Words I Never Thought I'd Hear

The view from my room

I stepped into the elevator ready to hit the Santa Monica pier promenade. A hotel employee was in the elevator as well (in a good hotel, the hotel employees are everywhere, and the Casa Del Mar is an amazing hotel). I got off before him, and as I exited he said, "Enjoy your run!"

Proof -- After!

Who me?  Yes, me. I had my ipod, my hair was in a ponytail, and I was appropriately dressed in my running shoes and capris!  What's even weirder than being pegged as a runner was my mental response to his exhortation: "Yes, I am looking forward to it."

Here I was on vacation a business trip and I was choosing to take up part of my morning with a run. And I was looking forward to it. Yes, I've stayed on track with one of my 2012 goals to start running. I've increased my speed and endurance fairly slowly, but I'm up to running 3 minutes and then walking 3 minutes (which I do 5 times in one session). Next week I'll officially be running more than I'm walking. After starting and failing a few times, I'm amazed (and proud).

The weather in Houston is okay for year-round running, but in Southern California, it's perfect. After I got to the hotel Friday, I did my first exploration of the area. Walking down to the beach, I saw a dude getting out of his BMW wearing a wetsuit (stripped to the waist of course) and unpacking his surfboard. On the boardwalk, people biked, skated, walked, ran -- you name it.

In fact, I found out that this site was the original "Muscle Beach." And indeed there were people using the rings and other stationary equipment to tone up (or show off). A grassy square invited stretching and yoga (and on one occasion when I passed by -- hand-walking).

I did enjoy my run, and I look forward to more runs, in my boring neighborhood, and hopefully in other places as vibrant as Santa Monica. I love New York, but LA has a laid-back comfortable vibe that's growing on me.

*****

I posted some more pictures of this beautiful hotel and told why I think that the Casa Del Mar is a great Readers' Hotel over at 5 Minutes for Books in the On Reading column today. Please check it out.