10 MILES & 18 HOLES

Lately I've found the need to start running "new" routes. I guess having daylight isn't enough for me anymore (I spent all winter swearing if it was just light outside the same thing over and over again would be way better!). Running in new locations definitely helps pass the time, since you pay more attention to the new surroundings than the monotony of your run.

Saturday's "new" route. Blue=Usual,
Red=New!, Orange=Backwards!

Unfortunately, new routes are time consuming to plan and can be hard to remember when you are trying to store it all in your brain. The result is something like I did Saturday for my long run of ten miles. About 1/3 new turf, 1/3 the usual route, and the final 1/3 of, get this, running the usual, but BACKWARD! I know, I know, crazy. I like to live on the edge.

As for the actual run, it went alright. I woke up and started at 10:15am so I play golf at 1:00pm. Nothing like running ten miles and then hiking 18 holes of golf. Got to listen to Car Talk and Wait, Wait though, so that helped pass the time. Overall I was still a little beat from Shamrock so I just took it easy and averaged 9:43/mile.

Afterward I played 18 holes at King City Golf Course. I had never played there before but I have to say I really liked the course. Fairly wide open and not too many hazards. Cheap too ($26 for 18) and pretty well maintained. There were some yucky spots, but we just played "winter rules" which means you can basically blame any shitty lie on the weather. Score!

I hadn't played golf since August but I picked up right where I left off in terms of ability. That is the good thing about sucking at it, you don't have skills that wither away. I ended up shooting 105 over 18... not great but not bad for me. Hit an 8 foot putt on 18 to tie my friend, who is usually about 20 shots better than me. He was completely off his game.

One hilarious shot happened on the 7th hole. The one water hazard on the whole course is located on this hole, so naturally I have to target it. I took out my 5 wood from the fairway about 140 yards from the hole. I had been hitting that wood from the fairway pretty well and been getting a lot of air. The water hazard covered yards 40-70 on the shots approach to the green. Completely doable! So of course I top the ball and it goes screaming toward the water about five feet off the ground. Well, I hit it at such an angle and which such pace that it SKIPS across the water, bounces off a rock on the shore, and pops onto the fairway right in front of the green. Pro!

This is the 7th hole and my nemesis... water.

My best hole was a par on a par 3. It was about 180 yards and I hit my tee shot about 150 to the right behind a pine tree. It's about 15 feet tall and I'm probably 10-15 yards from it, so I took out my pitching wedge and somehow hit a beautiful, high arching shot right over the tree that landed about 10 feet from the hole. I then actually made the putt to secure the par. Oh! And one more shot! On another hole I was about 20 yards away from the cup, 10 yards of fairway and 10 yards of green. My pitches were betraying me, as usual, so I opted to just putt. Needless to say, I hit the perfect putt and it curled into the cup much to the surprise of everyone. That was definitely the second furthest shot I've ever made, only the 70 yard pitch in when I was 13 beats it.

Sorry for the boring golf talk. I like to play golf though and if I don't write this stuff down I'll never remember it! :)