If you haven't seen the movie Hocus Pocus, can we even still be friends? I feel as though that's something someone who shops regularly at Target would say. Then again, that store is really speaking to me right now.
When I looked at the date today, I realized two things: I haven't written in over a month and I haven't run in over a month either. If you've been here since the last entry, I communicated that I'd be taking a mild writing hiatus because, well, I wasn't running, and I was about to do some traveling. Let's recap that, shall we?
The week after I got the news that I'd be benched from running, I was clearly devastated. I have never had a 'DNS' in my books. But you know what? Life goes on. I could have been stupid, ignored the pain, and kept going like most runners I see but I wasn't about to make things worse. I could have also still raced but that would have also been stupid. So, let's like, make a smart decision for once! For the love of taking care of your body! I made a promise to myself that I'd start my new life in Arizona with a clean slate, do all of the things I should be doing that I didn't before (warm-ups, stretching, foam roll, don't be an idiot) and I was keeping up with that promise. I even fell in love with yoga. My half marathon is officially deferred and now I sit with a credit that's good for two years whenever I decide what race looks good to me. Oregon is looking pretty legit (Mt. Hood) but, again, let's not jump the gun. We still have one race in the books that's officially 16 weeks away. Shameless plug:
So, what's happened between then and now? The family came to visit. We hung out around town for a few days and then set our GPS to Las Vegas for the weekend. We took in the sights, we ate good food, and we drank many beverages.
Bone Haus Brewing
Cuttings by Prisoner
Cabo Wabo
The Mirage Casino & Hotel
You know what this is
One of those things is not like the other. After Vegas, we flew to Michigan and stayed for a few weeks. If you aren't aware, Michigan is my home state. I spent the last 30 years of my life there (that makes me sound old, I'm only 31) and while I miss family and friends, I can't say I miss living there. From wheels down, the traffic was atrocious. My good friend, Tania, bless her heart for being so patient and driving to get us but also taking us to pick up Jet's for dinner because what else would you get when you haven't been home in 6 months? Also cats. Lots of cat time because I like to treat it as free therapy.
Again, one of those is not like the other, but Dori is my granddog so she counts too.
Michigan was Michigan. Normal, crap weather 80% of the time. The humidity was high and the days were gloomy. My body felt as if it hadn't gotten sleep in a month and craved some natural Vitamin D. Let's be honest, I was eager to get home so I could start physical therapy and get things moving.
Going to a new physical therapist made me nervous. Not because I haven't done it before but because I was so used to going to the same person. It's hard to create a new, trusting relationship with someone you've never met before who you hope will carry you across the finish line pain-free. Thankfully, I absolutely love my new therapist. He is not only professional and knowledgeable but holds a good conversation and makes sure I'm having fun but also analyzes my form the entire time. We're now two weeks in and my knee is feeling good. Even after days of being on my feet all day, I wake up expecting it to hurt and it doesn't like it used to. While I'm not assuming I'm in the clear, all signs are pointing in the right direction. I've learned things I haven't before. Aside from the existing overpronation I deal with, I apparently also have fairly flat feet. Who knew? Time for a new analysis for shoes! And, let me tell you, I'm treating my home exercises as if it were a new religious practice to ward off evil spirits.
For now, we wait. We practice patience. We read. In fact, I just finished this book:
Super great read! I'd put it up there with Kastor's 'Let Your Mind Run'. It kept me entertained in a busy Detroit Airport while watching people go nuts over Chick-Fil-A (is this really still that popular?) or seeing Gate A76 find out their flight got changed to Gate A6, which happened to be on the entire opposite side of the terminal. That'd be a good speed workout.
Things are back to normal. Early morning alarms and eating normal food. Now it's just a matter of getting cleared to run again. For now, we wait.
Seems as though we took a bit of a hiatus, eh? Life happens! Not a ton of running. Not a ton of anything really. But, today is a special entry. I'll be giving a recap of our trip to California. From Disneyland, to delicious food, and I even had a chance to walk across the big stage at graduation. "But what about running, Britany? Are your legs dead?". Last time I checked, they were still attached and working just fine. But we'll get to that. Let's talk vacation!
The good 'ol state of California. I remember as a kid, I thought people that were from there were so cool. I would dream of visiting and would think it's the ultimate place to vacation. The last time I was there I was on tour with Rival Summers and we spent a week in Los Angeles. I was young then. It's about a six hour drive from our home to where our destination was (Anaheim). The drive was fabulous. There were mountains with snow on them still. Shout out to Chipotle for feeding us lunch on our way. I am never steered wrong from your sofritas. Once we reached closer into larger cities, the traffic increased. This is the part where I say, 'How do people live here?'. Maybe we're just accustomed to the quiet, low-populated area we live in today but damn, it was horrendous. We're talking 696 in Michigan during rush hour but 10x worse. After making it to our hotel (SpringHill Suites), we set out to Downtown Disney.
Ballast Point Brewery
Downtown Disney is free to walk about as you please. It's basically full of gift shops and restaurants as well as live bands. I had looked up Ballast Point ahead of time and wanted to try it. With the price tag of $11 for a 16oz beer, you'd think it would be super delicious. It was nothing special. We have a thing where we have to try the pretzels at every brewery too and again, hard pass next time. We had Italian for dinner at Napolini which was delicious. Their sangria was rather refreshing!
Thursday was the big day. After grabbing breakfast, which the hotel provided for free, we laced up and head off. My first time going to Disneyland! Hell, I haven't even been to Disneyworld. We never went when I was a kid. I'm an only child and we also weren't rich. I still don't see how families of 10 afford it but let me tell you, it truly is a magical place. I was concerned at first because we don't have an children (by choice) and I wasn't sure if it would be too "kiddie" for us. I was so wrong and had the best time of my life. The crowds were minimal. We never really waited longer than 10-15 minutes for most rides. Of course I had to get some Mickey ears to fit in with all of the other tourists. It really is an amazing place. Can we talk about how delicious Dole Whips are? Dear lord, I'd eat one every day for the rest of my life. Vegetarian food options were fairly minimal but we were able to score a wrap in Tomorrowland. You bet your butt I got some churros, too. We had a park hopper pass so we split the day up between the two and it was plenty of time to cover most of it. I road my first roller coaster in probably 15 years and I was terrified. I think my husband found that quite entertaining. But did you die?
California Adventure
Dinner was a veggie ravioli with a pretty delicious pecan salad at some place in Pixar land. We headed back to the hotel after spending roughly 10 hours at Disneyland. I wish we were going back already. I know someone will ask what my favorite ride was. I think I have to vote for Pirates of the Caribbean! Sure, we got a little wet (it's a water ride), but the characters were so well done.
View from the roof
The view from our hotel's rooftop deck was great. We could see the lights from the park and the fireworks were so close!
The next day, we headed to Long Beach to check out the aquarium. It was less than thrilling. I don't know if it's because of the layout or the fact that there were super loud children literally everywhere. It was hard to enjoy it. We didn't spend much time and set off to San Pedro to check out the ISS Iowa Battleship that was used during World War II. What a great experience. I took many photos with my professional camera that I will be posting later in a photo page I'm building. After spending about two hours on the ship, we headed to find lunch. I found Rock Bottom Brewery on the map so we set off. Holy taco heaven. These were SO GOOD. Full of fresh veggies, avocado, and crema. I couldn't pass on the onion rings that were beer battered either. Their hefeweizen was quite delicious as well. Get a load of this food porn:
Rock Bottom Brewery
Friday night was my alumni celebration for Western Governor's University. I completed my degree back in February but we waited until the commencement in June so we could make a vacation out of it. It was overwhelming! There were a lot of people. It was also inspiring to see how many graduates there were as well. They put out a big spread of little snacks and desserts. WGU has been one of the best schools I have ever attended (I've been through a lot of them) and I highly recommend them to anyone who is looking to either start a degree or finish one. I have to give the biggest shout out to my mentor, Lisa Knight. I know she'll read this. If it weren't for her (and my husband, too), I would have not survived this program. It was not easy and we jumped a lot of hurdles together. If you decide to study HIM, ask for her! I would go back and do it all over again just to have my weekly calls back. That's a bold statement. Maybe take out some classes that almost made me quit (C763 is the devil's child).
WGU Alumni Celebraion
Saturday was the big day for commencement. Since I didn't have report in until 12:30pm, we had time to kill. The women's world cup was underway and naturally, we had to watch some of it. We will watch soccer anywhere we are. We had to find somewhere to get lunch that was relatively close. My husband found a Mediterranean place called Tanor. Again, home run with food. It was awesome! The owner was super nice and personable. We both had falafel pita wraps with hummus.
That probably doesn't do it justice nor make it look appetizing but I promise you, it was. I don't mess around with my falafel and this place knows what's up. It was time to suit up and walk the stage. Commencement was amazing. I seriously was so impressed with how big they did it up for us. I sat with some great people. We had a blast. I still can't believe it's over but it's another chapter closed. Now, I study for the RHIA (Registered Health Information Administrator) exam. Does the studying ever stop once you're done? No. It does not.
Okay, I saved the best for last because we seriously were in the jackpot for food come Saturday evening. Can you tell we like good food? We were huge foodies back in Michigan. It's hard to find new places in an area you don't know. Anaheim Packing House is where it's at. If you visit, you HAVE to go here. It's like Rust Belt Market in Ferndale but instead of clothing and weird body stuff vendors, it's all food. Little restaurant areas set up for each of them. After walking around the area and checking it out, we set our eyes to Adaya Indian Food. Holy cannoli, I can't even put into words how amazing this place was. Not only is there food fan-freakin'-tastic, they have proper ovens to make naan. Not like the ones in the ground but damn near close. I ordered the chana masala, a dish that's chickpea based, and some goat cheese-stuffed naan. My mouth is watering as I type this, I swear.
Dear baby Jesus, your life will be changed if you eat this food. I wish I could have packed up their restaurant and took it with us to put in our backyard. SO GOOD. Like, I would drive six hours just to eat here again. Not only did we have that delicious dinner but we also visited Anaheim Brewery which probably has some of the best beers I have ever tried in my life. No, I'm not being dramatic. They didn't pay me to say that, either. Legit. Best beers.
Anaheim Brewery
Again, I gravitated toward a hefeweizen and my husband had their kolsch. Both were AMAZING. For a Saturday night, they were not busy whatsoever so it was easy for us to walk in and find a seat. They have a nice little outside area as well. Everyone on the staff were so nice. Now, we aren't big IPA drinkers anymore. I don't know if we just wore them out during our dating years or what. I can't handle hoppy stuff much anymore. My husband ordered their double IPA. First taste, you wouldn't even know it was a double nor an IPA. It was seriously so refreshing and did not make my mouth taste like a national forest for a hot second. The trick to their brewing process is that they use British hops as opposed to American hops. Apparently they provide less hops. I'm all for this because it was great. The bartender also had us try their Coast to Coast IPA and, again, it was stunning. We liked it so much we drove home with a sixer. They're gone already. What I said about the Indian food I'll say again for this beer. I would drive six hours just to drink their beer. The fun didn't stop there, though. If you know me well enough, you know I love ice cream. I don't eat much dairy but I won't say no to desserts. Please see below for something that looks like a piece of heaven:
Chimney Cakes
So, I had eyed this place while we were walking to the Packing House. I thought they were those fancy-looking milkshakes. I was wrong. Chimney Cakes makes a dessert that is popular in the country of Hungary. They make the cone fresh, in house. It's a dough that's rolled out and then shaped into a cone. They fill it with ice cream and top it with whatever goes with your order. I think Jesus himself blessed this place because whatever their doing sure is holy. Three major gems all within five hours.
Sunday, we checked out and headed to San Diego to check out the world famous zoo. While it was expensive to get in, a little over $100 for us both, it's quite the place. It's massive! The landscaping is very nice. The main reason we came was so my husband could see a panda. We had no idea they had been sent back to China because the zoo's lease had ended. Well, that was a bummer! We managed to find decent veggie options and a pretty good cup of iced coffee. We started our journey back home that afternoon. Again, I took some photos with the Canon. I'll be posting them up soon!
Well, that's my recap of our vacation to California. We're back to reality. Running was challenging to get back into. After not doing any for eight days following my wisdom teeth extraction and then taking another five days off while on vacation, I mustered up enough energy to head out Tuesday (6/11) to get some miles in with my Nuun Ambassador buddy, Lauren. As we speak, her team is probably celebrating their finish of Ragnar Sweden. Great job, Running Bunnies! Training for my November half marathon starts in a little over a week. For now, we're base building and doing some test runs at easy and race paces to get the flow going.
We'll touch base next week with a training recap and (hopefully) a finished photo page to share. Too-ta-loo!
