Sawyer Camp Trail

I almost don't want to say anything about this trail because it is so crowded already haha, but it is quite a gem and makes for an awesome running trail. A group of us meet there every Sunday for a long run. It consists mostly of rolling hills until you get to the 4.5 (a little more like 4.75) mile marker and then there is a steep incline that will definitely kick your ego down a notch.

The scenery is pretty beautiful, there are dirt paths along the paved pathways, and markers for each half mile as well as plenty of restroom stops (although I'd avoid them if you can). There's plenty of shade, and some spots that are unshaded, as well as several unphased deer that will stroll across the paths at their leisure. Be sure to bring your own water though because there are no fountains.

So today's run was a 6 mile run. I'm trying to follow a beginners marathon training plan, but anyone that knows me knows that I like to push the envelope and I have a hard time staying on these plans. On the plan it said to go 3 miles, but since I did 8 last week, I figure 6 is a good compromise.

A few friends were there to run along with, which always makes it easier for me. I am the type where running alone feels like an eternity, and I end up running faster than I should because I just feel like I'm underwater and always need to catch up to something. Having someone there to pace with, as well as to talk to makes time fly by.

All in all it was a good run, and some beautiful weather. Everyone arrived back to the start around the same time, which is always nice. I'd rate this run as a moderate intensity, because it started out great but the run back was a lot faster and I had to slow down and run alone for a bit. Looking forward to next weekend's run!

And so it begins...

I am a 26 year old artist in the Bay Area. I have a full time position creating art for social web-based games. My day usually goes something like this:

wake up at 5:45
work out 7:00am-8:00am
race to the train station to make the 8:30 train
arrive to my work around 9:30
work work work
go home at 6:00
arrive home at 7:15 (if I am lucky)
eat
sleep.

I have another blog that talks about my daily life, and I try to put as many art pieces up as possible (although lately it is hard to find time to do side work). It basically gives my relatives and friends a peek into my life. "Working out" is slowly starting to dominate the blog, so I figure I will just make a separate one devoted to it.

I really have only been working out for about 2 years now. Most people that have known me for the majority of my life would be shocked to see me even remotely interested in working out. I used to avoid movement at all costs, even joining 4 years of marching band (kind of torturous, but I'll admit that I enjoyed it at times), which was the "secret" loophole in skipping P.E.

It all started with Yoga, then kickboxing. Then random classes (boxing conditioning, karate) to bootcamp, to kettlebell, and running. Currently I am sticking with a delicate balance of running, bootcamp, and kettlebell.

I have been running for a bit less than a year now. It all started with our bootcamp instructor trying to get us all to do a half marathon. Since then I've done two half marathons, and one 10k and I am steadily working towards a full marathon in San Francisco on July 26th. It's not easy but I'm a pretty goal oriented kind of person so it's good for me. You will be hearing a lot about my training for the marathon. In fact, I am running for breast cancer research and I would greatly appreciate any donations. To donate online please go here.

I go in and out of my kettlebell phases but it's a lot of fun for me, and I've even sort-of-kind-of started a kettlebell club at the gym I go to. Sure, it's a tiny tiny club. I don't even know you can call it a club, but hey, I consider it to be one.

And lastly there is bootcamp. There are no words for this intense 1 hour workout. I have made a lot of friends through the class though, and the instructor is always throwing extremely brutal and memorable workouts at us. We're a pretty tight knit group, and often gorge ourselves on random buffet nights out.

So stay tuned if you are interested. I'll try to keep the whining down to a minimum. ;)