L'hôtel de Lisa

Since last weekend was a long weekend, I took advantage and went to see Lisa in Charlotte. If you read her blog, you know she has been missing her home city of Minneapolis, so we thought a little get together and some girl time would be just the ticket.

You may have read the news last week? Charlotte was having a "bit" of bad weather and the airport was cancelling flights in and out like crazy. However, on Friday morning when I flew out of San Francisco, it was all systems go. Our flight was full and I was one of the last people on the plane, so when they said there would not be room for carry on bags, I dutifully checked mine.

I arrived to Detroit and turned on my phone. "Your flight from Detroit to Charlotte has been cancelled."

Darn it.

I called the Delta hotline, while at the same time checking out the departures board. There was only one other flight to Charlotte and it was overbooked and it was scheduled to leave about 20 minutes ago. There were flights to a couple of cities about 150 miles away from Charlotte, but they were all booked. The only flight left was to Raleigh. I secured the Raleigh ticket and went to the counter of the prior flight to try to see if I could get onto the earlier one by chance. There were so many people there and I waited at the help desk until they were almost all the way boarded, so I never thought I would get on. However, I got to the desk and the lady said my name was already on the list! I asked about my bag and she said there was no way it was going to be on the plane with me. I didn't care; I was on the plane!

Luckily Lisa is the same size as me, because in the next 48 hours, I had to borrow a lot of stuff! It was like being in a hotel; I had a toothbrush and jammies and everything! It was better than staying at the Westin. However, we didn't let a little thing like lost luggage slow us down. On Friday, we had Lentil Enchiladas and a really good corn, bean and avocado salad (which also was a very good chip dipper). They were delicious and thank goodness we both like spicy food, because the jalapenos were a nice addition (and kick) to the dish.

Saturday we had planned on an outdoor run, but due to the recent snow, we were forced to do a treadmill run. I had to borrow Lisa's shoes so we took turns. It was a long treadmill run and I was really glad to be done. Soon after, we headed out to Asheville where our first stop was the Biltmore.

Biltmore

This was home to George Vanderbilt and is the largest home in the USA. It has something like 250 rooms and over 40 bathrooms. It was fun to explore the grounds, even though it was pretty cold and the gardens were not at their best. However, there was a really cool greenhouse full of exotic plants, including hundreds of orchids. We did an audio tour of the inside of the house, which was fascinating and includes a bowling alley and indoor pool, as well as a really interesting servants quarters.

Downtown Asheville

Next stop was downtown Asheville, where our first stop was The Gourmet Chip Company, where we got homemade potato chips with goat cheese, rosemary, thyme and sea salt. They were so good! Next we headed to Tupelo Honey for some down home southern food and some local craft beers! My favorite things there were easily the homemade biscuit and the Green Man IPA.

I recommend the Parisian

And if that wasn't enough, we decided to pop on down to French Broad Chocolates for some dark chocolate ganache hot chocolate and a coconut macaroon chocolate brownie.

source

The next morning while Lisa was at church, I wandered around and took some photos. Asheville is a cute little town, that is nicknamed "the Berkeley of North Carolina". While I am not sure it's exactly like Berkeley, I can see where the name comes from. There are a ton of fun places to eat, lots of local coffee shops and a small town, rustic vibe, along with a plethora of gluten free and vegan options.

Downtown Asheville

After brunch at Cafe 64, which had serve yourself, all you can drink coffee (I am a total fan!) we headed back toward Charlotte, with a quick stop for a hike at Crowder's Mountain. Afterward, she took me to one of her favorite food spots where we got fish tacos and I tried another local brew. We headed home for some Super G on the tube and ended the day with a couple of medals for the USA, and some Dove dark chocolate squares. You can't get much better than that.

Crowders

All too soon, it was time to go home! We had a chilly morning run and then I was back on the plane heading for the West Coast. It seemed like I wasn't even there for very long but we sure packed a lot of fun (and eating!) into the weekend.

Have you ever been to North Carolina? What did you do for the long weekend? What's your favorite Olympic sport? 

Edited to add: You can read Lisa's recap here. 

Don't Know Much About

I am stealing this idea from Lisa, who did a post about things that people may not know about her last week, because it is fun to hear weird quirks of other people, plus I am about to get on a plane right now and to go and hang out with her this weekend! Here go, a few things you may not know about me.

- I grew up on the Pacific Crest Trail. It actually comes down a mountain and you have to walk along a road and cross the river and then go back up another mountain. I lived on the road that the hikers have to walk on. Aside from that, my mom was the Postmaster for the post office on the road, and post offices are the life blood of the PCT. We had hikers for dinner at least once a week in the summertime. PS. they smell REALLY bad and are quite hairy, but they are very nice people.

Home sweet home

- I hate presenting in front of people. I used to go all pink and shaky and my heart would be beating a mile a minute and I would stutter a little bit. I have gotten a little better. I presented at work this week and I didn't flub it too much. I still have a ways to go, but I am learning to control my fears, or to fake it! It's a lot easier when I know when I am talking about and don't really have to read from the cards/power point. Also, I have gotten better at saying, "I don't know" or "I will look into that". I used to really fear getting a question I couldn't answer.

- I love going barefoot. I used to run around barefoot as a kid all the time and my parents would make me put on shoes because there may be gross things on the ground, but I still snuck out without shoes as often as I could. Now I take off my shoes as soon as I get home. A caveat: since the roommate got a dog, I wear socks because the floors are filthy! Then I take them off before getting into bed. I don't want to put dirty feet in my bed.

- I drink a lot of tap water. I have a reusable bottle that I drink from and I fill it up from the tap. Even when I travel or fly, I bring one in my bag and fill it inside the airport. Disposable water bottles are such a huge part of our trash problem. Have you heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

source

- I've eaten ants. Not on purpose, but we used to have a bad ant problem in our house when I was a kid and once they got into the Raisin Bran. The little black ones taste slightly of peppermint. Not in a good way.

- I have to make my bed every day. Coming home to a mussed up bed would make me a tiny bit antsy. I really love coming home to a calm, serene space. It only takes 2 seconds, because I don't tuck everything all the way in and I don't thrash around a lot when I sleep; I just flop it back into place in the morning and I am good to go.

- A couple of gym peeves of mine: (1) people who crank up the speed or incline really high and then hold onto the treadmill while they are running/walking. I feel like it just creates back/neck problems and they would get a more beneficial workout if they just turned it down a bit and let go. (2) People who sweat all over and then hop off and you are waiting for them to come back and wipe off the machine but they never do.

- I almost never wear skirts. I will put on a dress for a nice occasion, and I own several skirts/dresses. I just don't really feel that comfortable with my legs hanging out. I don't really wear shorts very often either.

- I wear my hair up 90% of the time.

- I eat approximately 8 salads a week and drink roughly 3 cups of coffee a day.

- I am trying to improve my Spanish by getting Spanish books from the library, and by using a flashcard app. Now I just need to buck up and start working on talking to people! That's the hard part for me (see: public speaking, above).

Do you wear skirts/shorts a lot? Do you speak a second language? What can you tell me that I don't know about you?

I almost forgot to mention: Happy Valentines Day!

Street Cred

We are finally getting the rain that we have needed for so long. It was kind of ironic for a while there; where the rest of the country were suffering with record low temperatures and snowfall, we were sitting over here, dry as a bone. I went to Tahoe in January and went HIKING. This never happens. We really needed snow and rain in a bad way.

Rainy day in the city

So, it never fails, as soon as you wash your car it rains, right? For me, it's not about washing my car, it's about having back to back long runs planned for your weekend run. Currently, I am in the midst of a really strange training schedule: week 8 of 18 for the Boston Marathon and week 4 of 16 for the Miwok 100k. I know, it probably wasn't the best planning to have to train for both of them at the same time, but that's the way it is, so I am rolling with it.

Which meant I was supposed to run 20 miles on Saturday and 18 on Sunday. My plan was a nice long run in the city after work on Saturday and then a trail run on the East Bay on Sunday morning. However, after work on Saturday it was raining. Hard. But these miles weren't going to run themselves. So I went on a loop around the city.

And it was great. I admit, I cut it short at about 17 miles, but I still felt good afterwards. In fact, the only thing keeping my from the last few miles was my own laziness. I had it in me, but I had returned to the start and didn't feel like doing an extra three mile loop. I wanted some dinner.

The next day I woke up to no rain and hurried out of bed to get going. However, as I was eating breakfast, the skies opened up. I procrastinated for a while, hoping that it would ease up, but finally it was time to go. It poured the entire time. My feet were raisins, my shorts were sticking to me like nobody's business and my hat brim was like a waterfall. I cut this one short too because I had a rubbed raw spot on my heel and I tried to band-aid it, but it was really giving me grief.

I have to admit, running in the rain is probably my least favorite weather to run in. If it's cold, you warm up after a couple of miles; if it's snowing, it's cold, but not wet. However, when it's raining, running more doesn't make you any drier. And as you run, things are sticking to you, rubbing and pruning up. The other one I really dislike is extreme heat. It may be a toss up.

However, running in the rain makes me feel like a rock star. There is nobody else out; there weren't even any cars on the road. Everyone's hunkered inside watching Breaking Bad and you are outside, braving the elements. The few people you see, usually other runners, give you a knowing look as they pass you on the sidewalk. It's that look that says, "yup, you are one of us and we are awesome".

On Saturday, a bike rider said as he rode by me on a hill, "we are obviously dressed for different types of actives". He was wearing boots, waterproof pants, gloves and a rain slicker. I was wearing a tank top and shorts. I laughed at him and puffed up the hill, feeling like superman.

So, overall, last week was a good one. California is avoiding a drought and I am starting off this week feeling like a rock star. You can't ask for much more than that.

How was your weekend? Are you getting any wet weather? What makes you feel like a rock star?

Looking Forward

Today I am looking forward to having a burrito at one of my favorite places in the Mission. When I used to live in San Francisco, I would walk over to this Taqueria from my house. It's kind of a strange venue; it's tiny and its right next to a fish market and a Mexican shopping center. But the burritos are just as good as I remember! From work, it's only about an 8 minute BART ride to get there, so its a fun lunch time field trip!

This week I am looking forward to the rain (we need it!!), a great long run on Saturday (hopefully with no rain) and the Sour Beer festival on Sunday. Its the SF Beer Week and although I do not attend all the events, it's fun to attend a couple. You get to try a lot of different types of beer at once, and there are many varieties that the brewers bring that aren't normally available to the public. Plus, you get to see a butt load of beards!

This month I am looking forward to going to visiting Lisa. We have tentative plans for much hiking, hopefully lots of hot chocolate and gabbing and reading and fun! I have never been to NC, except to fly though the airport (which has rocking chairs), so this will be a fun adventure for me. I am also looking forward to the Way Too Cool 50k, as well as a tentative plan to see one of my good friends the first weekend of March for some food and catch up time with her.

This year I am looking forward to the Boston Marathon, a trip to the Grand Canyon, a probable trip to Oregon this summer, lots of running, my first 100k race, a hopeful trip somewhere foreign (as of yet TBD), lots of reading and a super great summer (with two trips to Tahoe planned so far) with lots of swimming and outdoor activities!

What are you looking forward to? How's the weather where you are?

Currently: January

I thought I would squeak this one in just before the month ended... This week was going to feature a post about hiking, one about life in general, a continuation of last week's road trip and/or a straggling "best of" post that has been waiting for over a month to get posted. But instead, you get this.

Current Book - Fall of the Giants by Ken Follet: I am about half way through and am liking it so far. It's a good story while still teaching me a lot about WWI. I am also listening to an audiobook: A Beautiful Blue Death. 

Current Running Path - 

Current Drink -Vanilla Bean Black Tea 

Current Excitement - Weekends! They are filling up fast, but there are so many fun things to do. I have a trip planned to see Lisa, an SF Beer Week weekend, a couple of big race weekends, and a trip to the Grand Canyon!  

Current Fashion Trend - Patterned tights. They are everywhere, and are normally paired with tiny shorts.

 

Current Favorite Blog/Website - I have been trying to catch up with some current events, so have been spending some time on sites like NPR and BBC World.

 Current Garden Item - Lemons and Camellias  

Current Love - Audio books! I get so much more "reading" done with them, since I can read them while running and/or going to the gym. And you can borrow them from the library! Double score.  

Current Food -White Bean soup made with homemade turkey stock 

Current Indulgence - 

 

Currently Pondering - What to do with my itchy feet...I am really feeling the need to do some traveling!

Current Mood - Overwhelmed 

Current New Find - My library has a site where you can download music, it's called Freegal. You can download 3 songs per week or stream up to 3 hours a day. The library also has a site for learning languages, finding new book suggestions and reading magazines and newspapers online. As you know, I am a huge fan of the library! 

Current Outfit - Lately I've been hanging out a lot in hoodie and jeans. 

Current Peeve - sparkly iPhone cases, bicyclists who ride on the sidewalk, people who put their backpack on the only empty seat on the bus
 
Current Song - 



Current Triumph - I am ready to do my taxes. Mind you, I have not FINISHED, but I am ready to start, and that is triumph enough!  

Current TV Show -  Cash Cab, BBC World News 

Current Wish-List - A round the world trip. Seriously. Like I said, itchy feet.  

Currently Delaying - buying my ticket to Boston. I am still waiting for prices to go down / waiting to firm up dates..

What are you watching these days? Do you have any fun trips planned this year?

It's a Small World After All

Thanks to MLK, I had an extra day to play around with this weekend. It was going to be a road trip with a couple of friends, but when they both flaked out, I decided to just go on my own.

I actually like (and even love) traveling on my own. If I want to stop for a three hour run that may become a 1 hour run or a 5 hour run, I can. If I feel like taking photos of rocks, I can. If I am hungry, I eat. I never have to worry that I am putting someone else out or that they are not having fun or that I am making them wait.

Originally, I was going to go to South Lake Tahoe with two people. Person number one LOVES to gamble, loves to drink, but does not ski, doesn't really like to hike, does not run, does not love waiting for someone who is taking photos of flowers.

Person number two does not run, loves to hike and ski, does not love to gamble, likes to drink, and does not love waiting for someone who is taking photos of flowers. So, having the two people with me would have been interesting.

Why? Because I do not like to drink that much, am not a huge fan of gambling and would go to Tahoe mostly for activities (mainly skiing, hiking or running). But both people did not go. So, after a little consideration, I went alone. The main thing holding me back was the cost. A hotel room is a lot cheaper when you are sharing it with two other people! However, I threw away my frugal hat and decided to go for it, regardless of cost.

I left Oakland on Saturday morning around 7:30 am. My first stop was Starbucks (yes, it was) for a road trip coffee. You cannot have a road trip without coffee. It's just not possible. My second stop was an old favorite in one of the agricultural areas of California. It used to be a tiny fruit stand when I was a young child, and has now blown up to a fruit stand, snack stand, pit stop. They still have some of the cheapest and freshest fruit and veggies around! I got some dried fruit, some real fruit, and some nuts for the ride north. Again, a road trip would not be a road trip without SNACKS!

My plan was to stop somewhere for a run in the middle of my trip and then head north to Tahoe, where I would take photos of mountains and lakes and sunrises and then get some dinner.

So, first I stopped along the way near Auburn, where I ran on the same route as the Western States 100 mile race (WSER). I have to admit, I was not really in the mood to run, but it was a nice route all the same. The views of the American River are stunning.

I went UP.

Middle Fork American River

After the run, I ate most of my road trip snacks (dried strawberries anyone?) and headed up the road. I arrived at the lake about 20 minutes before sunrise and I checked into my hotel and took a shower at warp speed, so I could hustle back out to the lake to get some good shots while there was still light.

Afterwards, I was on a mission. As a lone traveler, I want a dinner place where I can eat at the bar so I don't have to sit at a table alone. However, I don't really want it to be ONLY a bar, or to have crappy bar food. I also wanted to find a brewery with local beers that I could try while also having fabulous food. I found 2 of my 3 requirements. I actually stumbled upon a nice pub where I found more than I could ever ask for.

First of all, I wanted to sit at the bar. When I got there, the bar looked full, but I said to the guy that I kind of wanted to sit at the bar and he not only made a place for me, but he introduced me to the guy I would be sitting next to. I ended up having not only a great conversation with my new friend, Dozer, but also getting a ton of great recommendations for hikes and food for the next day. In addition, it turns out he used to be contracted to the same company I used to work for, he grew up near where I live now and he has traveled to many of the same places as I have. Now, before you get the wrong idea, I would like to state that he is probably in his late 50s, so there was no romance there. However, I had a great time sitting at the bar chatting with him while having a great meal.

Speaking of a great meal, I got a hamburger that was ground in-house and was on a bun that was also made in-house. Not only was the hamburger delicious, but the bar staff was kind and the local flavor was top notch. Plus they had Pliny on tap. To top it all off, when I got the bill, I noticed that they had given me the local discount, which was 20 percent off my bill. Basically for under $20, I got a homemade hamburger, a couple of delicious beers and a great conversation. I call that a major win.

After that it was back to the hotel for some reading. Why is it that reading when you are traveling is so much better than reading at  home? All in all, it was a great first Road Trip day! 

Do you prefer traveling alone or with someone else? What kind of snacks/drinks do you like to have on your road trips? Do you go out to eat by yourself? If so, do you meet/talk to people or do you stick to yourself?

Coffee Talk

Thanks for meeting me for a virtual coffee! I'm glad you're here!

If we were meeting for coffee today, I would get a large french roast with milk and splenda and you would get your favorite coffee and we would catch up on what we have been up to lately.

- I had a great time at New Years with friends. It was a very small group, which is the way I like it. I wore my comfy pants and ate a ton of crab and listened to Michael Jackson. At the end of the night though, two of my friends had an argument about whether or not one of their photos should be put on Facebook and one of them left in a huff. It was a strange beginning to the new year.

- I have started learning how to pickle things. Do you know how easy it is? It is so easy! All you need is some vinegar, salt , sugar , jars, dill seeds and peppercorns and whatever you want to pickle! Put the raw item in the jar, heat up the vinegar, salt, sugar and the spices to a boil, pour in the jar and voila! You have pickles. I didn't really use a recipe, but you could use this one if you want to give it a try. I made pickled cucumbers, picked green beans (dilly beans), green tomatoes, pickled jalapenos and pickled beets. So far, they have all been pretty good!

- I signed up for the Boston Marathon again (back in September). I looked into airline tickets the other day and they are Expensive! It may be because it is also Easter weekend, or maybe just that it's also the Boston Marathon, Patriots day and the Red Sox game...whatever it is, I can't decide whether I should buy them now because they may go up more, or if I should wait and hope they go down. I always do the same thing, wonder if I should buy now or wait.

- I started using the library again. For a while, I have been using the Kindle, especially since it if often lighter than the books I get from the library and it was giving me a backache to carry around the darn things! However, I am tired of reading the bargain books from Amazon and want some more recent ones, so back to the library I go! Of course, when it rains it pours, so I have about 10 books to pick up tonight after work!

Other than that, it's work, running and life in general. What have YOU been up to? What did you do for New Years Eve? Have you ever tried canning? What's your take on buying airline tickets? Do you use the library?

Best Of 2013: Books

This was not a stellar year for reading, both in quantity and quality. I did not really read many books that I couldn't put down. I also did not really read very many books period. However, there were still some that were pretty darn good. Here are the top five in no particular order. 

Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum: I usually enjoy WWII books, and this one did not disappoint. This is a dual story about a modern day daughter of a German woman who went through the war. The daughter tries to find out more about her mother's story, even though her mother does not want to talk about it. At the same time, we learn the mother's story, and it is a heart-wrenching story of survival.

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcom Gladwell: This is an interesting take on how success is not always due to brains, but sometimes is due to positioning. For example, it opines that the best hockey players are born in a certain month, giving them a few month's advantage on the other players and causing most of the pros to be born in this month.

 

The Boleyn Inheritance by Phillipa Gregory:  I like how Gregory takes a real story and embellishes it enough to make it interesting but doesn't lose the truth of it all. This is a story about Anne of Cleves, Jane Rocheford and Katherine Howard, and of course, King Henry VIII, who you see as a gouty womanizer. Anne of Cleves is one of King Henry's only wives that he doesn't have killed, and as you know, he had a lot of wives! The story is full of lies and deceit and adultery. It's very entertaining.

 

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hossein: A story about two women in Afghanistan, where the rights of women are not quite the same as you or I are used to. The two woman are two generations apart and both end up forced into the same household, yet they find a commonality and a friendship that cannot be matched. 

State of Wonder by Anne Patchett: This story was strange but it drew me in because of it's subject matter. A story about an Amazonian tribe in Brazil and a scientist who goes there to try to find out about a miracle drug that is causing miracles within the tribe. The characters find out some pretty interesting things about the tribe, find out what's causing the miracle, and they make friends and learn things about themselves along the way.

Hopefully this year I will get more chances (or MAKE more) to read and will find a lot of new great books for 2014! Do you have any recommendations? 

What were your favorite books for 2013? What is your favorite book ever? 

Out With The Old

I had high hopes for a nice long run on New Year's day, but instead I had one of those days where you start one tiny project and it leads to another and another and all of a sudden the day is over. Maybe it didn't quite go the way I wanted it to, but I did get a lot done.

My mom's friend says that she always does a big clean out on New Year's day: the fridge, the cabinets, the closet. So I took a page out of her book and did the same. It started out with writing my Thank You notes for Christmas, which led to cleaning out my stationary box, which led to my file box. I threw away all my old files and scraps of paper that I had saved for (??) some reason. I threw out all of the pens that didn't work, and the envelopes without matching cards.

This led to the sock drawer, which led to the other drawers, which lead to my closet. I threw away any sock that had even the tiniest hole, even though my instinct is to save them "just in case". I threw away all of those too short shirts, which I was going to "wear under a sweater" and then kept accidentally wearing and having to tug down all day. I threw away those pants that I would "fit into some day".

Then I went to make lunch and noticed the salad dressing in the fridge was past due, which lead to a fridge clean out, which led to a freezer clean out. Freezer burned veggies, be gone. Old hot sauce? See ya! It felt so good.

Yes, this was in the fridge.

I also completed a lot of small projects that I have been meaning to do, such as backing up my computer, downloading photos and creating my master address list that I update after each Christmas. All in all, it was a very productive day. 

So, I am all ready for 2014 with hole-less socks and non-moldy salad dressings.

Are you ready? Do you do any "winter cleaning"?

Best of 2013: Running

It's that time of year again! Time for the recaps to begin! In 2012, one of my favorite running experiences was my first 50k. Let's see what makes the list this year, shall we?

Amber did kind of a fun thing and talked about how many posts of hers were related to running. This year, I did not write as many posts as normal  (only 80 vs over 200 in 2012), but of that number, roughly half were tagged with "running". That's a lot of running! Approximately 2000 miles of running (just barely squeaked over). I just want to say: thank you all for putting up with all of the running talk! I know as a non-runner, it can be boring and I don't blame you if you skip over some (or all) of it. We can still be friends.

So, what were the highlights of the year, running-wise? It is hard to pick as there were a lot of great moments related to running this year. Here they are, in no particular order.

1. Travel: due to running, I got to travel to several far off destinations, such as Washington DC, Boston and British Columbia, as well as several close to home hidden gems, such as Tahoe, the Marin Headlands, Saratoga and of course, my backyard, the East Bay hills and their many parks and open spaces.

Vancouver, BC

2. Exploration: this goes hand in hand with the above, but I love finding new places that I would not have seen otherwise and exploring new cities on foot, which gives me such a more extensive tour of the city than I would have been able to accomplish had I only been walking or driving. I have seen sunrises and been places where there are no other people around and it's moments like those that really make all the difficulties worth it.

PCT -- Oregon

Lake Merritt, Oakland

3. My First 50 Mile race: This year, I trained for and ran a 50 mile race. This was a great experience which taught me patience and perseverance as well as made me realize (as always!) that I am stronger than I give myself credit for. Plus it was in my own backyard and it was great to be there, seeing my familiar trails in a different light. To top it all off, my Dad and Grandma were there and my Dad ran the final 6 miles with me.

4. Family: My family has been so supportive about my running. This year, they came to Boston, they were there for the 50 mile race, and came to support me at the Quad Dipsea after Thanksgiving. They are so patient and have braved the crowds and the unfamiliar places to be there for me and that has been priceless.

Quad Dipsea -- Mill Valley, CA

5. The Tahoe Rim Trail: This was not even my race; for this race I paced a friend for the last 20 miles of his 100 mile race. Not only was this course beautiful (think 8000 feet, alpine, views of lakes) but being there with him really was an eyeopening and uplifting experience for me. He was such a trooper and he made me realize that if he could run 100 miles, I could definitely run 50!

Tahoe Rim Trail

6. Volunteering: I did a few different volunteering gigs this year and once again, it makes me really have a warm place in my heart for all the other runners out there and the running community as a whole. People who get up at 2 am to drive the shuttle for the runners, or who spend their whole year preparing for this one event, or people who go out and volunteer at many events, are so inspirational. Some people are not even runners; they are just like my family, coming out for support without asking for anything in return. It is really fun to be a part of that group and to see things from the other side of the table sometimes!

7. Local Trails: I know I already said travel, but I also really enjoy the trails that I can get to right from my house! From my house, I can run about 3/4 of a mile and I am at a trail system that could take me easily 50 miles or more! So I really have NO excuse to not go running!

PCT -- Northern CA

8. Running Friends: I usually run alone, but I have had a great time meeting up with people when I travel for races. When I went to DC, I got to see friends I hadn't seen in over a year. In BC, I got to meet Amber. In Boston, I ran past Jill, saw Nancy and met up with friends from both the Bay Area and Back East. I also joined an ultra racing team, and while we do not run together, we still give a hearty "good job" if we pass each other during a race! I also did quite a bit of running with Broski again this year.

9. Squamish 50k: This was easily the hardest 50k I did this year. In total, I completed five 50k races (6 if you count one Fat Ass), but the steep downhills of the Squamish really did me in.

Squamish, BC

10. Boston Marathon: This was An Experience. A BQ. A new PR. An explosion. You can read about it here and here and here. It was so monumental that I  have 6 of my 80 posts dedicated to it. That is almost 10 percent! I won't forget it.

Finish Line, Boston, MA

 
What were your top running moments of 2013? What are the majority of your posts about?

Looking Back: November

What better time to do a November recap than at the end of December? I actually wrote this at the beginning of the month and then neglected to post it! So, good-bye November, hello and good-bye December!

To sum up November in three words, I would say: Work. Eating. Fun.

Work: has been crazy; we are still working a lot of overtime, since the end of the year is near and everything needs to be done by year end. We have been going in on Saturdays, which I actually like, because without the phone ringing and a new email popping up every second, I actually get some work done! On top of everything else, we had a guy go out on Paternity leave and the temp who was supposed to cover his desk fell through, so we have been doing his work too. I was already pretty swamped; doing his work as well has made me way behind. In addition, his wife had some complications and the babies came two weeks early, so we have been doing it for a few weeks now.

Morning view from my office window

Fun: comes before eating because a lot of the eating was fun too! However, I had a girls night at the house at the beginning of the month, which was a ton of fun. I made a bunch of muffin inspired foods and there was plenty of wine and a dance party was commenced. The weekend after that, my brother had an end of Harvest party and it was good to hang out with some of his girlfriend's friends who I had met before but didn't know very well. The next day we canned some pickled veggies and then had Sunday dinner because it's CRAB season! The next day I took the day off and volunteered at the local food bank. It is near my aunt's house and when I asked if she wanted to join, she, my uncle and two of my cousins came too, so it was a fun family affair (plus I chalked it up as a workout since I had to move so many cans of food). Thanksgiving was spent doing a bike ride and then I got to hang out with my extended family, some of who I have not seen in a while (and who are all grown up all of a sudden).

Food: has been plentiful this month! At girl's night, I served muffin shaped foods: mac and cheese bites, southwest chicken cups, mini chicken pot pies, mini quiches, artichoke and spinach dip cups, and....salad. The recipes were kind of thrown together from things I already liked making. At the Harvest party, there was brisket (I ate SO MUCH brisket!), corn, cole slaw, beans (with Jalapenos), and salad. There is always salad. For Thanksgiving there was turkey, of course, and some super good mashed potatoes. My favorite were the two different kinds of stuffing. At one party, it was brie and artichoke stuffing; at the other it was cranberry, sausage and apple stuffing. Both were delicious, even though they were pretty different. Finally, I took the turkey carcass home and made turkey stock, which will be used soon!

Aside from the top three, there has been some running (163 miles), a bit of reading (2 books), a bit of yoga, one trail race, a bit of biking and a little too much TV watching (Parenthood, Greys Anatomy, Top Chef).

What did you do in November? What is your favorite food to serve when people come over? Do you enjoy crab season?

Quad Dipsea

So this space has become an area for race recaps and.... not much else.

I hope everyone had a really great Thanksgiving! I did. I double booked myself and had BBQed turkey and 3 different kinds of pie at my brother's house and then had second turkey dinner with homemade candy at my aunt's house. The best part was my parents made it to both, which I missed last year (they went back East last year). So it was good times, good food, good friends, good family! And I took home the carcass and made some super good stock.

So...how to burn off these two dinners (and massive quantities of dessert)? Hill work, of course.

You may remember I have mentioned the Dipsea before. It claims to be the oldest trail race and has been going on for over 100 years. It goes from Mill Valley, up and over a hill and then back down to Stinson Beach.

The quad Dipsea is up and over to Stinson, and then back to Mill Valley and then back to Stinson again and then back to Mill Valley. The first section from Mill Valley, for about a mile and a gain of around 500 feet, is all stairs. After that, it's back down hill and then you begin the climb to Cardiac.

It was about 40 degrees when we started. I opted to go with tank top and shorts because I had made the overdressed mistake in the past. I ran this as one of my team races, with an ultra team that I joined a few months back. The other members are a lot of fun and are very encouraging. We don't run together, but it's still fun to have more people to cheer on along the way.

The first climb was not bad. I had a lot of energy. I was passing people, as I often do on the uphills. I got to the top of Cardiac and skipped the first aid station. I headed back down the other side to Stinson and was still feeling great. This race was fun for the fact that once I got about half way down, the leaders of the pack started to come back up. There were so many "great jobs" and "way to gos" being thrown out and you saw so many people that you knew, whether they were in front of you or behind you. It was very encouraging, especially since trail races usually are not very well spectated, due to their difficulty to reach for most people.

I got down to Stinson Beach and fueled up with some cantaloupe and headed back up the hill to Cardiac. This section is partly trail, partly stairs and it pretty steep the entire way. This section was mostly speed hiking/jog/walking. There was barely any time when it wasn't either uphill or downhill. Usually there is some flat, but this time, there was very little. Finally, it was back to Cardiac again and then back down the big hill, back up the little hill and then DOWN the stairs, which was way harder than up, since they are all different lengths and heights. It is hard to get a rhythm, plus there are other regular Saturday walkers out and about with their dogs and kids and families.

I arrived back at Mill Valley and my family was there, cheering me on. My Mom snapped this photo; it makes me look really fast.

After another handful of canteloupe and a piece of pumpkin pie (I love ultra food!) I headed BACK up the stairs. This was not too bad either. Of course, this time, I was not moving as fast as I had the first time! But I was still feeling good. At Cardiac I ran into a friend who was taking photos, gave him a high five and headed back down the hill again. Before I reached Cardiac, the front runner passed me heading the other way. The next person behind him was at Cardiac at the same time as me, making him about 20 minutes behind the leader. It was pretty impressive. He was just blowing down the hills like a maniac!

On the way down to Stinson, I still felt good. I saw a ton of people I knew and the "good jobs" were still flowing! I got to the beach, ate, and headed back to Cardiac. This is where is got a little difficult. After Cardiac, the long downhill was a bit muddy and rocky, with roots and rocks and bumps in the ground. My knees were starting to get a little tired, but it didn't seem like a big deal. Then one of them really started to bug me, so instead of overdoing it, I slowed to a walk for a while. I got passed by a bunch of people, including 2 girls (darn it!) at this point.

When I got to the stairs, I took it easy, and got back to the end a little after I wanted. I had set a goal of 5:45, but I came in at 5:52. I was still happy to be under 6 hours though!

Total elevation gain: 9200 feet

The winner set a new course record of 3:48. You can read more about it here. The second place runner got 4:15. The first girl got 5:06. I call that impressive! I was the number 10 female out of 72, and the 59th out of 249 overall.

I don't know if I burned off my two turkey dinners, but I sure had fun trying! (PS I went to the gym on Monday and there were at least 2x more people than normal. I am not the only one trying to burn off that turkey!)

How did you burn off your turkey dinner? What did you do for Thanksgiving? Do you participate in a turkey trot or any Thanksgiving day exercise?

Currently: November

Current Book - 22 Brittania Road by Amanda Hodgkinson

Current Running Path - 

Running the Presidio

Current Drink - Lipton tea with milk and sugar 

Current Excitement - I had a really fun day volunteering at the food bank this week with my family. It was nice to do something for others and to see family members that I don't see often enough.  

Current fashion trend - Yup, it's Movember again.

Current Favorite Blog/Website - Amazon

Current Garden Item - We still have tomatoes, but I turned one bed under to plant some winter veggies...TBD what kind! 

Current Love - Bat kid! Our hero! It was so inspiring to see the outpouring of support for him and his family. So inspiring!

Current Food - Mandarin oranges and persimmons.

Current Indulgence - Baked goods. 'Tis the season. 

Currently Pondering - Whether or not I want to make bread pudding, which I will probably eat most of by myself, or just throw my old loaf of bread away. 

Current Mood - Lazy: this darkness is really affecting me this year!  

Current New Find - Did you know that Ross/Marshalls have exercise equipment? I even found a Nathan running belt there for about a quarter of the regular price! 

Current Outfit - I vacillate between pajamas, work clothes and running clothes. 

Current Peeve - People who walk and text. 
 
Current Song - This is a good running song, or is great if you just need a pep me up!

 

Current Triumph - I had a very fun and successful girls night in last weekend with food, drinks, dancing and fun! I need to do that more often! 
 
Current TV Show -  The Good Wife; I am trying it out. So far, it's pretty good. 

Current Wish-List - Printer ink. It's not cheap. I think the ink is about half the price of the printer!

Currently Delaying - Working on my Christmas cards. I know it's early but they take a while and I like to get them out right at the beginning of December.

What's your favorite TV show right now? What is your current love? What song do you listen to when you need a burst of energy?

Marine Corps Marathon

**This is the perfect day for this recap! Happy Veterans Day! Now, onto the MCM recap.... 

Since the Boston Marathon, I have neither run nor trained for a road race. I spent a lot of time training for trail races, which means lots of time on my feet and many miles, but none of them were run at a very quick pace. This led me to be a little uncertain of what the MCM would hold for me.

I had planned this several months ago with two friends who I had met last year at The Relay. One of them lives in Philadelphia, and he had been wanting to do the MCM for a long time. It was one of his bucket list races. The other gent hailed from Texas, and had never run a marathon before.

My plan was to attempt to run about a 3:30. I figured if I stayed at about an 8 minute pace the whole time, I could make it. However, like I said, I have been running the trails, at about a 10 - 12 minute pace, and I wasn't sure how it was going to go. I have done a couple of road runs, but they were at around a 9 minute mile and there were only a few of them. Texas had been training at about a 10 - 11 minute mile and he wanted to stay at this pace the whole time. Philly was injured; he used to run about a 6:30 pace, but since his injury has not been running. He was planning on running with Texas to keep him company.

Me and the boys -- ready to go!

The expo was a mess. We had to wait in line for 2 hours to get our bibs and goodie bags. Needless to say, this made me really doubtful of how good the race organization would be. However, it was pretty well organized! There were shuttles to the start line, with roughly a 1 mile walk to the start. The sweat checks were well labeled and there were a ton of porta-potties. We had to go through a bag check to get to the start line. The Star Spangled Banner was cool; there were a bunch of parachutes with flags that unfurled as they came closer to the ground.

The start line was self corralled. I lined up at the 3:20 - 3:39 corral (kind of a big gap, if you ask me) and actually got to talking to a few fellow runners about Boston. The guy behind me BQed but didn't get in this year because there were so many applicants. And then we were off!

Ready, set, go!

The first few miles had a lot of uphill. The wheelchair racers had started before us by about 5 minutes, and we ended up catching up to a lot of them at this point. I can only imagine how tired their arms must have been! I was really trying not to start off too quickly in this race. However, my first mile was slower than I would like, so I started to pick up the pace a little after that. Mile 1 - 5: 8:15, 8:07, 7:53, 7:30, 7:52

Miles 6 - 10 were pretty flat and were an out and back section. It was cool because I saw all of the front runners and then on the back portion, got a chance to look for my friends, but I didn't see them. Miles 6 10: 7:45, 7:49. 7:47, 7:57, 7:53. 

Miles 11 - 15 were a loop around the tidal basin and the Jefferson Memorial. I was still feeling pretty good and it was fun to see the crowds along the route. I was running along side a couple of Semper Fi guys and I just kept their red shirts in my sights. I saw a lot of the same spectators as they were criss-crossing the course and I could recognize them from their signs. Mile 11 - 15: 7:49, 7:52, 7:54, 8:08, 7:58. 

At mile 16, my hamstring started to give me trouble. I slowed down in order to save myself from injury and to attempt to save a little energy until the end. The best part about this section was that it was run along the Mall and for much of the time we were running toward the Capitol building and past the Smithsonian buildings. However, I was definitely starting to lose energy and my quads were tired and my hamstring was aching. Mile 16 - 20: 8:08, 8:23, 8:24, 8:26, 8:23.

They say the real race begins at mile 20, and for this race, this really was the truth. At mile 21, we crossed over the Potomac for the last time and people were walking. I wanted to join them so badly, but I knew that if I did, I would regret it later. So I kept plodding along, step after step. At mile 23, I ran near my hotel. I was about a quarter of a mile from it and I remember thinking about how I could just go there instead of to the finish. People were handing out doughnut holes and I remember thinking that maybe I could just stop for a while and eat a doughnut and call it a day. I ran past the pentagon and the start line and I finally passed the 25 mile mark. Mile 21 - 25: 8:24, 8:25, 8:24, 8:32, 8:34.

The last mile (point two!) was the longest mile ever. To top it all off, the last 30 or 50 feet before the finish line were uphill. I wanted to punch someone. I gave it all the gas I had left, which was barely any. Mile 26: 8:23, Mile 26.2: 8:06.

Finish: 3:34:57

Iwo Jima finish

The verdict? I started out too fast. Again. I fueled. I even ate a Gu, but I am not sure I fueled enough. I definitely did not train correctly. However, I had fun! The crowd was great; there were lots of gorgeous monuments; there were a ton of cute military guys; the weather was perfect. What more could you ask for?

Oh, and my friend from Texas, for his first marathon, got a 4:21, which is just under a 10 minute mile! He is a rock star! He beat his own goal and did so great! I am proud of him! He is already signed up for two more marathons too. See what happens?

Have you ever been to DC? What mile is your least favorite when you are running? Have you ever had a doughnut in the middle of a run?

Looking Back: October

After the month of September, where I did a lot of running but no races, October was the month of races but not as many miles. Having a couple of taper weeks really gave me a chance to do something besides running for a change! Here are some of the highlights of October:

Lake Merritt

Running: Like I said, although I had two races, my monthly total was not my highest. The first weekend was taper week, then it was the big race, then it was taper and then it was another race. Total miles for October = 140. Over half of them (76) were race miles.

Books: Hurray! This month I actually read  8 books. This is mostly due to the fact that I have not been on the internet, but it also due to one weekend of flying, in which I read almost two books. I finished the Percy Jackson series. The others were State of Wonder, Bossypants, The Art of Fielding & Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Of all of them, my favorite was probably State of Wonder. The Percy Jackson series was fun, but was probably about 3 out of 5 stars across the board.

Travel: I went to Philadelphia and DC for the Marine Corps Marathon, but that will be another post in itself. I also went up to Sonoma county with some friends for a nice day of eating and wine tasting. We had brunch at Parish Cafe in Healdsburg and then went to the Williams Seylem winery for some wine and treats. They were having an event and there were tasty treats like local cornbread with bacon, olive oil and chocolates. To be honest, we never made it to a second winery! But we had a very good time.

San Francisco mini tour

Friends: I spent one weekend with my brother and his lady. It was fun, as it was the one year anniversary of Broski's first race. In the last year, he has gone from running a few miles a week to wanting to try his first marathon soon! His longest run to date has been about 21 miles! I am so proud of how far he's come and it was really fun to do this race again together. This time, since it was the day after my 50 mile race, I walked the 5k with the lady and her sister while Broski ran the 10k with Dad. I also had some friends from the Midwest visit on Halloween, and we had a great time wandering around the city, eating burritos in the Mission and enjoying all the great costumes.

Food: It's that time of year again! I made an old favorite, Pumpkin Spice Muffins and of course lots of curries, stews and bean dishes. However, due to tapering and too many office parties, traveling and friends being in town, I did not really make very good food choices in October. I ate way too much! I need to get a handle on that before the "real" holidays are here! I sure do love me some desserts, fancy dips, carb heavy brunches, wines, cheeses, and meals out with many courses though! And let's not forget nuts. I ate a whole (16 oz) jar of peanuts at my desk the other day.

Music: I really love our local music venue, The Fox Theater, which is small enough that no matter where you are, you can see the band clearly. This was the month of concerts! I got to see Passion Pit, Joy Formidable, and Two Door Cinema Club. I also had a great time at a Bryan Adams concert in Santa Rosa. Have I mentioned that my first concert ever was Bryan Adams?  I have to say; he still rocks it.

Angst over the Government Shutdown

Other Highlights: Finding a great new brunch place with fabulous corned beef hash (they also have duck confit, which I love!), hosting my Aunt and her boyfriend in San Francisco for the day, only falling off my bike once in the middle of traffic, the regrowth of my new toenail,  the BART strike, a really great team pot luck at work, the Government Shutdown and a gorgeous sunset over Lake Merritt.

How was your October? What is your favorite Autumn recipe? What is your favorite brunch item?