Category Archives: 10K

Guardsmen “Training” Run

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The Guardsmen is a non-profit, volunteer based group of Bay Area men that work together to assist and improve the lives of at-risk/inner-city youth through educational and outdoor activities. I found out about The Guardsmen last year when I ran their Presidio 10 fundraising race- it was, and is, one of my most favorite races to date! So when I caught their Free Training Run event on Facebook, I signed right up and anticipated a mellow 10 miler.

Yesterday morning, Andrea and I drove out to the Inn at the Presidio in San Francisco to run with The Guardsmen.  I’m not sure what those Guardsmen are training for but I haven’t run a course this difficult in… hmmmm… NEVER! Continue reading →

Today’s Reason: The Long Run

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I was out with a friend for dinner last night and she asked me, “How did you figure out you loved running?” And I really had to pause to think about that… I told her it all began for me 6 years ago because of Oakland Adventure Boot Camp, or really, in the absence of it.  After I started going to the gym and stopped going to boot camp, I kept challenging myself to do what my boot camp trainers had challenged us to: run the entirety- all 3 miles- of Lake Merritt.  That seemed SO HARD to me back then!  “Justholdonasecondhere- you want me to run, without stopping, all the way around the whole entire lake? It’s so big! Who does that?! 3 miles?!?!?! No way!!!!”

Despite how daunting those 3 miles seemed to me at the time, I kept trying and trying and trying to propel my body around that lake 3 or 4 times a week, every week. I’ll never forget the moment I finally accomplished my goal of running the whole entire lake- I was elated and so proud of myself that I went ahead and signed up for my first 5K race in April 2009 and for about a year, that 3 miles was my long run.

Continue reading →

Happy Feet (& giveaway!)

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It’s been quite a while since I’ve done a giveaway and even though my feet aren’t terribly happy right now (read: bruised toes, nails falling off), I want yours to be!  So let’s talk socks…

When I first started racing in 2009, I suffered from major blisters usually on my left foot, right on the inside of the sole- the spot that (if my form is correct) hits the ground first when running.  Yeouch!  As a racing newbie and doing 5K after 5K when I started, I would typically push through the pain, keep on running, and complain to anyone who would listen about my painful, bleeding feet afterwards.  I finally realized that the cotton socks I wore + the amount of sweat I produced = the dire need for an authentic athletic sock. Continue reading →

Race Recap: Presidio 10

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In an effort to overcome the trauma that I experienced during the US Half Marathon, I signed up for the Presidio 10 hoping that running across the Golden Gate Bridge would, finally, be an enjoyable experience.  I’ll save you the suspense- it was!  It really, really was!

Since I counted Race Evils in my post about the US Half, let’s count Race Awesomeness in this one…

The Presidio 10 is put on by two non-profit groups, The Guardsmen (to raise money for programs, scholarships, and camps benefiting disadvantaged children in the Bay Area) and the Ashlyn Dyer Foundation (to raise money and awareness for brain and spinal injury research).  And you know me, I’m all about supporting good causes… (Race Awesomeness #1 and #2!) Continue reading →

Race Recap: Brazen’s New Year’s Day 10K

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If you know me and/or if you follow my blog, you know that I was very anti-holidays this year.  When New Year’s Eve finally arrived and we started gearing up to head to Sonoma with BFFs Andrea & Josh to go for our NYE wine tasting extravaganza- I had a mental breakdown.  And it wasn’t pretty. Imagine me, a grown woman, throwing my body on the ground, banging hands and feet wildly, holding my breath and screaming, “NO NO NO I DON’T WANNA!!!”

I exaggerate but yeah, I basically threw a tantrum.  Hubby said, “Uh… I think you should do us all a favor and stay home.” Continue reading →