From the East Coast to the West Coast (Recovery Day 1)

The alarm clock sounded in my Boston hotel room at 4 a.m. Eastern time (that's 1 a.m. Pacific) this morning.

It is now 9 p.m. Pacific time (that's midnight Eastern) and I'm in my hotel room in Pasadena, California. I'm here to participate in BCS (Bowl Championship Series) and CCA (Collegiate Commissioners Association) meetings.

My flight left Boston at 6:15 a.m. this morning where it was 42 degrees, connected through JFK airport in New York, connected again in Salt Lake City, finally arriving at 3:3o p.m. at Bob Hope International Airport in Burbank where the temperature was 101 degrees. I mention the temperature change because research shows people are more susceptible to illness during the two weeks following a marathon. I'm certain those researchers discourage spending the entire day in airplanes and experiencing 60 degree temperature swings.

As soon as I arrived at the hotel, I changed in to my exercise clothes (adidas shoes, adidas Boston Marathon shorts, adidas Boston Marathon shirt, and adidas Boston Marathon hat). I headed out through the neighborhood around the hotel for a 2 to 3 mile "long-stride" walk. During this walk I'm just trying to get my legs moving and my blood pumping. By "long strides," I'm trying to step just to the point I feel a stretch in my legs. After 2 miles of walking, I started a slow run (aka, jog) that lasted 3/4 of a mile back to the hotel.

Typically, I am most sore two days after the marathon. My plan is to complete a 3 mile walk in the morning. We'll see just how sore I am when the alarm sounds. For now, I'm going to get some sleep!