Bike to Work Day

I had a great time volunteering at Bike to Work Day! I look forward to this event in May every year. It's great to meet cyclists, share routes and stories. It's awesome to see more people riding their bikes and realizing it's not as hard as it seems to get around town by bike. It's not about cars vs. bikes. There is a vast misconception that cyclists don't drive automobiles, but what I've noticed from talking to cyclists is alot of them own, previously owned or have access to a car but to them it seems to make more sense to make short trips with their bike. Parking is scarce and gas is expensive. The more people that bike and support the bicycle coalitions everywhere means more awareness of cyclists and safety improvements on the roads, safety that benefits everyone - pedestrians, joggers, cyclists, and motorists - for a green, healthy commute and lifestyle. A bonus is I get at least 50 miles a week for my legs!
NYT Run Well: The Benefits of Cross Training

Divas Half Marathon

 
The Divas Half Marathon is a fun race for the ladies with a flat course (runway) along the bay. It was great to unwind and just have fun. They had great music along the course, and lots of support at the aid stations. There were some great signs out there. My favorite: "You're not the pope, you can't quit". After putting in a long morning of cardio I was feeling it. I did it in 2:02. The finish line party was fabulous. We received pink boas, tiaras and roses for our photos. There was bubbly and ginger ale, carb-o-licious treats, with music and dancing. Great motivation!

The weather was perfect for running. The clouds had moved in and offered some cover from the hot sun. I have been testing out running the half after biking to the races to practice "running off the bike", but the bike part is leisurely commute pace for now. The distance from SF to Burlingame is 18 miles, very doable,  and it counts for the Team Bike Challenge. I eat and hydrate on the bike and then I'm already warmed up and ready to run. It would be nice to be able to get a swim in there somewhere. This makes half-marathon #5 for the year in the Thirteen 13.1s in 2013 Challenge and #10 total.

Boston Strong SF

Fellow DSE Runner Rachel Artap and I at the BostonStrongSF run. Thanks to Pavement Runner for getting the ball rolling. Bury the negativity with an avalanche of positivity and make it rain love and support on the victims.

Quarterly Break - Donate Blood

I decided that after each quarter I would take a good break, reflect and refresh!

Mileage for Q1:
Run: 180
Bike: 387
Swim: 14

Also donated blood for the second time this year at the Blood Centers of the Pacific. Blood donation saves lives! It really puts things in perspective to read other people's stories about battling health issues. It doesn't take that long. You just have to wait about 15 minutes in the break room afterwards. They provide snacks and drinks. Instead of training hard, I just take it a little easy the next day. They also record your wellness stats for you online.

Cholesterol: 151 (no change since february) 
Blood Pressure: 109/73 (went down, probably because of more cardio) 
Hemoglobin: 113.3 
Pulse Rate: 68

STAY HEALTHY!

During the break after a few days I noticed I was getting more deep REM sleep at night. Much needed!

Golden Gate Headlands Half Marathon

 
Ran Golden Gate Headlands Half-Marathon

This is race #4 in the Thirteen 13.1 in 2013 Challenge. I love the trails here. The hills are very challenging and steep in some areas as you can see in the photo above. Before the race I chatted with Peter of Special Medical Aid and said hello to George Rehmet. I met some other runners as were were huddling against the surf showers trying to stay warm. After the start, I hear "Go Rene!" I looked back and saw that it was George! It was foggy and drizzling so we couldn't see much of the view after climbing for a mile and a half on the first hill. There are some more details in the elevation profile that can be seen from the Garmin map. I love running out here, so peaceful! The second hill was all about finding a good uphill pace zone and stay there. Love the downhills and tried not to slip on wet rocks. The second downhill seemed like it lasted forever. After an hour and a half, I tend to lose focus, so made a concious effort to stay sharp. This is a nice section of trail and I especially  like the trail on the other side of the lagoon before the beach. It was so nice to finish and hop on the bike. The legs felt great spinning on the bike afterward. My time was 2:20, 6th AG. Looking forward to the next one.