48,058

That's how many steps Gina took on Sunday, as recorded by her high-tech ped computer.

30-something-thousand of those steps were from the Rock-and-Roll marathon in San Diego, but the rest can be credited (blamed?) to my less-than-brilliant planning for our pre- and post-race transportation. Despite making extensive use of the excellent trolley and shuttle system, we ended up walking an additional 4-5 miles. Plus, on the way home we stopped off to spectate a bit at the Dana Point Grand Prix, which naturally meant walking laps around the course and doing a bunch of standing around and talking. Sorry sweetie!

The marathon was great. The course made for a good tour of San Diego, circling Balboa Park and downtown, then heading up through Mission Hills, Mission Valley, and around Mission Bay, before returning toward the airport for a finish on the Marine recruiting base. Race-day weather conditions were ideal: low-60's and overcast for the 6:30 AM start, clearing up by the finish to reveal a calm mild Southern California day.


Try as I might, I failed to get a picture of Gina at the start, despite knowing roughly where she was in the "pack". The runners were seeded based on projected finishing times, and she was in the second corral since she expected to run a time in the 3:30 neighborhood. Where's waldo...

Next time, I'll insist she wear her Elvis outfit... This is the Rock-and-Roll marathon so all the Runnin' Elvis's get front-row status!

So yeah, she ran a consistent pace for the entire 26.2 miles and came in at 3:31:28 which was right about what she had anticipated, and it placed her 6th out of over 600 women in her age group. But most importantly, she felt good and was strong at the end. She inspires me to try something of this magnitude!

++++++++++++++++++++

On the way home, we stopped off for a couple hours in Dana Point to watch some of the Masters Crit Championship bike races. Roger Worthington was the prime mover-and-shaker behind this event and by all accounts, it was very successful. We relaxed sipping iced coffee drinks while spectating and listening to live bands and a slightly-buzzed Floyd Landis rambling on the microphone. A refreshing sight was the large number of locals watching the races and clearly enjoying themselves. Some residents along the course even used it as a front-yard party opportunity! The only downer of the afternoon was hearing the sad news that our friend Matt Hahn had crashed during his race earlier in the day and broke his hip. He had a successful surgery that afternoon, but he'll be on crutches for a month. Best wishes for a full recovery.

We saw the majority of the 30+ race which was won by Karl Bordine, the guy whose green-clad butt is in my earlier picture from the Swamis ride. This is Karl leading the field through turn 4 near the middle of the race...


...but here is my #1 hero from Sunday, standing above the scenic harbor by the crit course in Dana Point...
Did this fine lady really run 26.2 miles just a few hours ago???