Okay, this time summer has actually come to San Francisco! It's been dreary, rainy, and in the 50s for weeks, but Saturday morning I woke up early for my last "long" run of the season - and saw sunshine outside my window! Six miles at 8am in a skirt and short sleeve shirt was actually on the uncomfortably warm side - but oh so gorgeous. Incidentally, this run took place at beautiful Crissy Field with a phenomenal view of the Golden Gate Bridge. This is the same location that my very first ever TNT run was held - when I ran a whopping 2 miles! That was last July.
I may be hurt and struggling a bit to run now, but I still can't believe how far I've come in less than 1 year. Next weekend I will be running my 4th half marathon! It won't be a PR, but someday when I'm not hurt, I'll get back down below the 2:05 mark. And although it won't be my 1st full, someday when I'm not hurt, I'll probably accomplish that too.
Perhaps you are tired of me blathering on and on about TNT, but I'm so glad I answered a piece of direct mail for once in my life and took myself to an information meeting last July. I have truly enjoyed being part of the TNT experience, and sitting at a picnic table in the sunshine with many of my teammates yesterday morning reminded me why I will come back. The people are fabulous, the locations are beautiful, the exercise is much-needed - and fun! -and of course we are out there for a fabulous cause - all the people that are helped by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
I may take a season of running off to help my body heal, but as I mentioned before, Matt and I plan to Raise a Sail for a Cure. We went out on a 2 hour intro sail this morning and loved it. (No pictures sadly, because we took a one-time use waterproof camera we had lying around the house instead of risking dropping the new one in the drink.) Of course the weather will likely never be this nice again, but we can hope! We'll be spending our summer learning how to raise the sails, tie knots, tack, jibe, and fall off (apparently a term for some directional activity, not a literal interpretation), and will eventually be competing in the Leukemia Cup Regatta in October.
Meanwhile, I'm also making other plans for the fall - a sprint distance triathlon with TNT buddies and hopefully a half marathon with some grad school friends! Now I just have to figure out how to get all this training in...
In the meantime, we're going to continue enjoying this amazingly beautiful holiday weekend. After a day of sailing and disc golf at an aquatic park, we may stick to the water with kayaking or a trip to Angel Island. As long as I haven't jinxed anything.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Summer has Come
And in San Francisco that means clouds and cold! Alas...
Despite the chill in the air, this past weekend was a weekend of firsts.
On Saturday, I ran farther than 13.1 miles for the first time ever! In fact, I ran somewhere between 18 and 19 miles. I should actually say "ran" because I instituted a run-walk program for the first time ever. As a result of my many setbacks this season, mostly including an out-of-alignment pelvis (fun!), I figured I needed to take it easy if I was going to get that far. So I decided to walk 1 minute each mile. In between running with other people and missing mile markers though, I probably only walked 1 minute for about half of the miles I ran. I really did feel like it made a difference though - after all I finished and didn't feel drained! However, I did notice that my mental capacities had been diminishing slightly and my stomach felt a bit unhappy. I have already decided that running so far is not fun for me, and after a full marathon on June 6th (likely involving extended walking), I plan to return happily to the land of 13.1. I run past beautiful scenery, often following the bay or the ocean here, but I don't appreciate much after I hit the double digits.
On Sunday, Matt and I participated in Bay to Breakers. For you out-of-towners, this is a crazy spectacle - a 12k road race featuring both elite runners (a world record was set this year!) and tens of thousands of drunken (and in various stages of nudity) partiers. At 8 am. On a Sunday. After some Muni-related setbacks, Matt and I ended up in the back of the last corral, with all the drunk people. The stench - alcohol, weed, urine, etc. - was horrendous. The people were ***holes. I'm clearly getting old, because this is not fun for me. We hope to be out of town for this race in the future.
Before we even arrived at the start line
I believe the man in the serapa has no pants on
Pretty in pink
Some good liberal sense of humor!
After all this running and walking, I am looking forward to finishing my second season of TNT. I hope to complete my first full marathon on June 6th in SD, and I have 5 wonderful mentees completing events as well. 1 ran Avenue with me, 3 will be joining me in SD, and the remaining 1 will be competing in RNR Seattle. Here's my requisite plug: Consider joining Team in Training and supporting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. It has been a great experience for me; one that I'm sure I will return to over and over again. You don't have to be an athlete - or even in shape; they will get you there. For now, I'm thinking about leaving the road and heading for the water - Raise a Sail for a Cure. I'm also planning to train for my first triathlon in the fall.
My next goal in life: Figure out how to keep active while not letting my house get so dirty, my inbox so cluttered, and my credit card balances unpaid. (I incurred 13 cents interest - the first interest payment I have ever made on a credit card - and probably the death of my credit score...)
Despite the chill in the air, this past weekend was a weekend of firsts.
On Saturday, I ran farther than 13.1 miles for the first time ever! In fact, I ran somewhere between 18 and 19 miles. I should actually say "ran" because I instituted a run-walk program for the first time ever. As a result of my many setbacks this season, mostly including an out-of-alignment pelvis (fun!), I figured I needed to take it easy if I was going to get that far. So I decided to walk 1 minute each mile. In between running with other people and missing mile markers though, I probably only walked 1 minute for about half of the miles I ran. I really did feel like it made a difference though - after all I finished and didn't feel drained! However, I did notice that my mental capacities had been diminishing slightly and my stomach felt a bit unhappy. I have already decided that running so far is not fun for me, and after a full marathon on June 6th (likely involving extended walking), I plan to return happily to the land of 13.1. I run past beautiful scenery, often following the bay or the ocean here, but I don't appreciate much after I hit the double digits.
On Sunday, Matt and I participated in Bay to Breakers. For you out-of-towners, this is a crazy spectacle - a 12k road race featuring both elite runners (a world record was set this year!) and tens of thousands of drunken (and in various stages of nudity) partiers. At 8 am. On a Sunday. After some Muni-related setbacks, Matt and I ended up in the back of the last corral, with all the drunk people. The stench - alcohol, weed, urine, etc. - was horrendous. The people were ***holes. I'm clearly getting old, because this is not fun for me. We hope to be out of town for this race in the future.
Before we even arrived at the start line
I believe the man in the serapa has no pants on
Pretty in pink
Some good liberal sense of humor!
After all this running and walking, I am looking forward to finishing my second season of TNT. I hope to complete my first full marathon on June 6th in SD, and I have 5 wonderful mentees completing events as well. 1 ran Avenue with me, 3 will be joining me in SD, and the remaining 1 will be competing in RNR Seattle. Here's my requisite plug: Consider joining Team in Training and supporting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. It has been a great experience for me; one that I'm sure I will return to over and over again. You don't have to be an athlete - or even in shape; they will get you there. For now, I'm thinking about leaving the road and heading for the water - Raise a Sail for a Cure. I'm also planning to train for my first triathlon in the fall.
My next goal in life: Figure out how to keep active while not letting my house get so dirty, my inbox so cluttered, and my credit card balances unpaid. (I incurred 13 cents interest - the first interest payment I have ever made on a credit card - and probably the death of my credit score...)
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