Bob Jones Trail SLO, California

We have been vacationing at the seaside in San Luis Obispo Californina for the past week and will be here for another week. This place is a running and road biking paradise: 60 degree temps, foggy in the morning, plenty of scenic routes and challenges.

A great guy.

Trail Head

The Bob Jones Trail is a 5 mile paved trail in San Luis Obispo that runs from the beach at Avila to the freeway entrance on the 101. Eventually it will run all the way to the town of San Luis Obispo. My wife ran it yesterday and I ran it today. We will both run it a few more times in the next week.

If this isn't a mafia front, then I just don't know. Just next to the trail head.... Right??!??

The BJT is a benign path, really a two-lane golf cart style pathway shared by runners, bicyclists, walkers (called arm-swingers by my 4 year old), and shitters. Seriously, the path smells bad from all the dog droppings (I hope they are from dogs), and despite the warning signs and baggie stations, the first mile or so of the path is bordered by dog poop. Get past that and the path winds through shaded woods along a creek, opens up to scenic mountains and a more conventional road that crosses through a golf course, and after a bridge or two, ends at the Avila beach.

You can juuuust see the troll down there

My Garmin shows and elevation differential of about 100 feet or so. The trail dips up and down pretty much throughout the course, so you get a chance to say you ran hills, but overall it's a wash. The distance was exactly 5 miles from car door to car door. I chatted with the local rangers who said that the path plan to extend to the town of San Luis Obispo (another 9 miles one way with MAJOR hillage) is on hold while they decide  how to handle the dangerous freeway overpass. Officials want something like 2 million dollars to build an overpass, but that kind of cash is not ready. In the meantime, there is an unpaved path that follows the same basic route. This was a unique run also because I didn't need to use my inhaler, and I left my calf compression sleeves at home. No issues. They are easy enough to put on, and I'm so pattern oriented that I will continue to use them even though I'm not convinced I need them.

Cougar Taking a Crap Warning. When will I get to "encounter" a cougar?

The SLO creek

The bridge that passes over a salt water creek

The creeks connects over there to the ocean

The scenery includes mountains, I just can't stand it!

My running partner Norman

Let's goooooo!!

This trail goes down as one of my favorite spots to run of all time. If you are ever in Central Coast Cali, make sure you stop by. If you have an extra 2 million bucks, please get involved right away.

Mizuno Wave Rider 15 Product Review

So comfy!!

I have the best relatives! People who barely know me, yet send me money from New York to help buy running shoes. Thanks mom and dad, and Bruno, Camille, and Aunt Lorraine!!!! There has been a lot of internet searching lately to try to decide on my newest pair of running shoes. My best estimate is that I have about 150 more miles left on the other shoes I use, so it's time to work a new pair into the rotation.

I wear a 9.5 or 10, but also need the EE wide size to accommodate my huge left foot(that's right ladies!). The helpful people at a local gigantic national chain running store have told me my left foot is larger than my right foot and that a wider shoe will be more comfortable on longer runs. Sure. They also convinced me to eat a cricket for three dollars, and that's the LAST time I ever will.

Does this really need a caption?

I've been very happy with Asics and mostly happy with my Brooks, but I couldn't find the size with preferred color combination or limited edition, so down to the store I went. And this time, there would be know way I was going to eat another cricket. I met the helpful sales girl and gobbled three crickets before she could say hello we proceeded to talk about the shoes I have been using. She explained the minor differences between the neutral and neutral plus shoes, and I tried on about 5 or 6 different pair. Eventually I decided that the Mizuno Wave Rider 15's felt the best and bought a pair of size 10 EE.

After stopping off to buy some Ramen noodles for my family with the remaining grocery money, I unpacked, sniffed, defiled, and drooled on these babies until it was time to go night night.

This morning's run was a scheduled 5 mile progression. Planned 9:30, 9:15, 9:00, 8:45, 8:30. My Garmin battery died so I don't have exact data beyond the first mile, but I ran faster than planned and felt great the whole run. My feet had plenty of room in the toe box, which is great because I suffer from left-foot giant black toes. The soles felt grippy on the pavement and there was nothing else remarkable about them. They're new and over $100, of course they feel fantastic. I'll run on these exclusively for the next couple of weeks and write a review update. The sales girl person told me that Mizuno has a larger toebox than Asics and a better heel cup, and we sat and chatted about canal running, Adam's transgender modification surgery, and the Celtics, and would you know it? We both went through a whole bag of crickets.