I Run Like A Girl

And just like that, Thanksgiving weekend is over. I don’t know about you guys, but I am completely pooped from all the fun this past weekend. I have lots to recap and so I’ll split this weekend into two posts – one on actual Thanksgiving day and one on the weekend following. 🙂

I wasn’t able to fly home for Thanksgiving this year, but fortunately got invited to a new friend’s family gathering in East Bay. I was super touched that this friend, Julia, thought of me and adopted me into her family for one day.

Julia’s boyfriend, Rahul, picked me up in the morning and we drove up to Marin to meet  Julia in her hometown and for a hike at Bon Tempe Lake. Apparently it’s a very Marin-culture thing to be active and go hiking/biking on Thanksgiving. The actual hike was a flat and easy 4-miler around the circumference of the lake.

We spotted some baby redwoods.

Hanging out with these two was so effortless. They are such nice and inclusive people and it felt like being around old friends. The hike flew by as we non-stop chatted the whole way. Rahul and Julia also surprised me with the news that they are moving into an apartment together 5 blocks away from mine!! I’m so excited!

Can you spot the dog? 🙂

After the hike, we unwinded at their favorite bar in Marin and drank the BEST kombucha I’ve ever tasted. The whole bar had a cool, rustic biker-feel; I will definitely be back!

Then we drove back to Marin to rest a bit. Rahul took a nap and so Julia and I got some girl time and also helped her mom with cooking while sipping away on our Irish coffees.

Then it was time to drive to East Bay for the big feast. On the way, Julia gave me the low-down on her cousins, aunts, grandparents, etc. I personally don’t know my extended family that well and so it was interesting to hear the scoop on hers, and it made me realize how much I do want to live near my own family in the future!

The dinner party was super fun. There were 20+ relatives there and so much love in the house. All of Julia’s cousins were 20-something year olds and there were plenty of people to bond with. We drank wine, ate a not-too-heavy dinner (which I appreciated), played a few rounds of pictionary, and fooled around on the piano.

Even though I couldn’t be with my own family on this holiday, I’m so grateful to have spent it with Julia’s family who really welcomed me with open arms and made this the best first Thanksgiving away from home I could ask for. I hope to be more part of their family fun in the future!!

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Week 12 of marathon training

Not so much running happened this week since 1) I really wanted to focus on tapering/recovering from last week’s 20 miler (I was still sore by Wednesday and knew I needed a few extra rest days this week!), and 2) I was on the road this weekend and running while travelling is NOT my strong suit.

It honestly has not hit me that this marathon is NEXT WEEK!!!

Monday: 4 miles

Tuesday: REST

Wednesday: 6 miles

Thursday: 4-mile hike

Friday: 8-mile hike

Saturday: REST

Sunday: REST