Good morning, my friends – I hope you had fun and active weekends! As you already know by now if you follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, I was in southern California over the weekend on a fun trip with the California Strawberry Commission!
Sunshine and strawberries? Sign me up!
I’ll be back tomorrow with a full recap of our day on the strawberry farm (so fun), but for now I wanted to recap the rest of the weekend – Friday night and my workouts. The CA Strawberries crew put us up in beautiful Ventura, CA, about an hour and a half north of LA.
I’ve actually been here once before – back in 2010 on an adventure road trip with my cousin Willow! :) It was fun to be back – just as gorgeous as I remembered it.
Once all the bloggers arrived on Friday night we were treated to cocktails and dinner in the outdoor patio area of our hotel. I felt like I was on vacation! Strawberry basil mojito? Don’t mind if I do…
MY OTHER RECIPES
I was really impressed with the food – delicious and healthy, too! My favorite combination.
My date for the night was my buddy Monica – so good to see her again so soon after the LA Marathon! After dinner, we were hanging out in her hotel room catching up and all of a sudden I felt like the bed started moving – turns out there was an earthquake!! Welcome to California, apparently!
My entire outfit (jeans, tank top, cardigan) is from Stitch Fix (<—still obsessed).
On Saturday morning, Monica and I met up at 6:45 to get in a run! A much shorter one than the last time I was in LA area and running. ;) Love being on trips with active buddies.
It was SO beautiful out.
Ridiculous, right? Love that pink sky.
Monica and I did a nice 4 mile out and back, chatting away the whole time.
We did take a quick stop in the name of love, though…
4 miles, done!
On Sunday morning, I got in another workout, this time solo since Monica had already headed out. I headed out around 6:45 again and made up a fun sprinting/boot camp combination workout for myself while enjoying the ocean views. I ran 2 miles total at a good clip, but stopped a bunch during it for side shuffles, walking lunges, and pushups and dips on benches. I was out there for about 45 minutes or so. Fun and sweaty and felt good to get in some movement on such a beautiful morning before sitting in cars and planes the rest of the day.
Stay tuned for the main event recap: a trip to the strawberry farm and an epic food truck lunch. A big thank you to CA Strawberries for having me out and covering my expenses for this trip!
What sort of workouts/adventures did you get in over the weekend?
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Of interest:
- “Why We Got Fatter During the Fat-Free Boom” – via NPR News. Yes, yes, yes. See also: my guest post on this topic from last month, in case you missed it.
- Runners: On April 4, Boston Marathon race director Dave McGillivray is hosting a live, interactive video chat for runners and running enthusiasts, sharing his experiences from some of his most impressive feats and providing insight on what’s allowed him to be so effective at running so many miles. The event will raise money for the Martin W. Richard Charitable Foundation, which honors 7-year-old Martin Richard, who was killed in last year’s Boston Marathon bombings. Use the code FanneTastic at checkout to get a free admission to the chat; donations to the fundraiser are optional but encouraged, obviously. For more info: http://bit.ly/1igc6hp.
- DC Area Runners: Nike is looking for people to work at their expo + race over the Nike Women’s Half Marathon weekend festivities from April 24-27. You’ll be paid hourly and will get free Nike gear and meals, too. If you’re interested, contact [email protected] for more info!
Love the views, they are gorgeous! Pink sunrises are so pretty!! I love running in the mornings to catch them! Looking forward to hear more about strawberries ;)
Your trip looked awesome and WARM. I got a wet, FREEZING, and windy 9 miles in yesterday. Will this winter ever be over?? Looking forward to warmer runs this week :)
When we got on the plane in LA, they announced that it was in the 40s and sleeting in DC. I was like… maybe I should just stay in CA… :) Glad to see the sun and warmer temps are arriving this week, hopefully for good!
Those are some gorgeous skies! I always feel like my morning runs are better when there’s a beautiful view to accompany it. Can’t wait to hear more about the strawberry farm – they’re one of my favorite fruits!
Sounds like such a fun weekend! I LOVE strawberries. In fact, here’s a funny story … when I was little, I ate strawberries so much that I developed a minor intolerance to them. As a 2-year-old, I didn’t really realize this, but knew I wasn’t allowed to have them. Well, when my mom was in the hospital in labor with my sister, my grandmother took me out to eat, and I said all I wanted was strawberries. She was so proud when I ate 2 full bowls and came back to report to my mom that I had eaten “like a big girl” … just as soon as I started breaking out in hives all over my body. I was fine, and happy to say I can eat strawberries again :).
Lol! That’s funny. Strawberries FTW. :)
I know i’ve said this before, and I know it’s hard not to take a good pic of lovely scenery and people but your photos on your blog are always so amazing! You’ve got a great eye. =)
Aw, thank you! :)
My family lived in Wisconsin for 3 years and one of the couple of things I miss is the fresh strawberries and raspberries every summer. We’d go to the local farms and pay for a basket, then pick the fruit ourselves.
OMG! How terrifying was the earthquake? I would’ve been a basket-case.
Your workouts sounded great. I love running on the beach, something that can only happen on vacation since I’m in Iowa 95% of the time. :) This weekend, I got in an eight-mile run that felt SO good. I’m so happy that spring is finally here — at least for now!
It wasn’t scary – it was more weird. :) It wasn’t a super big one, though!
Ventura looks beautiful! What a fun trip. I love strawberries and can’t wait to read more about your adventures.
I was (slightly jealously) following on Instagram over the weekend. The scenes and food/drinks look heavenly. I can’t wait for strawberry season here in MA! Still dreary and winter-like. I’d take anything that resembles spring! Can’t wait to read the rest of your eats and trip!
I love the views- it’s been far too long since I last ran underneath any palm trees!
I am so jealous, the strawberry picking, and really everything looks so fun! Ventura Pier reminds me of Seattle only I’m sure it’s not quite as cold and dismal :P
Please ask them to invite me next year. I love strawberries! And the views were awesome, too! Very nice!
Beautiful photos! Great weekend of awesome workouts! This weekend I got in a great run and some HIIT workouts!
If I wasn’t already jealous from your instagram feed, looks like an AMAZING weekend :). So jealous, but love that you’re able to share it with us :)
I ran a rainy 10K and got a PR!
That’s awesome – congrats!!
I used to want to go to CA for Disneyland. Now I want to go to run along the coast. Thanks for sharing. I can’t wait for our strawberries to start producing.
Thanks for the contact info to work the Nike Women’s Half! I’m not running it so I’ll definitely look into working it :)
Oh, Ventura County! I’m from Oxnard, just south of Ventura! (But living temporarily in Georgia…) Fun fact, I received a scholarship from the Strawberry Commission when I was a high school senior – for children of farmworkers. I’m curious to see what you learned in the strawberry fields. Such an interesting weekend for this, too…there were lots of commemorative César Chávez (farmworker labor rights organizer) marches going on since it is his birthday weekend and a movie about him opened this weekend also. I love strawberries, but sadly they are one of the most pesticide laden fruits. I’ll forever have my mom’s sun burned skin and strawberry acid stained hands etched into my memory. She worked harvesting strawberries for many, many years. Too bad the strawberry commission didn’t host you mid May so you could have attended the Strawberry Festival!
That’s so cool that you got a scholarship from them! What’s the strawberry festival? Sounds fun!
The strawberry festival is a strawberry themed food festival in Oxnard! It’s lots of fun and very popular! Strawberry beer, pizza, and my favorite…build your own strawberry shortcake!
Sounds amazing!!
Your trip looks amazing! My workout this weekend was a 10k race and yoga class.
Your travel photos lately have made me want to move to Cali! Sounds like you had a really good time, and I am definitely going to have to find a strawberry basil mojito recipe- that sounds amazing!
Lucky you! Strawberry fields and golden California sunshine! What did you miss in DC? Rain, more rain, and snow. I think you won.
Yeah, so I hear! Although I seem to have brought the lovely CA weather back with me – hooray!
Hey Anne!
So I have a question for you. I like to run (short distances for now, maybe longer later!) and I was wondering how you “fuel” before &/or after a 3-r5 mile run? (Most ive run is 3.3ish now,) I feel like its short enough that you dont need to do anything major, but im not sure.
thanks!
Just a small snack before like toast or banana with nut butter and your normal meal after is fine!
And if f its not meal time after do I necessarily “need” a snack/are certain foods best, or it just varies?
I’d just eat something if I was hungry!