the skipster's birthday run

This post is a bit late, but i just want to share some photos we took for Skip's birthday run. On Saturday, the 14th we drove down to his chill crib in Solana Beach which sits on a bluff overlooking the Pacific. After the previous weekend's tough run at Harding, I was ready for a relatively easy jaunt. This one called for mostly beach running with only one hill climb, Torrey Pines Road.


Here we were at the top of the bluff before the start of the run. Runners in attendance were E-Rod, Bee, Sue, Abbie, Wendy, the birthday boy, and Tracie. Photo by Jake G.

Wendy gave pre-run instructions to the group prior to the start–a few miles on the sand to Torrey Pines Road, then down Parry Groves Trail to get back to the beach and a run back to the chill crib. There was also the option of adding more miles by going to the infamous Black's Beach. For those who's not familiar with this stretch of sand, let's just say BB is not for the prudish as it's a haven for the naturist beach lover.

Sue, who at 60 and holds an impressive running resumé that includes a Western States 100 finish, made easy work of Torrey Pines Road. This hill climb challenges many La Jolla Half-Marathon runners every year.

The Parry Groves Trail is a beautiful groomed trail that looks out to the wide blue yonder. It's also fun as you're heading down fast on the forgiving dirt surface with a view that's hard to beat.

At the bottom of PGT, the two groups split up. Skip, Bee, Sue, and Tracie headed back to Solana Beach while Wendy, Abbie, and I elected to turn towards Black's Beach to increase our mileage for the day (yeah right).


To run this stretch of sand is just divine with a wide flat beach that's easy on the feet and the knees. On one side are 100-foot high bluffs, and on the other you can enjoy the sight, smell and the sound of the surf. Wendy and Abbie quickly hit their stride as they race to find a naturist in their natural element.



Wendy boldly approached a Black's Beach local (if you know what I mean) and asked him to take our picture. You could say we were using a "tripod" for this shot.


On the way back from Black's, Wendy and Abbie took some time out from this very "tough" run. The only way I could describe this is "Life's a Beach."

But what is a run without a bit of misadventure? This happened about a couple of miles before arriving back at Solana Beach. I'm not gonna go into details, but because of the tide having gone up, we had to take a slight detour that inadvertently took us through someone's front yard as the home's residents looked at us in disbelief with their dogs yipping and barking at our heels. (Dear Del Mar home owners, if you're reading this, we are truly very sorry.)

Finally arriving back at the start, we end our run with a frosty dip in the water. Aaah, nothing like a cold water bath to soothe these muscles and joints after a 14.5 mile trek that included a clothing-optioned beach and other people's property.

To honor our host and the birthday boy himself, we had a little celebration with Rubio's fish tacos and some of Tracie's home-made cookies. At 59, Skip aka The Don is primed and ready for action.