Finally Getting to Race Again

After not getting to run any races in January it was nice to be able to get back out there in February. I was still dealing with my cough for part of February and am actually using an inhaler now but it was still good to be back participating as part of the running community. Even though we only see each other at races now and then it is nice to catch up with people.

The first race was held in Oakdale a place that I have raced several times before. While we had some ran before the race the sky really opened up after the one mile during the 5k. I was glad that I wasn't running then because it really came down hard. My time wasn't anything to write home about but I was grateful to just be racing again. This was my 140th race since turning 60.

We had some beautiful sunrises and sunsets in February!

I didn't plan to run my second February race until my nephew Tim called and asked me to housesit in Laguna Hills again. As soon as I got the dates I went online and found a race to run. It was a 10k in Huntington Beach. I knew that while I would be slow I could still do a 10k and it would be a good buildup to my next half marathon in April. On the way to Southern California I stopped in the Grapevine area to visit Fort Tejon. It's not an exaggeration to say that I've passed it well over a hundred times and never even thought of stopping. This time I decided that I was going to leave home early and see something different on my way down. There was no one else there so the ranger spent a lot of time telling me the history of the fort and then I took a self guided tour through the site.

While I enjoyed the history and the beauty of the day the highlight was actually provided by nature. I saw the first bobcat I have ever seen in the wild. It was a beautiful cat.

Before I even unpacked when I got to Tim's I went for a hike where I had hiked on my previous visit to Laguna Hills. I couldn't believe how warm it was. It was in the mid 80's every day but one while I was there; a big change even from our own weather in the San Joaquin Valley.

This was on a run after returning home. Quite a change.

I got to run and explore the Laguna Beach and Dana Point areas again and found things that I had not seen on my prior visit and I'm sure that I will discover even more interesting things on my next trip there. Running and walking are good ways to explore new locations.

I made plans to stop on the way home to visit and run in McFarland a farming community that was featured in the Disney movie, McFarland, USA. I planned to see the movie when it came out later that week and thought it would be cool to see the town first hand. It was an interesting experience. Before and after I ran I spoke with two locals about the movie. The first was a man in his 30's and I asked if he was a local, had gone to school there and had run. He answered yes to the first two questions and no to the third because, "I spent too much time getting in trouble in school to run". He actually only went there for a year and a half and finished at the California Youth Authority. The second person I spoke with was a young woman walking her dog and she answered yes to all three questions and told me that she was even an extra in the movie. They both said that the people in town were excited about the movie opening that week.

I did go see the movie and I really enjoyed it. It reminded me so much of many of my own experiences coaching, particularly in Lovington, New Mexico.

My final race was a race I have run several times, the Almond Blossom Festival 1 Mile in Ripon. It's amazing how quickly the orchards blossom once they start. When I left for Tim's they hadn't started here and were starting the further south I went. When I got back just a few days later everything was blooming.

So while my racing was sidetracked by illness in January it seems that it is back on track and I'm looking forward to a lot more races and trips the rest of 2015. We'll just have to see what the future brings.