Pics of the new place … no not my furniture.

We close on Thursday – move in mid-August. The flat is 3 bedrooms, 2 baths on Panhandle 2 blocks from Golden Gate Park – a 1902 Edwardian with lots of original details. These aren’t the best pics, but the seller’s agent wasn’t the best at marketing… Thus, the good deal. Definitely needs the fabulous Heather touch … painting and remodeling to come. But love the dining room – and the working fireplace! Check it out!

 

Great half marathon finish – and a tetanus shot to boot!

The good news is I finished the San Francisco Half Marathon yesterday in a good time – 1:55:28, with the last 3 miles or so pretty hilly. (That was 304rd place in about 3697 women who ran the first half of the half marathon, if you are keeping tabs). Getting up at 4 am wasn’t so fun, but the race seemed pretty easy and even the hills weren’t too bad. I could have pushed and ran faster, but I viewed it as more of a training run on my path to the Chicago Marathon. I was definitely feeling better than last year – which was my first race ever (and which i finished a full 15 minutes slower than this year.)

The bad news? I got a puncture wound. From a rusty barbed-wire fence. A DIRTY, rusty barbed-wire fence. Which I scaled – after just completing a half marathon.

Yeah, doesn’t look so bad here, but let me tell you, it smarts. The reason? Pure impatience. Plus I was in cahoots with fellow Northwestern grad and running instructor Mike, who ripped his pants and shirt on the very same fence. Let me explain…. We carpooled to the race in the wee hours (he parked his car in Golden Gate Park, I met him and drove us to the start in Embarcadero) so we could grab his car at the end of the race and drive me back to mine.

Good plan, right? I finished, he cheered, I got my little mylar blanket, and we started hiking back to where the car was parked. Problem is, Golden Gate Park is huge… and there was the rest of the marathon going on in it, shutting down most arteries out of the park. We started off on a small path through a thick wood, thinking we would get there quickly through this “short cut.” We even scrambled up a deep hill with no path. But 30 minutes of wandering around only got us deep in the woods. We could hear the road we wanted to be on… and headed toward it. But we were thwarted by a very tall, very ominous fence with rusty barbed wire at the top. Unscalable. Or so we thought.

Another 10 minutes and we can SEE the place we parked just on the other side of the fence. But still, there’s no way to get over… until, ah ha! We see the fence is shorter in one place, and has a brilliant metal bar that makes a perfect stepladder to vault over the top. AND the barbed wire is sort of mashed down, meaning we can avoid it when we hurl over. Success!

Thinking quick, I use my mylar blanked to “pad” my hands from the barbed wire. Mike says something macho like, “So what if you just ran a half marathon. You are in bootcamp. You went to NOTRE DAME (he hates the school). You should be able to do this … what are you, a pussy?”

Nuff said. I jumped over, but quickly realized the drop on the other side was a lot steeper that where I stepped off. Oh, and my pants were caught on the top. My pants! My perfect, butt-flattering, black running pants! NO NO NO!

I reach to save my pants, and puncture my wrist as I slip down the other side. Meantime, Mike is stuck to the top of the fence by his pants, shirt, and shoe. He unhinges and rips everything on the way down. Sigh. In a true sign of gentlemanly behavior, though, he does give me his torn shirt (outer layer) to wrap around my dirty, bleeding wrist. We hobble to the car, then I think about it. Rusty fence, dirty trees over fence, puncture wound… and me, no tetanus since Nature Camp counseling back in undergrad. And, I’m 29. OK, 30 but who’s counting?

Anyway, hydrogen peroxide and a bacon-printed bandaid healed the wound (all out of the Jesus band-aids… sigh), but I did have to make a quick trip to the hospital this am for a shot. After all, what’s a half marathon without a battle wound?

And so, my friends, I run another day without the fear of lockjaw.

xoxo, Heather

 

A house! And right around the corner from Charles Manson … and other cool stuff, like Haight Ashbury and the Panhandle

I can’t believe it… we’re almost there with a new house! We found a fabulous place in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood on The Panhandle here in San Francisco. Definitely a lot more trouble to secure a loan in these unsteady times… but we’re almost at closing and really excited. And, in extra-special news… Charles Manson lived literally 3 blocks from here during The Summer of Love. For a twisted soul like me, this is extra-fabulous, especially since I’ll walk by the place (creepy, but fun) each day on the way to Muni.

It’s the top floor flat, with 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, formal dining room, living room, laundry room, and redone kitchen – all in all about 1770 square feet. (MUCH bigger than anyplace we’ve ever lived.) Sadly, no pool like our place in San Diego, but I guess when the restaurants, Golden Gate Park, and museums are right around the corner, can you complain?

We’ll be moving in during August – closing August 6 (unless something kooky happens.) It will be the perfect place to launch into those long training runs that are coming up. Speaking of running, the last 2 weekends in a row, I’ve logged 12 miles on Saturday. Did a nice 7-miler this morning before work, and am running the SF marathon pretty soon. Still, not ready for the Chicago Marathon, but hopefully will get there. Thus, running, and lots of television – have you seen the gorgeousness that is Mad Men? -  is keeping me busy… (and packing, which I am dreading).

I am so excited to have a fresh start in a new place. Now to pick the paint colors… stay tuned.

xoxo, Heather

 

Another week, another run

I always start things I don’t finish. I don’t want this blog (or the getting-ever-closer Chicago Marathon) to conform to that rule. So here we go. It’s been a crazy-busy week or so for me… not only did we find a house that is pretty perfect (alas Berkeley, it is not in your fair Village), I got a promotion at work and also managed to stick pretty much to my Marathon Training Plan. For those of you that care, my last week or so training-wise has looked like this:

• Friday, July 4: 8 miles
• Saturday, July 5: 10 miles
• Sunday, July 6: Rest
• Monday, July 7: 4 miles + strength
• Tuesday, July 8: Rest (OK, I slacked a little)
• Wednesday, July 9: 4 miles + strength
• Thursday, July 10: 5 miles – TRACK
• Friday, July 11: Rest
• Saturday, July 12: 12 miles
• Sunday, July 13: Cross
• Monday, July 14: 4 miles + strength

The 12 miles on Saturday felt really good. I kept a good pace and really felt like I could go longer if needed. Heartening, because the San Francisco Half Marathon is just around the corner on August 3, and the runs aren’t getting any shorter from here on out. My only real issue is a nagging hip pain that sort of feels like my hip bones are grinding together. Could be minor IT Band Syndrome…. I am doing lots of stretching, though, to work it out.

Next Saturday I am going for 12 miles again, then a short taper before the Half. Then, off to the big-gun runs … 14, 16, 18, 20. Joy!

Oh, and about the house. We found a gorgeous 3 bedroom, 2 bath Edwardian flat right on the Panhandle in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood – about 2 blocks from Golden Gate park. Factor in a great deal on the place and 1750 square feet, and we’re set. Closer to work and a hipper area – fun! Will post pics when we have them.

OK, back to work on ProjectRunway.com. Premieres July 16!

xoxo, Heather

 

Already deviating from the plan … and donuts

Week 2 of the training plan started off well. Sunday was a fabulous day of rest, and Monday I did strength and hill training. Tuesday I went for a 6 mi (2 easy/2 tempo/ 2 easy) and while the first 4 miles of the run were great, the last 2, my legs felt like lead and I was just thinking, “I really don’t want to be running right now.” I haven’t felt this way in a while.

Background, this week at work has been pretty stressful (plus we have painters doing our flat, which is the topic of another blog), and we are also in the thick of house hunting. We thought we had one, but alas, someone swooped in and bid just before us, so we are in “back up” position, whatever that means. (There may be a housing downturn, but here in the Bay Area, or at least in the desirable, walkable neighborhoods in Berkeley, CA, there is still a ton of demand – at least for perfect, historic homes with lots of charm like I am looking for.) Anyway, this morning was the usual 5:30 am wake time for hill training with my running group, but I just stayed in bed. I slept til 7:45 which seemed sooo luxurious. Then, to cap it all off, I stopped to get donuts on the walk to work (I am an addict, but haven’t had one for literally a month!).

However, instead of beating myself up over this, I think I am embracing it as my body telling me that it needs a little break. Schedule will pick up again tonight with strength training, and track workout tomorrow. And donuts? I decided it’s a perfectly fine once-a-month treat. Especially since I’M TRAINING FOR A FREAKIN’ MARATHON.