Totem

 We spent the weekend in Santa Monica and saw the amazing Cirque Du Soleil show "Totem," which recently opened next to the Santa Monica Pier.

My friend (who also ran the Inca Trail Marathon last year) is the show's manager and gave us a tour a few hours before Saturday night's performance. We got to see some of the artists warm up for their superhuman routines. We even got to meet some of the performers as we caught a glimpse into their world.

 The show itself is incredibly creative and entertaining. Highlights for me were the unicycle girls and roller skating Native Americans.

Speaking of roller skating, Ediza hit the beach on her wheels and left us in her dust (in the background, you can see Cirque Du Soleil big-top tent and the pier).

 Ediza just kept going — all the way up a ramp and over the highway headed back. The day before it was so warm that she actually went swimming — in January!

Amber took a break from skating, but she has her roller derby season opener this weekend.

 We used Airbnb again and stayed at a nice apartment within walking distance to the beach and an even  shorter distance to an awesome juice bar.

On our way out of town, we stopped by the L.A. Times Travel Show at the L.A. Convention Center. As we walked by the Travel Smart Stage, the presentation "Home Away from Home: A Different Way to Stay" caught our attention. Ironically, the discussion featured the managing editor for Airbnb.

L.A. Marathon

So I may have gotten in over my head with the Antarctica Marathon, but I was able to raise thousands for penguin conservation and I still followed through with running a marathon. This past Sunday I ran the L.A. Marathon — 26.2 miles from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica.


The day started at the stadium in the early morning darkness with Flea (the legendary bassist from the Red Hot Chili Peppers) asking me if I knew the time. From that moment on, the day was a blast! The crowd had a great energy and I felt unstoppable on the course, which went through downtown before heading to Hollywood and Beverly Hills (probably the only time I'll ever be on Rodeo Drive) and on to Santa Monica.


It was there where Ediza took a bagel that was handed to me at the end of the race and fed the pigeons with it. Wearing my medal, she posed with Amber at the pier. Amber got to show us where she used to live across from the pier when she was Ediza's age.


The beach was super windy and cold (although probably a bit warmer than Antarctica).