For one full week, I was the most relaxed I’ve been in as long as I can remember.
For seven entire days, I abstained from the internet. No email. No Facebook. No Twitter. Definitely no blog reading.
In fact, for seven days, I forgot I even have a blog.
During those seven days, I put my Spanish minor to good use and struck up many a conversation en Español. Muy excelente. Te amo. [Upside down question mark]Donde esta el baño?
For a week, I ate whatever the heck I wanted (though, really, that’s true of pretty much every day in my life).
In one week, I drank more strawberry daiquiris and mojitos (my new favorite drink) combined than I had previously in my entire life. Maybe.
For a week, I didn’t care about my running mileage. I didn’t think about my next race or my next goal or my next trip to Central Park. I may have even forgotten about Central Park entirely.
And for one glorious week in Puerto Morelos, Mexico, I finally chilled the hell out and rid myself of the stresses of 2012.
So I’m back.
Hello.
My much-anticipated vacation was everything I hoped it would be. Vacation recaps are (I think) boring, so I’ll present you with a succinctly summed up version of my daily routine at the Azul Sensatori resort, located somewhere between Cancun and Playa del Carmen…
6 AM: Wake up to reserve a bed by the pool. It’s fiercely competitive to snag a good sunny spot at the cool “adults only” pool.
6:15 AM: Go back to sleep.
8 AM: Wake up again. Time to conquer the grueling day!
8:20 AM: Go to the gym. Do whatever. Some days I ran 3 miles. Other days I ran 8 miles.
And some days I skipped the gym in favor of breakfast in bed (I had never had breakfast in bed — I think I’m retiring from becoming a morning runner so I can become a morning bed eater instead).
10 AM: Breakfast buffet. Stuff myself until I’m silly. A standard breakfast included French Toast and a Nutella crepe. And some fruit. And an omelette.
10:30 AM: Lay by pool.
10:35 AM: Fall asleep.
12 PM: Wake up. Get strawberry daiquiri from swim-up bar.
12:10 PM: Get second strawberry daiquiri from swim-up bar.
12:15 PM: Fall back asleep, this time on my stomach for Project Get Rid of Summer Running Sports Bra Tan.
1 PM: Eat lunch, either at the lunch buffet (I have a thing for “unlimited portions”) or the beach BBQ. Maybe do a shot of tequila with lunch.
1:45 PM: Back to the pool bed.
1:50 PM: Fall asleep again.
4 PM: Daiquiri.
5 PM: There’s a jacuzzi in our hotel room? Excellent. I will sit in it for five full minutes before getting painfully bored and overheated.
6 PM: Watch the news.
6:45 PM: Pre-dinner mojito.
7 PM: Dinner at one of the restaurants at the resort. The best meals were the two we ate at Le Chique, the resort’s way-too-cool-for-Ali molecular gastronomy restaurant.
They got us so drunk the first time we ate there that we committed to coming back a second time (um, at a slightly higher price point…oops) for a 20-course + 6 wine pairings chef’s dinner, served in the kitchen. We felt very cool. Or just very full of alcohol and crazy food.
10 PM: Sound asleep. Another big day ahead.
Needless to say I’m feeling very well-rested and moderately chilled-out after this trip. Every morning on the trip, Brian and I woke up and asked each other, “Should we do stuff today?” We thought about renting jet skis (meh, expensive, and we’ve done it before) or going zip-lining (too much effort), but ultimately we decided — every day — that we just wanted to lay around and do absolutely nothing.
So that’s what we did.
Nothing.
For a week.
We got massages outside one night, and the experience was lovely despite the crazy winds and the fact that my sheet kept blowing off me (sorry people walking by — that’s my white butt you see, don’t be alarmed).
But other than that, there’s not a whole lot to report. I wanted to go away so I could get a little detached from real life, and that’s exactly what I did.
I would say I’m happy to be back in the city and ready to get back to my routine, but we all know that’s a lie. When my alarm went off at the cruel 5 AM hour yesterday, Brian sleep-asked me if I was going to put the towels on the pool bed.
No, Brian. I’m sorry. I was off to sweat out a sip or two of those daiquiris.
Soon I’m going to talk about running again. I have some thoughts.
In the meantime, cheers to being home.
Double cheers for 3 days of work before some hardcore family time in New Hampshire for Thanksgiving!
BUT WAIT! I was unplugged and now I’m reconnected, so help me out! What’d you do while I was away? And by that I mean, “I know you all ran races, and some of you ran long ones, and I want to know all the details.” Who marathoned? Who 5K’d? Who has a fresh PR to brag about? Do it. I missed you.
![[C]Ali on the Run: My 7-Day Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Itinerary](https://i0.wp.com/aliontherunblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Runyon-Canyon.jpg?fit=800%2C439&ssl=1)
42 Responses
So I’m guessing by the looks of your pictures that the weather was amazing and you got some great sun? Currently researching November 2013 honeymoon locations. All I want to do is eat, drink, sleep, and lay on the beach…and leave with a tan 🙂 Let me know if I should put this on my list of places to check out!
Mojitos are hands down the best. My first one was in Barcelona, and I never looked back. 🙂
I completed the Philly marathon!!! Pr’d by 2 minutes; didn’t meet my goal, but what the heck, finished with a PR anyway!!! Glad you had fun! That looks like a SCRUMPTIOUS vacation!
Great pics! Welcome back. 🙂
Welcome back! Looks like an absolutely amazing trip! I ran my first marathon this past weekend, Philly, and loved just about every mile of it!
woke up saturday morning with a bizarre calf pain (couldn’t even walk!!!) and spent the day stressing, icing, rolling, slamming things, taking ibuprofen and eventually eating some carbs…. and then sunday morning was to be my FIRST EVER marathon (philly) that i also fund raised for, so i set out to do my best…. the calf seized up at mile 2, i yelled at it, and kept running…. 26.2 miles and 4hours and 19 minutes later…. i finished, joyfully crying my way over the finish line 🙂
Your trip looks so relaxing!! I am so jealous. any funny tan lines to share? I ran a 5k wearing a fake moustache and PR’d!!
Vacation sounds so fun!
I’ve been getting back into a workout routine. Also, they have Bliss products in the locker rooms at Crunch now. It smells so good!
Welcome back! Your vacay sounds heavenly…I’m super jealous.
This weekend I ran my first half marathon in Philadelphia! It was quite an experience and I’m still sore, but it was completely worth it.
Wow- it sounds like you had a fantastic trip (i’m a little jealous :D). It’s so healthy to detach from life every once in awhile, and you certainly deserve it after the 2012 you’ve had so far. I’m glad you had a great time, and welcome back home!
welcome back!
So call me your stalker, but I just came across your blog a week or two ago, so while you were gone, I got caught up on it. I also crushed my half PR from 3 weeks before by 5 minutes down here in Jersey!
I am so glad you had a great time!
I love mojitos too!
Glad you had such a great holiday – that pool bed is spectacular!
I didn’t race but I did do my first ever trail run at the weekend and I LOVED IT SO MUCH!
Sounds like the world’s perfect vacation!!! Welcome back 🙂
Ah this looks idyllic. Good for you. I’m going on a couples vacation to Hawaii in March and this makes me excited! I ran a 5k this past weekend, and it was super hard…but I did PR and got 10th woman overall, which was kind of neat. Glad your trip was blissfully uneventful!
I won my age group in a local trail 5K (not a PR, but it was a good time considering it was on trails) and won a giant apple pie. It was a great Thanksgiving preview.
Ran the Philly Marathon in 5:51, which is a 30 minute PR for this slow poke. 🙂
Sounds like you had the best vacation! I am glad you were able to just relax and enjoy your time! I ran a really horrible half marathon while you were away. You didn’t miss much 😉
1. Your trip looked amazing, but not enough shirtless photos of Brian.
2. I ran with Meb on Tuesday morning and he said, “Tell Ali I say ‘Hi’ and congrats on her marathon PR”.
3. The residents of Falcaccia Manor had a great weekend of racing with 2 PRs!
looks amazing! that’s pretty much exactly what I did in Mexico about a month ago. Bliss!!
I was just at Azul Sensatori at the end of September for the wedding of one of my bestest friends!!! What an amazing place! Sooo much yummy food too! Your pictures made me want to go back…RIGHT NOW! I never did get to try out one of the pool bed cabana thingies. I am not enough of a morning person to compete with all of those crazy 6am bed reservers! Looks like you had a great time! I ran the Lady Speed Stick Women’s Half Marathon in St. Pete, FL this past weekend with some girlfriends and had a great time. I didn’t PR or do anything fantastic…except run the whole race in a frilly pink skirt, which was pretty fantastic! Good luck getting back to reality. Never very fun…
This is the best week EVER. You just made me so excited for my honeymoon because I expect it to be exactly like this. Your breakfast in bed with the french toast and nutella crepe looks like the best thing ever. Now I am starving. I love how relaxed and happy you look. The end.
Everything about your vacation looks and sounds awesome! I marathoned, for the first time. It was slow (really slow at the end), painful, and ugly, but I did it.
Didn’t race, but I spectated the crap out of Ironman Arizona on Sunday! Glad you’re feeling refreshed, I’m a tad jealous of your lovely vacation!!
How fun! I just booked a vacation to Puerto Rico for Feb and I CANNOT wait.
Ohhhhh those pictures are amazing! I need to go on vacation STAT!! I didn’t run any races, instead I’ve been training for my Ragnar Relay race in January! Looking forward to AFTER the race for a short vacation in Key West! 🙂
Oooh – very pretty. Now I want to go on vacation. It’s cold – I need a pool.
I ran my first marathon! Yay! Richmond, a very nice marathon and nice city. I’m a turtle so my primary goal was to be less than 5 hours – which I was (04:52:00). And as I’ve said to every person I mention it to (and yes, that is a lot of people), it’s my first – not my only.
I didn’t race but I did my longest run before Vegas… 10 mother freaking miles. I’m tapering now (which is quite possibly the strangest thing?) and will be ready to tackle the strip in less than two weeks. HOLY CRAP – TWO WEEKS?!
More people need to understand that vacations are for doing absolutely nothing! lol
Also, I love that red dress! It looks great on you!
Glad you had a great time!
I marathoned and PR’ed in the negavtive direction with a big Personal Worst! but it was fun so 🙂
Omg that trio sounds absolutely perfect and I would like one to go please! Getting away from everything for a week once in awhile is the best!!
In other news, I ran my first marathon this weekend! Yay, I did it! It was Philadelphia and it was a ton of fun. And I can’t wait to try out another one, I was so painfully slow in this one due to some minor setbacks that I am sure to PR, lol!
PS POOL BED!?!?!?!?! GENIUS!!
I’m so jealous-your vacation looks amazing! I ran my trail run (8k), and tried to not set a goal because I didn’t know what to expect…. 50minute finish, I’ll take it!
looks like an awesomely relaxing trip, i’m jealous.
i managed my first 8k this weekend – the longest i’ve run since getting injured two months ago. woohoo!
Those pics are gorgeous! I had a new distance record for the first time in 3 months and a new 5K PR!
Sounds like an awesome vacation, and you probably slept enough for the rest of the year, right? 🙂 I personally didn’t race BUT I am now in the “I-spent-way-to-much-money-on-a-roadbike-but-it’s-ok-cause-I-am-a-cool-cyclist-now”-Club now. Exciting! To bad it’s cold and rainy all the time and I probably can’t use my bike until spring. Happy running!
Thank you for giving me a legit honeymoon destination idea. AMAZING.
this looks like my honeymoon two years ago…LOVED every minute of that trip. I’m sooo glad you had a great time!!
I marathoned. I PR’d. By 13min!! I was elated. I missed a BQ by less than 3 minutes. That part was tragic. So more marathons? 😉
Looks like you had an amazing time!! I am so happy for yoU!!
I’m so happy you had a nice and relaxing vacation! You really deserved a break! Good for you!
Looks like an incredible trip! We all need to totally unplug sometimes.
Ran a 3:56 in Philly just four weeks after my first marathon! Woot! Take that, Paul Ryan