My name is Forrest, Forrest Gump.

This week's run was the calm before the storm. We had an 18 mile run last week, then it was a 14 mile run this past week, and then this coming week is our largest run we will complete before race day...20 MILES...EEK!

As I had explained in a previous post, I had found some cool new routes on the internet for these final long training runs. This week's 14 mile run was basically a loop around Point Loma. The cool thing about this run is I have VERY little experience in this area. In fact, I don't think I had traveled through almost 75% of it before in my life.

I started out at Hospitality Point in Mission Bay. I had never been there before, and what an eerie experience! The weather had drastically shifted from HOT and sunny earlier in the week to cool and breezy on Friday morning. When I got out of my car, I was immediately taken back by the GORGEOUS view! I can't believe I have lived in SD all of my life, and had never seen this particular part of our city!

But as I was gazing out at the water, I noticed this single cat perched up on one of the rocks...


I thought to myself, "How weird is that!?" So I took a picture. As soon as I took a picture, 10 more cats came out of the rocks!!! It was SO crazy! More and more cats kept coming out of the rocks! I am NOT an animal person, and I have literally had nightmares about cats coming out in huge masses! An elderly lady was walking toward me, and I asked her, "What's the deal with all of the cats!?" She explained to me that this is nothing, there are HUNDREDS of cats living in these rocks, and she feeds them on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays...another couple feeds them on Tuesdays, and Thursdays...and then there is a separate rotation for cat feeding on Saturdays! She went on to explain that when the cats get injured, or look ill, they take them to the VET!!!! I honestly felt like I was in the Twilight Zone!!!

But enough about cats...time to get running...



After I ran out of Hospitality Point (A.K.A. Cat Country!), I ran across the Mission Bay Bridge, and then ran along the flood channel...taking in the site and smell (peeeew!) of the San Diego River. I was a bit concerned about this run. As I had described in my previous post about my sessions with my personal trainer, I was still completely sore from my training sessions when I completed this run on Friday. I literally couldn't walk normal, and I was wondering how it would feel if I were to break out in a run. I had an inclination that running would feel better than walking...but I was wrong...at first. Running was every bit as awkward as walking was! But I pushed through that, and eventually, my gut feeling was right...running through my soreness felt GREAT! After running along the flood channel, I ran to, through, and out of Dog Beach...



Seeming as though I just explained my feelings about animals, it should not come as too much of a surprise that I had never been to Dog Beach before. That was kind of neat to check that off of my San Diego list of things to see. After I exited Dog Beach, I ran through a bunch of the city streets. That was one of my favorite parts of this run!

I saw really fun restaurants...


And cool art along the sidewalks...


After running a zig-zag pattern through the city streets, I eventually made my way to Sunset Cliffs, and ran along the cliffs for about a mile and a half...


I could not get over the beauty! This was definitely the most gorgeous view I had ever seen running! I hate to not go on and on about it, becuase I know I am not doing it justice, but I don't know what else to say...TRULY GORGEOUS! (Oh wait, I already said that.)

After running along the cliffs, I ran UP (and literally up) a street that lead me to a dirt path, that lead me UP the crazy steep road that lead me further UP, and through, and out of Point Loma Nazarene University...



If you don't count (and just know, that I don't count it), my solo semester at Grossmont Community College, then I can say that I never went to college. It's not something I think about EVER, and in fact, I'm grateful that I am still a highly functioning human being despite NOT having a college education. The thought of studying for hours makes me want to drive a pencil through my eye. But being on that campus, and seeing the students leaving their dorms, and seeing the different "Halls", gave me the sense of what I had missed out on. I don't regret my life choices, and I LOVE where things are currently at in life...BUT it would have been really neat to have EVERYTHING I currently have, AND have had the experience and comradeship of attending a University. Can't I have it all!? LOL!

After I left the University campus, things were pretty much downhill from there...literally and figuratively. I ran all the way down Canon Street until I made it to Rosecrans. Running the next 3 miles on Rosecrans was booooooring...



Except when I passed...



But since I did not eat a fried confection...still booooooring! But lack of distraction provides time for deep thought. During that time, I was able to reflect on everything I had just ran past. Every incredible sight I had just seen. And it was an amazing feeling. Hours before I was uncomfortable doing anything but lying down, and in the current moment I had already completed 7 miles of my run, and I was feeling strong. I was praising the Lord for His beautiful creation...the Earth...and I was praising our Lord for His genius creation...the human body! It was at that time that I had remembered a quote from the movie Forrest Gump, "Mama says they was magic shoes. They could take me anywhere." I felt like Forest...you know that 60 minutes of the movie when he was running from one side of the country to the other. Taking in the sites of the country. It was a neat feeling that my body had carried me from a parking lot 7 miles away, and that I had seen so many things not behind the wheel of a car.

I eventually Made it to Lytton, which then turned into Barnett, and then I ran a mile stretch on Pacific Highway. After running under the I-8 freeway bridge, I turned on to a bike path and ran for 2-1/2 miles back to my van.

The run was a success! I survived my sore muscles. I didn't get lost. I remembered my headphones. I had JUST ENOUGH liquids in my fuel belt. I never cried.

After I finished this run, and had a minute of pride, I was struck with doom...next week's run. 20 miles seems unimaginable. Maybe if I could make myself believe that walking would be OK, then it wouldn't be such an overwhelming distance. But my longer runs (16 & 18 miles) have been a HUGE struggle for me physically, and it's daunting to think what kind of a toll 20 miles is going to take. One thing is for sure, I'm sure I will be crying at the finish line...DORK!

"Now you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I could run like the wind blows. From that day on, if I was ever going somewhere, I was running!" -Forrest