Run DMZ

  One of the most popular hikes in San Diego doesn’t involve climbing mountains or crossing rural roads. It’s a walking tour through some of the city’s nicest, most densely populated neighborhoods with seven bridges as focal points.    I first did this 5-mile loop with friends shortly after it was publicized in the San Diego Reader. We liked it so much we came back to Balboa Park about a year later to do it again, and this time I documented our trip with my GoPro (RIP, dear camera companion). It’s been four years since I made that video, so we were overdue when everyone gathered this morning to start the trek.   I MPORTANT: You can start from anywhere since the course is a loop.   However, you are more likely to find free parking if you start and end in Balboa Park.   1.       Park Blvd Bridge No coincidence the hike starts at the bridge spanning Park Blvd. on the east side of Balboa Park. The bridge links gorgeous gardens to lawns ...

  This week we were supposed to soak up Polynesian culture, take in Pearl Harbor and a pineapple factory, hike Diamond Head, snorkel in Hunaume Bay and just pretend all of the problems plaguing us in the Lower 48 did not exist.   I also was to run 8.15 miles through the streets of Honolulu with 25,000 others. I figured I could do the early morning race and make it back before our party of eight had finished breakfast. The entire trip and my purported athleticism represented magical thinking on my part, given the streets remain relatively barren and I can barely walk 4 miles at a time, let alone run fast for twice as far.   Well before I called to cancel our resort reservations and those incredibly cheap Southwest flights, the Great Aloha Run had added a virtual option. (See? What did I tell you .) So, in January, coming off a serious illness, I began to plan a seaside route and download a Hawaiian music playlist for this weekend. Then I realized I would be walking for at...

  Both of my daughters moved this month. One to a townhome one town over and the other a mile from her current home. Most people approach moving with dread. There’s the purging and the packing and the physical shuttling of a homes’ worth of contents from one place to another. Nothing ever fits in the new place like it did in the old, and there are always surprises that can make or break the day. The state of disorganization can quickly grate on nerves as you search for places to put everything. And then there are the endless trips to big box stores to replace what broke, went missing or is now needed.   Oh, how I miss such a mess. Since starting this blog, I’ve moved residences only three times (and packed up one place once it was mine). I say only because before then, I’d never lived in the same house more than 5 years—EVER. My dad’s job required frequent moves, as did my husband’s until he retired and we started to stay put for much longer than I expected. I’ve wanted to mo...

Last week a freak storm  dumped up to a foot of snow  on the capitol of Spain. You can be forgiven if this bit of news never landed, given everyone’s preoccupation with another capitol that was under siege around the same time. I was stunned, then horrified and then disgusted by what unfolded last Wednesday in Washington, D.C. I’m still repulsed, but to help break the vicious cycle of ill thoughts swirling in my head, I’m learning how to redirect such negativity to brighter moments—like impromptu snowball fights on the streets of Madrid.   Spaniards came out to enjoy the rare weather Storm Filomena provided, and at various points people packed together snow and playfully hurled it at people nearby. Dozens joined in and as a result, we got to experience (virtually) something that’s been lacking for way too long here in the United States: pure joy. They threw snowballs at strangers in a city plaza and pelted some guy as he skied through a gauntlet of ‘ballers, with pe...

Every year I pick one word to guide my actions, thoughts, intentions, practices and relationships throughout the year. Lots of us do. I find it is a much better way to remain focused on self-improvement than devising resolutions when you’re rested and hopeful and have yet to resume real work.   Last year’s word eludes me. Whatever it was, I obviously abandoned it quickly in favor of another: Survive. It sounds melodramatic, but in truth every single one of us, whether touched directly by Covid-19 or not, were thrust into survival mode.    We had to elude an unknown and unseen killer and take a harsh look at friends, family and neighbors who reacted in ways we didn’t expect, even as death tolls rose and public health officials implored us to think of others. We had to survive months of quarantine with people whose habits, hygiene, hobbies and humanistic shortcomings we could no longer escape. We had to survive being unable to hold, touch, even see our closest family member...

This fall I became one of the first people to sign up for a brand-new venture that combines my long-time love of writing and renewed interest in meditation. I’d earlier attended a much longer workshop led by one of the co-founders and saw my own work immediately improve.   During one group meditation in mid-November, our guide said something that stuck with me, both then and now. It was about accepting a situation for what it is and, with that acceptance, being released from some of the associated discomfort. In the days prior to that moment, I had been struggling mightily both at home and at work. An uneven work-life integration continued to take its toll on me and those around me.   Are you the same person you were at the beginning of the year? Think hard. If your answer is still yes, then please tell us what you’re taking and if you brought enough for the rest of the class. I mean, seriously. This was a very hard year, no matter if you made a lot of money off it or lost fa...

Today is National Hiking Day. It’s also my husband’s (gulp) 60 th  birthday and the final day of #HokieHike2020 . This was a fundraiser for our alma mater that offered some great swag in exchange for going on a long walk in the woods and then making sure the world knew about it.  Last I looked, I was the only one from California to officially post, but there were several alumni from the West Coast on there. Some of the photos made me miss hiking on the East Coast, the Blue Ridge Mountains in particular. I have a history with those hills , one that brings me back now and then .    A lot of runners also hike, more than hikers who run. Some combine the two and run trails rather than walk them. I’ve cracked too many bones tripping on rocks and roots while running on trails so now I watch my step. It may take me longer, but I’m no longer in a hurry. Not most days.   Saturday was an exception. I had a lot on my plate since I had to postpone my original Hokie Hike due ...