New run club in town: Fleet Feet Strollers!

I'm excited to say that we're bringing a new run club to Seattle - the Stroller Walk & Run at Fleet Feet!  I used to lead run club at Lululemon in San Francisco - I led it for about a year through my 5mo pregnancy mark and had to stop.  Now it's time to hit the road with the boys who are always dying to run with me. 

Here are the details:
Location: 911 E. Pine St. Seattle, WA
Start date: Sunday, April 29, 2012
Time: 11am
Distance: 3-5mi
Reason: because it's fun to run!

Weekend roundup: Running in SLO

Last week was a BUSY week.  Monday I flew to NY for a conference and returned to Seattle on Thursday.  Friday at 6am I took off for San Francisco to meet up with Ryan - then we drove down to San Luis Obispo for a college reunion with all 5 of the college roommates.

The weekend was awesome!  Friday afternoon we strolled around SLO - so many changes!  We did a little wine tasting downtown - something we were never posh enough to do in college.  That evening was a fancy, leisurely, dinner and an early bedtime for me. 

Saturday I rose early(ish) for a run around campus - here's my run on memory lane:
A run into campus past Poly hill:

Past the library (quick story - when I was in college I was in Alpha Phi.  One night I had to be Phi phone where I drove to bars to pick up other Phis.  One girl called and said she was at the library ... odd, I thought, but off to campus I drove to the library.  She was at the most popular bar downtown, though - the "Library":

 Past Campus Market (bet tri tip in town):

 Past the business building where my roommates Ryan and Anna spent most of their time:

 

A stretch break by the architecture buildings (where I spent many late nights chatting with Matt and Linzy):

Past the gym (they've seriously updated since I was in school - now students scan their hand to go swim laps in the infinity pool - yeesh!):

Out past the dorms:

It's cool to vote!

It's been a bloggy kind of week, even though I haven't been able to blog much.  I was nominated for the Circle of Moms Top 25 Outdoorsy Moms.  Feeling votey? 


 

Travel!

I'm in New York for the week for work so logging into anything personal or trying to squeeze in a run has been tough.  I did make it to the gym last night to shake off the jet lag - what a different experience being in a "big city gym"!  I used to think of myself as a complete city girl with San Francisco running through my blood, but New York (where I've been many times before) is a CITY in all caps.  Because of the crowds I opted to walk and gym, but it's making me want to do the NY Marathon that much more - I'd love to see the streets empty. 

Travel has meant I have to do bedtime stories over the phone and I swear my boys grew up too much in the 1-day I've been gone.  We had a full conversation this evening which made me so happy and so amazed how fast time flies, too.  Yeesh!

Running diaries to come!

Memory Run

I was in San Francisco earlier this week for a conference and was having waves of blissful nostalgia the entire time - I miss that city!  Luckily I'm primed for waking up early now from the boys' early waking hours, so I was able to get up, lace up, and get out for a couple long runs.  On Tuesday I enjoyed a true run down memory lane(s) - here's a sneak peak at my run which covered my favorite San Francisco territory:

San Francisco sunrise running down Market St.

 Stairs up from Bay Club straight into Telegraph hill stairs

Coit Tower

 

View from Coit Tower hill

Washington Square

Matt's and my house in North Beach and our house in Russian Hill

Lombard St.

Ft. Mason Views

San Francisco Trolley

The Run!

 

Seattle Mom / Dad run club!

I am likely going to be starting a new run club for moms, dads, and tots (strollered tots) at Fleet Feet Seattle.  What day do you think is better for a run club?  Saturday or Sunday?  I'll likely lead it at 10am so it's before naptime...

10-min headstart for Beantown Marathon?!

When I saw today's AmazonLocal deal I was psyched!  For $39 Marathon Shortcuts (the vendor selling the deal on AmazonLocal) will give you a 10min head start off the Beantown Marathon.  That's like being seeded, but better.  Rad! 

I ran Boston in 2010 and it changed me as a runner.  Marathon's are a little funny - I would compare them to having a baby.  The newborn phase, or post-race feeling just after finishing a marathon, is exhilarating and exhausting at the same time.  Everything hurts - even the eyelids.  On the flip side, the feeling of "oh my gosh, I did that!" is pretty amazing.  When I finished Boston I swore I would never do a marathon again.  Now, I'm signing up for the Portland Marathon, considering doing the New York marathon this year, and am psyched to potentially faux PR at Boston. 

Here are the details:

• The deal gives a 10min head start
• You can buy up to 4 vouchers (40 minute head start?!)
• When you finish the race you get chili

Note: don't stop training just yet - this is an April fools joke from the funny folks at AmazonLocal.  They had me at "2 hour race."

Race Report: Mercer Island Half

This post is long overdue ... Last week Emily and I ran the Mercer Island half and it was awesome.  It was her first half marathon and she killed it - we ran a 2:11 together.  The race was amazingly beautiful, and it was the perfect weather for a half - sunny but not hot. 

The race went along the water the entire way with views of Seattle.  There were some rolling hills but those just made the run more fun - nothing terrible.

We went past countless fancy houses with their fancy boats (which was good for daydreaming along the run) and Emily told me Mercer Island is often called "Mercedes Island."  I see why.