Giants race

I completed the S.F. Giants Run on Sunday, August 23rd.  I did the 5K with my friend Christine.  I love the Giants Race for many reasons:  .

1. There is usually a Giants Alum there to kick off the race
2. You get to see awesome Giants costumes/outfits
3. You bring together Giants fans from all over 
4. You get a great view of the Bay Bridge 
5. You get to finish the race on the field!   

Being on the field where legends play 6 nights a week - it's an experience, which you can do at Fanfest, etc., but to be on the field after a race, laying on the grass, eating frozen yogurt - and people who do not do the race can only watch you from the stands.  You may or may not hear your name be called as you finish, but you do get your face on the big screen - those experiences you will not get at Fanfest or the sleepover.  It's a pretty awesome experience.  

The Race isn't perfect.  Here are some things you should know prior to signing up: 

1. the Half/10K and 5K are different time starts.  The 5K starts at 10:50AM and all other races start at 7:30AM.  This could prove rather challenging if you are running with friends.  The 5K people have to wake up early, and the 10K people will have to wait hours before the 5K can start.
2. The race is crowded - really crowded. 
3. There are a lot of inexperienced runners who do this race (which can be awesome but..) who do not know the proper protocols, i.e. not stopping in the middle of the lane to walk.  I once witness a woman trying to jog the 5K in heels.
4. A lot of people make up times to be in earlier waves.  I know this happens in every race... but this seems to be a real issue at the Giants Race.  This past race, the woman in front of me, at the time of the gun, just walked out the start line.  It can be frustrating for the first few miles to get the pace sorted out.

Overall - I would recommend this race, and do it again.  The Expo the day before has some pretty cool stuff as well.

 

Me with the Bling

 

Rich Aurilia was this year's Alum

Tri For Fun! Our first Tri together!

On August 15th, Steve, Sonia and I participated in the "Tri For Fun" Series in Pleasanton.  It included a 0.25 mile swim, 11 mile bike ride and a 3.1 mile run.  I have been wanting to do a Tri for many years, but the idea of biking terrified me.  As you may know, I have been practicing and working on getting my confidence up, which helped a lot in the race.  

The toughest part of the race was actually transitioning from the biking to running.  The run wasn't on a paved road, it was a trail run with hills.  After 11 miles on the bike, my legs felt like bricks.  It was also our first time doing open water swimming.  I loved it, even though I ran into a dozen women and the buoy - I enjoyed being in the water and swimming towards the shore.  I am not sure how I would feel about ocean swimming, but lake swimming was great.  Steve and Sonia both agreed that Swimming was their most challenging part of the race.

The race itself was nicely organized.  There was about 200 people on the course.  Plenty of waves & room.  Good amount of water stations on the run.  Plenty of volunteers to give directions.  Overall, was really happy with the event.  It was hot - so that added a bit of struggle during the bike and run portion too.

My time was 1 hour and 36 minutes.  I think we will do this again next year, and I hope to beat my time.  All three of us are interested in doing another, so are on the hunt for possibly doing one more before next Summer.

Here are a few pictures I took from the event:

Two Weeks of Wedding Madness

The last few weeks have been completely dedicated to the wedding.  Both my family and Steve's family came into town.  It was busy, fun, crazy, exhausting and cute - all rolled up together.  We...

• Visited the Wedding Venue (and had some wine)
• Had a party for our family and wedding party to meet.
• Went painting (and had some wine)
• Found my wedding dress
• Took Moey to a surprise bachelorette party in SF
• Threw Moey a bridal shower
• Found my bridesmaids their dresses
• Found my dress for Moey's wedding
• Spent lots of time catching up, eating, drinking and more...

It was a lot of fun, however, very draining.  I am finding it challenging to be excited about the wedding when I constantly feel like there is a big "To-Do" list looming over me.  We got a lot done, but there is more to do.  I am glad I was able to have my Mom & Sister here for some of the big stuff.

Here are just a few photos of the fun we had:

 

I am looking forward to some wedding downtime over the next month or to.  I have a lot to do, but I need a break.  I feel very lucky that I have friends and family who have been such big help and support.  My biggest fear in planning a wedding is damaging relationships with people I care about.  I don't think that will happen - but, it always on my mind.  Be thankful, be kind and do my best to not stress myself out.  Maybe I need a wedding mantra?