Wheels on Fire

I got a bike. It is not a new bike. In fact, from what I can tell from the interwebs, it is a circa 1980 road bike. It looks like this:

That is not the actual bike. I found that on the Google. So you can't really see, but the shifters are on the frame, rather than on the handles.

Weird right? Okay, so I have to admit, I don't know anything much about bicycles. I think the last bike I had was the kind with the tassels on the handlebars that you pushed the pedals backwards in order to brake. It may have even had a banana seat. But I have rented or borrowed a few grown up bikes and have ridden a bit, even in the city. I know, I am a big girl now. However, I have never had a bike with the shifters on the frame.

Since I have a bike now, I decided to get prepared. I have a helmet and a bike lock of course. I also got a patch kit, a tube and a really cool 19-in-1 tool that I have absolutely no idea how to use. It looks really fun though. I also got a red blinky light for the back,  another blinky light for the front AND just for fun, some LED lights you put in the tire valve and it makes fun colors or shapes when you ride.

I bet you are wondering if I am planning to ride the bike or just buy ridiculous accessories for it. I am strongly considering the latter. No, I am kidding. I actually rode it once. A whole mile and a half, in the dark, to go and drop off my library book. I didn't fall or get run over, so that's a start. However, there is a very big hill between my house and the library and I had to walk the bike up it because (a) I couldn't lean down to shift the gears, pedal AND hold the handlebars at the same time very well, and (b) My legs were like jello.

It seems we have our work cut out for us.

*title inspired by this song

What have you had to learn/relearn as an adult? Was it hard? Do you ride a bike?

Looking Forward

I haven't done one of these Looking Forward posts in a while, but was just thinking about how much I am enjoying life right now, even though (or maybe because) it's been pretty full of things going on! So I thought this would be the perfect time to look forward to remember some of the things that are going to be happening sooner rather than later!

Today I am looking forward to another nice sunny day and a easy run after work. The evenings have been beautiful and it really brings me joy to have a nice place to run and to wind down after a busy day at work.

Lake Merritt

This week I am looking forward dinner out with friends on Thursday. We will be going to a place that I have not tried before and I always love trying new places! Also, Saturday night a friend is having a late Chinese New Years party. It will be really great to catch up with friends and eat lots of pot-stickers!

This month I am looking forward working in the garden. I started my seeds yesterday and hopefully in about a week they will start sprouting. Also, I spent some time weeding and getting the garden ready for the transplant, but there is still work to be done! It's so calming being outdoors in the sun with your fingers in the dirt, and so satisfying when things begin to grow and produce real food! I have barely bought a store bought tomato since I started growing my own; they just can't compare!

This year I am looking forward to so many things! The Boston marathon, going to hike and spend time with my second family in Oregon, hiking Mt. Shasta with my brother and Dad, going to the Bottle Rock concert in Napa, and possibly taking a couple other short trips to see friends.

*inspired by Lisa

What are you looking forward to? Do you grow any vegetables? Do you have any fun trips on the horizon?

My Side of the Mountain

This weekend I went skiing. It was fun.

Did you know that skiing costs about the same amount (and more in some cases) as running a marathon?! I missed last year's ski season and somehow the price of tickets went up by about 20%. Since it costs the same amount, and I am a nerd when it comes to stats etc, I decided to wear my Garmin the whole time and see what happened.

Do you remember science class when you had to make a hypothesis and then test it to see if you were right or not?

What I was testing was this:

(1) How far each downhill run was.
(2) How many runs we would be able to take.
(3) If my heart rate would raise if I was going downhill, or if I fell or went over a jump.
(4) How many total miles we would ski that day.
(5) What my top speed would be.

I really had no idea what the results would be. I know I can run about 9 MPH at the most and I can't do that for very long, so I would definitely ski faster than that, but I had no idea how fast. I know that it always seems like the time in line is really long and the run down is really short, so I would probably guess that it was about 20 minutes up and 1 minute down. I figured my heart rate would raise but I wasn't sure how much since I wouldn't be putting out too much effort.

Here is what I found:

(1) Average wait/ride up  =  6 - 10 minutes. Average trip down = 3 minutes / 1.25 miles.
(2) We got in 23 runs, maybe 24.
(3) Resting HR = 44, Max HR = 116, Ave HR = 60 (88 when I fell)
(4) We skiied between 25 and 28 miles in total.
(5) Top speed = 57 MPH, Average = 35 MPH

It was kind of fun to see the stats. I mean, it's amazing how fast 1.25 miles goes when you are speeding down hill at 57 MPH. We skied a marathon! Just for fun, I did some googling to find out what a really fast skier is: Fastest (speed skiing) = 156 MPH, Olympians (ave) = 75 - 95 MPH, Downhill racers (ave) = 40 - 60 MPH, Normal skiers (ave) = 10 - 20 MPH (source). Now I wonder if my Garmin was a little off.

Do you ever use your Garmin (or other tools) to track other things besides running? What did you find out?

A Day in The Life: Finding Free Time

Lately I have been feeling a bit like I don't have time for the things I like to do. I know that I have definitely been blogging less. So I sat down to try to figure out if I am managing my time badly, or if one thing has taken the place for others or what is going on.

5:30 Alarm goes off.

5:45 I actually get up.

5:45 - 6:10 Get ready for work, eat breakfast, get dressed, etc

6:10 - 6:30 Internet time: blogs, pay bills, return emails. You can see why my internet presence has been diminished lately.

6:40 - 7:10 Walk to carpool, wait for car, ride to city, walk to work (morning commute). During this commute I really don't have time to do other things, as I am usually chatting with the driver.

7:10 - 4:00 Work. I usually take a half an hour walk somewhere in the middle of all this, in order to get some fresh air and exercise during the day. I am also going to start going to the gym 1 - 2x per week on my lunch break. In that case I will take an hour for lunch and go home later.

4:00 - 5:00 Commute. This takes a little longer than in the morning, since I take the bus home and there is more traffic. Also the walk on either end is a little longer. Each day for my commute, I walk about 2 miles total. I also try to read on the bus ride home, which is about 25 minutes. This is sometimes the only chance I get (make) to read each day.

5:00 - 7:00 Get dressed for a run, get ready for a run and then go running. Lately my runs have been anywhere from 1 - 2 hours long since I am in the height of Boston training (last week: 58 miles).

7:00 - 8:00 Cook dinner, eat dinner, make lunch for the next day.

8:00 - 8:30 Shower, get ready for bed

8:30 - 10:00 Free time. Lately I have been trying to use this time to read, but I have been so tired, so I admit that I often have been catching up on Top Chef or the like. Some days I also use this time to make big meals for the week, or to do some more internet chores. However, I have even been too tired lately to blog or comment on blogs.

The Verdict? Maybe I need to be more specific about what I do during my free time hours? I find that I feel guilty if I don't "do" something productive but I feel tired sometimes if I do. Also, I think running has been taking over, but it's something I like to do, so it's not like I am giving up things I like to do when I am running. I am just doing less of the OTHER things I like to do, I guess. Which is okay. I just feel like I want to curl up all day and read once in a while.

The other thing is the TV. I have been putting it on for background noise during "free time" and then I end up watching it instead of doing other things. I need to either get over feeling guilty about it or stop doing it. "Poop or get out of the ocean", as a lady at work is fond of saying. Don't ask me what that even means.

What does your typical day look like? Do you find that you have enough free time in a day? If so, how do you do it!?

2nd Saratoga Fat Ass

It's a big secret. It's a "race" that doesn't have a website, that you don't pay for, and that doesn't have a start time. You have no idea who is running it or if you are going the right way. It's promoted by word of mouth.

My friend D, who I met when I volunteered for the Oholone 50k last year, invited me to run this with him. He is part of a running club in the San Jose area, and they do runs together quite often. The ultra running community really is quite small. You see a lot of the same people at the runs and races and often the same two guys are at the top of the results. This guy and this guy are the ones to beat (moral of the story: fast people have blogs?).

A few days before the run, D told me that he hurt his knee and that he wasn't going to make it. The area where the run was was one that I hadn't run before and I was a little wary of trying to negotiate the turns by myself. So I asked D if he knew anyone I could hook up with for the run. He suggested his friend L and soon she and I had arranged a meeting the next morning at 7. There weren't any other runners there when we started, but we knew a lot of them were planning on starting at 8.

We started off and I have to admit, she ran slower than I usually do. However, it made it so the run was not stressful. I never felt any twinges or pain or worries that I was overdoing it. The plan was to do three 10 mile loops, each which started and ended at the parking lot where the car was. This was a great way to not have to carry so much stuff because we could stop and refuel / refill every 10 miles. I have only run one 50k before, but it took me a little over 5 hours, so I figured this would be the same.

We saw several of the other runners along the way. One of them even took our picture!

Thanks Jean!

After the second loop, it was later than anticipated, so I ran a bit of the third loop with L and then turned around and went back to the car. All in all, I completed 24 miles in 5:02:36, for a pace of about 13 minutes per mile. There were some beautiful views along the way and I can't wait to come back to this area for another run!

I felt great the next day, which just goes to show that slow and steady is the way to go! The best thing is that I made a new friend (thanks L!) and had a great time running around in the woods, as usual!

Have you ever done an "unofficial" race? Have you ever met up with a stranger for an event and ended up getting along great? Or badly?

Currently: February

Current Book - Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum -- so far this book is EXCELLENT and I can barely put it down! I am about half way through so far!

Current Drink - Beer

Current Excitement - I am hoping to go skiing soon!! The weather has been gorgeous and it has been snowing this week so it should be a great weekend for some fresh powder!

Current fashion trend - I have been seeing a lot of leggings on men. Mostly in the fitness world. But fellas, there are just some things you should really keep hidden. You know what I am talking about. 

Current Favorite Blog/Website - RunningAhead. I use it to track my miles, shoes, and routes while running. It's fun to see how many miles each of my shoes have on them and how much it has cost me per mile for that particular shoe! Best so far: $0.08 per mile! 

Current Garden Item - Dirt. It's time to start planting!
 

Current Love - Music/Concerts. I saw Muse in January, Jake Shimabukuro this month, and am going to Vampire Weekend in April and Bottle Rock in May. I am really loving the live music lately!

Current Food - Korean food. I love it all but the best part is all the little side dishes! I have had up to 20 at a time at this place! 
 

Current Indulgence - Maple almonds, or nuts in general. I have been going to town on them lately! 

Currently Pondering - Boston logistics. Hotels are SO expensive, but do I want to sleep on someone's couch the night before the big race? Decisions, decisions.... 

Current Mood - A little tired, but it's nothing I can't handle. Otherwise, pretty darn satisfied. Life is good.

Current New Find - Go Pago -- Its an app where you can order and pay for your food and then just go and pick it up (or have it delivered). I haven't used it much but it's great when you are in a crunch for time. I think it's only good in San Francisco and Dallas (go figure) but there are similar ones like GrubHub and Seamless. 

Current Outfit - Same ol', same ol', OH, except I got a hydration vest! Hurray!

 

Current Peeve - Litterbugs! I sat and watched two girls on the streets of San Francisco eat their McDonalds burgers and then throw the wrappers on the ground! At first I thought it was an accident and they were going to pick them up, but NO, it was blatant littering in the middle of the sidewalk! 

 

Current Song - 

Current Triumph - I ran a 24 mile trail run and I was NOT sore the next day! And I went to the DMV and I didn't pull out any hair or hurt anyone! 

 

Current TV Show - Army Wives. It's silly, but I am kind of hooked.

Current Wish-List - A trip to Nepal. Or anywhere really, but I really love Nepal. 

Currently Delaying - Sorting and naming my photos (I used to be very diligent about it. I don't know what happened). 

Do you sort your photos?  What are you currently pondering? 

Golden Gate Trail 30k

Remember the last half? The one where I fell? Well I guess I hadn't had enough because I went back to the scene of the crime for more, but this time, I decided to tackle the 30k. This was my first 30k and I wasn't sure how it would go. I have been running long runs of 20 miles, but they were on flat ground and this was going to be quite hilly. Here is the elevation profile.

According to the Coastal website, this would be approximately 4000 ft of elevation gain. I have run Coastal races before and have always liked them. They are in gorgeous places, the courses are varying, the snacks are great and the staff, volunteers and other runners are all very friendly. The usual players were in attendance: Broski and my friend TJ, who is one of my long run buddies but hasn't really done a lot of trail running. TJ and I ran the 30k and Broski ran the half.

The race started here, at Rodeo Beach:

It was a nice clear and crisp day and the course, as you can see from the above map, started off by going straight uphill. And then straight down to the aid station. And then straight up. That's the thing about these trail races; it is very uncommon to have many flat areas. This one was no different.

The cool thing about the course is that it goes through scrubby coastal areas, and then through Eucalyptus groves and then through open fields. There are views of the other hills, of the bay, the ocean, the city and the Golden Gate bridge. The entire time there is a nice fresh, cooling sea breeze. It was great. TJ and I basically chatted the entire time, just like we do on our long runs, and the run went by in a flash. At the end we ran it out although I have to admit, the quads were a bit tired.

We finished in 3:11:23. We got number 22 and 23 out of 100 runners for the 30k. Broski got 2:08, which was almost as good as his FLAT half marathon PR!! He is much faster without me (last time we got around a 2:30). He got #57 out of 232! He said he only walked once or twice. Go Broski!

All in all it was a great run on a beautiful day and I would return to THAT scene of the crime again in a heartbeat. 

What did you do on Sunday? Have you ever run a race with a friend? Do you like running hills?

Cream or Sugar?

A few days ago, I kind eavesdropped on Amber's virtual coffee date. She did most of the talking, but I really enjoyed it, so I thought I would invite you to have coffee with me and I would do some of the talking this time.

What are you having? I am buying. A latte? I am drinking a non-fat peppermint mocha, light on the mint, light on the chocolate. Double the whipped cream.

Things have been going well over here. The weather has been great and I have been enjoying it and getting outside and doing things. People talk about how San Francisco is the foggy city, but lately, it's been clear as a bell. Going to work, as ironic as it seems, has been great, since I have to go over the bay bridge and I get a view of the city each morning. It is like a little two minute pep talk each morning. It gets my day started right.

Speaking of work, it never gets old. About three months after I started, just as I was starting to understand what I was doing and to finally feel like I was doing things right, they switched me into a different department. Since then I have been slowly learning the ropes in the new position, but I have a long way to go. Every day I feel like I am behind. However, I have talked to others in the office and have been told you never DO feel caught up. The name of the game is prioritizing. I am learning how to do it better, but it's a game I am not quite used to playing yet.

Speaking of playing games, I have been having a great time meeting up with old friends from the Bay Area. I went running with one of them who was about to run her first marathon, I met up with another at First Friday and I had a great time going to the Muse concert with Broski last week. We bought tall beer cans at the corner market and put them in paper bags and pretended we were 17 years old, sneaking around behind the woodshed, drinking stolen beers from our parent's basement refrigerator. Not that I ever did that, but I heard that some people did.

Speaking of beers, this weekend was part of the SF Beer Week (which is still going on through next weekend) where you get a taster sized glass and you get to try a bunch of different kinds of beers in the same place. Also, many of them are beers you would not normally get. They are from smaller, lesser known breweries and are often from out of town. Saturday, I went to the Double IPA Fest with Broski and friends, where the beers and the beards were flowing. Yes, there were a lot of bearded dudes there. I found a new favorite beer Societe Brewing Co's Double IPA and I met the brewer, Doug, who was a nice guy on top of making a great beer. On Sunday, we went to the Sour Beer Fest and found another great beer: the Upright Brewery "Four". 

Let me summarize: Ladies, if you are single and you are looking for a bearded brewer who likes drinking beer, you should go to beer week. It was probably 80% men. Of those, 73% of them were bearded.

Although I haven't been talking about it much, I am also still running a lot. There are a couple of recaps in the works, but let me tell you that Broski was involved again! He is really on a roll folks! Other than that, there has been much training for Boston, running up and down hills, applying sunscreen, doing multiple loads of stinky laundry and plenty of listening to Pandora. My new favorite running station is the Rap Strength Training station. It really gets my feet moving!

So, now that you have had your latte and I have unloaded on you, tell me:

What's new in your life? What did you do over the weekend? What do have planned for the next week?

Virtual Weekend

This weekend I had a really great run along the San Francisco Bay Trail. This is 500 miles of shoreline trails around the bay. The trail doesn't go continuously the entire way; there are some gaps. The section I ran runs from Emeryville to Richmond with no gaps and is about 11 miles long. It's a really nice section, with views of San Francisco almost the entire time. I did an out and back totaling 20 miles and it couldn't have been a better day for it.

As I've already mentioned, Laura is doing a 5 by the 5th Virtual Race where you run either a 5k or a 5 miler before the 5th of each month. This is a great way to get out there and get each month started right. In fact, I may make a tradition out of it, even after June is over. For this race, I used the last 5 miles, where I clocked a 40:30 for those 5 miles.

I also used part of this run as an entry for Jill's Tackle the Miles Virtual Race. For hers I used the first 13.1 miles of my run, which I finished in 1:52.24. Even though the Niners lost, I still tried to make some tackles of my own. The first half of the run was actually a lot harder than the last half. I had a really hard time getting going and was glad to have Jill's challenge in my mind to help push me along.

It is always fun to participate in these virtual races. It never hurts to have a little more inspiration to get my butt moving! Plus, it was well worth it. The views were fabulous and the weather was great and I was so glad to get out and enjoy it (at least after the first 13 miles were over). These races also count as part of my 13 in 2013 challenge that Jill is hosting! 

What did you do this weekend? How was the weather in your neck of the woods? Did you join either of these virtual challenges? 

Karma Police

I must have done something wrong because this weekend it was one of those weekends where all kinds of weird stuff happened. Friday started out pretty good, with some time in Uptown Oakland, where there is a monthly street fair called the Art Murmur (or First Friday) where you can walk around, eat street food, look at art and listen to music. It was quite fun. Until this happened. Luckily I didn't find out about this until the next day.

I left around 10:30 and headed home. The next day I realized my wallet was missing. I know I had it when I got on the bus, because I took my bus pass out of it to get on the bus. Somewhere between getting on the bus and getting home, it went missing. I know also that someone took it and it's not just hidden in the inside pocket of my jacket, because I checked my accounts online and there were purchases on there that I hadn't made. The ironic part? They only spent $1.75 at Safeway (grocery store), $2.50 at 711 and $40 at Chevron. That's it. If I stole a credit card, I would go on a way bigger shopping spree than that!

So I spent Saturday first trying to remember everything that I had in my wallet. Do you know exactly what you have in yours? It took me a while and I am still not sure that I remembered all of them. Then I started calling to cancel my cards. The cards aren't the crappy part though; the purchases on them can be reversed and I will get new ones in the mail in 3-5 days. The worst is the drivers license. Getting a new one entails going to the DMV, which is only open from 8 - 5 on weekdays, hence causing me to miss work to go over there to stand in line for hours. Argh.

SF Bay Trail

Sunday I decided to erase any bad events from the past few days and take a nice long run along the bay. It was a beautiful day and the run was going pretty well until I was running along minding my own business when an unleashed dog bounded up to me, jumped on me and knocked me down onto the pavement. Remember when I fell before? Well this time I fell on the opposite knee and hand so I have matching pairs. Hurray. I didn't even take time to get mad at the guy whose dog was supposed to be leashed before heading off to finish the run.

And then the Niners lost.

Watch out for the Karma police. They are a B. Itch.

Have you ever had a series of strange events happen to you? Do you believe in Karma? Have you ever had your wallet stolen/lost?

Failure to Communicate

I work with a lot of recent college grads. On the other hand, there are quite a few people who are closer to retirement than college. It's interesting when you are sitting around talking with them; sometimes it's me staring at one of them with a blank look when what they say makes no sense to me; sometimes it's the other way around.

For instance, do you guys know what YOLO means? Yeah, I didn't either. It means, "you only live once".

There are so many other things where I have no idea what people are talking about. I don't watch TV, so I already have a gap when it comes to that kind of stuff, no matter what the era, but if it's in the past few years especially, I am so out of the loop. I was informed of several shows that were "so good" that I just "had to watch" so I went and watched one of them and was baffled by what was going on.

One of my coworkers keeps talking about Roadhouse. Have you seen it? Yeah, me neither. Apparently it's about Patrick Swayze and a bar and a bouncer and there are a couple of one liners that these guys keep throwing out. Like this one: I want you to be nice until it's time to not be nice. Apparently that works for my line of work as well as being a bouncer. So I am just like a bouncer.

I was talking to some different coworkers the other day and they were talking about how the reason something wasn't working was because there was bad communication and I threw out this line: What we've got here is failure to communicate. Do you know where it comes from? Neither did any of my coworkers. It was first coined in Cool Hand Luke and was later put into the G&R song Civil War, which is what I was quoting.

It's funny how people have different phrases, movies or music that were popular when they were growing up, as well as different things that they are interested in now. These things can separate us sometimes, but they can also bring us together. I mean, now I know a couple of lines from a bad Swayze movie and a very useful phrase in acronym form.

What topic, phrases or lines have people said to you lately that went over your head? or What have you said to them that they didn't understand?

Over and Over Again

I am currently on week 8 of training for Boston. This training schedule, like my last, I decided to (loosely) follow Hal Higdon's Advanced training program. I have already mentioned how I don't really follow it to a T, because it calls for 6 days of running per week. Sometimes it doesn't matter if you change it up during training a little bit. However, there are many that you have to do the same each time. This takes a lot of experimentation and it took me a while to figure out what did and did not work for me.

A typical training week includes:

- On weekdays, I run twice after work. Lately this has consisted of one easy day and one day of speed work. I have mentioned this before, but my intervals of choice are Yasso 800s. If you are not familiar, this is where you take your marathon goal time in hours (mine is 3:30) and you run an 800 meter interval in that many minutes. So I would have to run each 800 interval at a 7 minute mile pace. It really kicks my butt, let me tell you! I do feel that it helps a lot with overall speed. 

- On weekends I do one easy run and one long run. The long run is usually between two and three hours and I've been using it to explore the area. One of my favorite long runs is a long loop around Oakland and through Berkeley, ending with a loop around Lake Merritt before heading home.

- I always eat breakfast on long run days, usually around a half an hour before the run. I always eat the same thing, steel cut oats with fruit and Silk Almond milk. If I am traveling or at someone else's house, I have Cheerios instead. It gives me a great hearty meal before heading out and the almond milk does not give me any tummy issues (like real milk does) while I am running. I actually use Silk milk instead of regular milk in everything. I also use it to make lattes, smoothies, baked goods and other things like mac and cheese or pumpkin curry. You can find tons of great recipes on their Facebook page. I use the unsweetened kind, since it doesn't overpower whatever you are making. *

Travel breakfast

- I almost always listen to music, unless I am running with someone else. Lately, a great companion has been this Pandora station. I find that rap has a beat that makes my steps just a little bit faster.

- I try to get out onto the trails once a week, but there isn't always enough time. When I do make time for it, I really enjoy the change in scenery, the quietness, being in nature AND it's a great way to get stronger legs and to work all of your muscles, therefore hopefully keeping injuries at bay. Some of my favorite trails are in the East Bay Parks near my house but I am finding great ones all over the Bay Area!

I only have 10 more weeks of training and here's hoping that the next 10 go as well as the last 7 have!

Do you have any training tips or tricks for me? What does your typical week look like? If you are a non-runner, what is your favorite outdoor activity? 

*FitFluential LLC compensated me for this Campaign. All opinions are my own.

A Weekend Streak

Remember how I talked about falling at the last trail race I did? Well, not only did I look silly, but unbeknownst to me at the time, I got a nasty case of poison oak. So the last few weeks at work (and in life!) were torture. I couldn't wear pants, although I had to, so I was literally sitting on the edge of my chair so that nothing itchy would be touching it. Then I would get home and all I would want to do was take off my pants and stand somewhere without touching anything.

However, I am on a training schedule. For the first week, I endured it. For the second week, I almost punched somebody or scratched my own leg off, but I muscled through. However, the third week, which was last week, I decided to take a few days off. After a long run on Sunday, I did not run Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Maybe that doesn't seem like a big deal to some, but running is my crack and without my crack, I am whack. 

So on Friday when I was finally not quite as itchy as before, I did a 9 mile speed workout to make up for the days I had missed. On Saturday, when a friend asked if I would run her long run with her, I said sure. It was 20 miles. I was pretty sore by the end of it. Then on Sunday, I ran a few miles with a different friend in order to get in my 36 miles for the week.

Let me tell you, there is a reason you are supposed to take recovery days after a long run.

Monday I was off and I could not waste a beautiful day off by not running, especially when my other runs would have to be done at night, so I ran again. This was a great run, a slow ramble through the forest, with no destination or set mileage in mind. It was sunny and about 50 degrees and I couldn't have asked for a nicer day or a better run.

This training cycle I am currently on calls for 6 days of running a week. SIX. Usually I am a fan of schedules and planning and of things being a certain way and of knowing what that way is going to be. However, this time, I am just running. I am making my own schedule. I am running three or four days a week. I am cramming two days miles into one. If I am putting on my running gear, I am going for it.

Yes, I am still doing a long run and I will most likely get in a hill or a speed workout each week, but other than that, I am enjoying running with friends, and running on the days where it works for me. Sure, sometimes this means running 9 mile and upward runs four days in a row, which isn't the best idea, but it's good. It is testing different boundaries and teaching me (yet again) new things about myself.

It's teaching me things like: running for a long time or many days in a row is good practice for an Ultra. Specifically, the Oholone 50k, which I just signed up for.  Yikes.

Have you ever had poison oak? Do you follow your training schedule to a T? Have you ever had to cram all your mileage into less days?

Incredisocks

I have always been one of those that are a bit skeptical of compression gear. In fact, anything that is hyped up by everyone else, I tend to stray away from. I tried the ice bath; it only made me cold. I tried the foam roller; it's fun and it feels good but I don't feel a big difference from not using it. So when Incrediwear contacted me to try their compression gear, I thought I would give it a go, even though I was doubtful.

Lucky for me, they not only sent me a calf compression sleeve, but they also sent me several of their different kinds of socks! I usually buy whatever socks Costco or Target has on sale in multi packs, so these socks were such a treat! The compression sleeve, like the foam roller, feels great. It is just tight enough but not too tight and wearing it makes my calf feel like it's being squeezed in a very nice way. I really can't complain.

However, my favorite thing that they sent were the hiking socks. If you ever see me wearing boots and jeans, you can guarantee that I am wearing them under my boots! I wear them around the house as a way to keep warm (and lately it's been pretty chilly) with the hard wood floors. I even wear them for hiking! They are awesome. I want 10 more pairs of these!

My favorite!

So, if you are a compression sleeve lover, you will love their calf sleeves, or if you just want to get cozy feet, you will love their entire line of socks. They also have other compression gear, braces and insoles.

I received these products free of charge in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Do you like compression gear? What is your favorite brand of socks?

2013 Race Calendar

Last year I challenged myself to run 12 half marathons in 2012, thanks to Jill and her inspiration and enthusiasm. I had a great time planning the races, meeting new people, going new places and challenging myself to do something new and fun. I learned a lot about running and along the way, a lot about myself. For instance: Although going commando is fun, I still prefer to wear undies when I run. I learned that I am much faster than I thought I ever could be. I learned the difference between an easy conversational pace and an almost puking pace and everything in between. I ran more miles than I ever have before.

2012 miles run - 1,682 miles.
Highest mileage month - July,  205 miles.
Longest race - 50k
Fastest race - 5k, 21:49

So what does 2013 have in store?

1. I will once again be joining Jill for a running challenge. This year it's 13 in 2013, but instead of all half marathons, it will be a mix of any race length, both trail and road.

2. Jill is also hosting several  virtual races this year.

3. Laura is doing a race series called 5 By The 5th, where you run either a 5k or a 5 mile race (virtual or otherwise) before the 5th of each month from January to June. I already ran my January race and am looking forward to all the rest!

For me it's better to have something to look forward to or to strive for. So challenges like these are a great way to challenge myself to try harder, to run faster, and to beat my own time. I am also really enjoying running with Broski and seeing him improve. I have another friend who wants to run a half marathon and am excited about joining her on her journey as well.

And of course there is this:

I am currently in week 5 of training and despite a little hiccup last week (which is a story for another time) the training is going well! I also just bought my flight last night so it's getting more and more real each day!

How do you plan to stay on track, fitness-wise, in 2013? Do you have any races planned?

Currently: January

Current Book - The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton (I haven't started it yet, but it comes highly recommended!)

Current Drink - Water

Current Excitement - This month I am going to see Muse! It's going to be so fun!

Current fashion trend - Scarfs. I love them!

Current Favorite Blog/Website - I have been spending a lot of time on this one lately. Hey, a girl can dream... 

Current Garden Item - 

Current Love - The new camera bag that I got for Christmas!

Current Food - Cauliflower; I have been eating a ton of it, along with lots of soups and stews.

Current Indulgence -  Candy. I bought a Costco sized pack of Ghirardelli peppermint bark and once I pop, I can't stop!

Currently Pondering - Why my pants keep getting tighter. I think my washer is shrinking them. What? The candy? Noooo.... I don't think that's why.

Current Mood -  Happy. 

Current New Find - This Ethiopian restaurant! I had never had it before an it was so yummy! 

Current Outfit - 

Current Peeve - People in the office who only complain and complain and never have anything positive to say!  

 

Current Song - Hero by Family of the Year

Current Triumph - This week I ran an easy run around the lake at a much faster pace than expected. 

 

Current TV Show - Top Chef. Who's it going to be? I'm rooting for Kristen.

Current Wish-List -  I wish that hotels in Boston were cheaper.

Currently Delaying - Cancelling some credit cards. I am having a hard time deciding which one to get rid of. I even made a pros and cons list and a spreadsheet to try to decide, but I am dragging my feet.

What is on your current wish list for January? Do you have a favorite song lately?

The Last Half

Last week I asked my brother if he would want to run one last race with me in 2012. It was a trail race and there were four options: 8k, Half Marathon, 30k or 50k. I was going to run the 30k and assumed he would want to run the 8k, since it was a pretty steep race and I figured he would want to take it kind of easy for his first trail race.

He chose the half marathon. So we did it together.

It was good! It started off in Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands and the first mile was a half mile out and back on a road. We missed the turn and followed some other runners, so ended up running about an extra half mile right at the get go. Then it started uphill.

For the next two miles, we climbed about 700 feet. Broski wanted to run the hills, but I was trying to be the voice of reason and remind him that we sill had a long way to go!

Once we got to mile four, the trail went downhill again by about 500 feet, where we stopped for some snacks. Broski had to lube up and luckily in most trail races they have everything you need at the aid stations! We ate a few pretzles and a swig of coke and then it was back uphill for another 700 feet. We walked it and were passed by quite a few people at this point.

At the next aid station, which was at mile 10, Broski admitted to being pretty tired in the legs and said he "hoped there were no more uphills or steep downhills!" Luckily there weren't. From there it was a pretty steady decline to the end.

About a tenth of a mile from the end, I was enjoying the view while running down a small hill and I tripped on a rock and fell, scraping up my hands and knee pretty bad. Luckily only a couple of people saw me! Because that is what really matters...

We finished in 2:37 with smiles on our faces. Okay that was a lie. I had a grimace because I had rocks and dirt stuck in my knee and I was bleeding everywhere. Broski had a grimace because his legs felt like rubber rocks and he just wanted this to be over with.

So now my brother will probably never run with me again.

Total Elevation Gain: 2,200 ft
Average pace: 11:19
Kicking your brother's a**: Timeless

Have you ever run a trail race with a significant elevation gain? What is the hardest race you have ever run? Have you ever fallen down and skinned your knee (as an adult)?

Best of 2012: Experiences

I have been trying to figure out a good way to recap the year without being too cliche, and Lisa gave me just the idea. So, here it is, the best of 2012, in list form!

1. Becoming a better runner. This year I learned a lot about myself as a runner. I learned how to run smarter and faster and I had a great time completing many races, including my first ultra marathon.

Nike Women's Marathon

2. Spending more time with family. This year was full of family. My cousin got married, my grandma turned 80, I had wine and swam in the pond with my other grandmother Back East and I spent countless hours making food, eating food and running with Broski and the lady friend. Not to mention the normal get togethers like Christmas and Thanksgiving.  It's been a great year for family!

3. Going to Kansas City to visit Red. In March, I visited my friend in Kansas City, and we ate BBQ, lots of self serve frozen yogurt and had a great time catching up and hanging out and exploring the city.

4. A trip to Tampa for some fun in the sun. I had a great time in the Sarasota and St. Petersburg areas of Florida, where I spent lots of time on the beach reading and relaxing, as well as trying paddle boarding for the first time, going running near the beach and gorging myself on all-you-can-eat crab.

 5. Starting a new job. This has been a challenge, but a fun one. I completely switched industries, which has been hard. Nobody likes to start at the bottom again, and it has been a crazy journey, with new things coming along every day.

6. Girls day out in Berkeley. My mom came down and we went out with a few friends and my aunt and cousin for brunch, shopping and cupcake eating. It's always fun to get together with the girls, although it happens less often than I would like.

7. Living in Santa Cruz for the summer. I couldn't have asked for a better place to spend the summer. I really enjoyed being able to go the beach each day, to run with the view of the Pacific in my sights and to get to know this fun little town a lot better. While there, friends S&R came to visit and it was really fun showing them around my new home.

8. Road trip to Amherst, MA. Mr Lovely decided to go back to school and so we took a road trip to Amherst to find him some housing. The towns of Amherst and Northampton are really cute and actually reminded me a little bit of a mountain version of Santa Cruz. They are little hippie filled college towns with nice earthy vibes.

9. Hosting Lisa in San Francisco. Except for the rain, which I was a little mad about since it kind of makes it hard to stroll around the city, I had a great time hosting Lisa for a quick two days in the city. We took a trail run, went to the Castro, walked on the Golden Gate Bridge, went to the park to visit the bison and much, much more. It was fun to finally get a chance to pay her back for the excellent visit I had to Minneapolis last year.

10. Hanging with friends in Oakland. I've made a few new local friends this year and it has been nice getting to know them and some of the fun places in Oakland as well. They are all great people and Oakland has some great sights to see and places to visit. New Years Eve was spent with them and we had a great time eating dungeness crab and playing Scategories before watching the ball drop.

11. Qualifying for Boston. This was something that I really worked hard for and I was really, really happy to qualify for, and sign up for the Boston Marathon in 2013. I even had over 5 minutes to spare.

12. Going to see some great bands. I love live music, but I don't always make time to go to concerts. This year, I was lucky to see several bands, including The Kaiser Chiefs, The Killers, Of Monsters and Men, Imagine Dragons, Passion Pit, and The Shins.

13. Growing a garden. I grew stuff. Stuff that didn't die. Yes, it was exciting. And there is nothing better than a home grown tomato straight from the vine. I can't wait until next year when I can start planting again. 

14. Being in San Francisco. I love wandering around the city, and have really enjoyed the walks I have been taking a few times a week. I am enjoying getting to know little corners of the city that I never knew were there.

15. Going to baseball games. I am so glad that the Giants won the world series and I was really excited to not only be in the area for this, but to go to many of the games. Going to the games is a great way to see a fun sport and to spend time with friends and family as well.

16. Yosemite. I went to Yosemite and had a great time taking long hikes and seeing the sights again. Winter is the area is beautiful and we were lucky not to have too much snow, so we could do a lot of the higher hikes.

17. Going to Oregon with the ladies. I went to Sisters with my second family and we had a great time eating ice cream and hiking and enjoying 30 degree weather in June. We ran every day and it was great to have the snow capped mountains as a backdrop for my runs.

What have been the highlights of 2012 for you? Did you go to any concerts? Did you take any fun trips?

Best of 2012: Running

Misszippy recently did a recap of her running year here and I thought I would follow along! 

Best race experience? My favorite was probably the Skyline 50k. I started doing trail races earlier this year and I really enjoyed the experience, but the best feeling was completing 50k in my own backyard, and only coming in seconds behind Dean Karnazes.

Best run? Most of my runs on the Bay Area Ridge Trail have been awesome. There are views of the city, redwoods, eucalyptus, rolling hills, ferns and each run is different, unique and relaxing.

Best new piece of gear? I really love the Saucony Kinvaras that I won during the Find Your Strong project. They are light and fast and comfortable and I am glad to have gotten the chance to try a low heel drop shoe.

Best piece of running advice you received? Walking up the hills during a hilly ultra will really save you a lot of energy in the long run (pun intended). 

Most inspirational runner? I love seeing people who haven't run before start running and do well. My most inspirational is Broski, who went from hardly being able to run one mile to running two half marathons in one month. Others include Suz, who ran her first marathon recently, Terzah, who went from injury to marathon in a mere matter of months and Amber, who was not a runner at all, but ran a half and a 20k this year!

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be?

Best of 2012: Books

This year, I made myself a goal to read at least one book a week, or 52 books. I just barely squeaked over the wire with 57 books. Some were pretty bad and there were others that were much better. Here is a list of 10 that I would recommend.

The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton : This was a fun, easy read about a woman who goes searching for her grandmother's ancestors and finds out more than she bargained for. 

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford : This book was about a Chinese boy growing up in Seattle during WWII. He has a Japanese friend, and when she gets sent to the concentration camps, he is devastated. Not only that, but he has to deal with his father's hatred of the Japanese. 

Sarah's Key - Tatiana De Rosney : About the removal of the Jews from France during WWII during the
Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, when a little girl locks her brother into a hidden closet to hide him from the Nazis. The story is written from two points of view, the little girl and a reporter in present day France, who tries to get to the bottom of what happened back in 1942.

The Other Boleyn Girl - Phillipa Gregory : This book was about the sister of Anne Boleyn, during the reign of Henry VIII. It was a great way for me to learn more about that time period while still engaging me in an interesting story.

Tisha -  Robert Specht: A true story about a young teacher in the 1920s who gets sent to a small town in Alaska to teach. She learns quickly that the divide between the whites and Indians is deep, but somehow manages to not bend to the white men's prejudices. Her struggle is moving and her courage is inspiring.

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern: This book was not about what I thought it was going to be about. It was so much better! The characters are likeable and you never know what is going to happen next. I was highly entertained by this story.

The Fault in Our Stars - John Green

Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn: This book kept me on my toes the entire time, so much so that I read it in one day! It was about a girl that goes missing and her husband gets the blame for her murder. It kept me riveted and was a quick page turner. I disliked the characters but loved the book.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower -- Stephen Chomsky : About a high school boy and his trials and tribulations and was narrated in letter form, which I find very easy to follow. 

The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood: It took me a long time to read this, but it was a very interesting tale and I am glad I finally got to it! 

You can also check out some of my favorites from 2010 and 2011. 

Have you read any (or all) of these? What were your favorite books from 2012?