It's been so long since I last wrote about running...  I"m still alive though...

Beware... long entry.. but I want to be able to remember this journey :)

Week 12. 17 miles.

I think i'll remember this one because it was the day after my birthday. :)  I was feeling pretty tired the morning of the run (after watching my friend Denise in action as she prepared scrumptious desserts for my party - from cheesecake to chocolate frosting cake to chocolate chip cookies.  Anyways.. so off my group went....

We had some visitors from the Berkeley group and so it was a new mix of people, which is always fun but can be difficult as everyone has different running styles. I was delighted to run with 2 fellow bears :)  Unfortunately, we lost 2 people during our run. Our fearless pace leader had some issues and had to take a break after mile 1 :(  and then at mile 10 (i think) we lost another one. 

We just seemed really off the whole time and the 17 miles took us almost 4 hours to do (with all the potty breaks and walking ).. The run didn't feel very satisfying because we were all spread out by the end and I finished off the last mile on my own ...but heck - still felt great to finish 17 miles!!! 

Week 13.  5 miles.

I decided to keep SL company for her run so I ran to her house (it was so easy since it was all downhill and now i know in an emergency I can run to her house in 30 minutes!)  We ran 2 miles and walked a lot.  It was good catching up with her and even though I know she's struggling to catch up, I know she can do it. Heck - she's one of the people that got me to do this whole marathon in the first place!!

Week 16. 0 miles.  Supposed to be 20.

I went snowboarding instead.  I felt sad to miss the run with my group but at least I got some good cross training - my arms and butt sure got a good workout.... Snowboarding is awesome and was a terrrrific way to end my extremely busy semester.

Week 17. 8 miles.

Happy to reunite with my pace group even though it was the day after Christmas and very few people were there. The 8 miles was a quick and easy.  I still love how i can say "ONLY" 8 miles  :)

Week 18.  New Years Eve. 19 miles.  Supposed to be 20.

Well, I was supposed to run 20 but i'm enjoying telling everyone that I ran 20 but cheated 1 mile :)

So, M was supposed to run with me but since we thought it was going to rain, we decided not to run.  But when I woke up on Friday morning, as i was lying in bed, I just KNEW it was not raining. I got up and peeked outside the curtain and sure enough, t he sky was blue. I called M but she was already out and about and so i decided I was going to do it.  Ate my high fiber cereal and waited for my tummy to rest.

10:15 AM - left the house with 2 bottles of water, 2 Clif bars and 1 expresso gel pack.

I had emailed our coach for the 20 mile map, so i drove to the starting point and off I went. The run went  pretty well for the 1st 2.5 hours and then I started feeling my legs tightening up a lot.   When I got to mile 12, it started raining.  So there I was, on Sunset and Ocean, wondering if I should go on. I decided to go on and ran a few more blocks to Taraval.  But I was starting to freeze in my shorts and long-sleeved tee and... there was a bus stop on Sunset.  I knew i could take the bus straight to my car.  BUT i had already done 12 miles.. What's another hour of running??? Well, my weaker side got to me and I ended up waiting for the bus and figured I'll take the bus and then get off if it stops raining (I could see a trace of blue sky coming towards us from the ocean).  At the bus stop, this Chinese grandma looked at me and definitely thought I was a nutso for being out in the rain with shorts, a long-sleeve shirt and a runner’s pack.  I started to tell her  how I “needed” to run one more hour.  And while we were waiting for the bus, I was just watching to see if the rain would stop. It seemed from the direction of the ocean, things were looking like it would clear up for a bit... But alas, the bus came and I decided to get on. (at Taraval and Sunset)  Of course I carry my MUNI pass with me, so i hopped on and everyone on the bus thought i was a weirdo for being dressed the way I was.   But i walked to the back of the bus and sat near a window. I watched carefully to see if the weather would lighten up and i even opened the window a smidge to check the cars on the road to see if their windshield wipers were going. After 3 blocks, it seemed like it was still raining.. I couldn’t  really tell if it was raining or not anymore, so I decided to walk to the exit in the middle of the bus. At least the next stop I could hop out and hop back in and still check on the weather.  So we got to Noriega and I hopped out and it wasn’t raining!!!  So I jumped off the bus and started running again!  I ran back towards the park and another 5 miles.  

At around 19 (really 18 since i cheated a mile on the bus), my legs were incredibly stiff. and I had to stop more frequently than before  just to let my leg muscles relax. Never had i been so happy to see the buffalos in Golden Gate Park.  :) 

So, I survived my 19 miles.  It was a great way to end of the year. ML said i ran off a pound.. Awesome. and I really did feel like Forest Gump. I kept telling myself the whole time “RUN WILMA RUN!”

I arrived home at 3 PM.   With ½ a bottle of water, 1 Clif Bar and 1 Gel left.

Anyways,  this was a long journey but i’m sure I’ll laugh about how I went running in the rain on the last day of the year.

Below is  the course that I ran.  I’m actually scared of the 23 mile run which i’m missing and the next time i run, it’ll be the 26 miles... Anyone want to come volunteer during the next few Saturdays?   Anyone want to sponsor me still?

COURSE DIRECTIONS:

1. START: GHWY and Fulton........... Go south along GWHY path with ocean on right
2. GHWY and Lawton........... 1M 
3. GHWY and Santiago........... 2M    
4. GHWY and Sloat........... 2.5M  Turn around – return back north toward park
5. GHWY and Santiago........... 3M
6. GHWY and Lawton........... 4M
7. GHWY and Lincoln........... 4.5M Turn right then immediate left into park (east) onto MLK
8. East on MLK – through Bernice Rogers........... 4.8M
9. MLK crosses Chain Of Lakes Dr........... 5.0M
10. Veer left from MLK onto Middle Drive........... 5.3M Go up hill on the road (no path/sidewalk) pass Polo Field (on left)
11. Polo Field Bathroom........... 5.5M turn right at Stop sign on narrow bike path
12. Right (west) on MLK........... 5.55M
13. Left (south) on Sunset (leaving park)........... 5.75M  trail is on the right (west) side of road. Head 2.6miles south on Sunset to Lake Merced
14. Sunset and Judah........... 6M (15M on return)
15. Sunset and Rivera........... 7M (14M on return)
16. Sunset and Ocean........... 8M (13M on return) 
17. Sunset runs into Lake Merced........... 8.3M  Get on the trail on the lake side of the parking lot and run east along the length of the parking lot to begin one complete clockwise circle around Lake Merced. Stay on the trail along Lake Merced for the next 4.5miles. The name of the street will change at various points.
18. Lake Merced Blvd end of parking lot........... 8.5M
19. Lake Merced Blvd intersects Winston........... 9M
20. Lake Merced Blvd........... 10M Half Marathon Finish!  at right hand parking lot immediately after Brotherhood Way Intersection
21. continue clockwise around lake – Lake Merced Blvd becomes John Muir Drive
22. Porta-Potty Option........... 10.6M
23. John Muir Dr........... 11M  at 35mph sign/start of metal fence on right
24. John Muir Dr becomes Skyline Blvd........... 11.5M (slight right turn, just stay on path along lake)
25. GWHY runs into Skyline........... 12M
26. Lake Merced Harding Park........... 12.1M bathroom .1M to the right on Harding – this stop has included in the mileage for the course. Go to bathroom then return back to trail on Skyline
27. Skyline becomes Lake Merced Blvd........... 12.5M  Herbst Rd is also part of the intersection
28. Left back onto Sunset path........... 12.85M leave Lake Merced and head back south on Sunset toward GG Park the same way you came in

29.   Sunset and Ocean 13M 

30. Sunset and Rivera........... 14M
31. Sunset and Judah........... 15M
32. Enter GG Park & right (east) on MLK........... 15.3M Polo field bathroom option is to your left down bike path. Return to MLK path if you use bathroom and continue east.
33. MLK and 25^th Ave (on right)........... 16M
34. MLK intersects with Transverse........... make left (north) onto Transverse
35. Transverse and Middle Drive........... 16.5M stay right, on Transverse
36. Transverse and JFK........... 16.7M  cross intersection and right (east) onto JFK path
37. JFK and Stow Lake entrance ........... 17M
38. Pass Rose Garden on left........... 17.35M Turn around – at stop sign at de Young museum construction site. Return to ocean by heading west on JFK path.
39. JFK and Transverse........... 18M
40. JFK and Buffalo Field........... 19M  at middle green park bench
41. JKK and training site........... 19.8M continue to Fulton/GHWY intersection then loop back to site
42. JFK and Windmill........... 20M Full Marathon Finish!