Nike Women's Half Marathon X Team Turtlez take on San Fran!

With very little sleep, and several set backs at 4 am, we finally made our way to the airport and made it through security and successfully made it to san fran with three legs of travel and no lost luggage!  Thursday we met my aunt at the airport and then met Angie and Merrie at the house.  We then made our way to the expo where we connected with Karen! (Yay!!! SistersInNike reunite!)  The expo was fun and not super crowded(just how I like it!) We ran into Joan Benoit Samuelson!! And then checked our names on the wall at Niketown, and then proceeded to spend a weeks wages on gear!:)

The next day we went on a duck boat tour.  Last year my goal was to ring the bell on the trolley.  Mission accomplished.  This year I was allowed to drive the duck boat!! :)  The sweatshirt over a hoodie look I attempted to bring back.  It was so cold I had to buy another layer and this I heart SF was $11.  Can't go wrong!  

We walked around fisherman's wharf and saw sea lions, did some shopping, shared a crepe...

Don't be fooled, she is saying, "yes, let's share." but she is thinking, "keep your grubby mitts off my nutella!"  No--we all shared and it was delicious.  my last crepe was in san fran last year.

Can't go to SF and not perform YMCA!!

We went and had our chowder in a bread bowl (which was unfortunately not as good as I hoped) however we had oysters on the half shell, calamari, and bruschetta that were fabulous. And of course a celebratory cocktail.

From our lunch place we did some shopping and meandering and found ourselves at the Buena Vista.  I don't normally like Irish coffee, however this was sweet and warm and in a pretty glass--we all loved it! 

Still rocking the double sweatshirts... 

Geez, day two and I am beginning to see we look like boozehounds... 

After we had a cocktail with lunch, a late afternoon irish coffee we had to rush to go to a restorative yoga class.  I had to ride in the hatch of a prius.  my aunt did volunteer as well, but she is 52 (yes marly i am stating your age because you are amazing for 52!!) and it felt wrong to stick the buzzard in the back.

i know this is against the law, and dangerous, but we were late and only one car was available.  It was actually comfy and for once I could see the tops of the buildings!

The yoga class was sooooo not worth risking my life in this position.  I have been fortunate enough to have had a class with Vandana and she was amazing.  Our instructor was a twit.  She set an alarm that would go off at the end of each pose. This alarm happened to be the alarm I wake up to every day so it was jarring and anxiety inducing.  She also kept leaving the room, etc.  A guy was snoring.  it just wasn't what I hoped it to be.  Alas, it makes for good fodder.  And after class Sunny told me how she had to modify a pose (thank god I didn't look over at her or I would have been in hysterics) and we now refer to that modified posture as "bear on a log".

We went to a 100% vegan restaurant that night for dinner, Herbivore.  And it was fantastic.  The food was very flavorful and satisfying and I also had one of the best cocktails I have ever had in my life.  It was prosecco with pear and ginger--DELISH!!!!!  

Saturday, the day before the BIG RACE we did a fun shakeout run through Golden Gate park.  The weather was in the high seventies on saturday and it was so wonderful to be in the sun.  We walked around the Haight-Ashbury area and ate lunch, bought snacks, and then went back to our house to relax.  I sat outside with my kindle and read and soaked up some sun.  We had a phenomenal dinner on saturday night at Razzata.  They walked us through the restaurant, down a tiny hallway and out into this gorgeous courtyard with a clear heated tent and lots of white lights.  it was prix fixe and it was excellent!  They kept bringing out something better than the last... and it was fun not knowing what was next.

Finally:  RACE DAY!!!  We woke early so we could eat and prep for the big event.  We had our Team Turtlez tees and chose a meeting spot for post race etc.  The race began at 6:30, so we were down there by 5:35.

Cab ride!!!

Kathryn is a former client and this was her first full!!  She has come sooo far! And i am so proud of her!!!

Team Turtlez!!

Girls gots GAMS!

Look at all these people!!!

I was trying to take a pic of the Wonder"woman" that was a man but I was running, they were running... so its blurry. :(

This was a break dancer--and the song was this song that marly's son (my cuz) and I would crack up at when we were little!  It was great to hear it again!

First hill HANDLED!

Almost finished! The windmill waves you on!

oh, bubbly? why yes.  super FAaaaaaahhhhhnnnnncy in a can, with a straw!! it was awful and none of us could finish it.

And I had to buy yet another shirt because it was so chilly at the finish I needed sleeves!

This sign cracked me up!  This was the mom and sister cheering on Meg! :)

After the race we made our way back to the house and we freshened up and went back to Buena Vista for a warm up and some nibbles.

Everyone was pretty tired so we made our way back to the house which took an eternity with our driver who moved to san fran from el salvador a week prior! but it was an adventure.  

The next day we all departed, several people having issues with super shuttle which was a bummer.  we had a VERY long lay over in seattle so we had manis!!! :)

This was a marathon photo I think I might need to buy:

The trip was a blast!  That is a lot of people to coordinate, and it worked out really great.  It was a challenge to get that many of us from place to place but we managed and i have seriously not laughed that hard in a long time.

Thanks to my lovely ladies!  you all mean a lot to me and I am so proud of everyone that ran/walked and finished!  I hope you all feel a sense of accomplishment and know that in my book you are all rockstars!

100 push ups a day challenge... and heading to San Fran!

So i am at day 6 of the push up challenge (I think) and my arms are sore and tight... but i am sticking with it!  You perform 10 wide pushups then 10 "Pilates" or "tricep" push ups, then 9 and 9, 8 and 8, 7 and 7, 6 and 6, 5 and 5 and 5 and 5.  Total:  100!!  i can do most on my toes but have to do some modified.  I also began doing some "chalk circles" to help stretch out the shoulders.  google it if you have tight shoulders--these are AMAZING!!!  or i can maybe upload a video soon if any interest.

Today I am packing for our trip to San Fran tomorrow!!! Team Turtlez is heading west!  we are all running the Nike Women's Half Marathon.  I hope my legs can carry me through the streets of san fran after the full two weeks ago.  I am not running for time, just for fun.  I plan on running with a camera (mostly so I will have it at the finish!).

Follow along on Instagram (i am turtlegirl00)!  Best of luck to all the other entrants of the race, we will have a blast ladies!  Also I can't wait to see two of my #SistersInNike Karen and Tiara! 

Anything we shouldn't miss in san fran?  Be sure to let me know!  

Also if you decide to do the push up challenge, let me know how it goes! :)

im baaaack!

I couldn't do a blog post last week due to the fact that our house is an electrical suck and the same night my laptop charger fritzed out so did the computer in our new oven and also something involving the water softener system.  Even though I am married to an electrician i am sticking with the word "fritzed" as being an actual electrical term.  

I am trying to run2-4 miles/day and do 150 min of NTC/week.  I need to find another race (other than the veteran's day 5 miler and the huffing for stuffing 10k) so I can put some goals other than "don't gain weight" on the books.  I actually have dropped a few pounds post races and my body fat percentage is at 18 so I am okay with that for now... I need something other than body sort of stuff to on which to focus.  Any suggestions?!?!  Anyone ever run the RNR Phoenix?

I am also missing my #SistersInNike and our twitter chatter--although we are trying hard and so far so good.  We are still encouraging one another with goals and NTC minutes!  I feel so lucky to have met these women--they are motivated, positive, and fun!! :)

I am open to suggestions for goals etc.  Also, next week is the #TwitterRoadRace 10k!! :)

And the whirlwind Marathon tour continues...

I flew from chicago to bozeman wednesday and then left early thursday am for San Fran.  The Nike Women's Marathon weekend was FINALLY here!  It felt great to have a successful Chicago full behind me and I was amped to meet the other girls. I forgot to have ben snap a pic so I took one in our lovely remodeled Bozeman Airport Bathroom.  Faaahhhhhncy.

Unfortunately we were all delayed flying into San Fran due to fog--but at least we were all in it together.  When we finally arrived, however, it was a quick change into amazing gear and head out to a photo shoot.  Those of you that know me know I am NOT photogenic.  I tend to look as though I am being electrocuted or having a stroke.  It doesn't help that I have HUGE teeth and no lips... I digress.  It was great to cruise through the city and see the various neighborhoods and chit chat with the other girls. They were all VERY photogenic and comfortable infront of the camera: GO GIRLS!!  Me not so much.  i have NO fierce face.  but it was still very fun.  even though I was shaking due to the level of discomfort I was experiencing.  Renisha was hilarious and told us these nonsequitor stories to help keep the tone natural, although they made me giggle due to the random content.

Here she was telling us about "Fried Chicken" and I couldn't stop laughing because I know she is a vegetarian.  She is such a great person.  She was telling us about how she has struggled with low self esteem (i think we can all relate) but she is so adorable and fun and kind and sweet and I hope she realizes she has a lot to offer!! :)

When we went to our rooms there was a bag of yet MORE GEAR waiting for us!!  It was awesome!  The hoodie is stellar and I wore it a lot over the weekend.  Also  grey pair of my fave black capris--so I was stoked.  Plus a pair of the nike free 3.0.  They are so cute with the neon laces!  Also i received a great white and gray jacket--super light weight and comfortable. 

That first night we went to dinner with Robin from Team Epiphany and Lydia from Nikewomen.  Robin was our stylist for the shoots and she was great.  She herself is adorable and pixie like in stature but edgy with green locks and hilarious and patient to deal with us!! It was great to meet these women too since we have only been communicating via email and a few calls. After dinner we went up to our rooms to find these lovelies waiting!  I was so ecstatic I yelled out loud!  I was not expecting these shoes since they were selling out so quickly, etc.

Before we met for our stretch session we all ate breakfast in Tiara's room where karen and I were practicing our Fierce faces.  #photoshopfierceness

Friday am we met up with Marie for a stretch session at Fisherman's wharf with the NikeFuel team too.  It was scenic and felt so good after two days of airport travel.  It was awesome to meet the Nike Fuel team--they are so fun and positive and pumped about their product (as #SistersInNike are too!). 

On our walk back we ran into a great statue

After our stretch out session we went on another photo shoot with Jerome and Lydia and Robin.  This went a lot better than the day before.

After the shoot it was time to go pick up packets and check out the expo.  Also around this time Hubbee showed up. We also went and picked out our items to be customized.  Nikewomen gave us gift cards to go to Niketown and choose our items.  I chose a half zip.  I love the fabric; it is dri-fit and super soft/smooth. 

Friday was a busy day.  Stretch, photo shoot, expo, shopping, dinner with Nikewomen and Marie (also her mom--who is super cute!) then off to the ice party.  A VIP event where they unveiled the Tiffany finisher's medal and Joan Benoit Samuelson spoke, as did Jay Blahnik.  I was star struck by the whole affair.  It was so cool to be among some serious game changers!!  

Karen was on the fuelstream!!  So was Tiara several times! Yay Chicas!!

Saturday was a shake out run with Marie.  It was over by the Golden Gate bridge and the weather was AMAZING.  Marie warned us not to push too much on the hills to save your legs for later in the race.  I think this was key to success.

Renisha and Nerissa coming down the pier.

After the shake out run we had some free time.  Most rested their legs.  I went sightseeing with hubbee.  My goal for the weekend was to ride the trolley and ring the bell.  Mission accomplished!

WE took the trolley past our hotel, the sir frances drake, and over the hill to Fisherman's wharf.  it was hokey but fun. 

We had a little snack on the pier and then meandered our way back to the hotel.  We walked down lombard street where their were some girls passing out free Red bulls (helped me kick the hills butts).

The hydrangeas were ENORMOUS!  They were bigger than my head and more like a tree than a bush.  Gorgeous.  I also ate a nutella and banana crepe.  I haven't had one since paris and that was forever ago... such a fun city to walk around.

We laid low in the hotel saturday night and my friend Vanessa popped in for a visit.  Before bed Karen, Renisha and I met for a pow wow.  I think this was the first race I was not nervous about.  After Chicago I was not sure how it was going to go but just planned on running an easy pace and taking pics.

Race day!!!  I was consuming my pre race coffee and meeting the girls in the lobby at 6:30.  Get your game face on!!

NikeFuel was there in the am to get prerace fuel pics to compare with post race.  This is one of my fave pics from the weekend.  I think we all look great and ready to conquer!!  I had a blast at the race.  I did have a stomach issue between mile 3 and 4 but after that it was GREAT.  Even with the fog and mist it was beautiful. And being among that many women pushing for the same goal and running for an important cause was motivating.  I loved the hills.  They let other muscles in my legs rest and made me check in with my posture.  Around mile 9 I picked up my pace and at mile 10 saw Hubbee which always gives a boost.  Then you could see the surf and we entered Golden Gate park.  I laughed as I passed Bison due to the randomness.  I became a bit emotional when I suddenly felt paul's presence.  I know he was there at both races and during all my training.  Sunday was the one year anniversary of his passing.  I fortunately was able to regroup and blast through my last mile and a half.  I was so happy to finish strong and with my ever present SMILE.  

I picked up the pace quite a bit on the last mile so hubbee didn't actually get to see me cross the finish.  oh well.  it happened!! 

I was waiting for all the girls to finish.  Although with the crowds it was hard to see anyone and the cell service was very spotty.  I must have just missed Nerissa while I was walking back towards the course, but she RALLIED.  we both felt like our races went well and we were prepared.  I walked up the course a bit to take pics of Karen and Tiara.  Tiara texted that she was struggling.  I was sending good thoughts and even tried tweeting to NikeFuel to boost her along if they were out on the course.  I saw Karen(she is so tall she is harder to miss than Nerissa or me!) and then received a text from Tiara that she didn't think she could do it.  I dropped my stuff by hubbee and start running up the course.  I didn't want her to NOT finish when she had made it sooooooo close.  She pepped right up and back to the Tiara we know and love when she saw me.  It is so helpful to have distractions when you hit a tough patch.

She's doing it!  And yes, I LOVE to run! :)

Here are some pics of Karen Tiara and me after the finish.

We all made our way back to the hotel.  Tiara and I ran into Joan Benoit Samuelson leaving her hotel.  She was great and posed for pics, however Tiara has it.  it is also on INstagram Im turtlegirl00 (bet you never would've figured that out!! :))  That was a fun treat!!  :)

Ben and I met up with Angie, our friend for lunch and a well deserved beer.

We moved to an outdoor patio but I switched to water. The beer at lunch hit me fast!! :) And I wanted to be able to have a cocktail with the ladies too and not feel like ass in the am.

Here we are at the lobby of our hotel having a "breakfast at Tiffany's" cocktail in honor of our hard earned BLING!!

even my cap is Nike!  I bought it in amsterdam or south africa several years ago...

I had a nightmare time getting home due to the fog... but I made it.  Adios San Fran!!

It was a trip of a lifetime.  I can't thank Marie Purvis, NikeWomen, NikeFuel, Team Epiphany and my #SistersInNike enough.  The race was so well done and such a wonderful event in which to take part.  I always feel a bit blue after a race is completed.  What next? where to go from here? how to get back into training?  But I know I have made virtual training partners for life and I am hoping and praying that the team Karen and I put together for Hood to Coast is chosen.  That would be such a blast!!!!  I am also looking forward to the virtual 10k on Feb 9th that NikeWomensMarathon is hosting.  I am honored to take part in this experience and feel as though it was the best way to honor my step dads passing, too.  Thanks everyone for making it so amazing and monumental.