theinbetweenismine

just a girl living the expat life

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Archives for July 2017

July Favorites

July 31, 2017 filed under: monthly favorites

1. I was going a little crazy over the homemade strawberry-cream popsicles that I made earlier this month. They were so simple and easy to make.

2. The highlight of this month definitely was the San Francisco Half Marathon. I had been working for and anticipating it for months and I just had a blast. Read the full recap of my race weekend here.

3. They handed out single-serve packages of these Ozery Bakery Morning Rounds as freebies at the San Francisco marathon race festival last week and I was pleasantly surprised. They can be kept in the freezer and can be popped into the toaster for a quick and easy, on-the-go snack/breakfast. I love it. I’ve been looking for a ‘muesli’ bread for so long and I was able to find them at our local Safeway!

4. I got a really good deal on this Aveeno Body Yogurt (I combined a sale with a coupon!) and thought I would give it a try. Lotion usually is freakin’ expensive. It smells really nice and it absorbs quickly and is not sticky at all.

5. I don’t watch a lot TV, but I’ve come across this show Bandit Patrol recently while zapping around and animal shows always pull at my heartstrings. If you wanna meet Lionel, the possum with a broken leg – or baby raccoons, skunks, deer, and other wildlife – be rescued and rehabilitated, watch this show.

6. I’ve been really craving a good ol’ glass of ice-cold Nesquik chocolate milk after my long runs lately. It’s so refreshing and the perfect post-run fuel.

14

Recap | 2017 SF 1st Half Marathon

July 30, 2017 filed under: running, travel, USA, weekend


Source

Last year, I ran my first half marathon in San Francisco. This year, I returned to the City to run another half marathon (warning, this will be a long recap!).

As I mentioned before, the SF marathon has full marathon (DARK BLUE) and two half marathons. The 1st half marathon (YELLOW) was the first half of the full marathon (from Embarcadero to Fisherman’s Wharf, over the Golden Gate Bridge and back to Golden Gate Park) and the 2nd half marathon (LIGHT BLUE) from Golden Gate Park through Haight Ashbury, Mission District back to the Embarcadero) was the second half. We picked the 2nd half marathon, because a) it started a little later and b) the elevation profile looked a little less intimidating.

In order for marathoners and half marathoners to run together, marathoners and 1st half marathoners start together at the startline at the Embarcadero around 6 a.m. in the morning, 1st half marathoners end at Golden Gate Park where the  2nd half marathoners join on the course around 8 a.m. and then end back at the Embarcadero.

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Last year, I chose the second half marathon, because a) it started a little later and b) the elevation profile looked a little less intimidating. Here’s a comparison of the two.

This year, I was ready to tackle the first half.

I took Amtrak to San Francisco on Saturday, because driving and parking in the City is insane and it’s usually hardly faster to drive than take the train. Also last year, traffic to the Bay Area was so crazy that it took me 3.5 hours to cover 75 miles (to the East Bay) and if Susi hadn’t picked up my race package for me, I wouldn’t have been able to get there in time to get it.

So this year, I wanted to make sure I got there relaxed (and I also didn’t want to worry about driving back home for 2+ hours after my run on Sunday).

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I got to San Francisco around 1:30 p.m. and then had to make my way over to the Race Expo at Fort Mason. Took a wrong bus that took me to the Presidio and had to walk back through the Marina to Fort Mason from there, but I didn’t mind because I was able to walk part of the race course that I was going to run the next day!.

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I picked up my race bib + t-shirt and spent some time walking around at the Expo. I met a German guy at the Currex stand, who talked me into some insoles for my running shoes. Well, ‘talked into’ means convincingly showed me research evidence conducted nowhere else but at the Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln (a renowned sports university near my hometown). I mean, if that is not prestigious, well-established research, then I don’t know what is.

We chatted in German for a bit, then I walked around the Expo some more and took a couple of pictures in front of some of the photo ops they had put up.

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I snatched two free bottles of Hubert’s Lemonade on my way out and then walked over to Ghirardelli Square, where I sat in the sun and enjoyed my free beverage.

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Around 4:30 p.m., I caught a bus back to Union Square and checked into my hotel. I stayed at the Bartlett Bunkhouse, which is somewhere between a hostel and a hotel. I had a room with private bath and I was pretty happy with my sleeping quarters. The room was small, but it had hardwood floors and the bed was pretty comfortable!

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I went out again to get some dinner (had a arugula-salami-pizza at Pizzeria Delarosa) and then bought some water and went back to the hotel. I was in bed by 9:30 p.m. 

Countdown was on:

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My alarm was set for 4 a.m., but I didn’t really sleep that well and woke up every hour. Why is that before a race, you just can’t seem to sleep through the night (or at least, I can’t)?

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I got up bright an early, had some water, nibbled on some oat crunch cereal. I got dressed and ready and was out the door by 4:45 a.m.

The streets of SF were still dark and mostly deserted, but you could see people  (some wrapped in plastic bags) in running gear with bibs pinned to their shirts converge on Market Street heading down to Embarcadero. The runners were up and roaming around the city.

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I was a little bit afraid that I was going to be cold in the morning, because I had planned to run in shorts and a tank top (but I did bring a sweater along), but it was surprisingly mild once I had dropped of my sweat bag with the UPS trucks.

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I stood in line for a port-a-potty stop and the lines were really long, so I made it into my corral kinda late and was stuck in the back. We enjoyed a beautiful sunrise over the Bay Bridge and shortly after, my wave was off at 6:02 a.m..

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I had a pretty good start, felt good and was moving along fairly well… or so I thought. There was a lot of swerving around and passing people on the first couple of miles (actually, I found the whole race to be pretty crowded and the crowd never really dispersed) and my pace for the first few miles was definitely slower than I had hoped for.

The first 5 miles were the ‘easy’ part of the course because they were mostly flat except for one relatively short hill in mile 3. In mile 6, we hit the first steep incline leading to the Golden Gate Bridge. I managed to run this, but my pace slowed considerably.

As we headed towards the bridge, I have to be honest and say that I was hoping for more scenic views, but early in the morning in July, the bridge is usually wrapped in Karl, the fog (thick and wet) and Sunday was no different. You literally couldn’t see 50 feet in front of you, let alone the big red arches in their full glory, and the bridge was wet and a bit slick, especially the metal bridge connectors.

We shared the road with oncoming runners coming back over the bridge and even though that was kind of cool, it also felt a bit crowded. 

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When we finally reached the other side of the bridge, the clouds opened up to reveal the most beautiful blue skies. But we weren’t able to enjoy that for very long because we turned around at the Vista Point and headed back into the fog towards the Presidio.

There was a fairly rapid decline for about a mile at mile 11 (where I hit my fast pace – surprise, surprise!) and then the rolling hills of the last 2.5 miles started and I was so. not. prepared. Whoever decided to put these hills at the end of the race must like cruel jokes.

Finally, we were outside Golden Gate Park and I knew the finish line was near. I attempted a final push for the last half mile of the course, but it wasn’t quite enough to beat my previous PR.

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I finished in 2:09:55 ( which is 25 secondes behind my PR from last year (on the perceived easier 2nd half course).

I was pleasantly surprised how close my Garmin was to the official time (and that I ran a pretty tight race line because I only ran .15 miles long!)

I didn’t reach my time goal, but I am not sad about it. All things considered (a few missed workouts sessions, a forced 2-week rest period right before the race due to some ankle pain, which luckily disappeared and didn’t give me any more trouble), it all worked out pretty well and all that really counts is that I made it to the finish line.

This was a really fun course to run and I couldn’t believe that the miles flew by as fast as they did. The first half marathon felt all around a little quieter than running the second half marathon last year (which could be a combination of an earlier start time and the course being along the shore and over the bridge with less spectators at this early hour. The second half course on the other hand starts quite a bit later and goes through mostly residential neighborhoods).

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Overall thoughts on the race organization:

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Registration and Packet Pick Up

Registration is online and super-easy, the not so easy part is shelling out the money. This race is not cheap, but then again, you get what you pay for and this race is really well organized.

I wish they would offer to mail the race packet, because if you’re out of town and have to go to the expo to pick up your packet the day before the race, it’s kind of an inconvenience. Then again, the expo is really cool and I am glad I was forced to go see it this time. The race shirt is really nice, too.

Race morning Amenities

There were plenty of port-a-potties and signs at the starting line. UPS trucks were lined up to accept your sweat bags with your belongings (which were driven over to the finish line). Waves started on time.

Race course

This course challenges you right out of the gate with its early start time. I absolutely loved running along the piers, through the Marina, and  over the Golden Gate Bridge, even if the fog completely obscured the view. The hills were challenging, I am not going to lie, but I’d run this race again in a heartbeat.

Each aid/water station was adequately staffed with volunteers and I thought they were appropriately spaced out. I wish runners would just use the provided trash cans to dispose of their paper cups and not just throw them on the ground. It made running/walking through the water stations a little inconvenient.

Finish line and Post Race Amenities

They had water right behind the finish line, bananas and power bars. Then you were moved right along to collect your medal and heat blanket and get out of the way.

They had a special challenge tent where you could pick up your challenge medals. I earned the “Half it all” challenge medal this year, because I participated in the 2nd half marathon last year. It’s a nice perk.

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Then even further down, they offered hot coffee and Irish coffee, which was really nice because it was still chilly due to the fog.

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Results

The results were up relatively fast. You already could access your ‘unofficial’ finish time through the RTRT.me race app and it ended up being my official time, too. 

Photography

There was an official race photograper (team), but I was disappointed with it this year. There were supposed to be 4 different photo stations along the race path (at the start line, on the Golden Gate Bridge, in the Presidio, and at the finish line in Golden Gate Park) but there were only three photos of me near the finish line. That was kinda disappointing. Every time I did see a photographer along the way, they were just ‘watching’, or fiddling with their cameras. Maybe it was just my bad luck (other people got more photos of themselves), but I was bummed anyway.

Also, last year, all photos were free, this year, you got one – zoomed out – photo of yourself crossing the finish line, every other image must be purchased (starting at $20 for one digital image!). For the price we pay for the registration, I felt this should have been included (like last year).

The photos that I do have (from after the race) were taken by A., who I met at the finish line and who also needed someone to take her picture. We both had run the race alone and it’s hard to get your medal in the picture when you’re attempting selfies.

We started talking and really hit it off.  She’s from Texas and we’re both working in earth science. So cool! We ended up heading back to race festival (at Embarcadero) together, got our ‘free’ beer and some other free goodies, and ended up adding each other on Facebook.  After enjoying our adult beverage and a nice chat, it was time for me to head back to the hotel to check out and go find some food. 

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I also had time to hang out for a couple more hours.

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All in all, I had a really fanastic weekend in San Francisco. Some people expressed sympathy that I ran this race by myself, but to be honest, I really didn’t mind. Of course, I would have loved to run with Susi again or meet up with other people, but as I mentioned before, I really don’t mind doing things by myself.

Have you run races alone? Would you?

19

Currently | July

July 25, 2017 filed under: currently


feeling
stoked about finishing the 1st half marathon in San Francisco on Sunday! It was such a fantastic weekend in the City! Recap to follow!

loving the vibe from this weekend, seeing so many runners in one spot. It was so inspiring and fun!

wearing skirts and sandals, because it’s summer!

watching nothing in particular. I am like the LEAST up-to-date person when it comes to TV series and shows. I just don’t spend much time watching TV these days. Oh, I guess, besides baseball. ALL THE BASEBALL.

looking forward to having my cousin and his girlfriend visit in a few weeks, and

planning a couple of short trips while they’re here! Yay!

wondering when this political circus is going to stop giving me anxiety. I am not an anxious person usually.

listening to NPR. I wish I had something more exciting to tell here every month, but the truth is, I don’t listen to a whole lot of stuff these days (besides the radio on my commute) and the same old playlist during my runs (when I decide I need music, which lately, I have often forgone).


reading Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Enjoying it, but not sure I am getting the hype quite yet.

making more homemade popsicles. These are so good, you gotta try them! I made a different badge following this recipe for basic no-churn vanilla ice-cream (minus the sweetened condensed milk because I think cream is ‘sweet’ enough already) and just added some strawberry swirl into the mix. So good!

eating all the salads. It’s summertime, what else do you expect?

drinking lots of water — or at least trying to!

hoping that my Mom’s upcoming surgery will be going well. She had to have kidney surgery last summer and this is kind of a follow-up procedure and I just hate being so far away from family when things like this happen. Please send all good vibes her way.

needing more hours in the day. I want to read, I want to blog, cook dinners, go for a walk, watch the news, knit, sit in the backyard. There’s just not enough time to do it all.

20

Friday Five | Midyear goal check-in 

July 21, 2017 filed under: goals

I know, I know, we’re little over the halfway mark of this year already, but it occurred to me just now that I had set some tentative goals guidelines for this year and that it might be a good idea to check in. Which means, I had to dig through my archives and find the post where I listed those goals (and see what they actually were, haha!) and figure out if I was brave enough to publicly share here how I have been doing (or if I should just let sleeping dogs lie and just pretend that post never happened.)

I am not really this great with new year’s resolutions and the like (which doesn’t mean I don’t have goals I am working towards), but I do like list-making and crossing off of things… so I guess, this is where these two meet.

Well, turns out, I am actually not doing all that bad either, so of course, I am going to share the status quo with you guys, because a) I don’t feel too embarrassed and b) maybe this will hold me accountable, too, going forward.

1. Fill a jar with notes of happiness. Yes. J and I have been writing down one happy thought for the week every Sunday for the last 28 weeks. I hope we can keep this up, this is really fun and I can’t wait to read through all of them at the end of the year.

2. Run 1000 miles. On track. Well, actually I am a little bit behind. My tracker stands at 460 miles, but I think that I might still be able to catch up if I set my mind to it. I was a bit derailed by my ankle pain and didn’t run as much as scheduled for a couple of weeks.

3. Cross train. Kinda. I definitely did more cross-training than before, but I could still be more diligent. Oh yeah, and have I mentioned yoga lately? I definitely should go back to yoga.

4. Read 25 books. Done. As of right now, I have read 42 books and I don’t even know myself anymore. Last year, I didn’t think it was possible to fit more reading into my week, but I am so happy that I am making more time for books again.

5. Invest some time in my Etsy shop. Nope. Big fat fail so far. I had a handful of orders in the first half of this year and designed a Thank you-card for a wedding, but that’s pretty much it. My creative juices seem to be dried up currently. Sigh. Maybe they’ll come back to me in the second half of the year? One can hope.

How are you doing with your goals so far?

I am linking up with  Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday Five 2.0 Linkup

13

July Link Love

July 19, 2017 filed under: link love

Around the Interwebs

If you read one post today, make it this one. This is really important: Why you should care about Net Neutrality*.

* Net neutrality is the principle that Internet service providers and governments regulating the Internet should treat all data on the Internet the same, not discriminating or charging differentially by user, content, website, platform, application, type of attached equipment, or mode of communication.

6 things you need to recover from every day

This made me laugh, but also cry, because unfortunately it’s true: 39 problems all girls with thin hair have gone through.

11 things I wish you knew about my child-free marriage… because there is no right or wrong when it comes to having children.

Do you remember the times before the Internet?

How to organize your information for better decision-making. I knew there was a reason I always keep a gazillion tabs open!

Things to do in San Francisco this summer. 

I used to hand-write so much when I was younger. Let’s not let handwriting die…

10 real life merit badges. LOL

15 nutrients all runners need and everybody else, too!

 

Around the blogosphere

We really shouldn’t feel ashamed to call ourselves bloggers.

Do you also struggle with compliments? You’re not alone, but here’s how to take a compliment even if it makes you feel uncomfortable.

I love those ideas: Creating healthy eating habits.

 
Craftiness

Do you have a bullet journal? I don’t, but I am seriously considering it for next year: 7 Summer Spreads Ideas for Bullet Journals

 
Deliciousness

Oh, that sounds more like dessert than breakfast, am I right? Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Granola

Tomatoes, bread? Gimme! Tuscan Panzanella Salad.

Time to eat more fish: Grilled salmon kebabs.

Share a good link with me in the comments!

11

Recipe | Kohlrabi-Coleslaw

July 17, 2017 filed under: recipe

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Are you a fan of coleslaw? I find, people either love it or hate it. I fall into the former camp. I love me some good cole slaw. My mom always used to make it from scratch, so I am pretty spoiled, I guess.

I know, shredding the cabbage is a bit of a hassle. BUT, and here’s the big but, cabbage is good for you and coleslaw is not really hard to make at all. Especially, when you can get pre-shredded and packaged, ready-to-eat cabbage at Trader Joe’s (ha!).

I added kohlrabi this time, which I did have to shred, but that was totally worth it to me because I love kohlrabi and wanted to add it in. You can just go with the cabbage if you can’t find kohlrabi or don’t even know what it is. It does add a nice flavor to the cole slaw in my opinion, though.

Kohlrabi is also called German turnip (who knew?) because it’s apparently popular in German-speaking countries. It’s considered somewhere between cabbage and turnip. The name comes from the German Kohl (“cabbage”) plus Rübe ~ Rabi (Swiss German variant) (“turnip”), because the swollen stem resembles a turnip.

It is hard to find here in the US and many people usually don’t know what it is. I found it at the Farmers Market a couple of weeks ago, and a HUGE kohlrabi at that.At the supermarket, I sometimes get lucky and find teeny-tiny ones, but they’re a pain in the ass because you have to peel them.

If you are interested to know about other ways to use kohlrabi, let me know. I can share a few more recipes! It’s super-tasty uncooked as a snack food and the taste reminds me a little bit of (root) celery.

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Kohlrabi-Coleslaw
2017-07-16 17:28:36
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Prep Time
10 min
Prep Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 package pre-shredded cabbage
  2. 1 kohlrabi - peeled and shredded (optional -- the size of a small cantaloupe or like three tiny ones)
  3. 2 carrots - shredded (optional -- if you like the pop of color)
For the dressing
  1. 1/4 cup half & half
  2. 2 tbsp white vinegar
  3. 2 tbsp olive oil
  4. Pepper to taste
  5. Salt to taste
  6. 1/4 cup chopped parsley
Instructions
  1. Combine the cabbage, kohlrabi and carrots in a big bowl.
  2. Mix the dressing in a separate bowl and pour over the slaw.
  3. Stir thoroughly and then let it marinate in the fridge for a few hours.
By San
theinbetweenismine https://theinbetweenismine.com/
 

This makes a nice side dish for BBQs, grilled chicken or sausages.
We recently had it with a mahi-mahi patty and grilled asparagus (see above).

I am linking up with Food, Pleasure and Health and The Fit Foodie Mama for the #MeatlessMonday Linkup.

9

Budgeting | Get off your high horse

July 13, 2017 filed under: budgeting, finances


Photo by Thomas Malama on Unsplash.

You know, I am a huge advocate for talking about finances, budgeting and that kind of stuff. I think we can all learn from each other by being more open about something that every adult has to deal with and I am all for smart and savvy financial ideas and advice. It shouldn’t come as a surprise then that I do follow a handful of budgeting blogs and financial resources.

One of these blogs is called ‘The Financial Diet’, which is basically a “Thought Catalog “-type of blog for all things related to finances and money. There are a lot of different contributors. Some articles are worthwhile, others are completely useless. Every now and then, I wanna get into an argument with people because they’re so far up on their high horses that I can’t stand it for even one minute.

There was this article the other week titled “The Smartest Decision We Ever Made To Build Wealth Rapidly” and the article talks about how people spend too much money on housing (30% is considered the maximum amount, if you spend more than that, you’re ‘rent-burdened’) and how they (the author and his girlfriend) started building wealth (think: retirement funds, savings, etc.) by intentionally living below their means. So far, so good.

Now, that was followed up with the fact that according to their calculations, 30% of their income would come out to a maximum rent amount of $40,000/year or $3,300/month, and the decision to rent a smaller space and spend only 15% and put the rest into savings.

I wanted to stop and scream right there.

If you have a (maximum) budget of $3,300 to spend on rent, I can totally see how you can bring down the percentage and spend that money elsewhere. Valid point! But does this person realize that $3,300 is many, many people’s complete monthly budget, not just the allotted maximum amount for rent?

The author didn’t indicate if those $40,000 annually were before or after taxes, but simple math concludes that these people have a six digit annual income to work with. From the standpoint of someone who operates on a median household income, it seems fairly obvious to me that these people should be able to live more ‘frugally’ and spent less than 30% on housing and put that extra money into savings. Just don’t go around bragging about it like it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, especially to people who have a hard time reducing their housing costs. Because this “smart decision” that they were able to make? Yeah, they were able to make that because there was enough money in the first place. It gets tougher and tougher the less you earn. It’s easy to slash your rent money in half when you’re a high earner, not so much if 30% of your own money can barely afford you a one-bedroom apartment.

One commentator suggested that people with (e.g.)  $2,500 monthly income (I assume, he means take-home) should rent a two-bedroom apartment for $1,000 and then get a roommate to bring the monthly rent down to $500. That would be 20% towards housing expenses. His argument, “this could be temporary until you get on stable financial ground.”

I don’t know what kind of planet these people live on, but a) two-bedroom apartments for $1,000 are not that easy to find (depending on where you live) and b) for people with median household incomes, this is stable financial ground and this income often supports a whole family, not just a single person who can get a ‘temporary roommate’ to occupy the second bedroom.

This kind of thinking angers me. I do appreciate that someone with more financial means lives responsibly and tries to think of ways to save on costs, but sometimes it comes off as pretty arrogant, too. Because how easy is it to suggest to take in a roommate — something that you might do when you’re a young adult, but maybe not as a family? —  when you yourself don’t have to do that? How about making housing more affordable instead?

I read another interesting article that feeds into the narrative: It costs money to save money.

The best deals are usually for people who have extra money to spare (e.g. buying in bulk, not financing, etc.), it’s good to invest into quality products, but you can only do that when you have the extra dollars in the first place.

Money advice is mostly geared only toward people who actually have at least a little bit of financial flexibility in their budgets, so the article that prompted me to write this post just sounds very condescending (even to people with a middle-class income) and really rubbed me the wrong way.

I am all for smart budgeting ideas for every budget, don’t get me wrong, but don’t walk around scolding how people live beyond their means when you’re working with a 6-figure income. Yes, of course, there are also high-earners who just can’t handle money, period, but that is a whole different story.

Do you like to talk about finances? Do you read any finance/budgeting blogs?

19

TotR | My first DNS

July 11, 2017 filed under: running


If you follow my “running account” on Instagram, you already know.

I was signed up for the Davis Moo-nlight Run 10k again this year. I had re-arranged my half marathon training schedule to fit in this 10k race and I was really, really looking forward to it.

However, on Saturday, I heavy-heartedly decided on a DNS.

This is the first time I had to cancel a race and it sucked and it wasn’t an easy decision. I love this race: It’s LOCAL, it’s a NIGHT RACE and it comes with a lot of COOL SWAG… I really enjoyed participating last year and I was pretty bummed that I had to back out, but I had to use some common sense here and err on the side of caution.

I mentioned that my right ankle had been bothering me last week and even though I had iced it for a few days and then KT-taped it for a 2-mile test run on Saturday morning (which went pretty well), I wasn’t 100% confident that putting 6+ extra miles on it quite yet was such a good idea.
Besides, it also was like 99°F at 7 p.m., although that really wouldn’t have deterred me from running. I would have just run slower. BUT, I have the SF half marathon coming up in less than two weeks and I really didn’t want to jeopardize my starting there.

I’ve been pretty lucky so far when it comes to injuries. In the 4 years since I’ve taken up a more serious running schedule, I haven’t had any pain/injury that sidelined me for more than a couple of days. I don’t even know if I would call it injuries because they were usually just some ‘growing pains’ from more intense workouts.
Knowing when to give your body a rest and not push through any pain is a skill that needs to be acquired and circumstances, luckily, offered me very little opportunity for personal experiences with it so far. That doesn’t mean I don’t know when to take a break and I think it was the right decision.

It’s just so funny though. It’s like most people say, when you’re forced to take a break, all you want to do is get out there and run. It seriously is the best thing if you’re suffering from a lack of motivation.

Ok, I do have an runner’s’ etiquette question for you though:I still went to get my race-shirt and race bib – is that wrong? I mean, I paid for the shirt and it’s really cute.

Cross your heart and tell me how you usually handle this when you DNS? Is it tacky to own/wear a shirt of a race you ended up not running (for whatever reason)?

On a different note, I realized afterward, when I was back in my car already, that they didn’t want to see my race registration or ID when I picked up my bib/shirt and I think I should have said something. I know, this is a smaller race (although, there were still 1300+ participants and f***k, I just checked the results, I think I there would have been a good chance I could have placed in my age group, damnit! Haha!!) and bib theft is probably rare(r), but I still feel they should have done a better job making sure only people, who were signed up, could get to the race bibs and shirts. Don’t you think?

I am linking up with Erika, Patty and Marcia  for Tuesdays on the Run.

22

Favorite Things Giveaway + Blog Hop

July 10, 2017 filed under: giveaway

July 9-22, 2017
hosted by Lauren @ ShootingStarsMag
(details)

Everybody loves to win things (am I right?)  and here’s a chance to enter into multiple giveaways in one swoop! A bunch of bloggers are giving away some their favorite things and I am one of them. 

If you want to participate too and host your own My Favorite Things giveaway, just create your post and link it directly through the InLinkz ‘Add your link’ button below.

Giveaway Hop: Enter to #win a bunch of blogger's Favorite Things! #giveaway Click To Tweet

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that some of my favorite things include coffee, books and running (besides lots and lots of other things! I am known to be a bit ecletctic when it comes to my hobbies and likes!)

Books and coffee (giftcards) are pretty standard for giveaways, and to be honest, nobody can get enough of those! BUT books and coffee giftcards are already offered by some other participants, so instead, I decided to give away a pair of my favorite Balega running socks! No worries, you don’t have to be a runner to enjoy these… you can also just wear them in your favorite sneakers or hiking boots. They’re perfect for everyday use for sure and they are ‘no-show’ socks, so you won’t even know they’re there.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My giveaway is open to U.S. residents (or people with a U.S. mailing address) only (sorry for the inconvenience!).

GOOD LUCK! And don’t forget to check out all the bloggers that host giveaways below! Again, the Giveaway Blog Hop ends July, 22nd. 

17

Our 4th of July weekend

July 7, 2017 filed under: this and that, weekend

We I always make big plans for long weekends and then we end up hanging out at home and enjoying a nice, laid-back weekend instead. I am not complaining. Coffee in the backyard, reading, running, walking in the park, movies. It was perfect.

I ran our usual errands on Saturday and then we watched ‘I love you, man’ with Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. We needed something light and entertaining. I realized halfway through the movie that I had seen it before. Womp. Does that ever happen to you? It was still funny.

Sunday morning, I got up early super-early for my long run (12 miles). 

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I needed to beat the heat and make it to the Farmers Market and back before 11 a.m. I wanted to be back home for the FIFA Confederations Cup final between Germany and Chile and it all worked out beautifully. I sat in front of the TV freshly showered and with big cup of coffee right on time for kick-off. It was a good game and Germany had mostly new, young players in the starting lineup. They struggled a bit in the first half (even though this is when they scored their only goal), but it was still impressive to see how the defeated an excellent Chilean team to win the championship 1:0!

I read my book (This is how it always is by Laurie Frankel) in the afternoon and also took a 2-hour nap (because why not?).

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I also made some coconut-cream-strawberry-popsicles on Monday (I found the basic recipe on my friend Erin’s blog, ‘The Speckled Palate’). You only need four ingredients, it’s super-easy and quick to make and so freakin’ delicious! You should give this a try!


I had to run out to Target last-minute though, because I didn’t realize that we – apparently – didn’t own popsicle molds anymore until I had everything ready to go in the freezer. (I could have sworn I used to have some at some point, but they were nowhere to be found). But man, you wouldn’t believe how difficult it is to find popsicle molds in the middle of summer. SMH.

For the 4th, we had plans to meet up with a friend, but that fell through last minute, so we stayed home, hung out in the backyard,  made turkey burgers and then watched baseball (Red Sox vs. Texas Rangers).

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Seems like July always starts off with injury for me now, as I bumped my toe last year and had to stop running for a few days and now I’ve been experiencing some, what I think is tibialis anterior tendinitis pain in my right ankle for the last few days. It’s very intermittent and only temporarily painful, but it’s particularly inconvenient right now as I have not one, but two races coming up this month.

Now what do I do? Ice? Heat? Rest? See a physio? All of the above? I really need this to be taken care of at least for my half later this month. I am already anticipating – with a heavy heart – that I might have to accept a DNS* at my 10k race tomorrow.

I hope you all had a nice holiday weekend. Did you do something fun?


*did not start (the runner was signed up, but did not start the race because of injury or other reasons)

15

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Hi, I am San – German native, dual-citizen living in beautiful Northern California. Runner. Knitter. Crafter. Reader. Writer. Proud aunt, sister, and friend.

I’ve been blogging since 2004 and don’t intend to stop any time soon. If you are looking for personal content and making a  genuine connection, you’ve come to the right place.

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