nye | Running Without Music

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! Here’s my attempt to post more frequently for 2012… here we go! So NYE was a bit of a blur, partied a little TOO much to celebrate in the new year. So crazy that I don’t even remember the countdown! Rough (but oh so fun) night, didn’t sleep until 4:30am, stayed overnight at my friend’s place where we celebrated. Surprisingly, I got up around 8am, got home to change, pack up all my bike gear, and made it to our IronTEAM practice at San Vicente & Ocean in Santa Monica this morning by 9am! Hungover? YES. Dragging along at the meeting spot, I was greeted by other teammates feeling my pain. Some had the same alcohol breath problem I was having, definitely partied hard for NYE. For a few minutes of gathering everyone, we all shared stories of the night.

Coach Brad rounded the troops (both Tri and Iron teams) and explained the routes. The group was split into two – Local Ride where the team rode through Santa Monica flats, considered the easier route for newbies and the hungover, and the PCH ride, for the more advanced. I chose the PCH one because there’s less stops, and I if anything, in the tired state I was, I could just lay low. As a warmup, we all went up San Vicente to the Brentwood Golf Course and back. I was actually feeling A LOT better after that warmup, so I was pumped for PCH. It was a beautiful day out, I’d say 70ish and clear. I wasn’t really paying attention to how fast I was going, but I was just enjoying the sights and sounds of PCH. I really love riding because of all the scenery we can take in, get into deep thought, and really appreciate how lucky we are to be doing this. I was seriously loving life.

This PCH out and back took a total of 2 hours, and I’ve missed it so. It was a regular stomping ground for us last year, and I’m excited to do it again. Checking out Facebook afterward, and everyone LOVED this ride. As crazy as it sounded the day before, considering that I was going to party hard for NYE, I was really glad I did this. Super thankful for my morning wake up call & motivation to ride. 2012 is looking to be an amazing year!

1-1-11

Happy New Year!

I took a break this weekend from training since it’s a holiday weekend. Training this morning was an optional bike ride, so I took advantage of it. Last night my friends and I went to Katsuya, a sushi restaurant at LA Live in Downtown Los Angeles, where $85 gave us unlimited drinks AND all you can eat food! Two rows of food, varying from sushi to meat & rice dishes, servers walking around with platters of delicious appetizers, good music, and a great crowd of people. I loved how it was crowded, but not too much – you can still comfortably would around the dancefloor without bumping elbows. After the party, we stayed at my friend’s loft nearby.

The next day, on the real 1-1-11, we went to the Do Over in Hollywood, continuing the party weekend, renamed “The New Over” just for this event. It was a larger venue at Jane’s House, originally buit in 1903, and home to many of Hollywood’s hottest parties. There were free Bloody Mary’s, and carafes of sangria to purchase. Guest DJs from across the nation come play here. I wasn’t sure who DJ’ed, but music was fun! Probably danced about an hour or so. That counts as a workout right?

The night continued in Long Beach where I hung out with my sister and husband doing our own little pub crawl around downtown LBC. They had work on NYE so it was nice for them to invite and continue the party. We almost went to Las Vegas as a last minute road trip, but the thought of driving back in that traffic changed our mind. It’s never a dull time with them, so it was a great way to start 2011!