Young's Blog Cafe

2006-2007

Thousands ran the streets of San Jose with rock music blaring from a different band at each mile of the half marathon. I was carried by the pure raw energy of the runners from all over the country and world who loved music and running. It was one of the happiest moments in my life as a runner and I’m glad I did this one despite the challenges I faced in the days before the race. The weather was perfect and Elite Racing knows how to throw the perfect racing party. I cruise through the miles with effervescent ease until I reached the dreaded mile 11 and I lost part of my steam. It felt like I was wading in molasses and my stomach cramped at the same time. That weird sports juice they offered at the aid stations along the course must’ve upset my tummy although I tried it before on a training run (I think). At mile 12, I got back in the groove and danced my way across the finish—literally. As always I run races, take pictures during the run and interview winners and participants after completing the run. This is tougher in costume.

The nice organizers treated me to a buffet lunch at the VIP tent where I hung out with elite racers, band members and other cool people. What a way to spend a morning in San Jose. A big thumb’s up for that one!

The Inaugural Rock ‘N Roll Half Marathon in downtown San Jose was hosted by Elite Racing. These guys know how to put on a class act. They treated us journalists like royalty and I met the elite racing field at the pres conference mostly Kenyans, a few Russians and Americans who are Olympic runners. Most of these gifted athletes were shy and rarely displayed any emotion during the conference. I doubt if the majority were fluent in English, however they were nice and not egotistical. One Kenyan named William Chebon taught me a couple of words in Kiswahili like Mesuri San (Very good!). This was his first time visiting California. After the conference, I walked back to the exhibition area and I met writer John Bingham who authors the Penguin Chronicles for Runner’s World Magazine and picked up one of his books. He is an easy-going guy who is true what he writes. My artist buddy, Sonya Paz was present selling her posters of the musically themed 13.1-miler. Making my rounds, I grab my race packet and head home.

August 27. 2006

No Pain No Gain

Mt. Madonna Challenge foot races tested runners’ mettle who dared to run the hilly courses. Crazy mountain goats leaped over the crags with little effort or at least they looked like they didn’t experience much pain. This mountain retreat gave participants what they paid for and that was rustic beauty and physical health or injury (depending on your point of view). I chose the shorter distance since I had to cover the race for the local newspaper and wanted to meet the winners of the 6K and 12K as they cross the finish line. It was tough keeping up with the Joneses and capturing people racing along the bumpy terrain without losing my steam and balance. One wrong step and I tumble down the hillside with twigs up my nose, ticks in my shorts and possibly a broken femur. Not a good idea. I managed to finish the race without injuries and was too hyper to interview people. I calmed down after several hours. What did the race organizers put in the cups at the aid station? I plan to do Mt. Madonna again next year and bring my own drink.

A freakish heat wave engulfed the San Francisco Bay Area including the South Valley for a week. Temps soared in triple digits—the highest hovering around 115-117 degrees F and the prickly heat made doing anything physical impossible. The power failure in most of Morgan Hill made things worse and many residents baked in humid conditions because nobody’s air conditioner worked. To escape the broiling climate, Ken and I flocked to the movie theaters for relief. Unfortunately, we got stuck with a really bad movie about a superhero and her boyfriend and anything seemed better than wasting two hours of my life with a poorly written flick—I should’ve taken my chances with the hellish temps outside.  The next day my friends and I went to a pro Israel rally and we melted in the searing heat in a downtown San Jose plaza. Fortunately, the organizers of the rally gave us water and this Mexican guy was selling yummy Coconut ice cream bars by the cartload.

I’m a glutton for punishment and ran in another huge, hairy costume for a 5K race in Morgan Hill my hometown. I dressed up as a heart since running is good for cardiovascular health and I wanted to do something goofy yet patriotic on this fine summer day. My pal Kat ran this race too but wore typical running attire instead of a cumbersome outfit like me. She wanted to go for a definite time frame where I desired to simply run and have fun along the way. She won third place in her age division and I labored for 3.1 miles in discomfort because I guess I like pain or something weird like that. Every year the race director sticks me in the parade after the run along with the winners in a fancy car and this year was no different except that I had a pressing deadline in the evening to turn in my story on the race. So I wasn’t able to relax as much as the other times. I’ve been running in costumes for this race roughly 6 years now, I may shift gears next year and wear the traditional singlet and shorts to shock people.

May 21, 2006

Bay To Breakers Or Bust

I’m back in San Francisco to run in the Bay to Breakers race for the first time. I like running races and dressing up in costume to make the event more challenging. B2B was a 7.5 mile street party with 62 thousand runners and walkers and who knows what else. It’s a zany whacky time to express your creativity in athletic form and to an artist and runner it’s a perfect match! Out on the streets with my pal Kat Powell (dressed in my Mog Mog outfit), we zipped around a gazillion Elvises, human body parts, centipedes, Sheiks selling gas for $10 a gallon, ugly, fat naked men, hyperactive emus, a squadron of Star Wars storm troopers, wild flowers in leather jackets, drag queens, beer and wine guzzlers, and of course hippies. Try running in a thick, padded costume for miles and see if the pain and heat don’t kill you before reaching the finish line. Anyway, I managed and aced The Hill with no problem. I love running hills; It’s a macho thing. When I saw the end of the race, I leaped for joy and pulled back the throttle with sounds of Chariots of Fire theme music filling my head. I flew past the finish and waved cheerily to the crowd and was glad it was over. People snapped photos of me and I grabbed a bottle of water on the way to Footstock to meet my friend Kat who is a much faster runner. They interviewed us on the evening news at the post race festivities and got our 15 minutes of fame. I think I’ll do this one again.

Here is a link to the article

May 13-16, 2006

Have Chocolate Will Travel

My friend Tery and I escaped the fast-paced life in Silicon Valley and retreated to a charming hamlet called Groveland near Yosemite for a couple of days. It was a painting vacation. The weather was perfect and we had a blast hanging out at her sister’s vacation home in the mountains. We had a gorgeous view of Pine Lake, wildlife and lush vegetation from the backyard patio. However, these icky six-legged tiny vampires used us as mini bars for warm protein drinks while we attempted to paint still lifes on deck or read a book. The nasty itchy welts didn’t disappear until two weeks later. Yet I have fond memories of the place and would like to return but with protective clothing or netting for my lawn chair. After we left Groveland we visited Oakhurst where the Hershey’s Factory is located. Tery and I went on a shopping spree at the confectionary’s gift shop. What a fun place to go! I hear they have a chocolate festival in late May and a foot race too. It’s a good incentive to absolve guilt when feasting on sweet meats over there, I suppose. On our return to the south valley, we drove to Hollister’s De Brito Chocolate Factory off of Highway 25 and snagged awesome deals on huge, delicious caramel apples and dark chocolate-coated apricots.

April 18, 2006

Rock On San Francisco

As a freelance writer, I snagged the chance to drive north to San Francisco with my husband Ken and commemorate the 100th anniversary of the great earthquake and write about it for the local paper. I waited for this day ever since I was a kid reading a book on seismology in the 1970s. In the wee morning hours on Market Street in the City, the scene was surreal with people decked out in 1906 regalia passing out whistles and flyers. Thousands came from around the world to honor the 19 survivors of the quake including Mayor Newsom, congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, and other dignitaries. I plowed my way through the masses, clutching onto Ken to cross the barrier where the media stood. I joined a couple of journalists on the steps of a platform snapping photos of the stage in front. An enormous white banner declaring “San Francisco Rising” hung above the stage and a huge grandfather clock nearby read 5AM. The weather was unseasonably warm with no rain in sight. I’m drinking in everything, writing, recording this on digital camera. Then all noise and activity cease as the clock’s hands reached 5:12AM. A hundred years ago at that exact time the earth trembled violently devastating this metropolis and most of northern California, thanks to the San Andreas Fault. However, on this Tuesday morning the only thing that moved were the people rocking out in the festive atmosphere. San Francisco is definitely a party town.

After the sunrise many of us VIPs trekked to the Fairmont Hotel and ate a lovely brunch along with the earthquake survivors, their families and celebrities. More speeches, photo ops and good time had by all.

April 2, 2006

Name That Painting

I launched my first solo art exhibition and sale entitled: The whimsical Art of Angie Young Studios at the Good Life Café in Morgan Hill California. It was fun watching school children ages 6 to 16 participate in the “Name the painting” contest whereupon the winner, 11-year old Bianca Hills of Prunedale, CA, nabbed a $500 savings bond for her education for the suggesting Love Language, which the judges picked as the winning entry. She and the two runner-ups got other goodies from generous sponsors within the south county community. People from Texas and the San Francisco Bay area attended the show. I held a drawing with prizes consisting of movie tickets, books, CD’s T-shirts, etc. free of charge for my patrons. Overall, the response to my show was great. Thanks everyone for making it special!

The painting is one of my whimsicals