Browse Category: go beak go

Morning Run; Afternoon Fun

I'm ready to go!

This morning Jes and I ran the Plate to Plate 5K, which is a really easy/flat course that follows the same route that I run almost everyday.  The bonus is that just before the 3-mile mark, you turn into the baseball stadium, run along the outfield wall, cross third base, run across Home Plate, run across 1st base, and then finish the run across the bridge where we started.

t-shirt

It was a pretty fun run considering it had a pretty late start time of 9 am, was located right outside of my house, and comes with a free ticket to the Giants game the same day.  I also managed to squeak out a 5K Personal Record of 27:41 (unofficial, from my watch).  Yipee!

Giants Dog

In the afternoon, we went back across the street to enjoy an afternoon at AT&T Park.  The game started at 1:05 pm so we had lunch there: Giants Dog with all the fixins, Gilroy Garlic Fries, and Chicken Tenders.

juice box

I also snuck in my “juice boxes” and the cup I got from the last game for two “free” beverages to compliment my lunch.  The morning started out rather gray and cold but the clouds blew away and we were left with a gorgeous day at the park.

view from our seats

Our nosebleed seats had an awesome view of the field below, the harbor right behind, and the Bay Bridge in the distance.  We also wandered the different levels and watched the sailboats and kayaks in the bay.  I have no idea if the Giants beat the Rockies or not but it was still fun to watch and hang out.  This might be a run that’s worth repeating year after year.

Here are more photos from today.

Supervised Run Through the ‘Hood

View Larger Map

On Saturday morning, I rolled out of bed, brushed my teeth, put on my running clothes, and ran a 10K that started just outside of my building. Michelle, Vyl, and Bang came over and we ran from AT&T Park down to Candlestick Park.

run_01

It was a sunny morning and we got a scenic tour of the ‘hood while on foot. The finish was actually on the Candlestick Park field, which was also really neat-o. Vyl and Michelle ran ahead while I accompanied Bang to the finish line.

run_02

He was tired but I pushed him to keep going and he managed to only stop for water. We finished in 1:04, which is not bad for a guy who never runs.

post-race photo

Ryan and Jack were at the finish line and gave us a ride back to Mission Bay for brunch at a dive bar that serves brunch on the weekends.

jack

Jes met up with us and there was outdoor seating and Jack had lots of room to roam around as he munched on his toast.

Here are photos from the race.

WOOOOOOO!!!

Lakers flag

I could practically taste the win this afternoon but I was also afraid that I’d have to return to Pete’s on Tuesday.  We’ve spent the last 4 games at Pete’s drinking pitchers of Coors light and we were in need of a major detox.  At 3 pm, Susie, Victor, and Tinou snagged 4 tables in our usual spot and I showed up around 3:30 and helped make our group look a little bigger.  Tip-off wasn’t until 5:00 so we were a little nervous about the post-Giants game crowd giving us the stink-eye.  Eventually the rest of our group arrived and we were large enough to fill up the space.  There was also a super obnoxious guy across the way yelling “GO FLORIDA!”.  We kept our cool through the first quarter and once we tied up the score, he suddenly shut up.  Ah…peace and quiet.

Back to Back

It was great having everyone together for the game and Jimmy even wore his “Back to Back” shirt.

Number One

I also had my 2000 NBA Champions shirt that I believe has brought us luck.

It’s hard being a Laker fan in SF but it makes every win that much more satisfying.  By the 4th quarter, we had a commanding lead and won the NBA Championship.  We busted out the foam fingers and Lakers flag and had celebratory Kamikaze shots all around as the Bay Area/Anti-Lakers crowd headed out of the bar.

Group Shots

Great job, Lakers.  6th Man was behind you all the way.

Here are the photos from this eventful evening.

Half Marathon Hotness

3 running ladies

Haha, I know we were awesomely sweaty but I’m referring to the temperature on Sunday morning.  Jia, Vyl, and I ran the more|fitness Half Marathon on Sunday, which took us around Central Park twice.  I had always wanted to run around CP and finally got to do it!

squatting for shade

At 6:30 in the morning, Jia and I headed out to the subway station in 70-degree weather.  It was really eerie how warm it was so early in the morning.  By the time we met up with Vyl at the park around 7:45, it was about 74 degrees.  In fact, as we stood waiting for the start gun, Vyl and I ducked behind the people in front of us for some shade.  Ah…much cooler.

running

The race started at 8:00 am and we were off!  Fortunately for us, the route had pockets of shade along the way and they were spraying us with a firehouse at certain spots but it didn’t keep us cool the whole time.  There was an abundance of fluid stations at each mile marker and I forced myself to take a cup each time even when I didn’t feel like it.  As we finished the first lap and started the second, we started seeing girls one-by-one lying on the ground with ambulances pulled up alongside them.  Dude…I thought I was feeling hot but some people were hitting the wall pretty early.  Eventually, the heat got to me too and gave me a crazy nauseous feeling.  I had to take frequent walk breaks to cool off but I finished the race without passing out.  Woo!  Vyl and I kept wishing for SF weather and Jia was having a great time running her very first half marathon. The route also had some rolling hills but nothing as drastic as we were used to.  However, it was enough to make the heat even more unbearable.

medals

At the finish, we got our medals and last cup of Gatorade and were greeted by Jason and Jes.  I think our time was around 2:30 but I don’t actually know since we both forgot to turn off our Garmins at the finish.

tea brunch

We took the subway and then a cab to our brunch destination where Bang met up with us.  Brunch was at Alice’s Tea Cup, which was satisfying but they totally failed on the bacon…too bad.

subway

The subway trains were packed on our way back and at one point had to stradle some guy’s wheelchair and squish myself against the pole to keep me from falling.  Once we got back to Queens, I showered and took a deadly nap next to the A/C.  It was great.

13 Hours in Manhattan

nina and holly

On Saturday, I left the house early to meet up with Holly for brunch.  We ate at a place called The City Bakery, where we sat and got caught up for at least 2 hours.  By the time we got out, it was a scorchin’ 80 degrees outside.

expo

In the afternoon, I met up with Jia and the boys at the race expo to pick up our bibs, tshirts, and other shwag.  One of the items in the goodie bag was a sample bag of dog food.  I wasn’t about to bring it home with me so I started asking people on the street if they wanted to have it.  Out of the 4 dog owners that I asked, no one was willing to take it.  Oh boo…it was a fun little game while it lasted.  I ended up leaving it outside the subway station hoping that someone would want it.

momofuku

We then headed out to Momofuku for some noodles and fatty pork.  It was just as tasty as I remembered and Jes finally got to taste what I had been raving about since the first time I tried it with Brother a few years ago.

brooklyn bridge

To walk off lunch, we visited the Brooklyn Bridge.  On the way, we found a dance crew that was fun to watch.  The bridge itself was really cool.  This was something that I’d always wanted to do and it didn’t disappoint.  The breeze was also nice enough to cool us off a bit.

sevilla

In the evening, we walked down to Greenwich Village where we met up with the Bangs and Kwaks for dinner at Sevilla.  All 8 of us squished in a booth made to seat 4-6 people and we stuffed ourselves with paella and mussels.  By the time we got back to Queens it was midnight and I was exhausted.  I quickly prepared for the race on Sunday and went to bed.  That was a long day.

Worst. Team. Ever.

team

Not really…well, maybe.  What we lacked in skill, we had plenty of heart and sportsmanship.  When we arrived, we all had no idea what to expect and were sorely intimidated by the other teams.  Luckily, the sports wheelchairs were awesome and so much easier to maneuver.  We played three 25-minute games and got better with each game.

game

After a while we were really just hoping to score one basket and then it was just a game against ourselves.  Our coach (guy in the blue) was a good sport and still managed to find some positive feedback for us.  In the end, we managed to score 7 whoppin’ times!  Woo!

big trophy

We came in last place, surprise surprise.  And this photo is just us with the first place trophy to make ourselves feel better.  BUT, we still got an trophy for “Best Sportsmanship”.  Yay!

little trophy

I think we’ll need to start practicing now for next year.  If anyone wants to join us, let me know.  It’s a ton of fun!  Here are the photos from practice and the tournament.