Here we go...

Uh, hi...hello. So...where do we start? I've never done this kinda thing before. I'm a little bit nervous. I mean, I'm just putting it all out there. I don't want you to get the wrong idea-I don't normally do this. Am I talking too much? Am I totally just ruining it for you? I'm sorry, I am just really nervous. Did I already say that? Okay, I guess we better just get started...


What should the first blog be about? I'm obsessed with all things food-whether it's cooking or trying new restaurants-but I don't have any recent explorations to write about. Maybe I should talk about a day at my crazy job since I spend way too much time there. Or how about a book analysis-part of the reason that I started the blog was to get back into analytical writing (it is a secret nerdy obsession of mine that I've had since AP English). I'm about 100 pages into 10 different books so I'd need to finish one before I could write about it. My day was pretty low key, so I don't have any random things to talk about. Oh, I know-I had a really interesting run yesterday. Let me tell you about that...

To give you a little background, I LOVE to run. I have done one full marathon (that is 26.2 miles, ladies and gentleman) and I will probably never do another one. Let's just say the only other time I will experience that much pain will be child birth. Nevertheless, it was an extremely rewarding experience (I trained with Team in Training-http://www.teamintraining.org/). I learned a whole lot about myself and my limits and I've decided it is best to stick to the "manageable" half marathons for now.

So the run started on a cloudy day near the harbor-I actually prefer to run in the cold rather than the heat (unlike my trainer who loves to run on hot days without his shirt on...really he just enjoys showing off his perfectly sculpted body-I'll save one of our sessions for another blog ;) San Diego has so many scenic places that there is really no excuse to get out and be active. I parked my car at the garage by my gym since I planned on working our after my run. At a steady pace, I began to make my way through the downtown streets with all of the buildings towering above me. I brought along my iPod for this run to help me get into the groove. Most days I opt out of listening to music so that I can take in the sights and sounds around me. Today wasn't one of those days. I had a long work week and I needed to zone out-listening to The Used and My Chemical Romance scream into my ears somehow helps me get some of the aggression out. Just as I was about to be lost in my thoughts, I noticed an awkwardly tall man dressed in black with a miniature cartoon looking Southwest plane around his waist. A man and woman looking worn out and sweaty approached him and he proceeded to hand them pieces of paper that looked like plane tickets. They quickly grabbed the tickets and ran towards me. The man thrust a green paper towards me and frantically tried to ask me a question: "Do you know where the Southwest gym is..I mean the-". I noticed the shirts they were wearing said "City Chase" (www.citychaseusa.com) on them and they each had a number pinned onto their shirts.

"NO! The San Diego gym...the Harry West Gym," the woman interrupted, as she pointed to the green piece of paper.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said as he pushed forward the piece of paper so that I could see what was written.

I told them it was next to the Community College and they would have to take G street to Park and then go about 6 or 7 blocks up Park. They gave me an exhausted look, said thanks, and took off at a quick pace towards their next destination.

The encounter had me intrigued and wishing I had known about this seemingly fun adventure. I went along on my way and quickly came to Pantoja Park-a random grassy oasis in the middle of the steel and concrete of downtown. More people, wearing the same shirts as the competitors I had just run into, were rolling around some giant tires on the grass. It looked as though they were setting up an obstacle course. I passed yet another awkward Southwest person and made my way up Kettner towards Little Italy.

Little Italy is one of my favorite parts of San Diego-cute little restaurants line India Street and the area is quite romantic in the evening. The restaurants put out their dinner menus, dim their lights and decorate each table with white linens and candles (great first date spot!). But my favorite part about this area is the farmers market on Saturday mornings (again, a topic for another blog). As I passed the bustling market I could hear the musicians playing and my mouth watered as I smelled the Paninis and array of fresh foods. I continued along Kettner and turned just past The Waterfront, a small, but popular, bar and grill.

As I reached the water I slowed to take in the view. Deciding to pause for a little bit longer, I tried some workout moves on a bench that faced the harbor. As I did my dips, push-ups and squats, I got lost in how beautiful the ocean was. Even though it was cloudy, I could see Point Loma beyond the contrast of ships and sail boats in the harbor. I imagined myself on a sail boat lounging with a glass of champagne in hand. It's times like these I really enjoy because I get to stop thinking about my busy life-even if it is just for a few minutes. After a few sets, I began to run back towards the gym.

I got caught at a traffic light as I tried to cross Harbor Drive and I noticed there were more of these City Chase people around. Two exhausted looking guys were running towards me wearing 80s retro white sunglasses and black leggings. Just as I started to think that they looked like a couple of dorks, I realized I knew one of them. He was a friend of mine from college and I wouldn't expect any less out of him (sorry, Tim, if you read this!). Drenched with sweat, he gave me a hug and I asked him what the heck they were doing. His quick explanation was that it was a obstacle/scavenger hunt type of race. He said they were dying (obviously) but had to keep going. The rest of my run was uneventful as I ran the last few blocks east on Broadway and down First Ave, but I kept wondering about this event called City Chase and quickly looked it up when I got home.

Apparently City Chase is a mix between an obstacle course and a scavenger hunt-pretty much a day of fast paced amazingness all over San Diego. Since most of my friends abhor the idea of running a marathon with me, I hope to lure one of them into this race next year :)


Well I guess we are finished...that wasn't too bad. Quite nice actually. Lets do it again, sometime!