california dreaming.

Winter in Minnesota this year was especially cold, dark and dreary, but I didn’t realize just how much it affected me until Nick and I landed in sunny SoCal last month. As soon as we left the Orange County airport, we made a beeline for the beach near Balboa Pier to catch the sunset. And almost instantly, my mood shifted – it’s amazing what sand between your toes and warm sunshine on your face can do. And the Pacific? Pure magic. 

Also, can we talk for a second about how incredible California is? Aside from Hawaii and maybe my bike, it’s my happiest place. Salty air, the ocean, the light – THE LIGHT! – and no need for a calf-length down parka at any time during the year. I’m trying to figure out how we can be snowbirds so if anyone has any ideas, please send them my way 😉 

Anyway, Nick had a work conference in Newport Beach so I tagged along for some much-needed vitamin D recharging. Rule of adulthood going forward if we continue to live in Minnesota: a warm weather respite is a must at least once between December and March (preferably twice: once in December and once in late February / early March). Don’t get me wrong, I love Minneapolis, but enduring six months of winter darkness gets harder every year. 

Overall, our week was relaxing and wonderful and exactly what we needed. Here’s a look at what we did.

coeur sports tri camp

How’s this for timing: our trip happened to overlap with the last day of Coeur Sports tri camp! So bright and early Sunday morning, I watched the sunrise as I drove down Highway 1 to join the crew in Carlsbad (I cannot get over the light in California – absolutely stunning and for sure one of the reasons it’s such a great place to live). The day consisted of an easy bike ride down the coast (I didn’t take a single pic – gah!), a trail run and a quick swim in the sunshine, followed by an açai bowl for recovery. A sunset celebration in La Jolla capped off the day, complete a massage by the ocean, dancing on the patio and sparklers at sunset. An incredible day for sure, but the best part: catching up with all the wonderful women of Coeur Sports. That’s what this sport is all about ♥

all the running

Since I didn’t bring my bike this trip – or running socks or shirts 🤦🏽‍♀️– the week was all about running. It’s the best way to explore a new place, right? My biggest run week in awhile – 36 miles – was mostly along the coast with stunning ocean views, including running down to Little Corona Del Mar Beach and along the boardwalk in Santa Monica. Also awesome: post-run ocean ice baths. And running in shorts. 

date night in malibu

So, Malibu’s amazing. It was a bit of a cluster to get there from Santa Monica during rush hour, but so worth the gorgeous drive. We hung out on the beach for a bit and then had a drink a Nobu and dinner at Malibu Farm. The fresh watermelon juice and fish tacos were fantastic (and their cookbook is currently in my Amazon cart). 

other highlights + eats

It wouldn’t be a trip to SoCal without a visit to the Coeur offices. We spent a lovely couple hours visiting with Ash and Kebby, Bernie pups Gus and Beau, and checking out new designs(!). The laughter with the crew continued over dinner at Micheal’s – my face hurt from smiling! Seriously some of the best people ♥

Kebby and Ash also set us up with a Tower 26 masters swim. I got my arms handed to me courtesy of Jim, but no matter – swimming in a salty pool in the sunshine felt amazing. Maybe I’d get my butt to the pool more often if that were my pool option (not complaining, though, because I do love swimming at St. Kate’s). 

And finally, it wouldn’t be a vacation with good coffee (Primo Passo), pizza (800 Degrees) and In-N-Out Burger (obviously).