Day 18 - Costa Mesa to San Diego

8 August 2016

We woke up with alarm clocks this morning. As we had been planning each day of this trip, as in where we would be and when, I had started to investigate the possibility of running in an organised race. Just 5k, so that it would still be enjoyable, and not require any additional training. Every town that I looked at had a race, but I missed it by a day or so. I found one set for today at the Orange County Fair. The great thing is that the races all start very early to avoid the heat, so they wouldn't encroach on our day.

We were luckily only 3 minutes drive from the fairgrounds, so we were up and out the door by 7.30am. I was quite nervous, as I didn't really know what to expect. Andrew had taken me to collect my race number the day before, so I knew I had a place.

There were hundreds of people there at the start. It was very well organised, and just before the race, they played their National Anthem. I got a bit choked at that point. That doesn't happen in the UK, we just run. The race started slow, lots of slow walkers at the front, and I hadn't been very smart about where I had placed myself in the crowd. The race went through a boring section of the car park, then out onto the road, which was sectioned off, and then back into the actual fair. It was brilliant, running through the fair with it all closed up. At one point, you could stop and try your hand at one of the stalls. Shoot a basketball; break a plate by throwing a baseball at it or throwing a hoop over a target. I opted for the plate smash, the first ball missed, and the second had no power, so the plate merely wobbled. No cuddly toy for me.

On I ran, and we went through the indoor market area, and then out into an arena with cows and horses in.

Before I knew it, I turned the corner and there was the finish line. Brilliant! Andrew and Oliver were at the finish cheering me on. it was a really nice run, and a great medal. But also, a great memory. Can't imagine I'll ever run through a fairground again (unless I'm being chased by gypsies).

We went back to the motel and loaded the car up. This is the final leg of the journey, and San Diego is our final destination.

The traffic was kind to us, and we arrived in Mission Bay, San Diego around an hour later.

Our room was ready for us at the hotel we booked, so we could unpack. We have a lovely room, a very comfortable one to end with, and it ticks the box for Andrew of overlooking water. We have a totally unobscured view of Mission Bay and a huge balcony we can sit on. Oliver's box gets ticked as it has two pools. Needless to say, we were swimming in one of them in no time.

Andrew went to explore and came back saying he had found a place that hired paddle boards. We dried off and decided to have a go.

Oliver had tried paddle boarding at his residential week away with the school and really enjoyed it. Andrew and I had never done it. With five seconds of tuition from the surf dude at the rental place, I was on my knees, on a paddle board in a huge bay full of boats. What on earth was I thinking? Andrew and Oliver were already on their feet, but I was very wobbly. I realised that staying on my knees for an hour was going to hurt, so with a bit of effort I was up on my feet. A paddle board is literally a surfboard. It has no sides to hold onto, you just have to balance. And balance I did. After 45 minutes, I was a bit bored just paddling about, and it was quite hard work, because every time a boat came into dock you were washed back to where you'd just paddled from. So we made our way back, and we all managed to get off our boards without falling in. 

We treated ourselves to cocktails, beer and apple juice at the bar, and played cards and a new game we bought in Target called LeftCenterRight. It's a fun game that is totally down to chance in terms of who wins. Three dice and some counters. So simple, but great fun.

The hotel has a great summer event called 'Dive-in Movies'. At 8pm they set up an inflatable screen and show a film at the pool. So you can swim in the pool and watch a film. How cool? Luckily for us, tonight's film was The Incredibles, which we all love. Oliver and I swam about for the first half an hour of it, and then it got cold. Andrew had brought us a blanket from the room, and hoodies, so we dried off and wrapped up. Popcorn too. A nice relaxing end to the day.

Until tomorrow..x