Saturday

I ran 18 miles in prep for the Eugene Marathon.  I had a really tough long run the week before and really wasn’t looking forward to this run.  In order to motivate myself and switch it up I decided to try running with a local running club – the San Francisco Road Runners Club.  They run on Saturday mornings (my preference) and you can run anywhere from 5 miles all the way up to 24 miles.

Saturday morning I was up at 7am.  I had prepared the night before getting my Gu and Water Belt all ready to go.  Typical long run morning routine, roll out of bed, wash up, make an English muffin with Almond butter and jelly, glass of water, dress and head out the door.  I met the club down at the Marina Green at 7:35am.  I introduced myself to one of the leaders and he gave the run down on pace groups and introduced me to another new member.  As I was chatting with the other new member I heard another lady say “I just moved from Boston 2 months ago” so of course I went over and introduced myself to her as well.  I ended up running with both of them in the 9:00 min/mile pace group.  The run was sort of typical run for me, through the Marina and out to the Presidio but when you live in a city that is 7 miles by 7 miles the options are limited.  It was so nice to have people to chat with!  Most of our group turned around for the 8 mile run but 2 girls stayed to do 10 so I stuck with them.  We headed back the Marina green and finished at about 10.5 miles.

I had 7.5 miles to go but I planned it well!  My friend Katie wanted to join me for part of my run so she met me at the Green at 9:30am.  We headed off down the Embarcadero for another 7.5.  She stuck with me the whole time which was great.  It’s just nice to have company, even if you aren’t talking, having that person there is nice.  It’s a nice change from iPod too.  The music starts to get old day after day.

Overall, I had a great run!  I think the company definitely helped but physically I felt much better than the week before.  My legs were strong and only started to tired around 15 miles.  I powered up the Fort Mason Hill at Mile 17 without an issue and felt great after my run!  I was a little sore but nothing crazy.

New running shoes!

That afternoon I headed out for some errands.  I made my first stop at Sports Basement for more Gu and Electrolyte Pills that my Dad got me into for the last marathon.  I ended up buying new running shoes as well.  I needed a new pair but kept putting it off.  I ended up with the same shoes Brooks Adrenaline  but after trying on the 2011 and the 2012 models ended up with the new model.  They are much lighter than my previous pair.  The best part was they had them in pink – I have never had pink running shoes, they are bright and obnoxious but I love them.

The rest of my day was spent running errands and then I crashed on the couch.  I was in bed at 9:30pm on a Saturday night.  That’s what marathon training and a long week of work does to you.

Sunday

I was up at 9:30am, made a good breakfast (egg whites, english muffin and fruit) and off to the gym by 10:30.  I spent about 45 minutes doing a weights workout.  I focused mainly on my upper body and core to let my legs rest after 18 miles but got a few leg exercises in.  I hit the foam roller for about 15 minutes after that.  I’m a little concerned my right IT band is acting up.  I spent a lot of time trying to roll that out along with my right calve.  It felt great to stretch and foam roll after my long run on Saturday.

I headed out on a hike with friends around 1pm.  The weather was ify but who cares – just nice to get out in the mountains.  We went south of the city to Pacifica and hiked up Mount Montara.  It’s an 8 mile hike with a good incline but nothing crazy hard.  It got my heart rate up and was definitely challenging at parts.  It turned out to be sunny for most of our hike.  We had a great view of the coast and could see all the way to SF and see the top of the Golden Gate bridge.  It was a perfect hike for a recovery day, challenging but didn’t beat me up.  After that we got post-hike beers in the Mission and headed home.  It was 7:15 when I got home and the sun hadn’t set yet – love it!

View from about halfway up Mount Montara (SF is towards the back of the photo)

Monday

Last night I went to yoga.  It was a great class, I definitely pushed myself and got a great workout in.  I love when I have a good Yoga class!

Tonight I’m off to my first track workout with the running club.  I’ll share more in the next few days!