What I Learned: Getting Financing

Last year was very hectic for me. The reason for this is that in addition to working and running a few races, I was in the market for a home. There are a lot of moving pieces involved when buying a home, especially when you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is one of the hottest places to live (and the most expensive) in the country.

I thought I would break down my search into a few posts, starting with the beginning, which was financing. Oh the joys of getting a loan. Now, I have no idea what the right or wrong way to go about this is, but I will talk about the way that I did it, and what seemed to work for me.

First, I pulled my credit report. I have heard, and I am not sure if this is true, that it is better to pull it 6 times in one month than 6 times over the course of a year. So I pulled it, knowing that the lenders would also pull it. Luckily, it was in good shape.

The next thing I wanted was a pre-approval letter. I had no idea what I was getting myself in for, but I did know that a pre-approval letter was better than a pre-qualify. With a pre-approval, the lender gets mostly all of your paperwork and then they use that to figure out how much they will be willing to lend you. This is important for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it is hard to figure out how much you can afford. I spent a lot of time on the internet plugging in numbers, but until the lender actually used my actual hard data to get an amount, I was just guessing (with the help of Google).

The second reason that it's important is that it helps to submit the pre-approval letter with your offer. This can help convince the seller that you are serious about the offer, and it will make them more comfortable that your agreement is not going to fall through due to lack of financing. In the Bay Area, your offer will most likely not get accepted without a pre-approval letter.

To get a pre-approval letter, you have to figure out who you want to try to get a letter and/or a loan from. How do you figure this out? Good question! Once again, I turned to Google (and Zillow) to find out who could give me the best rate. In addition, I asked several people who they had used and how their experience had been. I got a lot of different answers. Zillow named two internet banks and Bank of America as having the best rates. Two of my friends used Quicken (internet bank) and Bank of America.

So, I contacted one internet bank, Bank of America (who happens to be where I have had my accounts since I was a teenager) and Citibank. What happened next was this:

The internet bank asked me to fill out a form with my financial info and send it back to them. The lady was very nice and the operation seemed legitimate. I filled out the form and sent it back and got a pre-approval letter the next day.

Bank of America connected me to Texas. I finally got routed to a local agent, who barely spoke English (sorry!) and tried to talk me into getting a 5/1 arm (adjustable rate) instead of the 30 year fixed that I asked her for. She then asked me to send in about 400 different kinds of paperwork, including all of my Bank of America  bank statements. I sent them all to her and did not hear back from her for three weeks (when I called her, her message said she was on vacation).

Citibank sent me an unprofessional email with no signature or logo that looked like a 12 year old had sent it, asking for 400 different kinds of paperwork. I told them I would feel more comfortable seeing a real person and giving my documents to them and the guy blew me off.

Since the Citibank guy seemed unprofessional, I contacted a third option, a local broker, and I sent him all my 400 different kinds of paperwork. He was very helpful and even helped me run a few different scenarios, depending on my down payment and/or desired purchase price. The guy was easy to reach on the phone and answered any (dumb) questions I had throughout the entire process.

The verdict: The amount I could qualify for was less than I wanted, since they could not count bonuses or overtime unless you could show two full years and proof that it would be ongoing. Bummer. So that meant the amount I thought I could spend was not the actual amount... in addition, I found it very strange that they ask you how much you want to spend. Can't they just crunch all the numbers and then tell you what the absolute max is?

My advice: Try a bunch of different lenders. You have no commitment to them. Once you have all of your 400 documents in pdf form, you may as well send them to as many lenders as you can!

In addition, my realtor told me a few tips. (1) the big banks (BofA etc) take forever to get you an answer, sometimes meaning you lose the house because you can't get financing in time. I know this as well because I work for a big bank and I see some of the frustration over how long thing take. (2) The internet banks will give anybody a pre-approval letter and will often give you the number YOU want, rather than what you can really afford. This causes problems later when it comes to getting the actual loan. Due to this, often times sellers will not accept offers if the letter is from an internet bank.

So, there we have it, my new understanding of financing in a nutshell.

Have you gotten a home loan? What advice or tips do you have for others regarding the situation? 

*Disclaimer: I am not a professional. Any opinions I give are my own and you should do your own research before making any rash decisions. :) 

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Street Cred

We are finally getting the rain that we have needed for so long. It was kind of ironic for a while there; where the rest of the country were suffering with record low temperatures and snowfall, we were sitting over here, dry as a bone. I went to Tahoe in January and went HIKING. This never happens. We really needed snow and rain in a bad way.

Rainy day in the city

So, it never fails, as soon as you wash your car it rains, right? For me, it's not about washing my car, it's about having back to back long runs planned for your weekend run. Currently, I am in the midst of a really strange training schedule: week 8 of 18 for the Boston Marathon and week 4 of 16 for the Miwok 100k. I know, it probably wasn't the best planning to have to train for both of them at the same time, but that's the way it is, so I am rolling with it.

Which meant I was supposed to run 20 miles on Saturday and 18 on Sunday. My plan was a nice long run in the city after work on Saturday and then a trail run on the East Bay on Sunday morning. However, after work on Saturday it was raining. Hard. But these miles weren't going to run themselves. So I went on a loop around the city.

And it was great. I admit, I cut it short at about 17 miles, but I still felt good afterwards. In fact, the only thing keeping my from the last few miles was my own laziness. I had it in me, but I had returned to the start and didn't feel like doing an extra three mile loop. I wanted some dinner.

The next day I woke up to no rain and hurried out of bed to get going. However, as I was eating breakfast, the skies opened up. I procrastinated for a while, hoping that it would ease up, but finally it was time to go. It poured the entire time. My feet were raisins, my shorts were sticking to me like nobody's business and my hat brim was like a waterfall. I cut this one short too because I had a rubbed raw spot on my heel and I tried to band-aid it, but it was really giving me grief.

I have to admit, running in the rain is probably my least favorite weather to run in. If it's cold, you warm up after a couple of miles; if it's snowing, it's cold, but not wet. However, when it's raining, running more doesn't make you any drier. And as you run, things are sticking to you, rubbing and pruning up. The other one I really dislike is extreme heat. It may be a toss up.

However, running in the rain makes me feel like a rock star. There is nobody else out; there weren't even any cars on the road. Everyone's hunkered inside watching Breaking Bad and you are outside, braving the elements. The few people you see, usually other runners, give you a knowing look as they pass you on the sidewalk. It's that look that says, "yup, you are one of us and we are awesome".

On Saturday, a bike rider said as he rode by me on a hill, "we are obviously dressed for different types of actives". He was wearing boots, waterproof pants, gloves and a rain slicker. I was wearing a tank top and shorts. I laughed at him and puffed up the hill, feeling like superman.

So, overall, last week was a good one. California is avoiding a drought and I am starting off this week feeling like a rock star. You can't ask for much more than that.

How was your weekend? Are you getting any wet weather? What makes you feel like a rock star?

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Strike Two

If you are planning on visiting the Bay Area this week, don't. You have probably heard about the BART strike, but in case you haven't, here's the low down. About a month ago, the workers of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system went on strike because they thought they deserved higher pay.

The BART workers are unionized, and according to sources, are requesting a 23% pay increase. According to the same source, the average BART worker makes $83,157, up from $80,588 in 2010. Supposedly they also get pensions without contributing anything, and only pay around $90 a month for health insurance, regardless of family size.

A month ago, the strike lasted for four days. Luckily, it was the week of the 4th of July and so there were not as many people going to work that week. However, the average daily ridership of the BART is about 400,000 people.

They went back to work and were going to try to work things out in a month. Well, the month is up and they still have not worked things out. So today, they are going back on strike (as far as we know).

I do not use the BART. As you know, I take the casual carpool. So I should have no problem, right?

Wrong. Everyone and their mother who normally takes BART is going to have to get to work somehow. Unfortunately, there are bridges and you have to get over them. So there are going to be a lot more people driving. So there is going to be a traffic back up a lot earlier than normal.

The question is...when?

As you are reading this, I may be waiting in line for a carpool. I may be on a bus. I may be sitting on the Bay Bridge with a million other cars, at an ungodly hour of the morning. All I know is that it's not going to be easy, or fun. It's going to be a huge cluster.

I am not sure how or if they will come to an agreement. If they do raise the wages, likely it will mean a huge cost increase for riders. If they don't, well, I don't know what will happen. But I hope it doesn't take too long.

**Edited to add: Last night at the very last minute, the governor of California stepped in and a 7 day investigation is going to be done, so the BART is running today! However, if no resolution is made by Sunday, there is still a possibility of a strike next Monday.**

What do you think? Should they get a raise? Have you been following the story at all?

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Mt. Diablo

Every time I do something physically challenging, it makes me think of my Dad.

Dad -- Hiking the PCT

(FYI: if it's factually challenging, Mom's the one. In fact, we call her Moogle because when you need an answer, you just call her and she will know!). He used to drag us up and down mountains, to the ski slope on days where the snow was ripping your face off, and into other such situations where we thought we couldn't possibly succeed. I can't say I necessarily LOVED doing much of it, although I don't remember really hating it either (or did I? Dad/Mom? Did I whine a lot?)

Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail

However, I did love the sense of accomplishment, of pride, that you get when you do something difficult and live to tell the tale. I did love the view from the top, the one that I got to see because I had pushed myself to the limit (or past it sometimes) of my capabilities. I did love that feeling of strength that it brought.

And I guess that part stuck.

In two weeks, Broski and I (and possibly Dad and Moogle) will go to Mt. Shasta to once again see if we can conquer the high peak another time.

Shasta Summit 2009

For another training session (see the first couple here), Broski and I decided to run up to the summit of Mt. Diablo, the highest point in Contra Costa county, at 3,849 ft (source). We were aiming to do the "5 Peaks of Mt Diablo" which would be about 16 miles and 5,200 ft of total climb. The five peaks are Twin (1,733 ft), Eagle (2,369 ft), Diablo, North (3,557 ft) and Olympia (2,946 ft) (source). In that order.

You know how I always say how I went up and then down and then up and then down? Well this time...I went up. And up. And up. And up! In case you don't know, Contra Costa county is hot and Mt. Diablo is no exception. As my brother said, it's not called Diablo for nothing! We climbed and climbed and climbed and finally made it to Twin Peaks. Then it was up some more to Eagle.

Unfortunately, there was some down between Eagle and the main summit. You can see it there, right around mile 3. And it was HOT. After the problem I had with dehydration last time, I made sure to drink about 2 - 3 liters of water before we left, plus I ate breakfast AND a snack, plus I carried 3 liters on me. However, even with these precautions, I was pretty tired by the time we started heading downhill from Eagle Peak. In fact, I remember looking at the trail and at the elevation on my Garmin, knowing that I was going to have to do a lot of climbing due to this downhill, and thinking "S**T, I don't wanna!".

Broski on the down between Eagle Peak and the Summit.

I really wanted my sandwich. I had stuffed two of them in with my icy water in my hydration pack, as a sort of cooler system. I was craving that sandwich and some shade, but neither were in the cards just yet.

We make it to the summit, but it was a long, dusty, hot, shadeless, scratchy, poison oak filled 7.6 miles. It was one of those hikes (/runs) where you were trying to look out for snakes and not touch the poison oak and try not to twist your ankle on the rocks all at the same time.

Remember what I said about loving to see the view because I pushed myself? Well, ironically, the summit of Mt. Diablo is one you can drive to. So we made it to the top and it is filled with people, trying to find parking spaces, snapping obligatory photos and wearing white cutoff shorts and cute tank tops and flip flops.

We ate our still cold (and must I say, completely delicious) sandwich pretty quickly and then started to head back down. In fact, looking back now, I realize we did not even take an obligatory summit photo!

The trail went straight down. In four miles, we dropped almost 3,000 ft. It was hell on knees; welcome to Mt. Diablo. After about two miles of this, we decided to skip peak 4 and 5, not because we didn't want to hike up them, but because we didn't want to hike down them! We were tired of downhill already! So we took a shortcut and got the heck out of there.

Still fresh -- this was before peak #1

We finally got to the trailhead and drank some nice cold water and dreamed about ice cream (which I never got. Pity). So, I had plenty of water this time, but I still think that the heat really takes it out of me! I think I will go back to this mountain, as it is yet unconquered, but next time I will do it in January!

Total miles: 14
Total time:4:54
Total elevation gain: 4,300 ft

Well Dad, I think we are ready for Shasta. Who's in?

What gives you a sense of accomplishment and pride in yourself? What obstacle have you faced and beaten? Do you prefer mental or physical challenges?

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Virtual Weekend

This weekend I had a really great run along the San Francisco Bay Trail. This is 500 miles of shoreline trails around the bay. The trail doesn't go continuously the entire way; there are some gaps. The section I ran runs from Emeryville to Richmond with no gaps and is about 11 miles long. It's a really nice section, with views of San Francisco almost the entire time. I did an out and back totaling 20 miles and it couldn't have been a better day for it.

As I've already mentioned, Laura is doing a 5 by the 5th Virtual Race where you run either a 5k or a 5 miler before the 5th of each month. This is a great way to get out there and get each month started right. In fact, I may make a tradition out of it, even after June is over. For this race, I used the last 5 miles, where I clocked a 40:30 for those 5 miles.

I also used part of this run as an entry for Jill's Tackle the Miles Virtual Race. For hers I used the first 13.1 miles of my run, which I finished in 1:52.24. Even though the Niners lost, I still tried to make some tackles of my own. The first half of the run was actually a lot harder than the last half. I had a really hard time getting going and was glad to have Jill's challenge in my mind to help push me along.

It is always fun to participate in these virtual races. It never hurts to have a little more inspiration to get my butt moving! Plus, it was well worth it. The views were fabulous and the weather was great and I was so glad to get out and enjoy it (at least after the first 13 miles were over). These races also count as part of my 13 in 2013 challenge that Jill is hosting! 

What did you do this weekend? How was the weather in your neck of the woods? Did you join either of these virtual challenges? 

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10 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 4 & 5

I will be foregoing my weekly Fitness Friday post today for a continuation of the 10 days of Thanksgiving. Today we have number 4 and number 5 of the 10 things I am thankful for this year.

4. Where my Parents Live

I have posted about this a million times before, but the place I grew up is so beautiful. It is pine trees and clean air and swimming in the cold river on a hot summer day. It is the sound of birds in the morning and the smell of pine and the wandering up and down through the mountains. It is a great place to go home to. I can't wait to go home for Christmas and play in the snow and bake cookies and play a few rounds of Rummikub and read my book near the fire. For some reason it's that much sweeter at Mom and Dad's house.

Hiking with Dad

Lovely snowy day

5. Public Transportation

One of the best things about living where I do is the fact that I don't need a car. I could probably write a whole post about this too. I have talked a little bit about the Casual Carpool, which is how I get to work, and it only takes about 20 minutes. Going home, I take the bus, which also only takes about 25 minutes. There is also the option of taking the train or a boat. I also walk a lot, and it is nice to have the option to do so. Other than that, there are options for bike shares, car shares, rent by the hour and more. One thing I recently found out about is Get Around, where you can rent out your own car if you don't need it, or you can rent a car by the hour if you do. I love that my monthly transportation cost is roughly 150 dollars and that's including all transportation and gas!

My favorite - the F train

Do you enjoy going back to the area you grew up in? How much do you spend a month on transportation?

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10 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 1, 2 & 3

Lately, I have so many things going around in my head that I cannot make them settle coherently. This is good timing though, since last year I joined up with Lisa to do the 10 Days of Thanksgiving and it's about that time again! Like last year, I will not necessarily do one a day, but there WILL be 10 things! You can see the ones I did last year here. Also like last year, I am a little late to the party. That's the way it goes in November, I guess. The first three are kind of a theme... Here they are: Things I am thankful for this year, number 1, 2 and 3!

1. Where I Live

The neighborhood

This year I am lucky to be in the Bay Area, where the weather is perfect running weather all year round. No matter what you like to do, it is here. Within walking distance, there are restaurants, grocery stores, running trails, art, wine and easy biking paths. It is all here! There is something for everyone and the everyones are varied. I like having varied everyones around me.

2. Great Food 

Pancakes at La Note

Ethiopian? Vietnamese? Nepalese? Burmese? YES PLEASE! I love all the great ethnic food near me and let me tell you, I MISS that when I am working around the country. I get so tired of fried food and meat with gravy. I want a nice, steaming hot bowl of Pho! So that's great. My other favorite thing to do is Brunch. I have a list of places To Try that I am working on, albeit slowly! Some of my local favorites? Brown Sugar and Sams Log Cabin. This is up for change though! Any suggestions?

3. Places to Run 

Huckleberry Preserve

This deserves a post all on it's own, but it is so nice to not only have a great neighborhood to run in, but also several paths nearby. Best of all, there are several parks with many, MANY different trails to run on. As you know, trail running is my favorite thing to do and I also think running hilly routes is better for you, is less monotonous and makes you stronger overall. So having these so near to me is pure BLISS. I don't ever want to live anywhere where I don't have trail access ever again!

What are you thankful for this year? What is your favorite thing about the area you live in?

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Nike Women's Marathon

I got up at 5 to get on the bus to cross the bay. The bus terminal in San Francisco is about a mile from the race start, which is in Union Square. I decided to walk. I got to about 3 or 4 blocks from the square and it was a mad house. Of course that was just when I started to have to use the restroom. So I ducked into the Marriott (thanks JW!) and used theirs before heading over to the Square to line up in my corral.

Like I said before, my corral was 7:30 - 9:00 and actually they were letting the faster corral in at the same place, so they had to go in and then fight their way to the front of all of the people in my pace group. It was a bit of a mess. Everyone had pace bracelets, so you could tell when they weren't supposed to be in that corral, and there were several that weren't.

Once the race started, it seemed like it took forever to cross the starting line, but once I got my results, I realized it was really less than a minute. My Garmin was having a bad day and it kept telling me I was running a 3 minute mile. I was passing a lot of people (trying to get around everyone) but I don't think I was that fast! For the first mile or so, it was a lot of bobbing and weaving, but luckily I had rudely pushed myself to the front(ish) of the start line, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I can't imagine what it was like in the 9:00 - 10:00 group, which was pretty far behind us. I checked out some of the people who came in near the end, and their chip time and gun time were a half an hour apart!

The course was great; miles 3 - 6 were on one of my favorite routes, through Crissy Field, where normally there is an awesome view of the Golden Gate bridge. However, it was quite foggy and there was a view of nothing. I felt kind of bad for the out of towners who came for the views. At this point I started to fuel. I had decided earlier that morning, in a split second decision (dumb maybe) to try dried apricots as fuel. They went down fine with a little chewing, and at about 15 calories each are about the same as a Gu Chomp. Mile 1 - 6: 6:50*, 6:19*, 7:26, 7:34, 7:27, 7:39 (*these may have been Garmin error)

After Chrissy Field, it started to go up, and up, and up, and down and up and up! Basically miles 7 - 11 were about a thousand feet total elevation gain according to the Garmin. This is where I had a lot of trouble. I can run up the hills, but it sure is hard. I could feel my face getting redder and redder. At this point it was kind of misty raining, which was a blessing! Somewhere around mile 11 the marathon and half marathon split up. They went toward the finish and we went toward the park. This made a HUGE difference! All of a sudden, I was running alone. It was great!  Mile 7 - 11: 8:19, 7:37, 8:11, 7:57, 7:15

Uphill, chug, chug

Miles 12 - 17 were all in Golden Gate park and were flatter than the coast, although not flat by any means. They were just more gradual, and more up, up, up and then down, down, down (rather than up, down, up, down). According to Garmin, this was another 900 ft gain/loss. It was fun running this section, as the park is beautiful and I got to see my friends, the Bison. There was also a huge jumbo-tron here. Check out this video  of the 10k, 15k and finish line. You can look at my waddle. All I can say about that is...I run funny! We also met back up with the halfers around mile 16 (their mile 13) and it was a crazy mess for about a half a mile before I popped out into the solitary confinement of the Great Highway. Mile 12 - 17: 8:01, 8:18, 7:58, 7:45, 7:50, 7:32

Miles 18 - 20 were along the Great Highway which goes along side Ocean Beach. I was really looking forward to seeing my family, as I was getting pretty tired at this point. The road was a chip and seal rather than a nice smooth asphalt and it was killing my feet! Also, I just needed a smiling face, which is funny because as I was scanning the crowd for my parents, a person jumped out of the crowd and hugged me! It was my new running buddy! I gave her a high five and kept on. Then there they were, the Parentals and grandma, right near mile 18. Seeing them gave me the boost I needed to keep going. Mile 18 - 20: 7:49, 7:52, 8:11

The Great Highway

Miles 21 - 24 were around Lake Merced. If I would have known how bad this section was going to be, I would have asked the Parentals to be over here. It was dead. I was tired. It was raining on me. There were a lot of cars. The lake was nice though. At one point this guy came out of nowhere and was running right next to me for about a mile. Then he just stopped. I am not sure what that was all about. Maybe I looked tired? Like I needed a push? Well it worked; I was trying so hard to get away from him and to have a little space between us that I picked up my pace by a few seconds. Mile 21 -24: 8:14, 8:13, 8:09, 8:06

Miles 25 to the end were back along the Great Highway. This part was fun, because all the runners behind me were coming the opposite direction. I had a few friends running and I looked for them, but never saw them. Also, I saw two guys that had ridden my bus into the city that morning! What a small world it was shaping up to be! Mile 25 - 26.2: 8:08, 8:15, 7:59

Still feeling good!

Then I was at the end. Almost. First I had to muscle my way through a bunch of walk/jogging half marathon people who were sharing the finish line (and the 200 feet or so leading up to it) with me! Then I was over the line, and this cute fireman in a tux gave me a little blue box. I could have hung out with him longer; why is the box giving portion so short and the run so long? It should be the other way around.

And then I was done. I was wet and cold and hungry but I felt great!

Final Time: 3:29:16
Overall: 46/4452
Gender: 30/4051
Age: 9/837

A few fun facts: *Dried Apricots = good fuel! This may be my new favorite! * I did not pee once. * Total elevation gain (according to Garmin) = 5000 ft (can that be right?) * Elevation loss = 4860 ft *Fastest time = 2:56 (M) and 2:59 (F) * From my loose calculations, about 3% of the people in this race BQ (compared to 35% in the Santa Rosa Marathon) *

Tell me how you feel about firemen. What is your favorite type of dried fruit? Have you ever seen footage of yourself running?

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Weekend Activities

Last weekend was a crazy busy one. The last weekends of summer are upon us and everyone is trying to cram everything in while they can! I had two great days with family and friend filled events on each one.

Friday night included drinks out with friends at the Pier 23 cafe in San Francisco.  They were giving away free samples of Air, which is a beer mixed with carbonated water. It was gross. I was not compensated to say that.

Saturday started early with a really nice walk with a friend in the morning. After that, it was my grandma's 80th birthday party. She is my father's mother. My father is one of six kids, each with kids and some of them with kids! In addition to that, there were several cousins, step this and thats, in-laws and other friends of the family. I think all in all we were maybe 50, maybe more. It was held in the North Bay Area, in a park where there was a fabulous view of the city across the bay. We ate WAY too much food, but I did it in the name of carb-loading. A perk of being a runner? Everything is in the name of "carb-loading".

My favorite part of the party? My cousin made us color coordinated name tags. I was wearing a yellow shirt. By saying that, I just realized that I didn't get any photos of myself that day.

After the party, I raced to get to the race expo in time to pick up my bib. Then I went over to my brother's house and he made us a hearty carb loading Mexican Fiesta with fresh veggies from his garden! We had steak, fresh made salsa, black beans and rice! It was delicious! And I was so busy visiting I didn't take any photos of that either!

I got up early on Sunday morning for the marathon where I ran my buns off. My family was there to support me and luckily the course was conducive to their being able to see me several times. I will do a real recap in a couple of days, but for now, just check this out!

Holy crap; I am so excited. I don't think it hit me until I was writing up this post... I mean... WOO HOO!

After the race, I had a great brunch with my family at the Omelette Express, did some grocery shopping, watered the garden, made my lunches for the week and then passed the heck out! I feel like I need a vacation from my weekend!

How was your weekend? Are you trying to cram it all in at the very end of summer? Have you ever been to Sonoma county?

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It's Causal

I have had a lot of questions lately about what form of transportation I use when I go into the city. I sometimes take the bus, sometimes the BART, but mostly I use the Casual Carpool (you can also take a boat if you are so inclined). People can understand the bus or the BART, but the looks I get when I tell people that I use the Casual Carpool are priceless. I mean, didn't all of our mothers teach us not to get into a car with a stranger?

In case you are not familiar with it, it is an informal carpool starting from several places throughout the Bay Area and going into the city. There is no prior arrangement; if you are driving, you go to a corner and wait for people; if you are a person, you go to the corner and wait for a car. When the car has three people, it goes into the city. In the afternoon, they go back to where they came from. The benefit of this is twofold for the driver. By having three people in their car, they get to go through the toll booth in the carpool lane, which not only saves them time (possibly an hour or more during the worst part of rush hour) but also saves them money. It used to be that if you had three or more in your car, you got to go through the toll booth for free. Now it is $2.50 instead of $6.

It sounds great, right? Except I have had people ask me some interesting (and valid) questions such as:

How do you know where to go? There is a list of sites where people meet. It's usually on a corner where the bus stop is, so if you cannot get a car, you can catch the bus at it comes by. That is what I do. If the bus is coming at 7, I go to the corner around 6:45 and wait until either a car comes and fills up or the bus comes. Once you are in the vehicle, be it bus or car, the drive itself takes the same amount of time. However, the car is cheaper. Which brings me to....

Do you have to pay to ride? Oh, now this is the hot topic of the month! Since this is technically informal, aka no rules, but we all want it to continue, there has been no clear black and white answer to this question. Also my friend and I just had a discussion about this. The loose rules are: the driver can ask for a dollar or two and the passenger can choose to give or not AND the passenger can offer a dollar or two and the driver can accept or not. I will tell you that as a passenger, I offer 9 times out of 10 and they accept 7 of those times. So, I pay 70% of the time, but it's only a dollar as opposed to $4.20 for the bus. However, my friend says she never offers as a passenger and that people who want you to pay them will have a little sign, which I have never seen.
 
Do you always ride with strangers? Yes. But, if I go around the same time of day, I often see the same drivers, so you get to know certain people. Usually, these are people in my neighborhood, as the carpool site is only a few blocks away for most of us. So, they are my neighbors.

Do you talk when you are in the car? This is another informal "rule". Supposedly, and I don't know where I heard this, if the driver talks to you, you can talk, but if not, you should keep quiet, as you don't want to distract them. I would say that maybe 20% of the drivers want to talk. Most stay quiet and we listen to NPR. Seriously, there are a lot of NPR fans in the casual carpool group.

Has anything bad every happened to you?  No, but there is a forum where you can post warnings about bad drivers or rude people or whatnot and it does happen. However, it is not a very big forum and the casual carpool has been around for a few decades, so I think that the bad things are minor. Also, you are allowed to skip a car, for instance if a man pulls up in a two-seater, I may give it a pass. Drivers are allowed to refuse passengers as well. I have never seen this happen though.

So, there you have it. The ins and outs of the casual carpool. Tomorrow I will be talking about Riding the Bus. Just kidding. I will probably talk about that next week.FYI for you excel nerds like me: by using the CC, even if I did pay a dollar each time, I would save $16/week! That's a glass and a half of wine at the airport! Or a new sweater at Target! Or...3 burritos! Thanks Casual Carpool!

Do you have a similar program in your area? Have you ever gotten into a car with a stranger / done a ride-share? How do you get to work/school each day?

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Bad Bass Half

I've been having a bit of a "dry spell" race wise, but last weekend I barely squeaked out my July half marathon (#7) for the 12 in 2012 Running Challenge! The race in question was the Bad Bass Half in Castro Valley. It was put on by Brazen, which have put on two of the other races I have run this year as well. Remember the Its-Its?

***Before I start, I want you all to know that I went on a commando run yesterday and it was wonderful. I don't know why I didn't do this sooner. Thanks for all your words of encouragement. I couldn't have done it without you.***

I thought this was going to be more of a road race. The race started at the Lake Chabot Marina, which I have been to before. You can walk on a wide paved path around most of the lake, which I think is about 9 miles around. So I thought it would be 7 or 8 miles of pavement and 5 miles or so of dirt. I was wrong. The weather was perfect, overcast and about 55 degrees. I didn't have to use my sunglasses the entire time.

The first mile was good. I started off at a pretty good clip. I felt good. I was on pavement. Somewhere during mile two we veered off into the woods, but it was okay because it was still a pretty even up and down, with not too many very steep hills.

Mile 1: 7:37/mi -- Elevation Gain: 140 ft
Mile 2: 8:19/mi -- Elevation Gain: 328 ft
Mile 3: 8:31/mi -- Elevation Gain: 221 ft

And then we got to mile four. Mile four was pretty much all uphill. At one place, according to my Garmin, the grade was 56%!  Mile five was better, but only because it was mostly downhill, although sometimes the downhill feels harder on my body than the uphill! I notice that I was passing a lot of people on the uphills and then they would pass me on the downhills, so I guess downhill is not my strong suit.

Mile 4: 12:26/mi -- Elevation Gain: 585 ft
Mile 5: 8:38/mi -- Elevation Gain: 155 ft (Descent: 300 ft)
Mile 6: 10:29/mi -- Elevation Gain: 444 ft

I have to be honest with you; I have no idea how I kept under a 9 minute pace for mile 7. It was almost 600 ft of ascent and almost 800 ft of descent! Mile 8 was almost 700 more feet of descent. Notice I actually went slower on mile 8 than on mile seven! By this point, all the miles seemed the same. Up, down, up, down, pass some people, get passed, pass them again, get passed by them again...etc.

Mile 7: 8:48/mi-- Elevation Gain: 581 ft
Mile 8: 9:16/mi -- Elevation Gain: 482 ft
Mile 9: 9:27/mi -- Elevation Gain: 538 ft

At mile 10, I stopped at the aid station for a full minute, had a handful of pretzels, some water and a quarter of a chocolate Gu and went on my merry way. I am surprised that this mile was not slower due to that! It was also mostly downhill, with a descent of 350 ft. Mile 11 was also mostly downhill. I think somewhere during mile 12 we got back on the pavement again. I would like to say that meant no more up and downs, but we were still going around the lake and the topography was a bit varied.

Mile 10: 9:02/mi -- Elevation Gain: 109 ft
Mile 11: 8:23/mi -- Elevation Gain: 252 ft
Mile 12: 8:43/mi -- Elevation Gain: 207 ft

I would like to say that the last mile point one was flat, but it wasn't. I ran as fast as I could given the terrain. I was trailed closely by two men, one with no shirt and one with a white shirt. I could hear their footfalls behind me the entire time, so I kept pushing it as much as I could. For the last point one, I sprinted it out, but was passed by a guy in a red shirt that came out of nowhere! The photo below was actually taken at the start of the race, but this is the guy. His name was Chris; I know this because as he was passing me at the end, his friends (or people reading his bib) were calling his name.

photo source

Mile 13: 7:58/mi -- Elevation Gain: 204 ft
Mile 13.1: 6:43/mi

Total Time: 1:58:39 (a new trail PR!)
Total Elevation Gain: 4295 ft
Place Overall: 45/294
Place Age: 5/30

The verdict? I should have had more breakfast. I only ate a bowl of Cheerios. I didn't even add a banana. Bad move. I was sluggish for much of the race and was not caring that people were passing me. I should have looked at the course map, although I don't know what I would have changed really. Maybe I would have had a bigger breakfast?

The course was well marked and once again, the photos are free if you can find yourself (note to self: do NOT wear a black tank and black shorts if you are going to have to try to find yourself in the race photos). I could have used an aid station around mile 7 or 8 rather than at 10; I was so thirsty and totally out of energy by the time I got to 10 miles. There were Its-Its and I didn't even have to wait in line for them. The spread at the end was really good actually, with trail mix, tons of fruit, chips and snacks.

Would I do this race again? Sure! It was fun! Also, part of this race is on the same trails as my 50k, so it was good practice for next weekend! A trail run. I mean trial run.  

Don't forget to head over to Jill's today for some other Fitness posts!! 

Have you ever run a race where you have actually stopped at the aid station for several seconds/minutes? Do you prefer uphills or downhills?

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Bay Area Ridge Trail

Recently, I found out about a gem in my own back yard. Literally, it's about 3 miles from my house (in Oakland). In my book, that is walking distance (in case it's not, there is a bus). It's called the Bay Area Ridge Trail. It's 325 miles of trails around the San Francisco Bay, with a proposed future distance of 550 miles, as you can see from the map below. I think this is great, since I grew up living ON the Pacific Crest Trail (2,663 miles from Mexico to Canada, through CA, OR and WA) and hiking, hikers and trails have always been a big part of my life.

I decided then and there that I was going to try to hike, walk, or run as much of it as I can. I found a trail tracker, where you can track your miles.

So, right now, since I am was living in Oakland, I started out with a few sections near my house. It was beautiful. The first day, I went for a 17 mile out and back trail run, which included sections of redwood forests and open grassland and had views of the bay area, including San Francisco and the headlands beyond. It was great. The only downside was that I took a wrong turn around mile 4 and ended up running through a grassland area (for about 8 miles. Oops). I only realized I was lost when I wasn't arriving at my destination when I thought I was supposed to.  Day 1: Skyline Gate to Robert Sibley, including sections of Redwood Regional Park,  Huckleberry Botanical Garden Preserve and Robert Sibley Volcanic Preserve. (4.3 miles)

Tilden Regional Park

The next day I took a walk with my friend and then ran back to the house via the trail I was supposed to have used the day before instead of getting a ride back with her. The walk was on a nice flat path and the run was a lot of ups and downs on a single track with some really good views of the Bay. I got lost once but followed, stalked was helped by an older gentleman with a 100 miler shirt on. Day 2: Nimitz Way to Robert Sibley, including sections of Robert Sibley and Tilden Regional Park. (5 miles)

Robert Sibley

On the third day, I was going to meet up with my friend for a walk at 9 a.m. I decided to run from my house to meet her. From what I could tell, it was about 9 miles. I left at 7, which should have given me plenty of time. However, you may have guessed this already, but I got lost. I ended up doing an extra 2 miles, rounding out this run at 11 miles (but only 9 of it was on the BA Ridge Trail) Day 3: MacDonald Staging Area to Procter Staging Area, including Redwood Regional Park and Anthony Chabot Regional Park. (9.1 miles)

Chabot Regional Park

Total to date: 18.4 miles**

**I will have to do a more through calculation later, because I have also been on some additional portions of this trail without even knowing it (see stars on map above).

So, the general theme of the Bay Area Ridge Trail Exploration Project (that is the official name and has been approved by the FDA and the USDA) is my getting lost. I am not sure if it's my map reading skills or my navigation skills, or their lack of signage/good maps. Or all four maybe? I have had a lot of fun finding out the routes and making a point to try a new route, rather than the same one that I always do and am comfortable with.

I think it's a great way to see new areas near my home as well as to push my boundaries a little bit. I also feel that it keeps running FUN (or hiking/walking). And the views have been fabulous! I also love the fact that within the city there are such beautiful green spaces. It's like you are all alone running along a trail. I barely saw any other people and there are rarely even commercial structures in view. I can't wait to try some of the other sections!

Do you have any hiking trails near your house? Have you ever done any hiking on the PCT, Appalachian or Continental Divide Trails? Do you like to try new running/hiking/walking routes or do you stick to the tried and true?

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See Jane Run: Race Recap

First off, I am excited to say that I have a post up over on FITBLOGGER. If you get a chance, please go check it out! It's about running, naturally. 

_______

And now, back to our regularly scheduled post.

For all that I did have some cons for this race, the actual running of the race itself was pretty good. The course was well marked and mostly flat, there were several aide stations and the volunteers were awesome.

However, the parking was not. I opted to drive to this race, because, although I could have walked (5 miles each way), I did not want to do so and then race and then have to walk back. So we drove. Mr. Lovely came with me and spent the time doing research and drinking coffee in a local coffee shop down the street. We got there with plenty of time to spare, but it took us probably 15 minutes to find parking, which was not very close, probably about a mile and a half from the start of the race. By the time we got to the start line, I had to use the restroom, but it was about 10 minutes to start time and the line was L.O.N.G. I got in it anyway, just to see if I could make it. I did, but the race started while I was inside, so I got out of there fast and ran to the start line just in time to....stop short. The crowd was not moving. Well, it WAS moving, but very slowly.

I crossed the start line and started doing the weave of death. I must have passed a couple hundred people before the path widened to one lane of a two lane road. I started passing people on the left, which was also to the left of the cones, and I got yelled at a few times by the local police (MAM, stay to the LEFT of the CONES!!!) I swear I passed another hundred thousand people but it was hard going. It wasn't until about mile 3 that it started to get to a point where it was easier to find my pace and pass people.

Mile 1: 7:03, Mile 2: 7:05, Mile 3: 7:23

My goal had been to stay below a 7:40 pace in order to get a 1:40 finish, but after the first few miles, I noticed I was going a little faster, so I resolved to stay under a 7:30 instead. After mile 3, there was one girl that was pretty much running at the same pace as me, so I would follow her, then she would slow a bit, and I would pass her, and then I would slow a bit and she would pass me. We did the "dance" for a while before she slowed down to about a 7:40, and I passed her and didn't see her again.

Mile 4: 7:25, Mile 5: 7:30, Mile 6: 7:24

After mile 6, the crowd was pretty thin. It seemed like I could see the start of the pack way up in front of me. At this point we were running along the bay and it was beautiful. I decided that I would try to pass one person each mile, of course at the same time trying to maintain approximately a 7:30 pace. Mile 7, I passed a couple of people. Mile 8, one person. Mile 9, 3 people. I maintained my 7:30, even though it was getting hard. I remember hitting mile 8 and thinking (with my limited math + running skills) that I was almost done, but then realizing I still had 5 miles (5! How did that happen?) left.

Mile 7: 7:29, Mile 8: 7:34, Mile 9: 7:29

Mile 10, 11 and 12 went by pretty slow. I could see the front few girls in front of me. From what I could see, there were three. I passed one during mile 10, one during mile 11 and really pushed to get the one at mile 12 (I was really tired by now)! Thank goodness for two things (a) the view -- I can see the city and the bay and the headlands in the distance, and (b) the spectators -- there are people all along the route cheering. They really lift my spirits. Although my hamstrings are still killing me.

Mile 10: 7:26, Mile 11: 7:22, Mile 12: 7:23

I didn't know if I was first or not. Then I saw her. A girl waaaaay up in front of me. I wonder if there are more like her? Darn it.

Mile 13: 7:19, Mile 13.1: 7:30

I cross the finish at 1:37:17. A new PR.

I look for the race results. They are not posted. The MC says that they are online. They are not. I need to know! Unfortunately, they did not get posted online until late that night. Also unfortunately, there was a hidden posse of girls ahead of me.

I tried to get a photo of the 5k clock with my time on it

Results: 1:37:17
Age group: 5/266
Overall: 15/1432

The Verdict? I ran this race to see if I REALLY have a chance to BQ. I don't want to have unrealistically high expectations when I really need to just keep training and wait until next year. I don't want to let myself down. According to the McMillan Pace Calculator using this race time, I should be able to run a 3:25 marathon. That means 7:50 pace for 26 miles! I am still unsure (read: scared of failure). But I am working on it!

Are you scared to try things sometimes because you are afraid of failure? How do you talk yourself into it or have confidence in yourself during times of doubt?

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See Jane Run: Pros and Cons

This post could have also been named: What Was I Thinking?

I prefer smaller races. There, I said it. By smaller, sometimes I mean less people and mostly I mean less commercialism. I don't mind not getting a t-shirt if it means I can feel like a person instead of a number. I don't mind the results being handwritten on a post it note if it means I feel a connection with the other racers, the race director or the volunteers. Not saying that this doesn't happen to a certain extent with larger ones, but sometimes you just feel like you are lost in the shuffle.

Also, and people are probably going to get mad at me for this one, I'm starting to dislike races where it's geared towards the fun runners. I am NOT saying we can't have fun when we run and I am definitely not trying to discourage people who are running (or walking) their first 5k. However, I think next time, I would rather volunteer or spectate when that is the case (the 5k people, NOT the fun part!) It's just TOO big. There are too many people and some of them are lollygagging around, which is FUN, but I don't want to lollygag; I am here to run.

I signed up for this race last minute, because I needed a "fast and flat" race so I could analyze my fitness level and speed for the upcoming marathon. I have been running trails a lot and so have not been worrying as much about time. The original price for this race was $105. I normally do not pay that much for a race. But when I saw it on Google Offers for $57, I thought why the heck not. It was right in my backyard, and most of the other races this summer are trail races (and I need to continue the 12 in 2012 challenge!)

So. I ran it.

PROS: 

- The weather. It could not have been more perfect. 55 degrees and a bit overcast for the most part. Perfect running weather. If you are looking for a cool run in the summer, get thee to thy Bay Area.

- The course. It WAS fast and flat.

- After you run, you get champagne. And why not? Also you get chocolate. Two big wins in my book. Surprisingly the champagne line wasn't even too long. Another plus. I even went for a refill.

- There were a ton of vendors at the park afterward. Free samples/treats included: water, bananas, muffins, Luna bars, Zyco coconut water, Pop Chips, FRS and Ocho. Other vendors (not free) were Newton, iFitness, Jamba Juice and several others.

- Port-a-potties aplenty. Thank goodness (see: all women race). 

- The t-shirt is cute. It's red and it says: I run for champagne and chocolate. And it's moisture wicking!

CONS: 

- Besides the ones I mentioned above, which are mostly personal opinion (lollygagging, commercialism, impersonal feeling)...

- All women race PLUS strollers are allowed. Sorry moms, I am not against you, but next time I will try to research my races better! This is my own fault, not the race director's or the other runners! (I have a friend who runs with a stroller and I have been trying to find a race for her -- maybe she should run this one next year and I will cheer for her!)

- The lines. To get most items at the expo and after the race, there were a TON of people. And since they were all lollygagging around and having fun (not like me. I don't like to have fun) they were in no hurry to get the photo and get out of there. Maybe I should take a page out of their book and slow down and enjoy it more, but for now, that is a con.

- Last but not least, is the price. I know that many of the larger races have to close down streets and hire police etc but I guess I am irked by the fact that running used to be a fun, cheap thing you could do anywhere and now people are capitalizing on it. I guess it was bound to happen, but I don't like it. It's like the Mardi Gras Marathon. I ran it in 2007 when the New Orleans Track Club was putting it on and I think I paid around $50 (which was still a lot to me at the time!) Now that it's an RnR race, I think the price is over $100. Shameful.

Now, I am off my ranting, complaining soapbox. I apologize for using you as a psychologist. Race recap to come soon!

Did you run or race last weekend? How do you feel about big crowds? How much is too much to pay for a race?

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Then and Now: May

Another month gone by already. It seems like only yesterday when I was talking about how I couldn't believe it was May already. Today is my Dad's birthday! Happy Birthday Dad! Now for the Who, the What and the Where -- May 2011 vs. May 2012.

The Who: 

In 2011:

I spent some time in Australia with Mr. L, then it was back to the US for:

Baseball with the broski, his lady and Gma, and my friend Hashi and his lady

Birthday fun with the parents

Mimosa Brunch in the Mission with K and A

In 2012: 

 Good times were had by my Relay team

Another Giants game with the trio (a tradition, it seems)

Mother's Day/Birthday with my two families

My, look how she's grown! 

2011 vs 2012

The What: 

Books:
2011: / 2012: 8

I definitely had extra time to read this year, due to the fact that I was traveling a lot last year vs this year. Also, my computer was down for about a week and a half in 2012 and it's amazing how much reading I got done because of it! Some of my favorites: Secret Daughter - Shilpi Somaya Gowda, Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin. See my Bookshelf page for more!

Running:
2011: 0 / 2012: 157

This month was not only the start of the ramp up for marathon training, but I also added a few miles due to some longer trail runs and a new goal to try to complete an ultra. I think that this is my highest mileage month to date.

Races:
2011: 0 / 2012: 2

This month I participated in The Relay, which for my portion was 23 miles over 4 runs over 24 hours. I also completed race number 5 of the 12 in 2012 challenge, which was a trail race in Oakland called the Cinderella Trail Run. You can check out my Races and Places page for more!

Cakes: 

2011 vs 2012

Apparently I turn 5 years old every year.

The Where:

In 2011, after getting back from Australia, 

I spent a lot of time in California. 

Also, note that it snowed. I think that photo was taken on May 28th.

In 2012,  I also spent a lot of time in California. 

San Francisco, Sierra Nevadas, Napa, Oakland

 
The verdict? My hair is longer, my fitness has improved tenfold, and it seems like the birthday baseball game with grandma and the kids has become a tradition (as well has the Mother's Day with my second family). It does seem like May is when the weekends start being full of outdoor related and other fun activities, no matter where I am! All in all, I would give two thumbs up to both May 2011 and May 2012!

How was your May this year? How is it different from last year? Is it better, worse, or the same? 

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Cinderella Trail Run: Race Recap

Last weekend, I ran the Cinderella Trail Run as half marathon number 5 of the 12 in 2012 Challenge. It was in Oakland about three miles from my house. The course ran through trails in both the Redwood Regional Park and Joaquin Miller Parks. This race, like the last trail race I did, was hosted by Coastal. I am so glad I found out about them! Their races have been fun, the field is very small (therefore intimate) and both the ultra runners and the race directors are awesome. Plus I get to eat gummy bears as fuel.

The details: This race started at 8 a.m. The weather was forecasting temperatures in the 80s, and in the morning, by about 7, it was already feeling pretty warm. Luckily much of the trail was in the shade. There was a 10k, Half Marathon, Full Marathon and 50k.

The course: This was a loop course. The half marathoners did the loop once; the marathoners did it twice and the 50k folks did it twice plus an extra 10k loop. The total ascent according to my Garmin was about 7800 ft. The course winds through a nice shady, wooded area mostly, and affords views of the city, the bay, the Golden Gate bridge and even the Marin Headlands!

The pros: * As I said, luckily the majority of the course was in the shade. However, the 1000 ft climb you see in the profile above was NOT in the shade. Go figure. * The other runners were very friendly. I usually am not one to talk to other people while I am racing, but surprisingly I had several conversations on this course. Granted, they were mostly things like, "whew it's hot, eh?" or "that's a big hill!" but still. * The volunteers were great, very friendly and eager to help. * There were few non-racing runners/walkers on the course. * There was a no shirt option, which saved $5. I took it! *At the finish, there was fruit, clif bars, soup, pretzels, candy, goldfish...and more! * They do the awards right away, so you don't have to wait around.  

The cons: * I did encounter some bicycles, but they got out of our way. However, maybe having the race on a non multi-use trail would be a good idea. * The sun on that big climb was a killer. 

The race: Right after we started, the course went uphill (you can see in the profile above). It was only about a half a mile, but it really took the wind right out of my sails! I was wheezing and panting and feeling like death. Around mile 2, the course started to go both up and downhill and I kind of got a rhythm going.

Mile 1: 10:03, Mile 2: 9:04, Mile 3: 9:03

Mile 4 had a large steep uphill. In case you have never raced trails before, you may not know that most people walk up the steep hills to save energy. I did not know this the first time and I tried to barrel up one of these steep ones and almost keeled over. Now I know. So I took this little hill slow and easy and then tried to get my rhythm back once I got to the top. However, I was still feeling very tired. I think that I ran too much this past week, especially after doing the Relay. I should have taken an extra day off. My legs feel like lead. Also, I don't think I ate enough breakfast. I didn't want to overdo it, so I fear I under did it.

Mile 4: 10:30, Mile 5: 11:43, Mile 6: 10:49

You would think that the downhills are easier, but sometimes trying not to fall on one's butt, twist one's ankle or crash into another runner (while falling on your butt and twisting your ankle) requires a lot of concentration! I feel like most of my soreness usually comes from the downhill sections. Mile 9 goes from about 500 ft to about 1200 ft in one mile.  

Mile 7: 9:03, Mile 8: 9:28, Mile 9: 13:10

Mile 10 goes from 1200 ft up to 1500 ft. This is where the, "when is this hill going to end" conversation is had. Finally the course "flattens" out before heading down a VERY sharp downhill section (a 600 ft drop in about half a mile) where I fear for my life, and then finishes with a mostly flattish section at the end. 

Mile 10: 11:33, Mile 11: 9:28, Mile 12: 9:59, Mile 13: 9:13

Finishing time: 2:10:29 (10:02/mi)

This is a 5 minute PR from the last trail race, plus I got 1st in my age group! I was the 2nd female overall; the first got a 2:08:49!! If only I wouldn't have stopped at that aid station and eaten those gummy bears! If only I would have run faster on that first mile! Oh well, next time I will beat her!

Afterward, I volunteered for a couple of hours. Its so great to stay and watch the ultra folks coming through. They are all so positive, even though they are going to have to go back out in the heat and do another loop (or two!) It's really inspiring!  Also, it's good to meet other Bay Area runners. Even if I am not a group running person, it's still nice to be part of the running community!

The verdict? I would run this race again. However, I would take a full rest day the day before, and I would get up earlier on race morning and eat more breakfast. I had no gas in the tanks this time! I thought I knew better than that!

Do you ever talk to people when you race? Have you ever had one of those "lead legs" or "empty gas tank" races? Would you (or have you) ever run an ultra race?

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The Relay: Race Recap

The Friday before this race, I was not sure what to expect. What I got was an experience very similar to traveling alone. You are by yourself, but you meet fellow travelers who are on the same path as you, and you become friends in minutes. Often, your paths only cross for minutes, or days, but you feel as if you have known the people forever.

My van was like that. A bunch of travelers, all going down the same path, with stories about our craft. Everyone is different; the level of experience varies, but you are all united by a common goal/love. Age range: 20 - 45. Ability range: Once a week runner (1) / Once a month runner (1) / Second race ever (1) / Marathoners (3). Quickly, I will go over the players. Names have been changed to protect the innocent.

MYL: The Organizer. Has run a couple marathons and some smaller races, but is currently not training for anything. She is also the one who got walking pneumonia and therefore was not sure if she was going to be able to run. Texas: A jokester. Has only run one other race before, which was 6 miles long. He ran that race in cross trainers. Backseat B: Fitness Guru. Not a frequent runner, but has buns of steel. The 6 Minute Man: This guy put down a 6 minute mile as his pace. We were all in awe. Young R: At 20 years old, was by far the youngest of the crowd. But he was still picking up what we were putting down.

All 12 of us got together for dinner on Friday night, for a little meet and greet. I am glad we did, because after the first 2 minutes, we already knew that our group was going to have fun. Do you know how I knew? First thing 6 Minute Man says to me is, "I read your blog". I was thinking, "oh crap; I hope I didn't say anything incriminating about this race!" Anyway, I learned that he had Googled everyone after he found out who was in our van. Creepy, right? But funny. You know what, if you put it out there, someone can find it! So beware. At least 6MM was honest about it (cough, cough, stalker!) Everyone was really nice, even the Van 1 people! But I didn't spend as much time with them, so you won't hear about them as much.

On Saturday morning, Van 2 (that's us) met up with Van 1 in Calistoga, CA (in case you are not familiar, that is in Napa County in the wine region) at the start line to see them off. The way our relay was set up was on a wave start. The first teams left at 7 a.m. and every half hour, about a half a dozen teams left the start line. The last teams (the fast people) left at 3 p.m. There were about 200 teams. We went over the start line at 9 a.m.

Doing "team stretches" before the big race

Our van then had to wait, since our first leg was not until about 1 pm. So we went and had some pancakes and coffee at the Hydro Bar and Grill. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to eat. Usually I run in the morning, so I have a simple breakfast (must have cereal!) and I hit the road. But this time, the time of day and the waiting, and the HEAT...I did not know how to play it. About an hour before my first leg, I had a bagel with peanut butter. You know how they say that certain things work for some and not for others? Peanut Butter? Does NOT work for me. Urp.

Leg 1: 5 pm Saturday. Finally, it was time for my first leg. It was about 85 degrees and very, VERY windy. The wind was not a nice, cooling breeze. It dried out your eyes, and your lips and your tongue. It pushed you backwards. It was hard. The beginning of my leg was through Petaluma, which is pretty flat, but that meant navigating the streets, which are not shut down. Around mile 3, there was a steady (and HOT) uphill until around mile 5, when it finally went down to the end. I saw cows (this area used to be known for it's dairies), sheep (I yelled MMAAA at them and the one other runner, who I didn't realize was behind me, laughed at me) and lots of green rolling hills.

TOTALS, Leg 1: 6.9 miles / 54:23 / 7:56 pace

Much of leg one looked like this

After our van was done, we headed to San Francisco, where we had a chance to rest at a friend's house. Unfortunately, we went the wrong way and ended up taking the coastal road instead of the freeway. This gave us the chance to have dinner in Stinson Beach, which is lovely, but made it so we did not arrive to San Francisco until about 9:30 and we were needing to leave by 11. I got about 1 hour of sleep.

Getting ready for the night run. Photo Credit: Texas.

Leg 2: 12:05 a.m. Sunday. Since MYL had gotten sick, I agreed to run this leg for her. I am so glad I did. This leg started at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge and wound it's way around the coast, past Baker Beach, the Legion of Honor and the Cliff House and then down the Great Highway for the last 3 miles. It was the easiest 7 mile run I have ever done. It was cool, about 50 degrees, there was a nice cool sea breeze coming off the water, the city was quiet and dark (which I thought I wouldn't like, but I LOVED) and it was nice to just run along, without music (I know! Me? No music!) through the city I love so much. It was a little hilly as well, but they didn't even phase me this time.

TOTALS, Leg 2: 7 miles / 59:11 / 8:22 pace

This is where I ran for leg 2. It was dark, but still beautiful!

Leg 3: 3:30 a.m. Sunday. This leg was quick and easy, and although not as great as the last one, it was still nice to run quietly along in the dark.

TOTALS, Leg 3: 1.8 miles / 13:33 / 7:44 pace

After our last runner was done, we went to the resting place, which was a college gym, with showers and where you could stretch out in your sleeping bag and rest. We chose rest over sleep, but still by the time we got in, it was about 5:30 a.m. We got up at 7, making the grand sleep total about 2.5 hours. 

Van 2

Leg 4: 12:34 pm Sunday. Holy hills batman. This one was a doozy. It went up and down and up and down and up and up and up. From mile 4.5 to 6, there was a 700 ft elevation change. I thought I was tough. I have run hills before. I run trail races. But these hills, running on no sleep, in 80 degree weather, up and up and up...they killed me. I was hurting. On the plus side, I passed 6 people. Hey, sorry dudes, but that made me feel good. I'll admit it.

TOTALS, Leg 4: 6.3 miles / 55:23 / 8:46 pace

Over the hills and through the Redwoods

After I went, the next runner was our last runner. Her leg was 6 miles total, and we all jumped in at the end to run the last mile with her so we could all (including Van 1) cross the finish line together as a team.

Finishing Leg: 1.2 miles / 15:56 / 13:07 pace

Team TOTALS:  194 miles / 29:32:56 / 9:08 pace

The finish line. The guy in orange is who we were running/raising money for.

*Just a side note, the Google team usually wins, at least they did for several years. This year, they got lost and came in 2nd. However, this did not stop them from maintaining UNDER a 6 minute mile the entire time! (their total was: 19:49) Results HERE.

Afterward, there was BEER. And burritos. I was in heaven. Actually I ordered a burrito AND a plate of nachos, which I did not even come close to finishing. Then we had to drive back home (about two hours), get gas for the van and drop me off at my car where I had a 30 minute drive to get home. Then I took a shower and went straight to bed. I think it was about 9 p.m. I slept for 11 hours. Phew.

The Verdict?  If you are not from California, or even if you are, you should do this race. The scenery is amazing and it varies, showing off many of our best places. This is a great way to get introduced to some of the smaller towns and roads and off the beaten path areas.

Would I Do it Again? Yes. It was hard and I don't know how some people, who weren't regular runners, did it, because I think I am in pretty good shape and I had a hard time on some of the legs. It was challenging to have to run several times in one day, without proper food or sleep, up hills, in the heat. But I have to say, I loved every minute of it. Also, I made a bunch of new friends, and that is invaluable.

Van 2. Photo credit: 6MM.

Who is ready to run with me next year? Have you ever conquered a fear and found it better than you imagined? Have you ever been to any of the towns we ran through? 

Don't forget to check out other Fitness Friday posts over at Jills. Have a Happy Mother's Day on Sunday all you MOMS!

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