We just finished our 6th run around Lake Merritt last night and we’re still going strong! It started out with just 3 of us and last night we had 8! Yippee! I feel like Forrest Gump.
To celebrate our new healthier happy hour, we had a real HH at Lake Chalet after the run. It was a warm afternoon, which turned into a mild evening on the lake. We did cartwheels on the grass and shared appetizers and lots of laughs, as usual.
Check out this gorgeous view from our table!
The girls and I started our casual running club on Tuesday and we ran the perimeter of Lake Merritt, which happens to be 3 miles around. I used to run this route while in grad school and it had been that long since I had last been there. They’ve made a lot of cool improvements and it was a great place to kick off our weekly run and the first sunny day in a couple weeks.
Unfortunately, I had some crazy knee pain the day after. I felt a twinge in the morning but my job really exacerbated. I’m kneeling, bending, and running up and down two flights of stairs all day and I really felt it when I got home. Fortunately, after icing it twice that night and taking Advil before going to bed, I’m back to my old self. That was weird.
About a month ago, Teresa and I were talking about running the Oakland Twilight 5K. It’s a fun run that occurs the night before the Marathon on Sunday. After deciding to sign up, we recruited the rest of the Rehab crew to play along and they all agreed! None of them were regular runners but they had enough time to train. So, on Saturday evening, I took BART to Oakland 12th St. Station and picked up my bib at the Expo. That’s where we met up and took the school bus to to race at Jack London Square. The race was a “scenic” Oakland race through the ghetto and along the water and it was super flat. 
We all had a blast and were rewarded at the end with free PopChips and MGD 64s. Woo! To celebrate, we had margaritas and tapas at Cocina Poblana. Good times…good times. Since everyone had such as good time, we decided to start a casual running club. It starts Tuesday and we’re heading out to Lake Merritt for our first 3-mile run around the lake.
Here are the rest of the photos. They’re all kinda blurry since I brought my waterproof camera.
The San Francisco Giants actually won the 2010 World Series today. I’m amazed. When we moved here over 3 years ago, they were suckin’ and had Barry Bonds hitting lots of homeruns. Now this team of misfits with long hair and beards have gone all the way and won the Championship.
As soon as it happened, the volume outside went through the roof and the party began outside the condo on King between 2nd and 3rd. The cops were out in full force and had the street closed to accommodate for all the people spilling out of the bars nearby.
After dinner, we went outside to check out the action and the crowd was surprisingly peaceful and joyous. Jes, the orange ninja, wore orange to blend in. It seemed to work since he got a big hug from a very happy fan. It was pretty humorous.
Here’s a video of the celebration. Pretty wild, huh?
Here are photos from our neighborhood experience. The energy is certainly contagious. Congrats, Giants.
On Sunday I ran the SF Half Marathon. Joy, Susie, and Eleanor also ran the 1st half of the full and it was a lot of fun but a lot of hard work too.
It all started with the alarm going off at 4:30 am. Yep, you read that right. We met up with Susie downstairs by 5:20 and walked down the street to the start line. Brother also came along and brought the dog for moral support.
The race started at 6:00 am but we probably didn’t pass the start line until 6:20. The first half was a very familiar route: down Embarcadero, through Fisherman’s Wharf, over the Fort Mason hill, and past Chrissy Field. THEN there was the hill. It was a steep one and ended with the on-ramp to the Golden Gate Bridge.
On the bridge, we got to run along one of the traffic lanes, turn around at the parking lot on the Marin side, and run back on another traffic lane. It was cold and foggy and really crowded. So, we weaved and sprinted through the crowd and also found Susie and Eleanor, who we lost track of during the first 6 miles. Joy and I had a little 5-hour energy drink right before the bridge so we were feeling goooood.
Once off the bridge, we were faced with another series of hills for the last half of the race. We went through a tunnel, past the really big fancy houses in the Presidio, and then up and down the 19th street. The rolling hills were brutal and felt more like interval training. Our half ended in Golden Gate Park while the 2nd Half was starting and the Full Marathoners kept going.
I finished in 2:20 and Joy came in just a minute later. She looked really strong most of the way but then started cramping on the last 3 miles. At the finish line, we got our medals (also doubles as a keychain!) and warming capes. They also had lots of goodies and water for us to inhale as we got in line for the shuttle back to the start where Johnny was waiting.
For brunch, we had dim sum at Yank Sing and it really hit the spot. Overall, it was a fun race but it’s got some pretty challenging hills. Luckily I had three training sessions this month and the trainer got me conditioned for them. I ran strong and felt strong the whole way. I probably could have had a faster time but I’m happy with the way I felt throughout the race and afterward.
Here is the finisher’s medal, my dri-fit shirt, and bib.
Here is the route that my GPS recorded. After all the races I’ve finished, I’m still amazed at how far I can go sometimes. So…where and when is the next race?!
On Saturday, I went to lululemon to shop for a new gym bag. I looked at 4 different designs and finally decided on this one called the Classy Classic II Gym Bag. The next decision was the color and material. It came down to the black neoprene with black trim or the gray leathery one with lime green trim. Given away by the photo above, I chose the sassy gray and green one. I figured that I had enough boring black bags.
Anyhoo, the bag has handles that are big enough to sling over my shoulder but also has a longer strap to cross over. Inside it’s HUGE with lots of little pockets along the inner lining. It also has a pocket that’s big enough to fit my laptop if I want to use it as a carry-on. The bag also comes with a handy-dandy waterproof pouch that’s perfect for my stinky shoes. The outside has pockets big enough for my water bottle and it’s in the shape of the omega, which is their logo.
Call me silly for blogging about a bag but I don’t get around to buying things like this very often. Can’t wait to use it this week!
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