"Go love your own city"

I saw a guy wearing a t-shirt while we were in SF that said "Go love your own city." I definitely fall more in love with that city with each visit, and this trip was no exception.

I spent the morning yesterday running around the city again, literally. I was considering doing my long run with the San Francisco Road Runners Club since they had a variety of distance options available. However, part of their route included what I did on my Friday run, so I opted to run on my own to explore some other parts of the city that we hadn't seen yet. I tweaked a run that was recommended by KJ and headed off...

Haight-Ashbury
Golden Gate Park
The Pacific Ocean
The Coastal Trail (I've never seen the Golden Gate Bridge from this side)
The Presidio
It wasn't a great run from a running perspective, but it was a beautiful one!!!!

After our run, K picked up lunch from his trip to North Beach then we headed down to Pier 33 for our Alcatraz tour. This was the third time that I have gone through it, and it is still just as interesting as the first time. The audio tour is so well done that I don't mind going back.
We were on the last boat off the island for the day and got back to the Wharf to join the crowds that had been gathering throughout the day for the holiday festivities. I generally don't do well in massive crowds like that (especially since I didn't get a post-long run nap), but I managed. We lucked out getting a table for dinner at The Hard Rock Cafe in much less time than we were initially told. Everything was absolutely packed! We had a fun dinner then ventured through a few shops on Pier 39 while trying to stay out of the cold (yes, COLD) until the fireworks started at 9:30. The fireworks display was definitely quite impressive!

We made the walk back (UP) to the hotel with the throngs of people leaving the Wharf after the fireworks. Those hills really did a number on my shins - so much so that today turned into a day off from running since I am sensitive about that area since I've had problems there before.

We were jolted back to reality this afternoon when we hit the 100 degree temps back in Austin. UGH. I'm thankful for the respite we got while in SF, no matter how brief.

So, what's next? Well, after traveling 8 of the past 11 weekends, we're home for the next 3 while I try to remember how to love Austin. Chicago is our next trip, then (at least) one trip per month through the end of the year.

What a day!

After a "slight" flight delay on our way through Vegas yesterday, we made it into SF in the early evening. We had decided to ride the BART into town from the airport, with the closest stop about 8 blocks from our hotel. But, what K did not realize when he put together this plan was that those 8 blocks were UP Powell street from the turnaround for the cable cars. Way up. Lugging our luggage behind us...and me in heels. I could have killed him. We're staying in a nice, historic hotel atop Nob Hill, which I guess makes it worth it.
I started today off with a great 6-mile run that turned into a 7-mile run which was a great opportunity to see some familiar and new sights. Here's a few pics from my run:

The Golden Gate Bridge hiding in the fog:
Fisherman's Wharf:
Alcatraz:
Cable car (on wheels):
Bay Bridge:
AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants:
Chinatown:
The weather was perfect for running too. Temps in the 50's, not too windy, sunny skies. With the summer weather in Austin, I had forgotten what it felt like to run so effortlessly. I saw paces on my Garmin that I haven't seen since the heat took up residence in Austin. It gives me hope for Utah in October.

I really enjoyed myself while running and exploring this morning. I kept asking myself "With Colorado last weekend and California this weekend, why exactly do we live in Austin?" The weather was perfect and the scenery was great. Don't worry, I know all the reasons we live in Austin. I just had a wistful moment...or two (or three...).

I came back from my run in great spirits. After a quick shower, we headed out for the day's adventures. We had a few hiccups as we were trying to get on our way, but we eventually ended up taking the cable car down to Fisherman's Wharf. From there we decided to rent bikes for a couple of hours as a way to get over to the Golden Gate Bridge, which was K's one must do for the trip. We stopped at The Palace of Fine Arts on the way. I absolutely love it there. It's so beautiful and serene.Naturally we hit a few hills along the way to the Golden Gate Bridge, and I tried to channel my inner Lance (with not much success at times). It was a nice ride though, but actually riding over the Bridge freaked me out a bit because it was so darn windy out there! It was a great experience though.
After dropping off our bikes, we had dinner at Cioppino's, an Italian seafood restaurant on the Wharf. Then, we headed over to Ghiradelli Square for a bite of chocolate. We were so cold walking around though!!! We picked up the cable car again and headed back to our hotel. I'm definitely pretty wiped out from all the running, biking, and walking. Not the best thing to do before a 20-mile run in the morning. Oh, well. The weather and scenery will get me through it.

So, what's on tap for tomorrow? Long run in the morning, Alcatraz in the afternoon, and fireworks of course in the evening.

I love this city.

Great weekend Colorado style!

Well, we wrapped up our Colorado weekend with a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park this morning. We got a relatively early start because we were planning on a hike/trail run of several hours. However, that didn't exactly happen. As we were driving through the park looking for where we were planning to start our adventure, I saw a sign for riding stables. Hmm, that sounded interesting. We got a little lost from where we were planning to go, and as K was turning around to start heading back there I suggested checking out the place for the horseback riding. He didn't seem too keen on it initially, but he humored me. We got there shortly before the next ride was going to set out, so we joined in on the fun. Now, K and I aren't exactly riders, so this was a new experience for us. Fortunately, the horses were generally so well-behaved that we didn't really have to do much, although I did have a few issues with mine. Cruella, as she was called, liked to stop and eat whenever possible and I was instructed not to let her do that so I had to continually pull her head up (which was even tied back somewhat so that she couldn't eat). She ran me through a few tree branches and scared me when she stumbled slightly and went down. But, otherwise, it was a nice way to view some of the Park for a couple of hours. The weather was fantastic again, so we lucked out. There's so much to see and do there, so I'm looking forward to going back when we have a little more time.
We had brunch at Mary's Lake Lodge, which was recommended to us as a place that the locals go. It was delicious! Afterwards, we headed back to our hotel to check-out then went into downtown Estes Park to pick up our pictures from our rafting trip yesterday. Here's a couple of them:
So, now we're at the airport getting ready to head home. No sooner will we get back and unpack than it will be time to pack again as we are heading out to San Francisco on Thursday afternoon. I heart Colorado. And, I definitely heart SF. Life is good.

I heart Colorado!

Wedding two in our back-to-back wedding weekends is done. And, it was another one where we just barely made it in time for the ceremony! This time the delay was due to the closure of DIA due to thunderstorms with severe lightning as we were flying into Denver on Friday afternoon. All flights were put into a holding pattern so we spent about 45 minutes circling the area. Despite the delay, we still thought we could make it...until we were diverted from the main road to Estes Park due to standing water on the roads from the previously mentioned thunderstorms. Once that happened, I gave up hope that we'd make it in time for the ceremony...but, thankfully, the wedding started a few minutes late which gave us just enough time to slip in for the ceremony which was held overlooking the lawn of The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park (yes, the hotel that inspired Stephen King's "The Shining").
What an amazing venue with the mountains in the backdrop!
It was a beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple, Jane and Gareth. The reception was held at the Stanley Concert Hall. I've never seen a bride have more fun at her wedding than Jane! It was a fun time for all.
We started today with a brief stroll through downtown Estes Park for the requisite souvenir shopping. We then headed over to meet our bus that was taking us up to the Cache La Poudre River, north of Ft. Collins, for our white-water rafting adventure. Now, when I told K that I wanted to go rafting (and left him in charge of looking into it and making reservations), I had something more relaxed and scenic in mind. I didn't really have a good idea of what I was getting into until RP shared some stories of rafting from her childhood in CO at the wedding last night - I got the impression that it was highly likely that I was going to be thrown from the boat, and she even indicated that the current may have to "spit" you back out. After seeing how quickly the water was moving and getting an overview of what to do if the worst happens during our safety demonstration, I was definitely ready to back out if I could. We were going to be going through Class III rapids, with the water at its highest point thus far all year. And, that water was COLD! Thankfully, when we loaded onto our boat, I was in the middle which turned out to be the best place to be because the front took the brunt of the incoming water while the back seemed to have a bumpier ride. We rode two sections of the river, and after my initial anxiety wore off, I had fun of course.
To top off the day, we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Estes Park called...
The name was enough for me to want to go.

Up next is Rocky Mountain National Park tomorrow for a trail run.

The weather is just beautiful here (temps in the 50's-60's with no humidity)! I'm not looking forward to returning to the 100+ degree temps in Austin. I still haven't sold K on the possibility of moving here though (I lived here for a couple of years when I was a kid and for a year during my last year in grad school). I'm already planning a trip back...

O-H-I-O

Wedding one in our back-to-back wedding weekends is done. We headed out to Ohio after work on Friday for K’s niece’s wedding on Saturday. We were scheduled to arrive pretty late on Friday night, but that turned into very late due to flight delays. After getting into bed a little before 2am, I was concerned about how I was going to get my 16-mile run in on Saturday before all the wedding festivities without much sleep. I managed to get up in the morning with barely enough time to get my run done on the hotel treadmill for us to get to the wedding in time (we saw the bridal party outside the Church getting ready to head in just as we arrived!). This was the first Ohio wedding that I have been to, and it was definitely a different cultural experience for me in a lot of ways. I realized just how different our wedding was from what K grew up with and what his family was used to. I wouldn’t have done it any other way though (and K knew that). Thankfully we had a few hours in between the ceremony and reception, so we were able to go back to the hotel for a quick nap which was much needed.

With a few more hours of sleep on Saturday night than Friday night, I was able to get up without too much difficulty on Sunday morning for a quick 6-mile run back on the treadmill before we had to check out of the hotel. I think it’s pretty funny that I have run more on the treadmill in the past month due to all of our traveling than I ever have because I have always been afraid of falling off and never really tried it beyond once several years ago. At least I’m getting all of my runs in! We spent a few hours on Sunday afternoon with K’s family before heading back to the airport for our evening flight. We got home relatively late and didn’t make it to bed until about midnight, so I decided in advance that I was going to run in the evening today instead of getting up at 5am to run 12 miles with our unofficial Monday morning run by Carolyn. That’s just not enough sleep for me to run and have a full effective day at work.

I’m happy that this is a short week since we are taking off early on Friday to go to Colorado for Jane’s wedding. And, next week is another short one too because of the 4th of July. Gotta love that. K actually goes back to work tomorrow after a month sabbatical (he took his first one in September for our wedding and honeymoon). Must be nice, huh? It’s been nice to have him home though to take care of chores and errands for the past couple of weeks.

Resurrection...

K declared my blog dead earlier this week, with good reason when you look at the stats…28 posts so far all year – 13 in January, 4 in February, 6 in March, 5 in April, 0 in May, and 0 thus far in June. I’m intrigued that he has continually observed the recent lack of postings and perhaps even expressed some level of concern about it? During our discussion this week, I noted that I think the appropriate question to explore (rather than just commenting on the lack of activity) is why I haven’t posted. Now this is something that I have thought a lot about lately. K attributed it to lack of time and energy, but it’s more than just that. As I indicated in one of my last posts, I have been keeping to myself a lot lately and just haven’t felt like sharing. I am still struggling with this, but feel like I have made small steps to reconnect a bit more. I have also enjoyed the protection in some ways of not putting myself out there for others to react to, in part because I have observed my own sometimes very strong negative reactions lately to the blog posts of others. But, at the same time, that prevents me from getting support from others when I want or need it. I was reminded today by someone important to me (thanks, P) of why I started this blog in the first place – yes, it started out as a way to manage my running neuroses but it was also meant to be a means for me to keep my friends updated on what’s going on. Sometimes I think I forget the scope of who may read this – it’s more than just my Austin running peeps, it’s also my friends from college and graduate school who are spread all across the country that I miss sharing with on a regular basis. So, let's give this a go again...

Well, what's new? Geez, where to start. We've done quite a bit of traveling in the past few months - in fact, we have been out of town more weekends than we have been in town since April. And, we're not done yet. We will be attending weddings out of state this weekend (Ohio) and next weekend (Colorado). I still haven't unpacked my big suitcase from our Singapore trip, which is laying in the middle of our living room. Not sure when I'll get to it either, especially since I have a smaller suitcase to use for these next two trips. :)

(Rather than a long, delayed recount of our Singapore trip, I'll just post the pictures when we get them all uploaded.)

My running has come full circle from trail running back to road running with the goal of qualifying for Boston. For a multitude of reasons I had been falling out of love somewhat with trail running during our training for Jemez in the Spring. With the reintegration of speedwork and road running during the 5k/10k PR group, I found myself ready to go back to the road (at least for now). I was ready to run faster again and be accountable to my watch (which is exactly what drove me away from road to trail in the first place). I'm training with Carolyn's Wednesday morning group right now, and I'm making a serious effort to become a morning runner this summer (although the early morning humidity seems to be even more oppressive than the soaring afternoon temps). I have been committed and focused on getting all of my runs in (about 50 mpw for the past few weeks), even while we were traveling. I have no idea who this girl is getting up at 5am to run as I have never, ever been a morning person. I know some of you are just flabbergasted by this new behavior. Me too.

I have felt like I have been slogging through my runs in the past week or so, which is okay I guess since we are in the base-building period and I'm not supposed to be concerned about pace. But, damn, I've been struggling with the humidity in the mornings and seriously seem to be running slower than ever on my easy pace runs. During our MGP workout this week, my only goal was to keep my pace under 9min/mile, which I was able to do without too much difficulty - but getting it down to 8:30ish in this weather is going to be a struggle. I did have a major confidence boosting run on our last day in Singapore about two weeks ago. After a week of running on a treadmill outside in weather conditions quite similar to Austin, I did a 16-mile run on a treadmill in air conditioning at 8:34/mile pace which felt amazingly easy. And then I got on a plane for 20+ hours but that's a different story...

I am bracing for a downward spiral at work, as one of my key employees will be leaving next month. This means that I will essentially be doing the work of 4 people, which is obviously totally manageable. HA! It also means that I have to take back over the primary supervisory responsibilities of my staff, which is not something that I am looking forward to. And, unfortunately, with how slowly the wheels of bureaucracy work, I am unlikely to get any relief by the end of the year. Seriously. So much for our fantasy trip to Paris for Christmas!

K and I have been enjoying our lives as DINKS (dual-income no kids), and still have no plans for kids (or pets) anytime soon. However, we are frustrated by the higher tax rate we are suddenly responsible for now that we are married. And, to make matters worse, K still hasn't gotten the mandatory pay cut removed at work, and it looks like I won't be getting any salary adjustments (not even cost of living) for the upcoming year because of budget cuts due to the economy. So frustrating.

But, all in all, we're good. I'm good. And, I'll make an effort to start sharing more of that again.

Faster, really?

Well, this was unexpected. I was pretty pleased with my times when we first did tonight's workout two weeks ago, and I had no hope that I would be able to exceed those paces during tonight's workout...but that is just what I did. I know, I know, I need to stop selling myself short...

Anyway, the workout consisted of 400 at mile pace followed by 200 at faster than mile pace x 4. Here's how it went down (goal based on 6:30 mile for 3:40 BQ marathon):

Goal Tonight Previous
1:37-1:38 1:32 1:35
:48-:49 :41 :45
1:37-1:38 1:35 1:35
:48-:49 :43 :45
1:37-1:38 1:35 1:38
:48-:49 :43 :45
1:37-1:38 1:31 1:36
:48-:49 :42 :45
If I remember correctly, it was pretty warm when we did the workout two weeks ago, but I think it was probably hotter tonight so I'm even happier about the faster times in that regard. Next week is our last workout of this group. Even though I won't PR (nor did I expect to), I got what I wanted out of this group - get reacquainted with speedwork after a year without it, regain some road speed and confidence about running at a faster pace after a year of slower trail running, and get ready for fall marathon training which begins next month. Mission accomplished.

This weekend will be about trail running though as we head out to the Guadalupe Mountains for our last long, long run before Jemez in a few weeks. Unfortunately the trail race that was on our schedule for last weekend got canceled due to the bad weather. K and I headed out to Smithville around 5:30am on Saturday only to find the sky frequently lit up by lightning bursts. If it was just raining, then I knew we would still run, but the lightning was really scary and made it a different story. We were planning to head to Houston after the race, so we just ended up getting there much earlier than expected which turned out to be a good thing because of the torrential rains that hit and flooded many of the roads later that afternoon. Fortunately, things cleared out just in time for us to head downtown for the Reds vs. Astros game in the evening. Sunday was another early wake-up call since K had us running a 5k there that morning. K won, while I did not have a good run. I was essentially napping in the car until 10 minutes before the start and did not do a warm up (because I did not care). Not smart because my shin pain flared up and I had to ease up significantly...which was easy to do since the humidity was stifling! Note to self, don't consider running the marathon there for time. Despite my abysmal performance, I still managed to squeak out 3rd place in my age-group. I would happily trade an age-group award though for a PR.