A long run on a foggy Saturday

Saturday = running day! I still haven’t decided whether to run the marathon in October or not, but I will definitely run the half marathon (even if I will then be disqualified …). I really need to get my mileage up again so I was planning to run 10 miles today. I ran to the Golden Gate Bridge down to Baker’s Beach, following the Coastal trail to Lands End and the Cliff House, turned into Golden Gate Park returning to the Presidio taking 5th Avenue and Arguello. …). This is usually a very scenic run but today it was so foggy that I could barely see the ocean. As every week, I took a wrong turn in the Presidio and my 10-12 mile run turned out to be a 15 mile run (I walked most of the last 3 miles. Why the hell do I ALWAYS get lost in the Presidio??? A part of me enjoys it because I always discover new roads and trails but it is starting to get a little bit ridiculous… Let's blame the fog today for my bad sense of orientation, I could barely see anything (the picture above shows Ocean Beach near the Cliff House but was taken a year ago). I was really tired when I came back home and rewarded myself with a vanilla-latte (love it!) and a really delicious fruit salad. Tonight, I went to see my friends Conny and Roland, we usually try new and healthy recipes. We made an Indian quinoa bowl with kale, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, cashew nuts, chicken and avocado. A really healthy dish and soooo delicious. Yumm!

Smile at strangers!

A friend of mine wrote “Smiles at strangers” on her facebook profile. I read it and I really liked it (besides, she is a very cool and smart person). I think I usually smile back when people smile at me, so why not give away a couple of smiles to other people as well? Honestly, I never really thought about it. Today I decided to smile at strangers on the street or in cars and see what happens. The first couple of smiles were kind of akward, I would almost describe them as shy. I don’t think I am a shy person but I guess I don’t smile at strangers very often in general. I had a hard time keeping eye contact in the beginning. For no reason! No matter if male or female, if old or young, almost everyone smiled back, I would say 9 out if 10 people smiled back and seemed positively surprised. Every dog-walker and every parent with a kid smiled back and the people that didn't smile back were easy to spot in advance… You should try it – it sounds a little crazy (I know..), but it was actually fun. I am not planning to smile at every person that passes my way now, but I will definitely try to be a little bit more outgoing rather than being trapped in "my own little world" and thoughts when I walk down the street or go for a walk along Crissy Field.


This morning we worked out at the beach with Sandra and Jenn. It was windy and the Golden Gate Bridge was completely hidden in fog (the picture above was taken 5 h later) but I definitely wasn’t cold during the workout! I always thought the “Indian runs” with medicine balls are my worst enemy, but today I realized it can get even worse: Indian runs with a medicine ball in the sand! We did 3 sets of them and at some point I thought I will pass out. I think I was breathing like a horse. In between our runs we did many exercises to build core strength as well as jumps, burpees, push ups, bear crawls and crocodile walks. For the first time I can remember, my forearms are starting to feel sore now, the sand makes the workout so much harder as there is barely stability. We were all really exhausted by the end of the workout but it was a great class! I have been really consistent with my workouts the last couple of weeks, so now it is time to make some small changes in my nutrition.
In general I eat relatively healthy (I think), but I do eat in our work-cafeteria quite often which isn’t the best choice (but it is convenient). Today, I made a salad with arugula, chicken, tomatoes, peppers and avocado for lunch, it was sooo delicious! I went to another Bar Method class in the evening, cooked some pasta with vegetables to be fueled for my run tomorrow. Now it’s only 8 pm and I am about to fall asleep. It was a nice day and I promise to smile more at strangers in the future!

Zwetschgendatschi!

I started the day with a great Basic Training workout with Michael. Today's focus was on legs and on developing "explosive" strength. We ran to the pull-up bars at the little Marina Green. We stepped up the benches, we did wall-jumps, many many squats, jump-squats, sprints, jumping hurdles forward, sidewards, left, right, high and low,each time followed by a short sprint. In between we ran laps (for recovery...yeah right), did pull ups, tricep dips and bicep curls. And my all-time favorite: dog sleds! It was a great but very challenging workout that finished with crunches and stretching, it was a ton of fun. My shins are really hurting now though...

I went to a Bar method class held by Sharon later in the day, it was a great class as well. But again the thigh-work was killing me...I got pointed out for my good form a couple of times but my legs were seriously shaking like jelly... I have been pushing myself hard and working out a lot lately. The improvements I have made over the last 15 weeks are so encouraging that I just want to keep going. I'd like to reveal the athlete in me, I know it's hiding somewhere!


On my way home from the Bar method, I passed a local supermarket and they had italian prunes! I was so excited, they are so hard to get in San Francisco. I didn't have to think for more than a second and I knew what I would have to bake: my mum's Austrian Zwetschgendatschi! I have to get it out of the house now, it tastes sooo good, I could clean the whole tray.... I guess it tastes a little bit like home and good old times with my family. Although, at home, my mum would definitely serve some whipped cream with it...

Great workout, home-made Pizza and a blinded Nutella-study

This morning we had a great workout at bootcamp, I loved it. Michael and Jenn were teaching the class. We worked out in a parking garage, it was awesome. On the way to the garage, we did an Indian run (which I still dislike…), it seemed like it took forever. At the parking garage, we did timed sprints from the bottom to the top (3 levels), 3 times (70% max, 80% and 100%) and then another set of two. My times went from 34 seconds down to 29 seconds, I was so happy to run it below 30 seconds (for the first time). In between, we did a lot of arm- and shoulder work using resistance bands. We also did many crunches (tilted downhill) and push ups. It was a lot of fun but at the end, everyone’s sweat was just dripping on the ground, it was a tough workout. I really want to push myself harder, I want to be faster, I want the challenge. I love Basic Training, I love the pain that comes with it.

Today was my last day at work as a Postdoc, my visa expires tomorrow. My new work visa won’t be effective before October 1st (if everything goes well) so I have to take a 4 week-vacation (I know, life is hard…). I have many plans for the following weeks, but my main goal is to use September to focus on my fitness and endurance. Bootcamp workouts, long runs, Bar method but of course I also want to travel, get some rest and go for hikes and bike rides. It will be awesome!. September will be my month of change. I am so excited to have one month just for hobbies, my friends and family, it will be a blast!

Tonight, my roommate Meghan and I had friends over for home-made Pizza (the slice with the most cheese in the picture was mine...), red wine and a blinded Nutella tasting. No one usually believes me that German Nutella tastes different than the US/Canadian version (I even have been called a "Nutella snob"...), so the test had to be done. I honestly don't like Nutella that much anyway, but I definitely think that there is a big difference in taste if you compare the US product with the German one. They only had Nutella "made in Canada" at safeway, so that was our US-sample...well, it's close ;-) We made crepes for dessert that we then filled with the different kinds of Nutella. 3 out of 4 people thought that the German Nutella tastes better and everyone agreed that they do taste quite different. See, I told you! I personally like my crepe best when it comes with strawberry jam :) Thanks Meghan, Kendra and Janet for this fun evening!

Hello sunshine!

Good morning world! What a beautiful morning!!! Seems like finally summer has also found San Francisco!! Today was our running day again and we ran quite a bit. We started heading towards planet granite (I guess that’s 1.5 miles or a little less), did some crocodile walks and 20 jump squats. Then we were sent off for another lap around the green, it seemed like a long lap (may be 0.7 miles?). We did two more exercises for the arms/back before we were sent for another lap. Came back, did pull ups and partner-rows and then…yes, you might guess…another lap. It felt like a lot of running especially since there wasn’t really a chance to recover in between. But I enjoyed it, it was such a beautiful sunrise, a gorgeous morning! We did more exercises for the abs (Russian twists and regular crunches), triceps dips, side planks and dips, more rows, one last exercise for the hamstrings and then we ran back to the parking lot. I am sure we ran at least 4 miles. I feel like I took it a little too easy on the runs (which I now regret), but tomorrow is another day. I have signed up for another Bar method tonight, I am starting to get addicted to my workouts again. I really hate the thigh work, but when I think about it, it’s really only 7 minutes in a 60 minute-class – and I love all the other exercises.

I stepped on a scale this morning…I avoided the scale the last 6 weeks. I kind of knew that I probably gained 3 or 4 pounds since “Sue’s 6-week-challenge”; I have been working out a lot but I didn’t watch my diet too much lately… The good news is that since January, I lost 10 pounds :))) That’s not bad, right? The bad news is that I still like to lose another 10 pounds, that would be awesome (and indeed, I am 3 lbs heavier than after the 6-week-challenge…but that was my lowest weight ever during the last 4 years anyway). I think I can reach my goal by the end of this year. I can’t really do a diet, it makes me cranky and I also don’t believe in diets. But I will try to watch my food a little closer this week and make good choices. The goal is to drop 2 lbs this week, should be manageable. Wish me luck :)

Adapt to change

Yesterday, I went for my “long” Saturday run. It was the first time I used my iphone and its Nike+ system to track my distance… after 2h of running across the Golden Gate Bridge and Presidio trails I finally got the information that I ran 0.2 miles with an average pace of 0.00 miles/min. Ha! I know I am a slow runner but I am not that slow..! That was a little bit disappointing but I guess I ran app. 10 miles, it was fun. Originally, my plan was to cross the Bridge and hit the coastal trail in Marin, but then it was really foggy and I saw the big hills and I just didn’t feel ready… so I decided to turn around at the Vista Point and hit the trails in the Presidio. I am still really scared of running hills, I don’t know what to do about it. I guess the only way to get better is to run them more often… I saw a piece of art (see picture above) in the woods of the Presidio: “adapt to change”. It made me run up the hill even faster (after taking the picture). It is up to us to make changes in your life, and sometimes it might take a while until a change becomes a habit, but I guess the bottom line is that we always should be ready for a change.
In that spirit, I went to a Bar method class after my run, because my abs are certainly ready for a change, too…. I had another Bar method class with Keryun this morning and my abs feel much stronger now. I was wearing a new shirt for the class today which exposes more of my back and I couldn’t stop looking at myself in the mirror because I saw muscles at my back that I have never seen before. It was hard to believe that they are mine!! I guess other people watching me must have thought “jeez, she really loves herself"... It is the biggest inspiration once you start seeing changes in your body, it feels great.
To avoid a “too healthy” lifestyle I made some jam last night – I loved cooking jam in Munich but ever since I moved to the US, I didn’t make any. I guess part of it is because I prefer a savory breakfast…anyways, no I have peach-almond and strawberry-vanilla jam at home. Let me know if you’d like to have some!

Indian runs and timed laps

My legs felt really tired this morning (probably from the bar method class) but I promised myself after I got up to give my best. Today’s class was with Sandra, we were only a small group (6 people). After a warm up, we started our workout with an “Indian run” to the Safeway pull-up bars. For an Indian run, people line up one behind another and we start running. The first person is carrying a 10 pound-medicine ball and while we run, the last person in the line has to sprint up to the first person in line, taking over the ball, then the next person sprints from the back to the front, and so on…I personally don’t like Indian runs because you always have some really fast people in the group. Yes, you, A.”sub-6” H. and M. “I-am-even-faster-than-that” F. :) . It is challenging, you try to keep up with the group because if you slow down, you will slow everyone else down and the person who is up to sprint has to go a longer distance. If you quit and drop out, everyone else has to work harder to keep it going and has to sprint more often, so that’s also not a preferred choice. But i guess that's also the beauty of a bootcamp workout - you are pushed to do things that you usually wouldn't do and fast people also inspire me to try a little harder. In the end I felt ok although only 4 out of the 6 completed the Indian run (but I am proud to say that I was one of them, but I definitely slowed them down at the end…).

We got to the pull up bars and of course, my “old” bootcamp was working out there, too…never mind, I guess meanwhile they have seen me so many times with Basic Training that they probably know what happened. It still feels a little weird though. We did many squats and leg-exercises today and again more core- and abdominal work. In between, we did 2x timed runs around the green. I came in 3rd each time, so not bad at all, but my time was 8 seconds slower than 5 weeks ago (a 6:40 min compared to a 6:32 min)…that shouldn’t happen! Well, let’s blame the Indian run for it!

I am not taking a Bar method class tonight, I want to recover and be fit for my run tomorrow morning. I am really looking forward to it. I haven’t really decided where to go yet. I am not a good trail runner but I think I want to hit a trail – even if I have to walk some of the hills it will be a great workout. Thank God it’s Friday!