This weekend was great in every possible way –
everything from the weather to the activities to the people I was able to spend
time with was fantastic! The last
couple of weekends have not only been warm but have also been relatively fog
and wind free (somewhat unusual for this time of year… well, actually for any
time of year other than approximately 2 weeks in October) which drove people en
mass out of the coffee shops, restaurants, bars and comfort of their own homes
in to any and every square inch of outdoor space this city has to offer. Needless to say, there have been a lot of hot
pink shoulders, lines 6 blocks long for gourmet ice cream in flavors such as Secret
Breakfast (think bourbon flavored ice cream with clusters of frosted flakes) and
Jesus Juice (red wine sorbet… need I say more?) and a severe shortage of things
that could be grilled as well as the frosty beverages that would normally
accompany said grilled items.
So, as not to be left out of the outdoors fun, I slathered
up in my newly acquired coconut scented sporty sunscreen (jury is still out on
this one as I’m not entirely sure I enjoy smelling like coconuts and it makes
me want to be poolside with some sort of umbrella drink rather than trying to
be active) and went on two vastly different hikes over the weekend. The first one was a long and beautiful uphill
climb to the top of Mt. Tam with a good friend who I don’t spend nearly enough
time with… she’s one of those people who makes you happy just by being around
her – she glows from the inside out and is beautiful in the ways that only
someone who is making choices for the right reasons, staying grounded and living
the life they want can be. It was a
gorgeous day and a wonderful time.
The second hike was of the urban nature and took me and my
better half on a 5 mile journey across the city to a super fun restaurant/bar
located by the piers on the bay. It’s a fantastic
place to settle in for a leisurely afternoon of food and beverages while gazing
at the passing sailboats, tourists and crazy locals so we did just that and it
was simply perfect. The challenge with
urban hikes is usually the return trip and this one was no exception as it’s
just not that easy to motivate to walk the entire distance home after a few
hours in the sunshine sipping chilled chardonnay (don’t worry, I had water and
food as well... I’ve learned my lesson… for the most part) so I was rather
proud of us when we made it the majority of the way back before option for
public transportation to get us the last couple of very steep and very uphill miles.
So with the weekend behind me, I am now focused on the half
marathon that is coming up this Sunday.
It’s still so strange to think that last year all my training, efforts
and fears were around the completion of a half and now it’s more of a step in my
training than anything else – totally crazy and does make me have a slight
panic moment but it’s nothing compared to last week’s complete and utter state
of panic.
Before I go, I would be remiss if I didn’t update you on the
enthralling subject of my never-ending quest for the perfect (or at least non pain
and/or injury inducing) running shoes. I
did find a new pair and gave them a 7 mile test run today along Crystal Springs
Reservoir (a nice paved trail with some rolling hills and lots of pretty
scenery located about 20 minutes south of the city) and am happy to report that
they did pretty well! I do think that I
need to give some different socks a whirl (annoying seams are bothering my big
toes) but the increased cushioning from the last “new” pair seems to address
some heel and knee pain I was feeling.
Fingers crossed… again.
I would love to show you the pretty location where I did my run today but
I forgot to take a picture afterwards so instead I have created a lovely
montage photo which includes the new shoes, new fancy muscle stick thingy (I’m
sure that’s the technical term for it) and the umbrella drink sporty suntan
lotion for your viewing pleasure.
Cheers,
SF runner in training
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