Aloha blog! Last week was probably the first week in 2019 that we had absolutely no rain in SF, hallelujah! All the extra sun thanks to daylights savings has boosted my mood way up the past few days. Every morning started off with a slice of gratitude as my morning runs looked like this:
The weekend was absolutely gorg, and so I wanted to take advantage of the sun and warmth with some wholesome outdoorsy activities. Feeling that extra connection with nature and with my friends has left me feeling nourished and centered. ❤
Friday: Mentally strong long run + girl’s wine night
To make room for my weekend festivities, I got my long run out of the way on Friday morning before work –> 16 miles! My legs felt tired from beginning to end since I ran 5 miles the day before (I usually try and avoid workouts the day before a long run). The last 6 miles dragged on FOREVER, but I’m really proud of my mental strength throughout – I didn’t let the pain bring about negative thoughts and had a “of course I’m going to finish” mindset, versus the last few long runs when I seriously contemplated quitting. Something about passing the half marathon point has boosted my confidence in making me feel like I can and WILL be ready for this marathon in 6 weeks. Really proud to deposit this 16-miler with sore legs in the marathon bank!
Long runs on week days can be rough since there’s no time for a nap or any rest before the usual hecticness at work. The rest of the day was filled with running around the city for work and errands.
To unwind afterwards, I caught up with some kava friends at our the lounge, followed by meeting up with the girls for an impromptu wine night. It had been a few weeks since all the girls got together, and it felt so good to reconnect for, what it felt like, forever! We bounced around a few wine bars in SoMa and caught up on the past few weeks. It’s always an easy and fun time with the girls – their lighthearted, positive vibes were just what I needed ❤
Saturday: Reunion hike in Muir Woods + Sausalito
On Saturday, Kim got a few friends together for a hike in Muir Woods. Some background: Kim and I met at my old company, and one of our old colleagues was visiting from NYC, and so we had a little ex-company reunion. Even though everyone in our group met at work, at this point I don’t consider them “work friends,” just “friends.” We all started out in the NYC office and transferred to SF, and ironically we spend a lot of more time together in SF now after leaving the firm 🙂
Muir Woods is a popular park in Marin that preserves the famous redwood trees of California. I’ve done a lot of hiking in Marin but have yet to stop by Muir Woods despite being so popular – it’s quite touristy and you need to pay for a permit, but nevertheless I was pumped to finally check this Bay Area must-do off the list.
We started out on the main trail of Muir Woods. I wouldn’t even call it a trail…it was more like a flat walkway paved for tourists with the gorgeous redwood trees left and right. We listened to a short “tree lecture” which was informative and inspiring to learn about the importance of preserving these endangered trees.
After making our way through the walkway, we all were eager to get a REAL hike going, and so we started exploring deeper into the woods. We eventually made it onto a 3-mile trail which felt like the real deal.
Our group was so hilarious and crazy – I was not expecting to have so much fun on the hike! There was absolutely zero pressure as we went at an extremely leisurely pace, just joking around and feeling like little kids as we crossed bridges, climbed trees…I don’t know if my legs were more sore from hiking than my abs from laughing 😛
I loved this group because they love taking pictures as much as I do! We had many photo shoots on the trail.
Funny story: Jake (on the far left) actually works at my CURRENT company now, too! He just started a few weeks ago. Both Jake and Scott (not pictured) are both good friends from our NYC days at our old company, and we all somehow found each other again at our current job – what an insanely small world. I’m so happy I get to see them everyday again 🙂
After our wholesome, hilarious hike, we were all famished and decided to grab brunch Sausalito on our way back to SF. Jake and his girlfriend had never been to Sausalito so we decided to make a pit stop at the adorable, bougey coastal town. Kim and I picked a lunch spot we went to the last time we were in Sausalito, and we all enjoyed fried chicken sandwiches by the breezy waterside – perfection.
Afterwards, we walked around town a little more, played with Jake’s electric scooter and enjoyed the waterside views. We got some ice cream which turned our tongues blue. 😛
We drove back to SF and parted ways right before dinner time. I decided to spend my Saturday night doing absolutely zilch since I felt like I was in go-go-go mode since my long run yesterday. I enjoyed a “me” evening with take-out dinner, netflix, and sleeping by 10pm…#livingthelife
Sunday: Foam rolling class + afternoon in Alamo Square
I got 11 hours of sleep – woot! Much needed for the life of a usual insomniac. I eased into the morning with some coffee from my Chemex and new episodes of Queer Eye – I’d been counting down the days to the new season and it doesn’t disappoint!
Feeling awake, I decided to try something new: a head-to-toe foam rolling class at a nearby yoga studio. My entire body was still feeling stiff like lead after my 16-miler two days ago – I feel like my body takes longer to recover than most people, and so I decided to do active recovery with the foam-rolling class. Overall, it was incredibly effective! I have a foam roller myself, but tend to stick with the same quads/glutes/calves rolls. This class taught new techniques and we hit some crucial parts of the body that I didn’t even know carried so much weight and would be so tight, like my inner thigh and QL muscle in the lower back. We even used tiny foam balls to roll out our feet which was a game changer. I will probably go to the class a few more times to learn the techniques but then just buy the equipment myself to do at home.
Feeling recovered and energized, I didn’t waste any time to get outside and soak up some more sunshine. I walked down to Alamo Square Park and plopped down on my picnic blanket for a nap and a view of the Painted Ladies. It seemed like everyone in SF was out-and-about on this gorgeous day, but Alamo Square was perfect as it felt less chaotic than places like Dolores Park.
Kim and some of our Muir Woods crew joined me later in the afternoon. The rest of the group was pretty hungover so chilling at the park with some bubble tea was just was we all needed. It was nice to see our visitor friend before he flew back to NYC.
For the rest of the day, I unwinded at Kava Lounge. My favorite barista friend works on Sundays so I always try and stop by and catch up with her. She’s always a ball of positive energy and she even invited me along for a meditation retreat next month which I’m looking forward to!
And that wraps up my fabulous week in SF! On the personal front, after having a few rough weeks in February, I’m back to feeling 100% myself again, and more. It helps that my calendar has been booking up quickly with fun things for myself and also with friends; I have something to look forward to almost every week for the next 3 months! I’m also about to book an epic solo trip in May…I can’t wait to do a grand reveal for you guy ;). Things are looking up.
Be well, my friends! ❤
I Run Like A Girl 