Its my birthday!

August 21st is my birthday. This year I had plans for a great day out with my hubbie visiting a few wineries in Sonoma. The day didn't work out quite as I planned due to events I completely out of my control. We did, however, make it up to Healdsburg for a little snack and stroll around the square with our Shi Tzu Slugger and dinner at Zazu with some friends down in Santa Rosa.

As we pulled off the highway towards the Square, we realized we forgot Slugger's harness. As luck would have it, we drove right past a pet store! We ran into Fideaux and we greeted by the friendliest lady ever. We have the cutest dog ever, so it was no surprise that she doted on Slugger, but that aside, the service was great and we found what we were looking for.

With the dog leashed we headed over to the square to check out the scene and look for something to snack on. It was 3 and we were eating dinner at 6:30, so we didn't want to spoil our appitites. We stopped in Oakville Grocery, well, I stopped in Oakville Grocery, as they don't allow dogs even on the patio there. I wasn't super thrilled by the options and was definitely turned off by the prices, but I managed to pick up a few things that would hold us over. I chose a camambert and a hard cheese as well as some pre-sliced salami, a baguette and two drinks. All for $20. We took our food and headed to the square for some people watching.

Dinner was down in Santa Rosa. We took the scenic backroads and arrived at Zazu a little early. The restaurant is about 5 miles off of the highway 101 in a farming area. This makes sense since the restaurant is also a farm. They have tomatoes and strawberries growing in the parking lot! Once our friends arrived we headed inside.

The restaurant is super casual, but still has a feeling of being a little higher end. The hostes and our waitress were extremely friendly and made us feel at home. We started off with a bottle of wine, a miner viognier, and an order of their home grown salami and fired okra. I ordered the Scallops and I thought they were delicious, but a little pricey at $27. My husband's dish was delicious. It was a vegetarian pasta that had lobster mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes and a light cream sauce. The flavors were perfectly balanced. Our friends ordered a cesar salad and the grilled cheese sandi with tomato soup and the special, a pork entree served over creamy grits.

Dessert, my favorite part, I was glad we didn't pass up. We ordered an affogato (one of the best I have had), sorbet and some donuts. All were gobbled up quickly!

All in all it turned out to be a fantastic 34th b-day.

San Francisco Marathon Finisher Report

I finished!!!! I'm almost surprised at myself. And anyone who knows me would be surprised that that was my goal - to finish. In 2007 it was all about qualifying for Boston. And I did it. And I ran Boston. But last week I just wanted to get my medal! The DNF in really got to me, I guess.

The day started EARLY. 5:30 was the official start time, but my wave started at 5:53 and I was happy to have a few extra minutes of sleep. The morning was a typical San Francisco morning, cool, damp, a little misty. Perfect running weather.

I started strong. At mile 2 I was met by my dear friends Russ and Aylene, my number one fan (my hubby) and our puppy Slugger. That made me feel good, even though I already was feeling good, just love support. I had passed the pace group I thought I'd be running with, 3:50 and was running a good 8:30 pace up to the bridge and back. This was a tough pace to keep due to all the hills, but I was pushed by all the running buddies I had on this particular morning. Normally its just me in my head. After the bridge and a 2 minute pee stop, it was down hill for nearly a mile. Now some runners were just charging, but I could already feel it in my knees and tried to take it steady.

At mile 11 I was greeted again by my NOF (number one fan) and Slugger. That made me feel good and I gave them both kisses. After mile 12 we headed into Golden Gate Park. At this point the first half marathoners split from the full marathoners, and the course started to thin out. I felt myslef running alone again, but did associate myself with one really tall guy, and a guy wearing a grean Ireland T-shirt. 6 miles through the park gets a little boring and for some reason I think it was all uphill. Just before heading out of the park I saw my pace group and tried to keep up with them...I couldn't.

Mile 19 was Haight Ashury. Just out of the park is flat with some downhill just ahead. This was the point that the elite 2nd half marathoners flew by me. Ugh, that was tough...I felt like I needed everyone to know they just started and I had already run nearly 20 miles. But soon enough I was greeted by my NOF and Sluggies. Big kisses again, and I was tempted to hang back and grab a coffee with them, but NOF encouraged me to get going.

This is when I started to fall apart, big time. Everything hurt, from the tips of my fingers to the tips of my toes. I knew I needed to make it to at least 20 because my brother would be there, and I didn't want to look wimpy in front of him. But man, I just started slowing down. The tall guy from the park must have been doing okay, because I never saw him again, but the Irish guy must have been hurting as much as I was. He was walking. But I couldn't walk...until I passed Duboce. There I saw the big tall blond waving away. I think he might be my NTF (number two fan). He has stood in that very spot for the last 3 years as I've run by. He said " you are 10 minutes late, what are you doing the half or something". Pissed me off, but then again, he's never run a marathon.

From there on out it was a mind game. I kept telling myslef, "one more mile...you can make it one more mile". I tried walking at about mile 24 and it was worse than running, so I figured I'd better just go. And I did. But man that was a feat. You just try to talk yourself into the fact that this will be over soon, and that the pain is only momentary, but its hard to convince yourself that you won't just fall over.

As the ballpark approached I knew I could bring it home. Normally this would be where I'd try to pick up the pace, but I didn't have anything in me. Was it because I didn't use GU? Was it because I didn't drink Cytomax or Gatorade? Who knows....Just underneath the Bay Bridge I saw NOF, Slugger, Carl, Russ & Aylene. They were cheering and I waved weakly. "I am so close" I thought. And I was. And I ran, or jogged, or moved...not really sure, but I did cross the finish line and I was on two feet. I finished. I got my medal. My time was 4:02.

I had a day of recovery. My body ached and this was the first time I didn't completely pig out for 24hours. I've been feeling pretty good, but still haven't gone out for that "follow-up" run. Maybe tomorrow.

My new puppy is getting in the way of my running

Slugger is a 3.5 month old Shih Tzu. He is the cutest thing EVER. Really, I have a new love interest. He is a special dog and he loves his new parents. The thing is he loves his new parents so much that he doesn't like when they leave him. This has gotten in the way of my early morning runs.

I get up at 6:45 to let him out of his kennel to "go potty". That can take approximately 15 minutes. Then I feed the little guy...although he doesn't like what I feed him and starts to beg for something different. If he's lucky, I might have some left over scrambled eggs in the frige that I will mix in with his food. Then he wants to play, and/or will need to "go potty" again. If he doesn't get play or food he starts to bark, which will wake up the neighbors and his daddy. So I take him outside.

It's nearly 8am by the time I can even try to convince him to get in his kennel...okay, to be honest today is the first day I put him in his kennel so I could get my run in and move on with my day. Unfortunately lately my early morning runs have turned into late morning or early afternoon runs. I guess I should have considered getting a dog I could run with...

Podcasts during my run

A few weeks ago my cousin Lars suggested I start listening to Podcasts during my runs. I get a little tired of the same music playing during my almost daily runs, so I was open to something different. Although I consider myself somewhat technologically savvy, I have never downloaded or listened to a podcast in my life.

So I decided it would be fun to download a daily podcast from a Chicago radio show I used to listen to when I was living in the windy city. I went to my iTunes store and was able to download a subscription to the Erik and Kathy show as well as "PodRunner" and "How Stuff Works".

As I went out for my run this morning I was excited to listen to my long-lost friends' radio show from the previous morning. The commercial free podcast had me giggling to myself during the first 3 miles of my run. After Erik & Kathy, I tried How Stuff Works. I was really looking forward to this podcast because I love to know how things work!!! Unfortunately I couldn't stay interested. The topic was lucid dreams and somehow they manage to talk about overweight 35-year-olds doing yoga. I only made it through 5 mins of the show. Finally I switched to PodRunner. Now this is my style. It really is free running music set at different paces. This morning was "A hypnotic, lulling workout mix that will zone you out and bring you back to earth hardly even aware of the calories you've burned". Not bad, but I was near the end of my run and only listened to it for about 8 minutes.

7 inspirational and motivational running films

Looking for movies to watch before your next race or run? Check these out:

1. Chariots of Fire – No list of running movies is complete without this one. A movie about two runners who are competing in the summer 1924 Olympics. They are each running for something more than a medal.


2. Prefontaine - Starring Jared Leto, this movie received Two Thumbs up in 1997. It is the inspiring yet tragic story of Olympic hopeful Steve Prefontaine.


3. St. Ralph – A 14 year old boy is determined to win the Boston Marathon. He has made a deal with God that if he wins, God will save his mother from her illness.


4. Run Lola Run – Lola may not be running for a medal, but she is running a race against time. This great high energy film tells the same story 3 times each with different outcomes.


5. Rocky – Although a boxing movie, a runner can’t help but be inspired by the Rocky’s training and the famous scene when he runs up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum.


6. The Long Run – A South African drama about an old, worn out coach who trains a promising women to run one of the most difficult races, the Comrades Marathon.


7. Run Fat Boy Run – It’s a silly romance worth watching. The main character will do anything to get back his girl, including train for and run the London Marathon.

Back on the running trail again!

I didn't keep my promise of a post marathon update. There are a few reasons for this, excuses, yes, but reasons none-the-less.

First of all, the Vancouver Marathon was not one of my better races. The truth is it was my first DNF (did not finish). Although a tad disappointing, and even a little bit embarrassing to admit, "stuff" happens. So I didn't finish my 7th marathon. The world isn't going to end and I can still consider the fact that I did prepare myself for the race, which is 98% of the work anyway, right?

Secondly, I started running for the examiner.com. I am the SF Running Examiner. It's not like I'm a writer for runner's world or anything, but it does require me to think of content put together stories about running in and around the bay area.

And finally, I've just been plain busy with everything else in my life.

But I have decided to start blogging again. Although I get to tell the world about running in SF on the examiner.com, I still have to keep my stories in the 3rd person - more informative if you will. This is where I get to state my opinion or make fun of myself or other runners (not that I would do that, although I did see this guy running in Crissy Field yesterday wearing a bright blue unitard. That was very strange and I wish I had had my camera. He wasn't even that weird looking of a character, and he was running with someone who seemed perfectly normal....)

Stay tuned! I will eventually give an update on Vancouver and my next events.

Vancouver, Here We Come!

I am afraid that I will not be able to out run the rain in Vancouver this Sunday for the Vancouver Marathon. I have never run a marathon in the rain. I can't even tell you the last time I went out to run in the rain. I guess I should just be glad that I wasn't using this race as a qualifier, and will just have to go with the flow!

On a positive note, the weather leading up to the race is supposed to be great and my friends who arrived this afternoon said this is the view from our hotel. And despite the crummy weather, it looks like its a nice course and we will see a lot of cool things as we run the 26+ miles. Don't look for me on twitter after all. It's a premium price for twittering in a foreign country, unfortunately. I will have a full report when I return on Tuesday.

Early Morning Running in San Francisco

There is something about getting up early and going for a run in San Francisco. The city is quiet as if you have the place all to yourself. A 7am run can easily be a run of solitude in the city.

Since leaving my 8-5 job I haven't pushed myself to get up early to go running. I've been able to roll out of bed, check emails, do some laundry, make a few phone calls and then I might head out for a run at say 9-9:30. During the week, that isn't such a problem, but on weekends - watch out! If I start a 6 mile run at 9:30 that means I'm running in prime. Tourists are EVERYWHERE as are dog owners(See previous post). Slow moving tourists can take up the entire running path; out-of-towners decide to rent bikes to 'bike the bridge' who haven't been on a bike since they were 10 have no clue on the common curtisy of "sharing the road".

But I digress...the benefits of running early in the morning aren't simply missing the later crowds, but seeing, smelling and experiencing a great San Francisco.

Some of my favorite things about early morning runs:

Quietness
Views of the sun coming up
Golden Gate bridge in the am
Alcatraz in the am
Set up of crab/shrimp stalls @ Fisherman's Wharf
Smell coming from Boudin's BIG bakery on the wharf
Fresh air
Crisp air
Sun breaking through the fog
Cable Cars (and no other traffic noise)
Surfers at Ft. Point
Fresh brewed coffee coming from local vendors
Fresh Donut smell coming from Safeway (blessing and a curse)
Knowing I am coming home to a full day of productivity!

Running Concierge

If you are a runner and travel a lot for work, or for leisure, than I have some valuable info for you. Last November before departing on a two month trip to Australia and New Zealand I discovered Starwood Hotels has a running concierge service. You can actually join a group for a Westin guided 3 mile run. I think this is an amazing service, even if you are not a runner. As long as you can run (or speedwalk) 3 miles, this is a great way to get to know your surroundings and see a city in a short period of time.

Even better than this, for me, is the Runners Wold maps that are available at participating Starwood hotels. These maps show a few course options for a run from 3-8 miles in the city departing from the hotel doors. This is such a great service, because if you are visiting a foreign city you certainly don't want to end up running in a bad neighborhood. I used these maps while visiting Auckland (only got a little lost and was able to ask a friendly Kiwi how to get me back on track), Melbourne(slightly confusing course, but got me to a big park that I could run around in and then felt safe enough to deviate from the map along the river front), and Sydney (we actually stayed at the Sheraton - sister property - but I downloaded the map from the Westin site.

My husband and I are true Starwood Hotels customers and I plan to use this service as often as possible. You should check them out for yourself!

Zurich Marathon

I'm so excited for my good friend Nikki who will be running the Zurich Marathon. I wish I was there, but I couldn't have swung Switzerland one weekend and Vancouver the following...or could I have? She gets to run through the newly constructed Uetliber Tunnel even before traffic. This tunnel fills a considerable hole in Switzerland's road network as well as providing a quick, environmentally friendly and convenient traffic diversion away from the centre of Zurich

Regardless, I'm totally proud of her. She's become so passionate about running over the last 5 years or so. She is running all over the world. Just a few months ago she ran a 1/2 in Austin, a few months before that it was Disney Marathon in Florida, and last year she was in Alaska for the Anchorage Marathon. She ran past moose!!! Very impressive.

I wish her good weather tomorrow, hope she is over jet lag and that she has an amazing time. And I wish I was there. Cheers to you Nikki!!!

Walking for Wine

Saturday I joined my friends Carla and Jen in a walk for wine. Well, really, it wasn't a walk FOR wine, it was a walk which would be followed by a stop for wine.

We met downtown San Francisco to join the SF City Walks for a walking tour through San Francisco's open spaces. The tour lasted about 2 hours and gave some interesting insight into some of SF's history. We also discovered some great secret spots where we could hide out during our lunch hour while catching some rays (as infrequent as they may be in the city). Our favorite spot was at 552 Montgomery Street on the 15th floor. Lots of sun and beautiful views!

By 3 pm we were ready to head over to South just in time for happy hour. South is a cute little restaurant by the train depot, just beyond the ballpark. South is the first uniquely down under restaurant in San Francisco. The restaurant is run by two Aussies and a Kiwi.

The happy hour deals were great - they had 2 wines for $6 a glass and 2 Aussie beers for $5 and a list of apps at $5 each. Although I had intended on drinking wine, I decided to have beer instead. I had recently been to Australia and recognized the James Boags beer they were serving (the other beer is Fosters, which they did not serve in Oz, except in tourist traps - South must have been trying to appeal to people who have never traveled to Oz and think Fosters is the true Aussie beer). We also ordered a few bar bites. We had the Double Creme Cheese with lavosh, the king fish sashimi, and the chunky chips. All delish, no complaints from any of us!

It was a great day out walking and wining (or beer-ing) and I look forward to doing it again soon!

Celebrity Sighting (sort of) on my Morning Run

I am happy to report I ran past a reality star this morning at Crissy Field. I ran past Tammy from the Tammy & Victor team from Amazing Race. I wonder if they won the $ million??

The Amazing Race is my ALL TIME favorite show. Last year I ran past one of the Cho Brothers.

Happy Earth Day

The ultimate "green" run. Go Natural!

Weather Forecast

Runners can be extremely obsessed with weather forecasts. It is especially important if a big run is coming up. I hardly ever believe what the weather report forecasts in SF as it is wrong nearly 50% of the time. I think they guess. But for some reason I put more trust in the weather report when it really matters - like before a marathon.

As you know, weather is SO important when you are out running for 26 miles. If it's raining, it can be somewhat refreshing, but your shoes get soaked and start to feel like you are running in bricks. If it is sunny, it can be all together too hot after a few hours running on pavement. And wind, well that is just bad.

I have been eager to know about the weather for my next race for the last few weeks. My friend Nikki is running a marathon in Switzerland this weekend and she has been talking about her weather forecast for the last week. The outlook is good for her, by the way. The Vancouver Marathon is still more than 10 days away. But the weather on the 30th doesn't look so bad, cloudy and 68 degrees. I wouldn't mind a little sun, of course, as we will be checking out the city.

Beware of Dogs

Running in the city can be dangerous. Let's take my experience today, for example. I was running up a hill in North Beach, minding my own business, deep in thought and listening to Laday Gaga's Poker Face, when I got to an intersection. I took a little tip of my head to the left, to the right and to the left again when my ankle twisted as I slightly fell off the half curb. A half curb is a curb you think is really much bigger than it actually is. The curb was on a trolley line, so I think that's why it wasn't the size I had imagined it would be. But I have run across this intersection many times so I'm not sure why I twisted my ankle on the half curb this time. Needless to say, after I looked around to see how many people watched me bail, I had to walk it out and take off my long sleeve T. If the run wasn't making me hot, the twisting my ankle in public certainly did.

Another accident I had involved a run in with some dogs on Crissy Field. I don't want to be an old curmudgeon, but I would really appreciate it if you have a wild dog that you would put a leash on it and take responsibility. I saw it coming a mile away. It was a gorgeous weekday in the city. There weren't too many people out that day. The path alongside the grassy field was relatively quiet. But I noticed up on the grassy field two dogs running and chasing each other. For some reason I just knew that they would come down that hill and run towards me. And I don't know if I willed that to happen, but that is exactly what they did. They ran down the hill and ran right into me knocking me down onto my right side. I was embarrassed, and afraid I was hurt. I said something nasty to one of the owners and tried to run it out. But when I got home I cried. It was not very nice. And now when I run that path, which I do nearly 4 times a week, I get so nervous when I see dogs.

The Law of Attraction

When you are running alone, do you ever start to pick up the pace of someone who is running close to you? Or worse yet, do you ever start to run faster because someone has come up from behind you and is about to pass you? I do this all the time! I'd like to call it law of attraction, but the reality is its competition.

Today I was having one of those runs...I was doing a 13 miler. All was going well, and I felt comfortable enough with my pace. I ran from my house through North Beach, the weather was beautiful, the temperature was perfect and I was in my groove. I ran around Giants Stadium (whatever its called these days), noticed all the people already heading in for the game (at 9 am) and my thoughts were free and clear. Until I saw her.

I noticed the woman from a distance. She didn't seem to be running overly fast. I sized her up, as usual, and she appeared to be the same size as me, wearing official running shorts and a good running top (you can always tell the rookies by what they wear running - that will be a blog for another day). As I was approaching Epic Roast house, I noticed she disappeared. Maybe she went in for a beer, who knows, I wasn't even bothered at that point. But, a few seconds later she ran up next to me. Well not NEXT to me next to me, just close enough. She must have gone pee or grabbed some water (is there a drinking fountain back there?). Regardless, she was 10 feet away from me on my left.

Sometimes this isn't a problem and I can speed up for awhile leaving my competitor in the dust. But today we were running the exact same pace. I couldn't keep my mind off of it. I was horrified. I couldn't and wouldn't go any faster, she would go any slower, and thank God she didn't go any faster -that would have been a blow to my ego. So we ran at this close distance for about 3 miles. That was 30 minutes of misery for me. Should I have said something? "hi, seems like we run at the same pace, do you want to run with me sometime?" or "so, what's on your play list?" or how about, "did you take a pee at Epic or is there a hidden bubbler back there?" It was SO uncomfortable.

Needless to say, she took off at the Wharf (she was probably as uncomfortable as I was) and I could run my final 7 on my very own. I adapted my speed to accommodate others only a few times for the rest of my run, and passed a few men, which is always a good feeling.

My Dailey Method

Today I'm not running. Its my day off. Tomorrow will probably be a day off too. Again, very relaxed about this marathon training...

This morning I did 3/4 of my Dailey Method class. I'm happy to be back working there. Honestly the BEST workout with the BEST results. I ran my fastest 1/2 marathon time after doing the Dailey Method for 5 months. I guess its probably easier to run fast when you are 10 lbs lighter. But my muscles are just stronger too!

But as a member of SF's 10% unemployed (although I'm not even part of that % since I'm not collecting unemployment and I didn't get laid off), it was hard for me to justify spending the nearly $20 per class to get back into tip top shape. But since I work at the front desk (for free) I get to take unlimited classes. Yes!! I'm holding myself to do at least 3-4 classes per week. Unemployment has not been friendly to my eating and workout habits...its a good thing I don't have to wear those business suites, cause they don't fit!

Tapering

My next marathon is in 16 days. After Sunday’s 20 miler I am tapering. I love tapering. But I hate tapering too. Sometimes I feel like I’m being lazy when I’m tapering. And my bragging rights begin to go away. Who doesn’t love to say “oh I’m just running 16 miles this weekend”? The Vancouver marathon will be my 7th marathon. I have to say, I have never been more laxed about marathon training. Not that I’m ever super aggressive, but I do usually follow a schedule with about 80% accuracy. This time I am all over the place, especially during the week. I have been completely off track. But I am still tapering.

My first marathon was in 1999, in Washington D.C. I had classified myself as a runner only a few years prior to this race. I started running to trim down from the college freshman 15. My first career was in wine sales, calling on restaurants in D.C.. I needed something to balance out all of my drinking and late night eating. And I needed a goal. A marathon sounded right up my alley. I was 23, so I could still get up in the morning and run 18 miles on 3 hours of sleep after a night consuming a few bottles of wine, a couple martinis and a steak dinner in 98 degrees with 90% humidity. Things have definitely changed.

My second and third marathons were in Chicago, when I was living there. Chicago puts on a great marathon, and has some of the best fans. I took a year off between those two races to get into kick-boxing and Yoga. I find all my time is consumed running when I’m training for a marathon and I don’t give myself time to do some of the other fun aerobic, healthy activities. Actually I am in much better shape when I’m not training for a marathon. I seem to gain weight when I’m training because I give myself all sorts of excuses for eating. Like eating an entire pizza after running 13 miles is not okay. And drinking mass quantities of Gatorade (sugar) probably doesn’t help either. Pizza isn’t the worst thing I eat while training. I have to say my favorite indulgence after a long run is eating an enormous breakfast that consists of pancakes with bananas and butter and syrup alongside 2 scrambled eggs and a few pieces of bacon. Bacon is GREAT after a long run. Then I like to lay around on the couch watching old re-runs or some reality show marathon for the rest of the day.

My fourth marathon was San Diego. Not much to say about this one. I was living in Phoenix while I was training. Phoenix happens to be one of my least favorite places in the world, but I won’t get into that. All I know is that I was grateful to have a big huge unheated pool in my backyard that I could use as my “ice bath” after my long training runs. San Diego was just weird. I didn’t enjoy running on the freeway, and I wasn’t too impressed by the fan fare.

So I went on a marathon hiatus for a couple of years. I moved out of Arizona, back home (literally into my mom’s house at the ripe age of 30!) to the Bay Area. I ran a few ½ marathons here and there just to prove to myself that I still had it in me. In 2007 I decided it was time to try to get into Boston. So I ran one of the “fastest marathons in the country”, CIM – Sacramento. I don’t want to bash the CIM too much, but it is NOT the fastest marathon in the country is far as I’m concerned. It is HILLY! And quiet. But some of my biggest fans were there to support me, so I can’t complain. Oh, and I qualified for Boston by 2 seconds after nearly giving up at mile 23.

Boston was number 6, 5 months after number 5. Really this race deserves its own blog entry, but since I’m new to this whole blogging thing I’m not sure if you can make entries that happened in the past (I know what you are thinking – I just gave my 10 year running history. BUT I’m tying it all into my run today….) Boston was an AMAZING experience, and I’d say it was worth the ten years of training I had to do to get there. And next year my qualifying time is extended by 5 mins, so I know I’ll do it again!

This morning I ran 7.5 miles, according to mapmyrun.com. It was a gorgeous sunny day, but a tad chilly for my taste. I hate running in pants, even short pants. That’s one of the main reasons I moved from Chicago. I couldn’t run outside for the majority of the year, unless I wanted to wear pants or ear muffs. Gloves I don’t mind, although if it does start to warm up, I really hate when my hands start to sweat. It was a good run, I felt strong and had positive thoughts. And I was good and ate steel cut oatmeal for breakfast when I got home. So I am officially tapering, even if I do have a 12 mile run this Sunday.