Note from the editor: Giving Blake a little time off while she figures out if she’ll compete in the World Cross Country champioships in March. And Quin, well, he’s holding out for more cash (or cookies) before he blogs again. But I did want to make quick comment about one of Blake’s favorite places to run, Pebble Beach. It’s golf week here on the Monterey Peninsula, with the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am teeing off Thursday. That’s always an exciting time for us as hordes of tourists descent to catch a glimpse of celebrities like Bill Murray and Kevin Costner and golfers like Phil Mickelson.
Of course, for runners who like to wander and explore the quiet streets and trails of this quiet, upscale community it’s not so convenient. As you run through the Del Monte Forest you must keep your ears open for the shuttle buses full of fans that dominate the small roads; watch for the tourists who aren’t watching for you, but looking for a place to park; skim the ropes that close of the shoulders of the roads to keep people from parking there. No daydreaming allowed on this run.
In the morning you’ll see the fans walking to the courses, some of them looking confused “Which way is Spyglass? How close is it to MPCC?” And there are the junior traffic guards, high school kids who direct traffic who give you quizical looks as you run past.
I found a little break from the buzz and excitement by, ironically enough, running the horse trail that borders Poppy Hills Golf Course. Until last year, Poppy was in the AT&T rotation and was considered a good place to spot celebrities. But it was replaced by MPCC and now is a quiet, peaceful port in the AT&T storm (hence the picture I snapped this morning).
Blake gets back in the swing of things later this week, writing more about injuries in this week’s column. - dave
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