Day 2: Monterey, CA, to Morro Bay, CA (Monday, June 16)
Distance traveled: 120 miles
Personal running distance: 9 miles
Today's dedications: Mary-Ann and Carol Hickey
My running buddy: Haerie
Weather: Sunny, 60s/70s, ocean breeze on us all day
I know it may be too soon to say this considering it's only Day 2, but today we had the most gorgeous views on our run of the trip! We spent the entire day on one road, the Pacific Coast Highway. It hugs the coast of the Pacific Ocean, so we had stunning views of cliffs and the ocean all day long.
Distance traveled: 120 miles
Personal running distance: 9 miles
Today's dedications: Mary-Ann and Carol Hickey
My running buddy: Haerie
Weather: Sunny, 60s/70s, ocean breeze on us all day
I know it may be too soon to say this considering it's only Day 2, but today we had the most gorgeous views on our run of the trip! We spent the entire day on one road, the Pacific Coast Highway. It hugs the coast of the Pacific Ocean, so we had stunning views of cliffs and the ocean all day long.
I was on Team 2 again today, meaning we drove about an hour from Monterey to start at the halfway point. Lucky for us, when we stopped to fill our vans up on gas, there was a Starbucks across the street. They hooked both of our vans up with some donated coffee to get us energized for the day!
The Pacific Coast Highway was pretty curvy and hilly, as we were winding around some little mountains and around the seaside. Each runner did 9 miles today. My running buddy today was Haerie (pronounced heddy!) and I was really proud of our runs today. We did three separate 3-mile chunks, each one with incredible views.
The Pacific Coast Highway was pretty curvy and hilly, as we were winding around some little mountains and around the seaside. Each runner did 9 miles today. My running buddy today was Haerie (pronounced heddy!) and I was really proud of our runs today. We did three separate 3-mile chunks, each one with incredible views.
Along the route, we also saw some awesome ELEPHANT SEALS!!! They're really fat...and they take over an entire beach.
We have a few teammates who are having some pains and strains from the mileage so far, so a couple haven't been running as much today, which is good so we can get their legs healed for the rest of the trip! Team 2 actually ended up finishing first today (because Team 1 had some struggles with their stretch of the road being too curvy and not a big enough shoulder to run on, so they had to drive until they found safer roads), so we got to Morro Bay around 2:30....just in time to catch the USA/Ghana World Cup game!
We headed to a cute little beach bar called Harbor Hut to watch the game. After the day of running, it was great to grab a semi-local California beer, Firestone's Double Barrel Ale. We got to watch the whole USA victory, which was really exciting consider I didn't even know if we'd get to see any of it!
After the game, we went to Shoreline Calvary Chapel, a local church that served us an incredible home-cooked dinner. I had the best vegetarian lentil soup, salad, fresh watermelon and a to die for brownie. The people there were all so sweet, AND I found a guy in a Mizzou hoodie and Mizzou shorts there! Naturally I had to talk to him. It turns out he's from Morro Bay, but lived in Columbia for a few years helping to establish a church. Good to see that his time in Columbia turned him into a Tiger fan!
Tonight our hosts were different families of the church who have opened their homes to our teammates. We are staying with a wonderful family whose home actually used to be an old assisted living home for the elderly, but now they rent it out to beach-goers. We've got an amazing set-up! There are 6 girls staying here, split 3 and 3. We're in a really comfy, very beachy room. We got great hot showers, and afterwards we walked down to the beach to see the sunset and we even were able to spot some whales in the ocean!
We headed to a cute little beach bar called Harbor Hut to watch the game. After the day of running, it was great to grab a semi-local California beer, Firestone's Double Barrel Ale. We got to watch the whole USA victory, which was really exciting consider I didn't even know if we'd get to see any of it!
After the game, we went to Shoreline Calvary Chapel, a local church that served us an incredible home-cooked dinner. I had the best vegetarian lentil soup, salad, fresh watermelon and a to die for brownie. The people there were all so sweet, AND I found a guy in a Mizzou hoodie and Mizzou shorts there! Naturally I had to talk to him. It turns out he's from Morro Bay, but lived in Columbia for a few years helping to establish a church. Good to see that his time in Columbia turned him into a Tiger fan!
Tonight our hosts were different families of the church who have opened their homes to our teammates. We are staying with a wonderful family whose home actually used to be an old assisted living home for the elderly, but now they rent it out to beach-goers. We've got an amazing set-up! There are 6 girls staying here, split 3 and 3. We're in a really comfy, very beachy room. We got great hot showers, and afterwards we walked down to the beach to see the sunset and we even were able to spot some whales in the ocean!
All in all, I'd say today was really amazing. I broke in my new pair of running shoes that I received at the run sendoff and they felt great. My legs are tired, of course, but nothing too painful. Just a bit of lower back pain, which I suspect is from spending a lot of time in a van, but I should adjust to that. Tomorrow we are running to Santa Barbara where we will have our FIRST rest day on Wednesday! We're all way too excited for it! I'm sure I'll have some more great updates tomorrow.
Run happy,
Natalie
Run happy,
Natalie