I am still in awe when I think of the sites along this course. I want to first start with I did Pat's Run on Saturday in Phoenix. I left home after and headed for La Jolla for packet pick up (they have race-day pickup available for $20). I made it with 10 minutes to spare, and I have to say parking was easy and organized, and getting all my stuff was a breeze. There were several vendors at the Hilton, and so I picked up some Nuun. I want to point out that my 5 star Expo rating has to do with the finish line... where a MULTITUDE of vendors were stationed and handing out samples of their product... I became a fan of Good Farms that day and drove 30 minutes out of the way to get a case. Anyway...

Race day parking was easier tahn I thought. I parked at La Jolla cove and chose to shuttle to the start. I prefer to just get in my car and go home when it's over. Many people parked at the start and shuttled back after the beer garden. There's no wrong way to do it here. There were plenty of shuttles and we had zero issues.

The start is at Del Mar race track. They had a coffee and breakfast stand set up, and the prices weren't terrible. I enjoyed the coffee and a banana, and I think I paid $5. There were SOOOO many port-a-johns so lines were never more than 5-10 people, even at peak. There was fun music playing, and since there were only 5,000 of us, it felt intimate vs. crowded.

Once we were off and running, it didn't take long until we were traveling along the coast. I don't have words to decribe the beauty and majesty of the scenery. Beaches, bridges, train tracks, and serenity. Finally, we reach about mile 4, and Torrey Pines hill welcomes us with open arms. Up, and up, and up... I have to walk because it was a butt-kicker. But I didn't mind because there was so much to see.

After running past the gold course we make our way into La Jolla Cove. Mile 12 is a killer 150-foot climb again, but that means a fasat finish. I want to encourage everyone to walk those couple hundred feet south of the finish line to enjoy the seal preserve. They were just chillin on the beach, and squirrels were fighting over some cheeto's people through them (naughty people). It's just such a cool run and really reloaded my energy after the experience.