Marathon in the Wine Country

This past weekend Seton and I traveled to Santa Barbara to run a half marathon along the cost.

It was my first 1/2 marathon so I was very excited and a bit nervous when we arrived. We watched the sun rise near the pier while we took turns using the porta-johns that had been set up along the course. Thankfully they also provided something I'd never seen before - an outdoor washing station where you use your foot to pump water through a spout so you can wash your hands - a much needed device after using a porta-john.



Then we traveled down the the start line, picked up our packets which included various running pamphlets, powerbars, and the ever-encouraging packet of tylenol. Since we knew that we'd be running at different paces, we knew we'd have trouble finding each other in the crowd that inevitably gathers at the finish line, so we came up with a plan: we would both leave our cell phones in the car and carefully store the keys inside the gas tank so that we could both get our phones after the race.

We had an hour or so to kill before the start of the 1/2 marathon and we filled this hour with two very interesting activities - experiences to which you could probably comment "you know you're a runner when".

First of all, we spent a good 15-20 minutes looking for tape. Seton had to tape his nipples so that they wouldn't bleed. Yes, that's right, runners (usually men who don't wear sports bras) often have issues with their shirts rubbing on their nipples and thus causing them to bleed.

After saving setons nipples we headed towards a new set of porter-johns. The first round at the Johns was simple. In and out - no problem. "Pick the line with more men," Seton said.

But soon after our first potty break, my nerves kicked in and I had to go again. However, this time, when we got to the line we couldn't even see the end of it. Finding the line with the least amount of women would have required some serious math. By the time we got to the end of the line I heard one man comment, "Well, that had to have been a mile right there - now we only have to run 12".

I couldn't stand the idea of waiting in the line. In addition, the race was going to start soon, so I got a little creative. Don't hold it against me. "Ahhahhh", I said as I ran towards the mobile sinks. I grabbed a bunch of brown paper towels and wadded them up as I ran towards the beach. Seton followed me hesitantly. "What are you going to do?" he questioned , "pee on the paper?"

"Yup" I said

I'll spare you the details, but if you can imagine Seton and me squatting on the beach.

"Just sit here and talk to me," I said "Act natural".

It was the first time I think I "peed" in his presence.


During the run I was quite happy as I noticed the break sites filled with anxious runners waiting to get a quick potty break in before hitting the tracks. I know I'm the fastest peer in town, but it surly would have hurt my time.

Seton finished in one hour and 27 minutes and then turned around to find me. When he met up with me, I was on my last mile and he handed me his Ipod and took mine.

"Listen to this song as you finish", he said attempting to put the Ipod earphones into my ears as I ran.

The music playing was Chariots of Fire - quite an inspiration as you're crossing the finish line.

I finished in two hours and thirteen minutes. My legs were a little shaky and I felt like throwing up - you know, the usual. It was great.

After we'd returned to the car, we grabbed our things and set out to find a way to bathe. No, taking a full bath in the "portable sinks" was not a possibility so we went down to the pier. The peer bathrooms are set up for boaters, but they're locked as they do not allow access to outsiders.

Seton and I waited by the bathroom and when a boater exited the men's room he went inside. After a moment inside, he peaked his head out.

"There's a guy .... in the stall..." he whispered, "but ...when he comes out... you come in."

I waited for the man to emerge and when he did, like a cartoon character casually whistling before doing something really bad, I snuck into the bathroom.

We got our showers in, got dressed, brushed our hair and crept out of the bathroom just in time for an entire boating family to watch us exit. We just walked away smiling - happy to be clean.


Later that afternoon we traveled to the wine country. The drive up the coast was amazing. It was a totally new experience - an incredible combination of sun and ocean mixed with mountains and the colors of changing leaves on the grape vines. We played Enya through the car stereo and opened the sunroof so as to take in every aspect of the moment at hand.


Then we went to the Sanford Winery- the one in the very first Winery Scene in Sideways when Miles teaches Jack how to taste wine - "...just a hint of edan cheese..."



Wine tasting was great, and I'd love to do it again. We got back to LA LA land just in time to get in a good night's sleep.




CHEERS