San Francisco 1st Half Marathon Race Report

This is one of my favorite recent races because we knew so many other people who were running! I loved meeting a few Tweeps at the race expo and cheering for friends after finishing the 1st half. One of my favorite things about this event is that you can run the 1st half OR the 2nd half, or of course the marathon. I've been feeling a bit off since the marathon on June 23, so I went into this race to enjoy the views and to have fun. I'm super happy about keeping the pace I did on a tough course; I finished in 2:13:36, only a couple of minutes off my PR.

The weather was perfect for running, but I admit I was chilly in the mist when we stepped out of the hotel. Luckily, for once I took a sweatshirt and gear check bag to stay warm on the walk to the start line. When we got to the start (Kevin ran the race too) we stashed our gear bag with the UPS truck, took a quick porta-potty break and headed to our start corrals. I started in wave 3 at 5:42 am. One thing I love about the SF start is how they organize corrals; they give each one a start time, so you don't have to be in your corral to wait for 40 mins while the earlier ones start. It didn't matter for me much in wave 3 at 10 minutes behind the start, but it was awesome when I started in wave 7 for the 2009 race. For race outfit, I went with the Oiselle singlet and arm warmers (my new-ish fave) and shorts. I'm glad I did, I was plenty warm in shorts once we started running and never took the arm warmers off.

It's very early, and dark.

The start was easy and being in wave 3 was way less crowded than when I started toward the back. The corral started a little slower than the pace of the designated 1:50-2:10 half estimate, so mile 1 was slower than I anticipated. Still, I was running on feel for this non-goal race so I'm happy with the early splits. The Fort Mason hill in mile 3 didn't even feel as tough as it used to and the following downhill let me make up the hill climb time.

Mile 1 - 10:19
Mile 2 - 9:57
Mile 3 - 10:05
Mile 4 - 10:02
Mile 5 - 9:57

After running through Fort Mason and the marina, one of my fave places to run ever, we started up the hill to the Golden Gate Bridge. I find this hill pretty tough, especially the part after you round the turn and go up again. I slowed down for this in mile 6 but ran the whole thing, then recovered on the bridge. I passed Kevin shortly after getting onto the bridge and had a high five swing & fail in my recovering state. He made fun of me later. I also saw Becka and Heather heading onto the bridge as I was leaving it and cheered hello.

Mile 6 - 11:05
Mile 7 - 9:42
Mile 8 - 9:49
Mile 9 - 9:58

Coming off the bridge, the course heads uphill again into the Presidio. This is by far my nemesis hill and I've run it a few times in races. I did better than I ever have this time, and again made up some time on the downhill after it. I did a short walk to get water on this hill; I can run and drink, but I'm not convinced I can run uphill and drink without choking on water. The next mile was a ton of downhill and I ran it well.

Mile 10 - 10:00
Mile 11 - 9:14

This is the part of the race where I lost my happy splits and added over a minute to my total time. The hills in the last two miles shouldn't be that bad, not steep just rolling, but they got me. I'd worked hard in the previous miles and my body let me know.

Mile 12 - 10:39
Mile 13 - 10:24
Final: 2:13:36

When I came over the last gradual incline to see the finish, I ran hard and finished strong. This is the first time I've ever repeated a half marathon course, and in 2009 I ran it in 2:31. It's nice to realize how much better I felt running it this time and to see the progress over the past 3 years. This finish time isn't far of my PR, which is on a much easier course. Kevin had a half PR by about 2 minutes, finishing in 1:48:46.

The bling. Big fan of the ribbons with the bridge design.

As per usual in my race reports, here are a few thoughts on race organization.

The expo. I like the SF expo and feel it is well organized. It was about the same this time as I remember it being in 2009. After entering, you are directed to the pick up section for bibs and then to a different table for shirts. You then go through the merchandise section, although we didn't look around much. The traffic flow continues to the exhibitors, and there are lots of races, companies, and merchandise to check out. I particularly enjoyed trying on and buying a FlipBelt, testing the Skechers Go Run Ride, and signing up for the Oakland half with a super deal of $45. Side note - I'm still not sure about Skechers making running shoes, but they felt surprisingly good.

The race shirts are great, made by Celliant. 

Also at the expo, I went to the Social Media meet up planned by the SF Marathon Ambassadors and met a few new people. I finally met Alisyn, Courtney, and Wes, who I have been chatting with on Twitter for quite some time.

Me, Alisyn, and Courtney

The course. SF is one of my favorite places to run, and this course is no exception. You run along the water, on Embarcadero, through the marina, over the Golden Gate Bridge, and into Golden Gate park. Does it get any better? Granted, it's a pretty tough and hilly course, but in my eyes it's worth it. 

The wave start is very organized, and as I mentioned earlier I like how they give each wave its own start time. It was easy to see the half/marathon split thanks to good signage multiple times. There aren't a ton of spectators on this half course especially at the beginning, but I'm pretty sure it's because of the super early start. 

The support. Course support was generally good, although I felt like there were fewer aid stations than other races. I didn't need more myself, but I could see where people might like them closer together. They served water and electrolytes at each station and there were Gu gels at the station around mile 7.5 too. Volunteers were doing a good job of keeping cups full and ready to hand out when I went through, making it easy to run by and grab water without getting slowed down. There were many porta-potties and even real restrooms along the course.

The finish line had bottled water but no sports drink which I thought was bizarre. Food included Lara bars, oranges and bananas, yogurt, and Panera scones (yum!) They were giving Irish coffee to those over 21, although I opted for regular black coffee instead. We went to the full/2nd half finish line later to cheer for friends, and that one looked a little more lively with Jamba Juice smoothies and beer. 

After the race, we stuck around to cheer for friends who were running their first half marathon ever and then followed two friends to cheer for them in the second half. I love cheering for races!

 Celebrating with Paul and Sarah after the 1st half, their first half.

More fun with Mike and Natalie after they finished the 2nd half marathon.

That's the end - anyone and everyone should check out this race someday!

Olympic Fever - No Blackout

The Olympics Opening Ceremonies are today and I'm pumped! I'm wearing my London Calling shirt for the occasion, as are most of the Oiselle Team ladies thanks to fun Twitter suggestions yesterday. Go Team USA! Kev and I will be watching the delayed tape-delayed version tonight at 7:30 pm Pacific.

Is London Calling You?

Although there is a ton of Olympic excitement, there is also a not-so-good (read: terrible) Olympic Blackout plaguing the games. If you haven't heard about this yet, there is detailed information posted to the Oiselle blog outlining the situation.

The short story is that Olympic athletes aren't allowed to promote the brands that sponsor them from July 18 through the end of the games unless they have one of the big Olympic sponsors. The companies can't talk about their athletes, and the athletes can't talk about - or even wear - their company's gear.

These athletes, especially ones in the low-paying sports like Track & Field, work their butts off to train and to get sponsored only to have to 'hide' these sponsors at the biggest moment of their career. This hardly seems fair. As mentioned in the Oiselle post, it's hard for companies to want to spend money on sponsored athletes when they lose media coverage at a time like the Olympics. We want these athletes to continue having sponsorship opportunities!

You are probably thinking ok, that's crappy, but what can we do about it? The Oiselle team ladies had a fantastic idea - the athlete's fans do the promoting for them! When the athlete is racing, we tweet/Facebook/Google+ about how awesome they and their sponsor are. If you use Twitter, add #noblackout or #bsblackout to the post.

Of course, the hard part of this is figuring out who is sponsored by what, but that's been done for us in the blog post I mentioned earlier. The post even lists when the events take place and when they air on TV.

Check out the list, find your fave athletes (or all of them) and go to it. Let's fight the Olympic Blackout with social media!

Girls Just Want To Have Fun

While visiting my parents in Ohio, I met up with college friends in Pittsburgh for a girls weekend. It was awesome to see everyone! We hadn't had every single one of us together in years, and this time finally everyone could come.

I'm recapping - and reliving - the weekend in photos. Thanks for an amazing time ladies, I miss you!

Dinner at Church Brew Works, complete with pierogis. Yum. I'm Polish on both sides, did you know?

Heading out on the Ducky Tour truck/boat.

Us with our boat after the tour.

A highlight, hanging out and catching up with friends.

Ready for our big night out (to dinner.) 

Us at the top of the Duquesne Incline with Pittsburgh in the background, great view!

Gia and I at the view point, just loved this photo.

Our dinner at Bella Vista, top of Mt. Washington. Beautiful view again.

We had such a great time, and there was talk of planning another get together next year. Friends are so important, we need to make this a priority! I'm glad we had this time together and cherish the memories.

Weekly Recap - July Week Three

I began this week in my Ohio hometown and flew home on Tuesday. Strange as it may sound, I was happy to be back to work and my normal routine. I love visiting my family but I start to feel very unproductive when I don't have a schedule to my day. Anyone else...am I nuts? And of course, I missed my husband and kitties like crazy too!

Sunday, July 15
Rest

Monday, July 16
Planned: Track workout: 4x 800 repeats
Completed: Track workout: 1 mile warm-up, 4x 400 repeats w/1 lap recover each, 0.5 mile cool down
I shortened the speed workout because it was HOT HOT HOT that day. This was the heat and humidity I'd been worried about on my trip, but luckily we didn't have it the whole time. It was over 90 degrees, and it felt even hotter on the rubber track. Still, I worked really hard and pushed the pace as much as I could for those 400s (paces 7:04, 7:19, 7:47, 8:02.) Those are quite good for me even if it is only for 400m at a time!

Another really cool part of this workout is that my high school has a fantastic new-ish track. They put it in a year or two ago, but I hadn't checked it out until this trip. When I was in school, we had a cinder track that was super torn up in the front because the fairgrounds used it for a demolition derby. Even funnier? I ran 100m and 300m hurdles in 7th & 8th grade, but we only had 3 hurdles. Total. That means I only ran the full number of hurdles at the track meets. Nice, huh? I'm glad to report that situation is no longer an issue for my school!

Pretty track, complete with turf football field.

Tuesday, July 17
Flying all day. I left my hometown at 9 am Eastern to drive to the airport, took off on my flight at 12:25 pm Eastern, and finally arrived in San Jose via SFO and Caltrain at 6:45 pm Pacific. My hubby was amazing and had Thai takeout waiting for me at home.

Wednesday, July 18
Planned: Strength class
Completed: 3 mile run + Strength class
I didn't have a run plan for today, I just set out to enjoy the beautiful weather and sunshine before my strength class. This run turned out to one of the worst I've had in a long time. My legs felt tired, and my calves were incredibly tight and painful. It was all I could do to run, walk, stretch my way through that 3 miles.

I've had calf and shin pain before, but it hasn't been like this in years. I was so distressed by this run that I wrote a blog post about it, and I've received amazing suggestions and support from people both in the comments and via Twitter. Thank you so much to everyone who was so helpful this week - I'm trying everything you suggested to heal/prevent this from coming back into my life.

Thursday, July 19
Completed: 3 mile run
There was no run plan for today because of the previous days' tough one. I went for a walk/run to warm the muscles a little, then stretched in the gym. Calves felt a tiny bit better, but no where near how I want to feel. After the run, Oiselle teammate Meggie came over to the Goog for dinner. The crazy part - we showed up wearing the same outfit! I swear, this was not planned at all. It's just a rockin' outfit, clearly.

Stripey Simplicity Tank & Violet Rogas

Friday, July 20
Rest

Saturday, July 21
Unplanned Rest Day. Something is obviously up with my legs, so I took another day. However, the non-running day turned out to be fantastic so I have to mention it.

Hubby and I walked to the KraftBrew Festival in downtown San Jose. It's not often we can walk to a beer festival from our condo, so we took advantage of this one! They gave us sweet tasting glasses, and you purchased tickets for beer tastings and food. We always got the taste portions so we could try many different beers.

The glasses, which we got to keep. 

Enjoying our beer.

I'm sure I drank way too much beer for the good of my body, but it was so much fun to taste so many different ones in one place!

Hello Again, Calves & Shins

My calves and shins like to annoy me. I've never written a blog post specifically about this, but I've mentioned my calf and shin issues many times when I look back through DailyMile or weekly training recaps. For as long as I can remember I have struggled with this off and on, many times resulting in me sitting on the side of the path desperately trying to ease the tension. You might recognize it - the calf tightness that isn't really pain, it's more like intense pressure anytime you land on the leg. It makes the legs feel like logs with no shock absorption, and it even feels that way when I try to stand on one leg to stretch the other. Anyone experience this, am I crazy? My husband says he's never felt anything like that.

While training for my first half marathon in 2009, I had consistent shin pain and calf tightness that resulted in skipped runs and extra rest. I talked to people about shoes, exercises, and stretching to help, but nothing really worked. The situation improved with additional training and time, until I again started pushing distance to train for my first marathon in 2010 when it all came back.

That time, I found a wonderful personal trainer who helped me with strength training and stretches that significantly decreased the instances of shin and calf pain. Yay, a breakthrough! I've continued to have some tightness off and on (don't we all?) but nothing like I used to, and it almost always goes away after I warm up for a mile or two. Until recently.

I've had a few concerning runs recently where I feel the pressure anytime I land or stand on the leg. Today was particularly bad, and it didn't even ease up after stretching or 3 miles with alternating running/walking. The issue is always worse the first run after a long run or speed workout too; today was following a track workout so I'm hoping that's why it was so terrible.

Even so, I'd love to know if anyone has had a similar problem and how you work with it - or have solved it. So far I've tried the following:

Ice - Only a temporary fix?
Stretching - A trainer taught me to lay with my leg at 90 degrees, using a rope to stretch my toe toward me to get the calf. Then, I do the same at each angle of the calf to hit all three of the muscles. This has been the most helpful by far.
Foam Rolling - I try to foam roll the calf muscles by stacking one leg on top of the other.
Compression - I tried running in compression socks in 2010 and didn't think it helped, but I might try again with the newer and fancier ProCompression and/or CEP socks. I've heard calf sleeves are good too, but I'm not sure if that is better or similar to socks. Right now, I use compression socks for recovery.
Massage - I have gone to Sports Massage to work on calves, and they always tell me how my calves are super tight. It definitely helps, but it is also expensive.

What have I missed? Anything you agree with, disagree with, or recommend? I'd love to hear suggestions!

Weekly Recap - July Week Two

The majority of this week has been spent in my small Ohio hometown, where I've enjoyed running on the National Road Bikeway. I discovered that our high school track has been beautifully redone, and I'll be heading that direction for a speed workout tomorrow. I'm actually looking forward to a speed workout!

Here's a look at this past week.

Sunday, July 8
Rest

Monday, July 9

Planned: 4 mile run
Completed: Hill Workout, total 4 miles with warm up and cool down
I needed to push myself a bit, so after 2 easy miles I decided I'd done a good warm up for a hill workout. I ran 5x hill repeats on the Vista Slope by our office in Mountain View, then another mile or so cool down. I pushed the pace on the hills and felt great.

Tuesday, July 10
Rest, traveling all day to get to Ohio. Left the house at 7:30 am Pacific, arrived at my parent's house at 11:30 pm Eastern. Long day, delayed flight, almost missed connection, and no luggage. Luckily Delta is awesome and delivered the luggage to me (even an hour away from the airport) so I had it by the time I woke up. I also flew first class thanks to a status upgrade, so I was in good spirits!

Wednesday, July 11
Planned: 5 mile run
Completed: 5 mile run
This is the full out and back distance of the National Road Bikeway. I was worried about the crazy heat Ohio had been having, but it cooled down and ended up being a nice run other than some humidity. I really do love this trail. More on the National Road Bikeway in my home for Christmas post.

Thursday, July 12
Planned: Walking with parents on the trail
Completed: About 2 miles walking
My mom, dad, and I headed to the bike trail for some exercise, and it was great to get them out there. If you are reading this mom and dad - you should walk on the trail more often and enjoy the great outdoors!

Mom and I at the trail head 

With my dad (had to take photos separately, no one to take it for us!)

Friday, July 13
Planned: 10 mile run
Completed: 10 mile run
Again, I ran on the bike trail. There aren't many other good options here that don't involve roads without sidewalks, so I stayed here for safety. I ran the length of the trail four times to get the distance. By this point of being in Ohio my allergies were bothering me a lot, so breathing was feeling tough after a few miles. Overall I kept a decent pace and enjoyed the trail scenery.

Saturday, July 14
Friday evening I headed to Pittsburgh with college friends for a girls weekend, and we had a blast! Saturday we walked around Station Square, took the Ducky Boat tour, relaxed in the room, and had dinner with a view at the top of Mt. Washington. I had full intentions to run on the trail by the river this day, but I was having too much fun being with the ladies I never see and didn't want to leave them! At times like this, friends really do need to be the priority.

Lovely ladies out for dinner, photo at the Duquesne Incline overlook

I was so sad to leave them after a fun weekend! I have a couple more days with my parents, and then I head back to San Jose.

Last, I found something pretty amazing at Target this weekend: Track Champion Barbie. As a long time Barbie fan, I am so tempted to buy her when I get back home. Adorable! Now if only she were wearing the Olympic uniform...

What's Your Next Race?

I've been searching race listings for a fun, new-to-me marathon or half marathon to look forward to in 2013. There are so many, how do I choose? My main criteria are: fits in the budget, not too hot or humid, well-organized especially if huge, decent start time & logistics.

Enter Twitter - when I asked for suggestions I received a number of great responses! I made a list and did a little research, and I want to share that with everyone here on the blog. I haven't chosen a race yet, but there are lots of great ideas here and the Twitter name of the person who suggested it. Thanks everyone!

Toronto Around the Bay 30K - @carolinerunning
March 24, 2013 at 9:30 am
Average High 38, Low 22 (YES! I like cold.)
Registration $70-$90 Cdn


Shamrock Marathon & Half, Virginia Beach, VA - @krissymurphy
March 17, 2013 at 8:30 am (full) & 7 am (half)
Average High 59, Low 40
Registration $95-$120 (full) & $85-$115 (half)


Blue Ridge Marathon & Half, Roanoke, VA - @krissymurphy
April 20, 2013 at 7 am
Average High 68, Low 45
Registration $80-$100 (full) & $65-$85 (half)


Tinkerbell Half, Disneyland - @krissymurphy
January 20, 2013 at 5 am (sold out this year)
Average High 71, Low 48
Registration $150-$165 (ouch!)


Paris Marathon - @tlsendres
April 7, 2013 at 8:45 am
Average High 57, Low 42
Registration 65-95 Euro


Wine Glass Marathon & Half, Bath, NY - @robertwbriggs
September 30, 2012 at 8 am
Average High 73, Low 46
Registration $70-$100 (full) & $60-$90 (half)


Miami Marathon & Half - @seedouglasrun
January 27, 2013 at 6:15 am
Average High 74, Low 61
Registration $90-$125 (full) & $65-$100 (half)


St. Louis Marathon & Half - @Huey800
April 15, 2012 at 7 am (no 2013 date up on site yet)
Average High 67, Low 47
Registration prices not found yet


Oak Barrel Half, Lynchburg, TN - @ekalifeh
April 7, 2012 at 8 am (no 2013 date up on site yet)
Average High 70, Low 46
Registration prices not found yet


Mississippi Blues Marathon & Half - @ekalifeh
January 5, 2013 at 7 am
Average High 55, Low 35
Registration $70-$90 (full) & $50-$70 (half)


Athens Greece Marathon - @jaystancil
November 11, 2012 at 9 am


Really Big Free Marathon & Half, San Diego, CA - @RunDougRun
May 2013, information TBD
Average High 68, Low 59


My favorites from this list based on my criteria are the Around the Bay 30K, Shamrock Marathon & Half, and the St. Louis Marathon & Half. However, so many of them look great and I loved getting recommendations from people who have run them. In addition to these, I have a few other races I'm considering based on race reports, friends, and just curiosity.


Eugene Marathon & Half
Columbus Marathon & Half
Dublin Marathon
San Diego Safari Park Half
Napa Valley Marathon


I have lots of friends in Ohio who run the Columbus events every year, and someday I need to make it back to join them. It's not going to happen for 2012, but maybe 2013. I'm pretty sure I'll end up running the 2013 Safari Park Half with a friend as her very first half marathon.


Decisions - isn't planning a race schedule fun!? It's one of my favorite things to do. I'll make sure to update you on what I choose!


Did I miss any amazing events? Let me know in the comments!

Recovery Recap & Oiselle Meet Up

Seattle RnR Marathon was two weeks ago, and recovery is going well. I told myself I'd take it easy for a week and then start building back to normal mileage. As much as I wanted to race a 4th of July 5K or do a 10+ mile run, I stuck to my recovery plan. You would think taking time off would be easy, but it is so mentally challenging that I can't stand it! I start to worry about everything, like if my endurance will disappear right away or if I'll be able to get back to pre-marathon paces (I was enjoying those regular sub-10s.) I'm putting both recovery weeks together in this post; week one is really light.

My first recovery week, after returning from easy hiking in Mt. Rainier National Park, looked like this.

Wednesday, June 27
Planned: Core Chaos class at IPF
Completed: Core Chaos class at IPF
We had a substitute because the normal instructor was off at her day job - being a professional cyclist and racing in Italy. Pretty sweet, huh? The substitute did a very different class, focusing on slow movements for the core. It felt very Pilates based with a little bit of Yoga thrown in. Honestly, it was nice to have an easy workout after my super active vacation.

Thursday, June 28
Planned: Attempt running
Completed: 2.25 miles
Aside from feeling overall fatigue, I felt much better than I expected. It was fantastic to get back outside and to enjoy a run along the Bay Trail. It was extra slow and involved some walking and stretching.

Saturday, June 30
Planned: 4 miles
Completed: 4 miles
This run felt very slow and sluggish. I know it takes longer than a week (or two, or three...) to recover from a marathon, but my brain wanted to feel good again right away. The most fun of this run was going by the gymnastics trials in San Jose and seeing the men gymnasts outside signing autographs.

The second recovery week went much better and I'm finally feeling more like myself. I even sped up the long run a little compared to the last few and felt good doing it. I can't even tell you how happy I was after Saturday's run! Runner's high, hello again.

Tuesday, July 3
Planned: Run until I feel good
Completed: 6.3 miles
As you see above, my only plan for the day was to log some miles and to be happy doing it. I had a long slow warm up feeling until about mile 4.5, and finally I settled into a happy place. That was what I needed to find. I kept making turns to add distance until I decided I should call it a day.

Wednesday, July 4
Planned: 4 miles
Completed: 4 miles
I didn't sign up for a 4th of July race, but my hubby and I got in a nice run on our own. We explored the San Jose rose gardens on Taylor Street and finished on the Guadalupe River Trail. My Tuesday run helped my head get back in the game, so this was a great time.

I wore a new outfit this day, and I have to show the back of this tank; the white piping detail is awesome. Cute running clothes make me so happy!

Simplicity tank & Indigo Distance shorts (shorts from my Oiselle team kit)

New kitten is fascinated by the Stick and watches the whole time.

Thursday, July 5
Planned: Strength Class at IPF
Completed: Strength Class at IPF
This was a new class for me because I went to the 7 am (normal evening class on Wednesday was cancelled for the holiday.) I learned to do Turkish get ups and swings with the kettlebell which I've always wanted to try. I thought it would leave me super sore, but I wasn't really sore at all.

Friday, July 6
Planned: Rest
Completed: 3.5 mile run
I was off from work and bored, so I went running.

Saturday, July 7
Planned: 8 mile run
Completed: 8 mile run
I was so happy to get a longer run in again, and it was even at a pretty good pace. We went to the Sawyer Camp Trail in San Mateo and enjoyed views of the reservoir during the run. The trail had nice shaded spots, a bonus because it was over 80 degrees.

Saturday evening, I met up with two Oiselle team ladies, Meggie and Sandra, for dinner in Mountain View. Meggie is temporarily visiting and Sandra lives in the Bay Area. It's so great to meet other team members!

Me, Meggie, and Sandra

This week I'm off to visit family in Ohio and to spend quality girl time with college friends. I'm so excited for both!

Goals: Halfway Point of 2012

What?! 2012 is absolutely flying by and I can't believe it's already July. As I outlined my goals for this year in a January post, it's only fitting that I check in at the halfway point.

Running & Fitness

1. Complete a sprint triathlon: Not Likely. As I mentioned in my quarterly goal check in, this one hasn't been going so well due to the biking injury last August. My knee continues to bother me when I ride so I haven't been training on the bike for months. I love running, and I just don't want to end up with more injuries that make my fall running season less enjoyable. I have a feeling this one will be a miss unless something changes drastically.

2. Complete my second marathon: Done! I ran Seattle Rock 'n' Roll on June 23 and it went much better than my first marathon. Check out the race report here. I'm so glad I went for number 2. And in December? I'll be running marathon number 3 at California International Marathon, going for that sub-5 hour goal.

3. Get back into strength training: Done! I began working out with Integrate Performance Fitness again, which is the road biking group I rode with last summer, this time in the strength classes. I love the group of people, the instructors, and the support. The group is almost entirely comprised of endurance athletes so everyone really understands each other. As an added bonus, I was featured in the IPF community spotlight this week!

Food

1. Learn to eat bananas: Not started. I know this sounds silly, but I really don't like bananas and I want to like bananas. I mean, they are the food served along marathon courses (campaign to swith to oranges anyone?) and are super healthy. Now if only I could force them down. I did start drinking smoothies made with bananas, maybe that'll turn into something...

2. Find new healthy recipes: Good progress. I've done well here by trying new recipes, thinking more about what we are eating, and even eating less meat. We've never been really bad at eating healthy but I was definitely in a cooking rut earlier this year. I still have those all-I-want-is-pizza days and a huge sweet tooth, but I balance it well and cook almost always. The most interesting change? I discovered that I love tofu. I don't mind not eating meat as long as I have good protein sources. And the vegan restaurant near our condo that I would never have gone to a year ago? It has awesome tofu stir fry and a fantastic beer selection!

Life

1. Pick up the phone (for friends and family): Not so good. I stil find that I get home from work and crash, and I don't talk to friends and family on the phone as much as I truly wish I did. Time to focus more on this one.

So far in 2012, not bad at all. I can do this!