The Beach

Week three was spent on vacation enjoying a little time away from the unsavory New York Winter. My girlfriend, Amanda, and I went to stay with my Uncle Stu at his town house in Marina Del Rey, CA. For those of you who don't know Southern California it's a strange mix of wealthy socialites, slackers, beach bums, surfers, stoners, investment bankers, rich lawyers, soccer moms and miscellaneous. You notice I didn't mention actors or screenwriters. That's because everyone in the greater Los Angeles area, regardless of what they actually do for a living, are screenwriters or actors, even if only in their minds.

In addition to relaxing in the winter sun and eating some good sushi I was really looking forward to testing my running legs out on the beach. Stu's townhouse is pretty nice, but the best thing about it is that it is literally a block from the beach. Amanda and I flew in from JFK and arrived at LAX at around 10am. At noon, PST, I was barefoot and running inches from the Pacific Ocean. Like most runners, my love of running doubles when I get to do it in a beautiful place and the beach at Marina Del Rey is beautiful. Feeling the cool sand on my feet and the warm sun on my back is a long way from the grimy streets and bitter temperatures of New York City. I felt like staying forever. About half way through my run my calves started to tighten up on me, so I put my running shoes back on and finished a near perfect experience.

Two days later I'm back on the beach. Amanda decided to join me. Amanda doesn't run but she's very supportive. The first time she saw me running barefoot she gave me that look that people usually reserve for three-legged stray dogs. She is supporting me today by sitting on the beach reading a book. I love that. I decided to start todays run with my shoes on. The magic of the beach still holds fast. It's the details that I love; The small rocks pounded smooth by the waves, those small birds that skitter away from the advancing foam, the sound of the surf. I ran the same distance I ran on day one which brought be back to Amanda who looked the picture of relaxation lying on her towel with her book. I dropped my shoes off, had a sip of water and decided to put in a little more distance. What started as a little more turned into about double the distance I started off with. By the time I got back to Amanda the temperature had dropped a few degrees, but instead of going inside, she waited for me, hudled under her towel. We sat together for a while listening to the waves. A pretty perfect day.