Friday: Shaver Grade/Yolanda
Saturday: Mezue Trail
Sunday: Volunteering at Pacifica
Ok peeps. I think I'm back in the saddle. It took a minute, but I'm feeling the strength build up around my knees from all the exercises/elliptical work I've been doing, and it's starting to show on my runs. This weekend in particular was a great one for running/running related activities, and I'm looking forward to the rest of July and August.
Friday morning we had a Trail Tart run of power, as I introduced Suz to one of my f
avorite sections of Marin--all the trails out of Phoenix Lake. Well, we didn't do ALL the trails out of Phoenix Lake-- we just did this one. It was rather a crazy run, as both of us thought we were trying to run hard to not slow the other one down, so we charged up Shaver Grade and then barreled down Yolanda. However, it was a gorgeous day for running and prepped us perfectly for a Marin Brew Co lunch.Saturday morning was rather cold and dreary, as see in the above photograph, but I did a quick 6 on the Mezu
e Loop with Neko before prepping myself for a day of BBQing and salsa-- one of the best days EVER!Sunday found me volunteering at PCTR's Pacifica run. I started the day somewhat envious of the people running-- the weather was perfect for running, and the Pacifica course is quite lovely. However, I was volunteering with some other fabulously fun runners (Leigh, Kathy, Andy and Lori), and the day was looking pretty good.
When runners started coming back complaining of stings, I quickly changed my tune, and I became quite happy that I was not running. Last year's Skyline to the Sea left me totally nonplussed by days with multiple stings. There was one runner who won the "Friendly to All Experience" award, though. (Well, he won it in my head, even if I didn't tell him.) He came in and said, "Man, that was awesome! It made the run so exciting to spend the rest of the time wondering if those wasps would be around each corner!" Talk about embracing your experience! He truly wins the award for Most Positive Runner Ever, in my book. I know now that no matter how much I try to look on the bright side, there will always be something to aim for.
The other highlight of my day was finally meeting someone who I "met" through my blog, but finally met in person! Luciano has been reading and commenting on my blog for quite some time, but I had never actually met him until yesterday! He and his wife come to California for the summers, and he brought me a gift of Nutella! I am currently trying to ration it out and not eat it all in 24 hours. So far it looks like we'll at least make it to 48, but Nutella is soooooooooo delicious!!!
Ok. Expect to hear some more running stories in the next couple of months. This blog has been sadly neglected for the past couple of months. Time to remedy the situation!
3 comments:
Nice to have you back! Isn't it great to feel great?
By the way, I keep hearing about a shortage of bees - maybe it's because they all moved to the bay area!
Phoenix Lake and Marin Brewing afterwards? I must say I'm jealous. Awww it's Leigh, Kathy, Andy and Lori. Leigh gave me the biggest hug at Western. Ah so Luciano is here. I hope he is still here when Headlands Hundred comes around. He was last year.
P.S. I have purposely never bought Nutella because I was told it is extremely addictive. You go crazy then burn out. Still holding strong.
Hi Victoria,
I wanted to give you the heads up since this seemed up your alley for Flirty 'n Dirty. We are gearing up to launch a new website called Sierra Club Trails. It's (as far as we know) the first-ever comprehensive hiking wiki...A website where anyone can post their favorite hikes (or runs) and anyone else can edit the descriptions so that the trails are constantly up-to-date. The site is up and running in a beta test now, and we're planning to launch it this Thursday, July 9th - so I wanted to make sure you were in the loop.
www.sierraclubtrails.org
What makes this site unique is that it's a wiki - i.e. anyone can update or edit the trails that are posted. So if I post a trail in, say, Yosemite, and you've been there recently and saw that part of the trail is really muddy, or the bugs are bad this time of year, or if camping spots are getting really popular and should be reserved in advance, you can update that.
In addition to hiking and paddling trails, the site also features tips for hikers and runners, a birding blog, photo contests, and Nature Notes, a series of audio features based on interviews with naturalists and Sierra Club Outings leaders. Sierra Club Trails is also an online community where users can create profiles and meet other hikers and nature-lovers, as well as join discussion forums with topics like the best trail mix recipe or whether guns should be allowed in national parks. Community members can form groups around a particular outdoor interest (like running!) or place.
Does this sound like something you'd be interested in covering for your blog?
The link is www.sierraclubtrails.org - and the logo is on Flicrk here - http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2604/3701119013_84723f28d9.jpg
Thanks!
Natalie Gaber
Sierra Club
85 Second Street, Second Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 977-5526
media.assistant@sierraclub.org
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