White Rock Half Marathon Race Review

Yesterday, I completed by second half marathon! I ran the White Rock Half Marathon for the second year in a row. All this past week, I had been hearing weather reports that it was supposed to be raining and cold. Fabulous, I thought! Sure enough, it rained all all day Saturday and into the night and continued on Sunday. I am sure many people decided not to run because of the weather, but I did not let it deter me. Here is my race recap! Warning, this is long and detailed, but if you just want to know how I did, you could skip to the end! But if you want to hear the "story", read on!

I fueled for this race with a homemade bolognese pasta dinner cooked by my wonderfully talented and sweet husband. He slaved in the kitched all afternoon to create a delicious and carb loaded meal for me. He has promised to do a guest blog on it, so be on the look out for that! It is sure to be entertaining! It really was so good!

I went to bed around 11:00 (after finishing the Hunger Games in less than 24 hours by the way! Crazy, but good, book!). I could NOT sleep! I thought I was going to go crazy. I seriously think I got about 3 hours or less of sleep. My mind was all over the place. Maybe reading about teenagers fighting to the death is not the best thing to do before needing sleep...  Anyways, 5:20 am came and I was up and getting ready!

For breakfast, I ate a banana and a sandwich thin with peanut butter and had a little bit of coffee. Eric and I headed to Fair Park in the rain. He definitely was a trouper and I am so thankful for him being so supportive of me and my running. He had a back back full of warm clothes and gear for me. 

We got him a poncho on Saturday to keep him dry and he took his big golf umbrella. The back back is under the poncho.  I feel bad for all the spectators. It had to be miserable!

Luckily, Fair Park opened some of the arenas for people to stay warm and dry in. We waited around in the dryness for a while until it was time for me to head down to the corrals. I wore shorts, a short sleeve dry fit shirt, and a Brooks running waterproof jacket which we bought last minute on Saturday at REI. Seriously the best $70 spent. I wasn't sure if I wanted it because last year I got hot (even though it was like 40 degrees) and took off my long sleeve shirt, but it was not raining last year, so I didn't know what to expect. I ended up wearing the jacket the whole time and it kept me as dry as I possibly could be. I also had an ear warmer and gloves.

About the start - it was very crowded! I was supposed to be in A3, but couldn't even get into my corral it was so crowded. Once the race started and people started moving, they let us in from the side and I started with the right group. The beginning of the race is not very exciting and kind of dull as you go through some not so nice areas surrounding Fair Park, but I was just happy to be starting and running, so I was running at a good pace. By the way, I train by using my iPhone app imapmyrun and I have it speak to me every minute and tell me my distance, average pace and current pace. This is just how I always have trained. I don't listen to music at all. Probably because I run in the neighborhood with Ollie and I just like to be aware of my surroundings. Anyways, I am used to hearing these statistics and this race, I actually could not hear it. Since it was raining, I put the phone in my waterproof pocket and could not hear because it was loud and then it got wet and I am actually not sure what happened. It got off the program and I basically ended up running this race blind, not knowing my pace or mile I was on or anything. 

The Half Marathon course goes from Fair Park down Swiss Avenue and into downtown by the Arts District.  You run by the AT&T Performing Arts Center which is really neat and then into Uptown. Right as we entered Uptown, it started to rain. I had actually just taken off my jacket because I was getting warm. As I was taking my jacket off, I guess a camera man thought this was exciting footage and ran along side with me filming this whole ordeal! Once I got the jacket secured, I looked at him and smiled. I hope it made the race footage! :) I liked running through Uptown because I see a lot of apartments, restaurants, and bars that I go to all the time. So we ran all the way down McKinney Ave and turn on Turtle Creek Blvd. At this point, it was pouring rain and my jacket was back on and stayed on for the rest of the race. Once again, bless that jacket!

As we ran down Turtle Creek, I was feeling good, just trucking along. I actually felt great the whole race. There were a few hills that I had to push on that I got a little tired on. Running blind without my iphone app was definitely different. I didn't know what mile I was on or my pace and I was just running. I knew my mom and dad were going to be between mile 6 and 7 in Highland Park, so I started to get excited about seeing them. I am so glad I was looking because my mom missed me, but I saw my dad. My mom was a little bit ahead of my dad to alert him so he could snap some pictures.  I looked and saw him standing on the sidelines, "Dad!", I yelled. I am not stopping and he's trying to take a picture so he is running along with me and he is like "Stop so I can take a picture!", so I pause and smile and kind of pose!

It was so great to see him at this point! It gave me some energy to push a little harder! By this point, I was completely soaked. I think I took another Gu here too. (I took one before the race as well.) I paused at most all the aid stations and drank water. Towards the end I took a couple glasses of gatorade. At I didn't even stop at the last station because I didn't want to waste any time!

So, through Highland Park we go. Lots of spectators which is nice. Then we went enter the M Streets and at some point the full splits from the half. We head down Greenville towards Fair Park. I kept looking for my friends Kate and Lauren at this point, but we have decided they must have just missed me and gotten there slightly after I passed. I guess I was running fast! :)  We ran all the way down Matilda Street, and turn and then eventually end up on Live Oak for the end. I will say the end of the race is not exciting, it is kind of industrial and not pretty, and there are not as many spectators. I got some energy at the end and it was flat and felt like my pace was good. Again, I have no idea how I am doing though. I feel like I am running well, but really am not sure. My goal for this race was under 2 hours. I just kept pushing through, I never stopped to walk or anything.

As we neared Fair Park, I keep looking for the 12 mile marker that I know is there. Once we get to that, I know I am in the home stretch. (Side note, I wish there were mile markers every mile. I don't know why they wouldn't have them??) Once I passed the 12, I just pushed it. Pushed as hard as I could and ran. As we turned into Fair Park, the crowds were there cheering us on. I pushed and pushed! I saw Eric and he shouted my name, which was a great encouragement. As soon as I saw the finish line, I gave it my all and sprinted (well as fast as you can sprint after running 13 miles) and crossed the finish line! I think my first words were "Thank God".  I went over the side to catch my breath for a minute and then headed to the runners area to get dry and warm. Inside, I got my medal (yay!) and took a picture (gross!) and got some water. I stretched for a minute. There was food and beer and stuff but the lines were already so long and all I could think about was Eric outside alone in the cold, so I got my finisher shirt and some pancakes from a guy that was passing them out and headed outside into the cold. I found Eric immediately and put on dry clothes. 

So as for my time I had no idea. Eric said when I passed the start, it was 8:15. The clock at the finish line said 2:10ish when I finished. Based on those calculations, we concluded that I finished under 2, somewhere between 1:55 and 2:00. I was so excited! But once the race results came in, my official chip time says 2:01:09. 69 seconds past my goal. I will admit, this crushed me when I saw that. I really thought I did it, but I guess the results say differently. I still don't get it because it says my clock time is 2:05:17, which I don't understand if I started 15 minutes in and ended 10 minutes past 2 hours, according to the time. My clock time should be like 2:25:00?? Am I crazy here? I could obsess about this, but I am trying not to.

I did not reach my goal of a sub 2 hour half, but I did do well. I pushed myself the whole race and ran in conditions I am not used to. It was raining the whole time, I did not have my app to tell me my pace and I basically had less than three hours of sleep. Based on those factors, I am happy with my time and know that the next race, I will most certainly beat it.

Overall, I think the White Rock Marathon/Half is a great race and I would recommend it to anyone! It is a race the whole city comes out to cheer for (when it is not raining). It is a large race so they are trying hard to accommodate all of the runners and it is going to be crowded and busy just because of the magnitude of the event. This was my second year and I am pretty sure it is now a tradition that I will do every single year.

So this is getting long, so I will cut to the celebrations! I met up with Kate, Lauren and Katie, took a shower and got warm and we headed to State & Allen to brunch/lunch and drinks! (Eric had to go into work - yuck!) We finished the day at The Nodding Donkey and then I came home and went to bed early!

Cheers! Thank you to everyone who came out to cheer and celebrate! (and yes, I am that girl that wears her shirt and medal all day after a race!)

I am looking forward to the next one!

Boots and Bubbly! Nordstrom Event

On Thursday, I posted that I was going to dinner at Social House with Kate to try out their menu and to a private shopping event at Nordstrom. It was such a fun night at both places!

At Social House, Kate and I ordered a glass of Malbec and some appetizers to start. We tried the Social House Mac & Cheese (without sausage for Kate), Social House Beef Sliders (just me!), and Buffalo Fried Calamari Fries. It was all so good! The calamari was totally different than any I had ever had before. They cut the calamari like steak fries, thick and long, and put buffalo sauce on it. They were really delicious and it actually hardly tasted like squid. Next, we had the kitchen make us a margherita pizza. It was thin and crispy and very good. I liked Social House because Addison does not have a lot of nice bars to go to for drinks. Most restaurants and bars in the area are chains or just not very nice. I could see meeting up with friends at Social House on a weekend night for some cocktails and appetizers. I will definitely be going back.

After our happy hour, I headed to North Park Mall to Nordstrom for a private shopping event. I have been invited to these in the past but never went for some reason. So glad I did and I will not miss another! It was so fun! They shut the store down, had all the champagne, wine, and food you could want, a live band, and I earned 10 points per dollar spent on my Nordstrom account, so I was racking up the points! It was a little over whelming at first, but Karla and I parked in shoes and tried on a bunch of boots.

Boots! Steven by Steve Madden Intyce Boot

 Karla enjoying her boots and bubbly!

 Blurry selftaken iphone pic

 The band was super up beat and by the end of the night (and a few cocktails) people were dancing to the music!

So what do you think of the boots? I kept going back and forth. I thought that they maybe were too bulky through the calves, but ended up getting them. I love the grey color.

After we visited shoes and handbags, we ventured over to a section I don't frequent often, hats. We found some very fun options and had a blast trying them on!

Fun girls night out!

And last but not least, I run the White Rock Half Marathon tomorrow! It is supposed to cold and rainy, just lovely! Oh well! I will give it my all. I went to the expo and picked up my packet yesterday. They asked me to do this little video clip of why I am running. I could not think of anything clever, so naturally I just said something about the dog.

It is true! He is why I started running outside and he does motivate me to run when I don't want to because he loves it so much. This one is for you Ollie! Wish me luck! Hopefully I will have good news to report tomorrow! Today is cold and wet and yucky also. The plan is to get up in the attic and get down the Christmas decorations and Eric is going to make me a carb loaded bolognese pasta dinner tonight. It should be yummy!

Thanksgiving & Yummy Brown Stew Recipe

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Our holiday plans unfortunately got derailed last week and we had to cancel a trip to Greenville, SC to spend Thanksgiving with my brother's family and my parents. Eric and I both have had a nasty cold for over a week now and since there is a new baby in the family, we didn't want to risk getting the baby sick, plus it is just no fun traveling and being away from home when you are sick. We were really disappointed to not get to make the trip and meet Merritt, but they are coming here at Christmas, so we will meet her soon! Luckily, Eric's parents were doing Thanksgiving at their house, so we joined them for a yummy Thanksgiving meal and then ended up back on the couch to rest. We are feeling better, but Eric is still suffering from a nasty cough. I am suffering from having to listen to it! (Kidding, love you!)

Friday, the plan was to go to Fort Worth to see Eric's parents horse Fritz compete in a cattle herding competition.  They bought Fritz a few years ago and he has been getting trained by a professional and this was his first competition. Although he didn't win, Blair had a great time!

Just Eric ended up going because early Friday morning, I got a text from Brittany asking if I was in town and wanted to go look at bridesmaid dresses, so of course, I had to go do that! We had a fun girls day out trying on tons of dresses. I think we found the winner! We will see which the bride picks! Can't wait to wear it! :) I wish I had some fun pics of all the dresses, but Brittany took them all!

The White Rock Marathon is this weekend and I am running the half! I have been worried about my training since I was sick all last week, I was not able to run and started getting anxious. I tried to run on Wednesday and made it about two miles and couldn't breathe well so I didn't push it. I knew I needed to get one more long run in before this weekend, so yesterday, I set out for an 11 mile run. I ran the first 5 miles by myself and then picked up Ollie to finish the remaining 6. I knew I would need him at the end! It was a cold and windy day and I was still weak and out of shape from not running all week, but I managed to finish all 11 miles. I can't say I am impressed by my time, but I am not going to give up my goal of under two hours next weekend.  I actually had a scary moment during mile 6 of my run. My legs were tired, Ollie was pulling me, and somehow I lost my footing and totally ate it. I fell right on the sidewalk. Luckily, I had a water bottle in my left hand and honestly, I think it broke my fall. It is all scraped up along with my right knee. I am just glad I didn't land on my hand and break my wrist!  Ollie just stood there and was no help and it took me a few minutes to kind of come out of the shock of falling. I was bleeding pretty badly, but decided to keep going and not go home to clean it up. I am sure anyone who saw me running thought I was crazy because I had blood all down my leg. My knee is pretty scraped up and it hurts, but I am okay. My knees are super sore today from the 11 miles and I am hobbling around. Hopefully it will go away and I can train the rest of the week to finish strong on Sunday!

Last night was my friend Tracy's "non-bachelorette" party! We had a blast celebrating her last night of singleness before she gets married on December 10th. Post with some fun pics coming soon on that! After being out super late last night and being sore today, I have been quite unproductive today. I enjoyed a lot of couch time, a nap, and a bowl of homemade beef stew! Eric got tired of seeing me acting so miserable so he went to the grocery store and came home and made this awesome Brown Stew from the Better Homes & Garden cook book. It was so good, so I thought I would share the recipe with you guys!

Brown Stew

2 lbs of beef stew meat cut in 1 1/2 inch chunks
2 tablespoons fat (didn't have, so he used 2 tablespoons of Crisco)
4 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic
1 medium onion, sliced
1 to 2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
dash of allspice
3 cloves
6 carrots, quartered
4-5 big red potatoes, cubed (bite size pieces)
1 lb (18-24) small white pearl onions (you have to peel before using. To peel, boil in water for three minutes and then rinse in cold water and peel.)

Thoroughly brown meat on all sides in far; add water, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, sliced onion, bay leaves, and seasonings. Cover, simmer 2 hours; stir occasionally to keep from sticking. Remove bay leaves, garlic.

Add carrots, onions, potatoes. Cover; continue cooking 30 minutes or till vegetables are done.

Remove meat and vegetables; thicken liquid for gravy. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

It was so good and perfect for this cold night on the couch! I really am lucky to have a husband that enjoys cooking so much! He was actually really proud of this meal! The meat was so tender and it really hit the spot! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday! I can't believe it is almost December!!!

It's a New Day

It's a New Day - that is the slogan for Weight Watchers. I have not blogged about it at all, but most of my family and friends know I have been following the Weight Watchers program since May and since it has worked for me I wanted to share my experience. Warning: This post is long and a lot of you might not care at all about it, but if it  helps one person, then I am glad!

The first time I started Weight Watchers was in December 2008. Eric and I had met in January earlier that year and as most new couples do we fell into a routine of eating out a lot,  having beverages and not exercising. I remember the exact moment when I realized that I needed to change my habits. I was with my mom at the outlet malls in Austin and we were shopping for Ashley's Bachelorette party and I had to buy a size I would never have thought I would wear at the Michael Kors Outlet. It was an awful feeling. My mom and grandmother had been doing Weight Watchers and both had success with it, so I think I said to my mom, embarrassed, "I think I need to join Weight Watchers." Or she told me she would pay for it if I did it, I can't really remember, one or the other! We both realized I had gained weight.

I attended my first meeting right after Thanksgiving and could not believe my weight. My starting weight was 160.6. Yup, I am putting it out there. I was almost disgusted with myself for letting it get that bad. I couldn't believe it, I didn't feel like I was some super huge person, I just had gotten a little "softer" and obviously the proof was there. I started tracking my points using the Weight Watchers eTools and the iphone app and getting back to the gym. I always ate a very healthy lunch and learned to turn away from temptation and exercise portion control. I attended meetings every week. I am a big advocate of the meeting. By the time Ashley's wedding came at the end of January, I had lost about 6 lbs and it did wonders for my self esteem being a bridesmaid. Over the next couple of months I lost almost 20 lbs by June.  I felt great. I was working out regularly and bought new clothes. That dress I wore for the bachelorette party was out of my closet.

Here is where my problem came. I was happy with my weight but didn't pick a goal weight. I wanted to lose more, but got satisfied with where I was. I stopped going to meetings and tracking. I would go every once in a while to see where I was and I didn't gain much at first, but slowly but surely the pounds came back on. We got engaged and I felt like I was in happy planning mode. I started going to meetings and weighing in again. I went up and down for a couple of months and the last time I went was in March and I weighed 146 (down from the previous times). I went to the doctor right before our wedding and I remember weighing around 150. But I was fine with it. My dress fit, I was happy, not stressed. Wedding day came and went. Best day ever, by the way.  I felt comfortable with my body on our honey moon in a swimsuit. We got back and I decided I needed to be the homemaker wife and start cooking. I found tons of great recipes and learned my way around the kitchen. The recipes were not the healthiest though and don't even get me started on the baked goods I was baking... I ran a half marathon in December 2010, so I was running a lot. I didn't lose much weight but I think that is what saved me at first from gaining it all back. After the race, I stopped running. It got cold, I was burnt out, excuses, excuses. I "hibernated" all winter.

Fast forward almost a year later. I didn't have a wedding to think about, a dress to fit in. I was cooking and enjoying it. I was not running regularly. It is now May 2011 and my pants are starting to get tight. I start running again outside some, but it is hard to get back into it. I am struggling with three miles at an awful pace. Once again, I had to buy a dress for an event and I bought a that same size I bought before. I loved the dress and I was comfortable in it, but ughh that size! It was a 10 by the way in a Nine West dress.

After that, I told myself it was time to make a change and since I knew Weight Watchers worked, it was time to go back. My first meeting back was May 3rd and I weighed in a 159. One pound away from 160. I was so glad I went and didn't feel bad about myself, but motivated to lose it. And this time I was super serious about it. I have lost the weight quickly, but safely. I consistently lost and hardly ever gained. I went to the gym religiously. By now it was the Texas summer and there was no way I could run outside, so the treadmill became my best friend. I reached my goal weight on August 2nd, 140 lbs. I lost 19 lbs in three months. I went from my size 6 pants being too tight to having to get rid of baggy size 4s. All of my dresses are going to have to be taken in. It is a great feeling and most of all I am proud of myself for sticking with it. Since I reached my goal and liftetime status, I tracked at first and I have stayed within 2 lbs of it, some weeks going lower even. But once again, I am feeling like I have got off track. Part of the reason for this blog post is to recommit myself to tracking. I am never going to have to go back and be almost 160 lbs again. I will not be a yoyo dieter. Weight Watchers is a lifestyle and while yes it has helped me make healthier decisions (and the fact I run so much) has helped me not gain a lot back, not tracking will take its toll on you. I am back to tracking this week and will be weighing in next week. With the holidays upon us, it could be very easy to get too relaxed and pack on some pounds. I don't want to do that and I will not.

 Feeling great! September 2011

So that is my story! I wanted to incorporate my Weight Watchers journey into the blog before, but never did because I just felt like it was too personal, no one cared, or it was even almost embarrassing to go to Weight Watchers and admit I had a weight issue. I know there are lots of women and men out there who's weight is a constant struggle, so I wanted to share how this has worked for me. I am not perfect and like I said, I am recommitting myself to tracking and making sure the weight stays off this time. I would love to hear your weight loss or WW story if you have one! This post was more of my story, but I will post some of the tips I have found to work for me soon! Thanks for listening if you got to the end of this! :)

9 miles... done!!

White Rock half marathon training is getting serious now! We are just less then one month away and I ran 9 miles yesterday! Ollie ran over 7 with me. He probably could have kept going but 9 seemed like a lot! The weather was getting a little warm (we went around noon), but it was a beautiful day to run. When I dropped him off at the house, I grabbed water and a package of Swedish Fish (Halloween Candy) for fuel, which I definitely think helped. Usually towards the end of my long runs, my pace just goes out the window and I slow majorly down, but I took some inspiration from my daily running read SkinnyRunner and pushed through even when I did not want to do. I finished my 9 miles in 1 hour 22 minutes and 19 seconds at a pace of 9:09 miles per minute. Not bad. I finished White Rock last year at a 9:26 pace I think, so this is an improvement! I thought it would be interesting to see where I was in my training last year, so I looked it up on Map My Run, the app I use to log my runs on my iphone, to see my run this time last year.

Well, last year at this time, we were in Greenville, SC visiting my brother's family for his birthday and Halloween. It was very hilly there and it was a hard run. I am not used to hills at all here in Texas and I remember almost not being able to finish. I ran 9 miles in 1 hour 44 minutes and 18 seconds at a 11:32 pace. Granted that was with hills but that is a big difference! Over 2 minutes per mile! The next weekend, I ran back in Texas on flat land 10 miles in 1 hour, 40 minutes and 15 seconds or a 10:01 pace. Still a minute improvement almost!

It is encouraging to see the improvement in my times. These long runs are not nearly as taxing on my body as they were last year. I remember finishing and coming home and just wanting to do nothing and of course whining to Eric about how sore my legs were! My goal is finish White Rock in less than two hours this year. I almost don't want to say that in case I don't, but seeing these times gives me some confidence that I will be able to do that. I am excited to try!!

Hope everyone had a happy Halloween!! Eric and I had like no trick-or-treaters. I think our bell rang 5 times. I am throwing the candy away today because Eric (not me!) will just eat it. I don't know what the deal was! We have lots of kids in the neighborhood! Here are some stolen pics of our nieces and nephew of their Halloween costumes, since no post is complete without pictures!

Half Marathon & Babies!!

So first off, let's start with babies!! No, not me!! Of course here are some more of Merritt, my niece. Sorry, I am hoping this blog does not turn into Babies R Us. We all know it is really about Ollie! :)

How cool is this? I facetimed with Merrit on Sunday and my brother took a picture of it! This is Merrit and I's very first picture together!! Gotta love technology! 

Already a bathing beauty!! I think she has a little jaundice so she is sunning herself. So cute!

Check out this bow!! Miss Pretty in Pink!! On her way to her first check up.

Our good friends Tiffany and Victor just had their baby as well this weekend! Victor Phillip was born on Sunday and mom and baby are doing great!! I got to go over today to visit and hold the precious little one! He was so good and let me hold him for a really long time!

Isn't he cute?? I look a mess as I came straight from yoga, but he is all that matters! So happy for Victor and Tiffany!! (You will have to update your blog now!!)

Here is Ollie at the vet yesteday. Poor dog has an ear infection and some sort of acne that is caused by allergies. He has to get his ears cleaned out (which he hates) and take antibiotics for a couple of weeks. We also are bad parents and need to brush his teeth more. Word to the wise pet parents - they said brush 4 times a week or plaque will harden! He was a good patient and got pigs ears as a treat.

Allright, on to half marathon training! I haven't talked about running lately, but I have been running a lot. I haven't stuck to a strict half marathon training schedule like last year, but I have been running 4 or 5 times a week and increasing my mileage. Ollie and I ran 8 miles yesterday (well I dropped him off after 6, he was thirsty!). The last two miles were tough, but I pushed through. It is awesome that my body now is used to running and it is not as hard as last year and my pace is way better. White Rock is a little over a month away so it is time to get serious about training. I put all my runs on my calendar this afternoon and am going to be strict about it. I went to my very first yoga class today! A woman I met at one of my Stella & Dot shows is training to be an instructor and offering free classes so I thought why not? I really liked it! I was sweating like a pig but it was a great work out! I hate stretching so it is a great complement to running. I think I might keep it up!

All right off to do some work and then happy hour with Casey and Amy at Gloria's! Looking forward to some bean dip and a cold drink!

Ohh PS: We made the enchiladas I posted about on Monday and they were so good!! They are healthy also!! Not the quickest throw together meal, but if you want to spend a bit in the kitchen and have some yummy, spicy, healthy enchiladas, then try these! Check out the recipe on Gina's Skinny Recipes.

Cali Day 2 & 3: San Fran as the locals do it

Our second day in San Francisco, started with me going on an 11.5 mile run (not planned!) and Eric sleeping in. I started out just going to run a few miles, but just kept wanting to get closer to the Golden Gate Bridge. Before I knew it, I had run 6 miles and was at Crissy Field which is right under the bridge. The temperature was perfect for running and the scenery kept me going. I thought that I would probably end up taking the street car back to the hotel, but I ended up just running all the way back. I have to say I was very impressed that my body was able to run so far, but I definitely give credit to the awesome California temperature. It was a beautiful run and I am so glad that I did it. Who knows, maybe one day I will run the San Francisco Half Marathon! Here are some pictures from my morning run.

Starting off my run near Union Square

 Self-portrait!

Ghiradelli Square 

 

 Pretty houses overlooking the bay

Getting closer!

 

Doggies playing on the beach

After my run, I was starving! Eric loves going to Chinatown in every city he goes to, so he was looking forward to going there in San Francisco. He looked up some restaurants and read good things about the Oriental Pearl Restaurant. The food was delicious! We ordered hot tea and some Pork Dumplings Shanghai Style dim sum to start with. For our meals, Eric ordered Beef Stew with Curry Sauce that was cooked in a clay pot and I ordered Spicy Braised Chicken.  They were both excellent! I definitely reccommend going to the Oriental Pearl.

After lunch, we stopped in a Chinese bakery.  We tried the melon cookie and surprisingly, it was very good! I was a little nervous I must admit!

After Chinatown, we headed over to the Mission District to Delores Park.  I can't remember where I read about this park, but I had heard it was a fun park to go to, take some beers and food, and sit down to enjoy an afternoon of people watching. 

We went to Bi-Rite Market nearby, which was a super cute miniature Whole Foods and got some beers, bread, cheese, and strawberries and headed back to the park.

It was an eclectic crowd at the park. These people were definitely enjoying themselves. People were just lounging around, drinking beers, listening to music, talking amongst friends.  It was fun to hang where the locals are and just take in the environment around us.

Mission High School

After a relaxing afternoon at the park, we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.  We went to Delfina Pizzeria in Pacific Heights. It was a tiny, cute little restaurant and while we had to wait a little while to get a table, it was worth it!  We started with an amazing appetizer of fresh stretched Belfiore Burrata cheese (similar to Mozzarella) and had the Salsiccia pizza which had housemade fennel sausage, tomato, bell peppers, onions, mozzarella on it. After dinner, we headed to the Marina District, which is a young, trendy area, to check out a bar we had heard about, The Tipsy Pig.  The bar looked cool, but was packed, so we went to a pub next door and had a beer or two before heading home for the night. 

The next morning, we woke up early, went to breakfast at a little diner near the hotel and got the rental car to head out of town.  Before leaving, we drove down Lombard St., which is the crookedest street in the world.  It was pretty cool to drive down. The street had beautiful flowers all along it.

One last stop before getting on Highway One - The Painted Ladies across from Alamo Square Park. These are the houses featured in the Full House opening credits. I loved Full House as a kid so we had to see them!

After this, we headed down Highway One, along the coastline, to Monterey. Beautiful drive!

You find Day One here.