Thursday 9 July 2009

Less than a week until Badwater




Thought i'd better update this blog, as whilst many people have been following my tour of the US on Facebook (and by now must be sick and tired of pictures from all over the place), i realise my blog readers may think i've just disappeared off into the desert. So whilst i'm watching the online coverage of the Ashes cricket (very disappointed it's not available as online radio as far as i can work out :-( ), probably a good time to update.

Spent the remaining week in Las Vegas, and had a ball as a tourist without ever actually going near "The Strip", an afternoon in Boulder City, another at Hoover Dam and a day in Red Rock Canyon (think the very best of the Australian outback but close to civilsation sums it up), hence the eclectic pictures above.
Running hasn't been forgotten either, been doing some by myself during the day (or in the case of Red Rock - hiking for 5 hours) and when there has been a meetup group run i've joined them of either a morning or an evening, infamously running approx 9 miles each way on Thursday to then join in on an 8 mile group run ( a marathon of sorts), followed up by 8 miles the next morning in Red Rock, so training is going good.
I needed to head back to Los Angeles over the weekend as by now my magnetic race numbers were ready (pictures above - they look great)


and i also had some other things to pick up. Went for a 5 mile run on Saturday morning in Boulder City as being July 4 (Independence Day in the US), there was to be a street parade called the Damboree (Boulder City is where construction for Hoover Dam was done and nearest town), lots of floats and dancing girls and beauty queens and all that you expect in an American Parade but the highlight has to be the last half which is essentially a massive water pistol fight, what more could you want on a 90 degree (it was relatively cool that day) day.
Great fun and plenty of time to get back to the Fiesta and clean up before the drive to LA.
Staying near Redondo Beach Pier had one great advantage this time, i could actually park the car whilst others roamed for miles trying to find one precious spot as Saturday night was the July 4 Fireworks (only one picture as my batteries were flat after all the pictures of the mornings festivities, but they were actually really good, way better than than the Morro Bay "bangs in the distance" in 2007).


Did find LA a bit of a shock to the system, i was by now used to temperatures over 100 (38C) and to find days of low 70's (20 odd C) was a shock, truthfully i was worried about getting derailed by a cold. Still at least it meant i got some of my favourite runs in, The Strand (Redondo out to Dockweiler Beach) and also out the other way to Palos Verdes with it's magnificent cliff top views.


By Tuesday everything was sorted, so now i'm back in Las Vegas, not quite as warm as i'd hoped (estimated high today is only 101), but 4 days here (and a few runs with the group as well as some middle of day ones by myself) and i'll be as ready as possible to hit Furnace Creek on Saturday (and possibly unable to update this blog until post race :-( )