I Run Like A Girl

Blogging from the lovely Fairfield Inn in the great town of Appleton, Wisconsin. When work sends you in the middle of nowhere…you write your feelings out on a blog 😛

Kidding of course…it’s actually refreshing getting out of the office and seeing Wisconsin in the summer time; last time I was here was in the dead-of-cold-February. Being on the road is never a breeze, but I’m trying to change my outlook since my work calendar is PACKED with travel these next few months. I originally saw my life being on hold until all this travelling is done, but now I’m trying to accept that this is my life, and making the most of these opportunities will go a loooong way.

And now let’s talk about this past weekend!

Friday: Tapas at Picaro

After work on Friday, Anna and I met in the Mission for happy hour. She discovered a cute tapas place right in the hear to of the Mission called Picaro. AMAZING. $12 sangria pitchers and hearty tapas that are larger in portion than a lot of those fancy shmancy tapas places. To those in the Bay, I highly recommend! We got tipsy and I got a solid carbo-load for a very good price 😉

After lots of time with our group in Tahoe the past few days, it was nice to get some one-on-one time with Anna and talk about everything under the sun. It was also nice to have an earlier hang out as I was in bed by 9:30pm for my race the next morning. #win.

Saturday: Trail relay + Marina night out

Saturday started off bright and early with the Brazen Dirty Double Relay Race. You can find my full race recap HERE.

The race was an all day event, and so I got back home in the evening. Just in time to take a nap, order my weight in Indian food (don’t post races always make you SO HUNGRY), and get ready for a night out with the Tahoe group!

Even though it had only been 3 days, it felt like I hadn’t seen these guys in AGES. It was so nice to get together again and bar hop in the Marina which was a first for me, despite living in the Marina for over a month now. We found a spot that had cornhole boards which was a hot fun mess for my uncoordinated team.

I’m so excited for what’s ahead with these friends. Looking at our calendars these next few weeks, we have a LOT planned together. I couldn’t be more excited for these summer adventures with this crazy group 🙂

Sunday: me day

I had absolutely nothing planned for Sunday, which actually felt great for once. I’ve been trying to cram as much as possible in every waking moment since moving here, but it was nice to have a day all to myself and catch my breath.

For the first time ever, I woke up the day after a race WANTING to run. Maybe that meant I didn’t push myself enough during the race… 😛 I had a rest day planned, but wanted to monopolize this rare feeling and get in some miles, especially before a week of travelling when it would be much harder to run.

5 miles along the usual Marina route.

Afterwards, I had no plans but to just walk around and see where it took me. Grabbed some ice cream at Smitten and enjoyed it in Lafayette Park.

Then made my way down to Alamo Square. Even though it is one of the more touristy parks due to the Painted Ladies, I still love relaxing here and seeing the pretty, colorful houses. I find them so darn cute and it definitely makes me nostalgic for Full House!

After some walking, walking, and more walking…I made it all the way to Buena Vista Park. I had been meaning to check out this park and was able to catch it right at sunset. The park itself was actually SUPER beautiful. Very vertical trails, some off the paved road which made it feel like you were lost in the woods far away from the city…at the top had gorgeous views of all of SF. The sunset lighting made it feel pretty surreal. I will definitely be back!

And that wraps up another successful weekend in the books :). I will be in Wisconsin until Wednesday – going to try and squeeze in some miles in the early AM before going on client site (which may prove difficult with the two hour time difference). Wish me luck!

Have a great one, friends!!!

---

 

I can’t believe it’s ONLY two weeks away to the SF half! Lake Tahoe weekend definitely made a dent in training (I am physically incapable of running on ANY vacation…), but the relay race this past weekend pushed me in a good way where I feel confident and ready to push through these finals 2 weeks of training.

I’ve been focusing a LOT on recovery (aka stretching/rolling/sleeping like it’s no one’s business) and nutrition (aka green smoothies galore). I’m hoping for one last good long run this coming weekend to build that last bit of confidence, and I will be good to go 🙂

Week 3 of half marathon training

Monday: 4 miles after work, no GPS

Tuesday: REST

Wednesday: 4 easy miles first thing in the morning  at 10:02 pace). I felt pretty frustrated at the run and about life in general. I came out thinking maybe on days like this I should ditch the music to really focus on working through the life stuff.

Thursday: 3 easy miles

Friday: REST – LAKE TAHOE

Saturday: REST – LAKE TAHOE

Sunday: REST – LAKE TAHOE

Week 4 of half marathon training

Monday: REST – LAKE TAHOE

Tuesday: REST – LAKE TAHOE

Wednesday: 4 easy miles to get back into the groove after vacation

Thursday: 2 very easy miles after work. My legs were just not having it

Friday: REST

Saturday: 11 miles at the Brazen Dirty Dozen Relay

Sunday: 5 miles at 9:33 pace. Felt strong!