Girls Weekend - Big Sur
Jennifer and I had a blast in Big Sur this past weekend. We left at 4 AM on Friday, which would have really gotten us there early had we not been deep into conversation on Hwy 101 that we overshot our exit by 45 minutes!! It was a little overcast with on and off showers. The weather prediction for Saturday was sunny but showers again for race day Sunday. We had a late lunch at a very cute Mexican food restaurant and then went to the spa Refuge. Our race packets had two-for-one entry coupons. We spent the afternoon lounging in the gravity chairs, hot saunas, and cool, warm and hot pools. The cool pool was freezing enough - the cold pool was ridiculous! The layout was masterful set in the forest with trees all around. Outside there were fire pits to lounge by and piano music in some of the gravity rooms. There was also a wet steam room w/ eucalyptus scents, but it was too hot for me and hard to breathe.
We laughed because when we were checking in they had to go over the rules/policies and said swimsuits required. We were grateful for that but were surprised about their silent policy and questioned whether we could not talk In the end laughed again and rationalized that it would be easier to be quiet since at least everyone would have swimsuits on! :-)
Saturday we had a leisurely morning in our fabulous corner room overlooking the ocean. We walked to café in Pacific Grove for breakfast and then went to the Los Lobos State Park. It was a beautiful sunny day without any wind. The park was gorgeous - emerald green and turquoise water, spring flowers - really the peak time to be there! We walked a few trails and saw a few other runners out as well. Saturday night after eating a pasta dinner we hurried back to the hotel to get some sleep! We had opted to take the last bus from Carmel Middle School which left at 4 AM!! To get there was about 20-30 minutes, assuming we didn't get lost and the signals for GPS/phone connectivity is spotty and unreliable. We decided to get up at 3 AM and leave at 3:15!
It was an hour ride from the parking area to the race start. We got there with about 90 minutes to wait. It was freezing but fortunately they let us keep our gear and drop our race bag minutes before the start. At the start they had coffee, bagels, and fruit, plus porta-potties.
The race was fun, but hilly and hard! We both thought the big hill was probably 3-4 times Torrey Pines but what was difficult was the rolling up/down after ward for another 14 miles on very cantered roads making it more fatiguing for our legs. While we did train on hills, we didn't do our long runs on 20 miles of never-ending hills, but rather a big hill and then flat. Having 20 miles be the longest run is sufficient preparation for a flatter marathon course, but here at Big Sur at mile 20 I did feel spent. Running the last 6 was mentally tough!
The scenery was gorgeous - when else can you run down Highway 1 without traffic and have those amazing views! The piano music was a really calming and beautiful - I think he was playing Richard Clayderman (a childhood classic memory - my parents' favorite). They had speakers set up so you can hear the music before and after seeing the grand piano by the water. That was a fabulous meditative and amazing moment - to be running, hearing the music and at the top of a slight downhills with views of the gorgeous coastline.
The weather on race day was perfect - so again we lucked out! No rain, no drizzle and no wind! We heard while we were running that in years past this 6-mile stretch has had head winds up to 30 mph. Yuck!
My race was good and I was pleased with my time. 3:35.11. I always feel like I could have gone faster. Not walked as long while eating fresh strawberries at mile 23 or really walked through that last aid station before eyeing that sharp 100 ft climb and hill to the finish. I was jittery and nervous so had to pee a couple times a the start just I could relax and hydrate sufficiently. My time could qualify me for Boston and I ended up 11th in my age group and 43 out of women. Not sure how many women there were but I believe there were 5000 entrants.
After running my legs were really tight, specifically my right hip from the slanted roads. I went straight to the massage tent as there wasn't a wait and got my bum and groin area stretched and rubbed. It wasn't very intense which is good but climbing on and off the table was a little tricky! Jennifer and I enjoyed a fabulous Bud Lite at the beer tent afterward, went back to the yummy Mexican restaurant (changing clothes in the bathroom) and then to the Refuge Spa.
We both checked in with our families who were watching us along the race and my girls left a super cute Congratulations message. My husband truly is fabulous for supporting me by letting me workout as much as I do and encouraging me to have a fun weekend with my really close friend.
While Refuge was probably the best place to be post race, it wasn't as relaxing as the first time we were there. Our muscles were revolting and seizing making it hard to just doze off or fully relax. But we did the cool pool a few times and followed their recommended order of hot/cold/dry/heat routine a few times.
After relaxing as we could we went back to the fabulously located Borgs Hotel and had a sunset feast overlooking the ocean - wine, cheese, salad and chicken curry spread. Jennifer came quite prepared and we also located a Trader Joe's nearby. We ended up staying up past 10 PM chatting about all subjects which was really fun! Girl friends are the best!
Monday morning we put on our wetsuits and walked to the beach in front of our hotel to soak our legs. It was cold at first but after awhile our legs numbed up and we could be in there almost up to our waist. A triathlete came by for a swim and said she looked up the temp on-line and that it was 53 degrees! Wowzers - that is cold! We drove back Monday on scenic Hwy 1 over the race course. We stopped to take a few photos and had a lunch picnic and Julia Pfeifer State Park - gorgeous spot! Driving back we stopped at Hearst Castle and were on the waiting list for the last 3:40 PM tour, but opted against waiting as it would have been a 2 hour ordeal and as it was we were already poised to miss traffic through LA and get home late. The drive home was smooth and full of great conversation - we got home just past 10 PM. What a fabulous weekend!!! Thanks Jennifer!
post race ocean soak - water temp apparently 53 degrees! |
driving home back over the course |
balcony from our hotel room |
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