Carlsbad Marathon

Today started really early...4:30AM, which is early for these old folks.  After 4 months of running, Doug was ready for his race.

After a cup of lifeblood we were ready to get on the road and drive to the start of the race.

The familiar 'thunk, thunk, thunk of closing porta potty doors told us we were in the right place.  I was amazed at how many there were for the number of runners.  There were no lines.  I learned later that the reason there were so many was because there were 8000 people running the half marathon. Very soon there would be lines...long lines.

Time to get ready... the temperature was perfect.  It was in the low 50's at 6AM.

The start buzzer is just about to sound.

The half marathon started 1-1/2 hours after the marathon start.  At the last minute I had a chance to run the half so I took it, and my phone to take pictures.  Here are some photos of a half marathon from the runner's perspective.

One of many water stations.  Thankfully these volunteers put in a long day.  They are always cheerful and supportive of all of the runners as they pass out the cups of water.

They also clean up after the runners.  There was Shot Gel in two places in this race, at about the 5 mile and about the 10 mile.  I've never had this brand.  It was tasty.

There were bands along the trail.

This house had some rock and roll music playing and cheerleader too.  We saw this two times in the out and back run.

These guys had a table full of cups of beer at the 12/25 mile post.  I had to have one to celebrate 12 miles of running.  It's so nice to know that you only have one mile left to run.  I bet the marathon runners felt much happier to see these guys than I did.

Before I'd finished my cup of beer, I walked by this nice couple who had a table full of shots of tequila.  Of course I had to have one of those too.  Beer to carbo load and tequila to take away the muscle pain.

I guess it's time to run....

Ahhhh.....the finish.  I know that Doug was already across the finish line because Julie texted me.  I sure hope he isn't worried that I'm not at the line waiting for him.  He didn't know I ran the half.  It was an unexpected opportunity.

Of course he wasn't worried...we were both very happy to be done and ready to go watch the playoff games.  Go Hawks!!!

Legoland

This was our first visit to Legoland.  We are in Carlsbad, California because Doug is going to run the Carlsbad Marathon tomorrow.  Nick, Hayley and Jill were stopping though to visit Legoland while we were here for the marathon, so we all went to Legoland together.

I think that Legoland is the perfect place for young children.  The rides are fun but not scary.  The lines are usually fairly short.  Every section of the park has a place where kids can just play.  There is a lego park that has legos with wheels, and a track so kids can make cars and let them run down the track.  There is a sand pit where kids can dig for dinosaur bones.  There are little lego stations scattered around the park for free lego play.  There is also a two story climbing gym.  The rides are certainly fun but they are just part of the overall experience at Lego Land.  There is also a water park that is open in the summer.

We were at Legoland on the Saturday just before the Martin Luther King Holiday.  In addition there were lots of kids wearing 'Legoland 1 Mile Run' T-Shirts and medals so there must have been a promotional thing going on for the Marathon tomorrow.  Even with all of this, the park was not so overcrowded that it was not fun.  The lines for the rides were much longer in the afternoon, so Jill spent more time in the play areas after lunch.  I imagine that the park might not be as busy on Thursday's or Friday's during the week.  If you go on the weekend, it's probably a good idea to do the rides in the morning and play in the afternoon.

Hayley and Jillian flew a helicopter.

Jill went for a drive, all by herself and got a drivers license at the end of the ride.

This was a photo op with a shark made out of legos.

Captain Jill and 1st Mate Nick.

Nick and Doug had a little rest in the sun while Jill played in one of the many playgrounds at Legoland.  Legoland is a great place for young children because there are lots of places for play with legos or in playgrounds.  The rides are fun but standing in line is not always fun for little ones.  The play areas are a nice change of pace throughout the day.

Of course Grandpa Doug had to go on an airplane ride with Jill.  She sees other kids putting their hands in the air so her hands go up too.

I think this was Jill's favorite thing to do at Legoland.  She went down the slide several times.

Grandpa and Jill's last ride of the day was though the lego jungle.

Disney 2014

Doug and I haven't visited Disneyland since about 1997, when we met Tamara and Chris here so Mary and Helen could have a Disney experience.  The girls were about 4 and 8.  Many things have changed since then.  Now, there is a Downtown Disney, that is open to the public and there is Disney Adventure Park, an add on to the Disney Theme Park.  It was fun to visit again, this time with our grand daughter and her family.

Our day started early at the Goofy restaurant.  After breakfast with the Disney Characters....

 And a little ride with Papa Matt...

 Jill took her family to Disney.

Morro Bay Memories

Morro Bay Beach

            

      

Montana de Oro State Park

   

The Spit

Happy Hour

              

Until next year....off to Anaheim today to meet up with Nick, Hayley and Jillian!