocks, and streams.  I may or may not have stepped mid-calf deep into an icy-cold stream just 3 miles into our trek.  My toes were numb, my ankles chafed from snow scraping them as I plunged into the snow, but my fearless leader trudged forward!

Not even kidding.  Just another day in AK.

Luckily the views were incredible with tall mountains surrounding us, light snow falling, and a pink, glowing sunrise!

We're not alone... Lynx tracks guide us forward...

1 hour and 37 minutes into the run (uhhhh but who's counting?), we decided to turn around. My legs were cold, my stomach was growling, and I was mentally done.  Have you ever had one of those days?  Where you love being out and running but you're just over it? Yeah. That was me.  I've also decided trail running involves a lot more brain power than your average run.  Avoid that rock, don't trip on that stump, don't fall in the hole/stream/bushes... (all of which happened today at one point!) Gracefulness is not my strongest quality.  Then there's watching out for animals.  We saw just one moose in the distance and Lynx tracks, so that was good!

Winter bliss. Or torture. It's a tough call :)

We made it back to the car with a lot of mental cheerleading/convincing/bribery and I was pretty excited to take my frozen toes out of my frozen shoes.  All in all, 2 hours & 45 minutes that made me a stronger person!  And it also made me appreciate my amazing sister even more than I already do for pushing to go where there is no trail and trudge forward when you're mentally wiped! Oh and I might add, she barely looked tired after the entire day.  Seriously, she's a pro.

We got home and this little wiggleworm was pretty excited to see me.  

Upside-down cutie.

There's nothing better than this smile :)

Always Zip Your Pockets.

One of my favorite running buddies in Alaska is my friend Riley.  She is up for anything and is a die-hard workout-aholic like someone else you might know...

Yesterday we decided to go on a trail run at a place called Powerline Pass.  360 degrees of mountains, blue skies, and beautiful summer sun. Once started along the path, we quickly realized that it was going to be a HOT run.  No shade + not even a touch of breeze + 75 degrees = sticky, sweaty mess. Apparently my "California-acclimatization" didn't last long.  That's okay though, we decided to cut the run a little bit short and turn back at 3 miles for a 6 mile loop.

Beautiful Alaska.

Fast forward to mile 4.5, I had to pee.  Thank goodness for small bladders because I also realized at that time that my car key was no longer in my pocket...

So, you can imagine the rest of the story.  We retraced last 1.5 mile, and of course, it was all the way back at the turn-around point.  How's that for an extra 3 mile motivation?  It worked out and we were both secretly glad I dropped the key for an extra workout.  And even more glad I found it :)

My Last Weekend in Paradise...

This weekend was a perfect way to end my 13 month stay in San Diego. Saturday morning started bright and early when I volunteered as a RaceGuard for a great cause.  It was the 3rd annual Finish Chelsea's Run.  The run was created after a horrible crime took a young girl's life in 2010.

(From the Chelsea's Light Foundation website:)

"Chelsea King was a 17-year-old Poway High School student who will always be remembered for her compassionate heart and positive spirit. On a sunny Thursday afternoon, February 25, 2010, Chelsea disappeared after setting out for a run in a San Diego community park. Law enforcement and thousands of volunteers searched for days, until they finally found her body in a shallow grave just off the trail she was running on, by Lake Hodges. Chelsea was the victim of a horrific crime committed by a convicted sex offender who later confessed and plead guilty to taking Chelsea’s life. In the weeks following her passing... a handful of members of the San Diego running community were so affected by her loss that they asked some of their friends to meet one Saturday to finish the run Chelsea started on February 25 in Rancho Bernardo Community Park. Word quickly spread and on the morning of March 20, 2010 more than 3,500 community members joined together to run and walk in solidarity with, and in honor of Chelsea, who they adopted as one of their own. The annual run/walk is now the primary fundraiser for the Chelsea’s Light Foundation Sunflower Scholarship Fund, providing scholarships for San Diego County college-bound teens who have embraced characteristics that embodied Chelsea’s academic prowess and service-over-self ethic."

Although I did not know Chelsea, it was a very emotional day as over 5000 people came out to support such a worthy cause!  Being a RaceGuard was very fun because I got to run the course twice, cheer on fellow athletes, and keep an eye out for injured runners or walkers.  Luckily, there were no injuries to report!  And that includes me!  Another pain free, awesome run.  I am on cloud 9.  Did I ever mentioned how much I hated being injured?

My friends from 10MW were there too! 

I was able to sneak in a few hours of studying after the race, then it was time for my friend Becca's bridal shower!  Delicious tea, funny stories, and baked goods galore.  It was a fun afternoon and I'm so excited for her wedding in just 6 weeks!  She'll make a gorgeous bride. :)

After the shower, I'll give you one guess as to what I did.  And no, it wasn't "go to the beach."  (Although that's what I dreamed of doing... I would like to thank San Diego for providing me with one final 80 degree, sunny, glorious day to make me wonder why I'm leaving this place!) Yep, more studying.  And packing. And dreaming about the beach.

This morning I did something huge.  I did a 15 mile trail run!  WAHOO! It was a beautiful run with my friend, Linda (pictured in the RaceGuards picture above!), through Penasquitos Canyon.  7.5 out, 7.5 back with a nice light cloud cover to keep us cool!

It felt phenomenal, at least it felt phenomenal until a had a face plant on the trail.  You must know that I sometimes forget how to lift my feet and somehow end up having fights with the pavement, trails, and grass.  Luckily, there were no lasting injuries (other than my ego, of course).  Just a few sweet bruises and scrapes on my knees and elbows to add to the growing collection of scars. War wounds add character, right? 

The rest of my day consisted of refueling at delicious Panera, studying with my study-buddy, Alia, and alternating icepacks between the elbows and knees.  

Tomorrow is my last day in San Diego. The day will consist of packing my car, cleaning my room, and attempting to study as much as possible.  Then tomorrow night, my running buddies and I are meeting for a final "hurrah" run and dinner/drinks after.  It's a good alternative to the pity party I was going to have instead.

San Diego, I am really going to miss you.