Running along the Beach

Casey took the day off work on Friday, so we had another 3 day weekend! (we should do that every week). My parents were headed up to Ventura for my sister Meredith's Cross Country meet, so we decided to join them. We made a fun day of it all and first stopped at our favorite Fish 'N Chips place by the beach called Seaward Fish 'N Chips (on Seaward). Casey and my dad got the fish, and I (of course) got a corn dog! And mom got the yummiest looking of all...tasty crispy fish tacos. Yum. I'll have to try those next time.
After lunch, we headed over the park for the Cross Country Meet. There were TONS of schools there (it was an invitational). And lucky for Meredith, she got to miss her entire 2nd day of school to come up for it. Nice benefits being on a sports team. We walked around the park to see how the Course was laid out. And the second we put Lucy down, she was off and running. She pretty much ran around the entire time and thankfully, Casey was there to chase her around. You can see here, she's almost out of sight.
I guess Casey caught her.
We had an hour to kill before Meredith ran, so we headed over to the pier. It was further than we thought, so we got a nice 3-4 mile walk (like I could complain, however, being at a cross country meet). The Ventura pier is the longest wooden pier in California. It felt really old-fashioned and laid back, people just walking around, fishing, and hanging out. This was the one time Lucy did not run around. Surprisingly, when we let her down she walked very carefully over each little crack in the wooden planks. So we kept her in the stroller for a bumpy ride till we got to the end of the pier.
Once at the end of the pier, Lucy entertained all the people by talking to the birds. If you haven't heard her speak recently, it's all Japanese jibberish. She clearly has a lot to say, but it's nothing we understand.
We made it back from our long stroll just in time to catch Meredith at the start line. I like this picture. Tough looking competition, and Meredith's smiling face popping out at the top.
What a picturesque run. Palm trees and sand the whole way! Mere looks like a pro (okay, she is one too. Her time was about 19 minutes!)
She and her friend both got medals.
And a nice sweaty picture with Mom and Dad. Great job Meredith!
Being at her Meet reminded me of my high school days running Cross Country and Track. I was never as good as she is, but I still remember the jittery, butterfly stomach wait at the start line. And then 20-ish minutes later, it's over! and you want to throw up. Great fun!

What a fun day at Ventura Beach!