15 Mile Run on 17 Mile Drive

Since Kim and Rodney's wedding wasn't until 12:30 on Saturday, Les and I both decided Saturday morning would be a great time for some exercise along the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Les took his bike and I took my running gear. After a reconnaissance mission Friday afternoon (where we spotted several deer), I thought running on the fabulous 17 Mile Drive would be a treat. Our hotel was practically on 17 Mile Drive, about one mile away from the Pacific Grove entrance to the famous road.

I was not disappointed!!! I left our hotel room around 6:15 Saturday morning and couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. The road was very quiet. A few cars. A few walkers. A few runners. And LOTS of cyclists! They were out in force! I saw one pack of about 30. They zoomed past me at an amazing pace, it felt like a car was going by!


I took the road from the Pacific Grove Gate (at the top of the map), running on the pedestrian path as often as possible, and ran to Cypress Point Lookout (#14 on the map). This put me at about 7 1/2 miles, so I decided that was a good place to turn around. It was at about mile 11 that I saw my favorite cyclist - Les! He was just heading out on what turned out to be a 50 mile ride. We chatted for a few minutes, hammed it up for the camera, and went our separate ways.

I don't know if I can describe just how wonderful this run was. It was breathtaking! It was the perfect mix - a cool ocean breeze with a warm rising sun. I don't think I've ever had a more enjoyable run! And it was an awesome reminder of just how great God is! I made several stops along the way - ran on a boardwalk, ran down stairs to the beach, stopped to listen to the seal lions bark - basically enjoying the beautiful day God gave me!