(Not) The Prettiest Run in Tahoe

Usually when I run, I like to run on trails or at least do a loop or two around my decidedly un-busy neighborhood. I hate running on the terribly uneven sidewalk next to a busy road, breathing in exhaust fumes from the hundreds of Escalades and Hummers that invade our town every weekend. But yesterday, I needed to pick up my roommate's car from the casino parking lot where she had parked to catch the airport shuttle at the ungodly hour of 3:30 am. I also needed to go for a run.

I decided to kill two birds with one stone and run/walk the 3 miles to the casino and pick up her car. This is not the prettiest run in Tahoe.

Actually, it didn't start out too bad:

It was kind of hazy out, but still pretty.

But I quickly came to the less scenic, more exhaust heavy part of the run.

I'm still getting used to my Saucony Kinvaras (and, let's face it, I haven't been running that much), so I decided to slow to a walk after about 2.25 miles, and walk the rest of the way.

Casino signs up ahead! I'm getting closer.

I made it to the MontBleu! I considered going in and having a 99 cent margarita, but the thought of breathing in smoke kind of made me want to barf.

Now, I just had to find Allison's car. I am not the world's most observant person, and, despite seeing it in our driveway every day, I couldn't quite remember if her Subaru Outback was green or blue.

I wandered up and down the rows of the parking lot looking. Luckily, this is not the PNW, where every third car is an Outback, and I found Allison's after only a few minutes of wandering. For the record, it's green. I'm 75% sure.

I'm enjoying my bright new shoes, and, while I'm not sure if it's due to the new shoes, or running on cement instead of trails, my legs definitely felt sore in a different sort of way.

After reading some very strong recommendations, I'm also experimenting with running while listening to an audiobook instead of music. So far, I'm really liking it. I'm listening to the audiobook of World War Z, which I've already read and loved. The audiobook version is amazing! (My dad told me it won some super prestigious audiobook award, and he is the king of audiobooks, so I'm sure he knows what he's talking about.) I would highly recommend it for running. What's more inspirational for running than thinking about hordes of zombies chasing after you?