I Run Like A Girl

Hey you guys! Happy Monday! I hope you all had some fun this weekend. It was absolutely gorgeous here in the Bay, and I was lucky enough to have a good mix of time outside (being in the sun is my happy spot), exploring the city, getting out of the city, while also being productive with some more moving shenanigans :).

Friday: Oakland First Friday 

Friday started off with my awesome new SF team throwing me a welcome lunch at work 🙂

One of my coworkers told me about First Fridays, a block party in Oakland that happens on the first Friday of each month. It sounded super neat and we decided to go after work – first experience in East Bay!

But first, some ice cream at the Ferry Building, a neat indoor market along the Embarcadaro with a gorgeous view of the Bay ❤

Oakland was an interesting experience…it’s full of life but pretty industrial and not the image I typically have of scenic California. The festival was full of music, street art, and food trucks.

Some chicken shawarma for din din.

It was great time overall experiencing Oakland and bonding with my coworker :). Friday night ended with catching up on some furniture building in my new casa.

Saturday

Brunch with a new friend to start the day – we went to Perry’s close to my apartment.

The afternoon was filled with lots of moving logistics…picking up some of my stuff that shipped in, unpacking, and just relaxing before the evening to come.

Around 5pm, I was on my way to Sunnyvale for a housewarming. I got a ride from a new friend who Christine introduced me to; so happy to still have my NYC buds looking out for me from across the country :). The party was filled with a lot of the same people as Scott’s memorial day party last weekend, so it was refreshing to see some familiar faces a second time.

Sunnyvale is a whole different world than SF proper. It was much warmer and sunnier, but also straight up suburbia. The housewarming was Korean BBQ themed – the host grilled over 20 pounds of meat! Overall an A+ night bonding/drinking with this fun circle 🙂

Sunday: first running group + bike shopping + NBA finals 

I woke up feeling pretty decent given the amount I drank the previous night, so I decided to rally and meet up with the Golden Gate Running Club for their Sunday morning run. It was my first running group experience and I was a little nervous…mostly about being too slow for them. However the second I got there, they were beyond inclusive and welcoming – most everyone was going to run 5 miles along Marina Boulevard (flat and easy) or 7 miles on the “Planks” route along in the Presidio (hilly and tough!). Since I had done Marina Boulevard a few times that week and wasn’t in the mood for a tough workout either, I sectioned off with another gal, who I hit it off with and seemed my level, and we decided to run the Golden Gate bridge.

Getting up the bridge was pretty tough – sharp uphill for a mile or so. Then running across was beautiful. It was windy and loud on the bridge, but the views were killer. My partner and chatted away and shared our life stories – she is also a recent transplant from NYC!

View from across the bridge.

After our run, we joined the rest of the group in Presidio Off the Grid, a SUPER dope outdoor picnic filled with tons of vendors and food trucks.  One of my favorite activities this whole week. It’s basically a more awesome version of NYC’s Smorgasburg, with more space and views of the water. I was in heaven.

Overall, I’m so glad I got out and met this running group, but I do have some mixed feelings about whether I want to keep pursuing it. I absolutely love meeting other runners, but I truly feel like I’m a solo runner at heart. It’s my favorite time of the day to be alone, think, relax and listen to music/podcasts…I feel so in my comfort zone running alone. But life isn’t always about being comfortable, and maybe sticking with this group will bring other benefits later on. I always joke to my friends that I want to meet other runners without having to run with them, ha!

Question: have you ever joined a running group? What was your experience? I’d love to hear!

After our picnic, I ran another mile home (rounding 6 miles for the day!), showered, and went straight back out to soak in the sun and enjoy some solo time around the city. I wanted to go bike shopping and found a shop a few miles south in the Haight, and decided to walk down to see some sights along the way.

More street fair action on Union Street  – SF is never without things going on!

Stopping in Alamo Square for a break and view of Full House’s title sequence 😉

Bike shopping was pretty eye-opening. I used the opportunity to ask questions and learn about hybrid vs road bike options, and came out super conflicted and needing to re-evaluate my budget and what I’m looking for. In my fantasy mind, I thought I could get a good race bike for triathlons that could also serve as a comfortable commute bike around the city…it seems the two may be mutually exclusive. Thank God I’ve met some great people here who are helping me decide! Will keep you posted on this.

In the evening, I met up with some of the same group from the previous night to watch Game 2 of the NBA finals. Man…are people here super fans to the Warriors!! Everywhere I went this weekend were people wearing Warriors gear. Basketball is the only team sport I can tolerate and even enjoy – I’ve been a Knicks fan my whole life and don’t think I’ll ever switch loyalty, but it was fun to get in the spirit and cheer on my new home team for a night 😉

And that rounds out my first official week in SF! Every day has been such an adventure that I can hardly keep up. Have a good one!!

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Running this week:

Monday: REST

Tuesday: 3 miles in the early AM along the Bay

Wednesday: 6 miles in the early AM along the Bay up to the Golden Gate bridge

Thursday: 6 miles on the Presidio trails

Friday: REST

Saturday: REST

Sunday: 5 miles across the Golden Gate bridge + 1 mile cool down

21 miles TOTAL!