Slacker Hill. The two words together are an oxymoron. Thankfully, someone at our group hike on Saturday knew where the hill got its name. Apparently, the Army used to make slackers run up the hill as punishment.
I know I've been saying it all season, but WOW - the Bay Area is a gorgeous place! There are so many trails easily accessible throughout the area. Slacker Hill is just on the Marin side of the Golden Gate Bridge. I was hoping that we'd have some great views, and it didn't disappoint. I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked (as usual), but this was my favorite - the view from the top of Slacker Hill.
We've started really gearing up for the Big Day (less than a month now!) I've started experimenting with different electrolyte replacement strategies. My favorite so far are the Jelly Belly jelly beans - Sport Beans! What a great idea, eh? (Some even have caffeine!)
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Montara Mtn.
Training has often been a losing battle: the more time I spend outside, the worse my allergies are. (And they are AWFUL this year.) Actually, as I discovered on Saturday, it is more like a vicious cycle. The longer I'm outside, the worse my allergies are, so I take allergy meds .... which sap me of the will to live. (Okay, they just make me tired and jittery at the same time.)
Last week, I decided enough was enough and saw an acupuncturist. She performed her magic, made some diet suggestions, and gave me some herbal meds to try. I woke up Saturday morning after having slept through the night for the first time in weeks, if not months. And hiking, especially uphill, was so so much better than usual. So phenomenal, I only wish I had tried this sooner! (If you're looking for an acupuncturist in the city, let me know!)
The hike itself: gorgeous! Pacifica is usually foggy and overcast, but Saturday blazed brightly and it was warm, if not HOT at the START. As always, I think the better weather put everyone in a great mood. We charged up North Peak and found some absolutely glorious, unobstructed views. I managed to forget my hat, but thankfully remembered my prescription sunglasses - it would have been a rather painful hike without them!
I know I've said it before, but I can't say it often enough - THANGGOD for my hiking poles! I know I was a little unsure at first, and didn't take to them right away, but I am SO glad that I purchased them. A lot of the trail was super rocky/eroded. This is difficult enough going uphill (and the poles help with that), but it is treacherous and scary coming downhill (and the poles completely saved me a few times coming down!) Again, RECOMMEND!
This was probably my favorite hike so far: close, beautiful, and great weather! I drove home after our 5 hours feeling like I'd already accomplished a lot with my Saturday.
Last week, I decided enough was enough and saw an acupuncturist. She performed her magic, made some diet suggestions, and gave me some herbal meds to try. I woke up Saturday morning after having slept through the night for the first time in weeks, if not months. And hiking, especially uphill, was so so much better than usual. So phenomenal, I only wish I had tried this sooner! (If you're looking for an acupuncturist in the city, let me know!)
The hike itself: gorgeous! Pacifica is usually foggy and overcast, but Saturday blazed brightly and it was warm, if not HOT at the START. As always, I think the better weather put everyone in a great mood. We charged up North Peak and found some absolutely glorious, unobstructed views. I managed to forget my hat, but thankfully remembered my prescription sunglasses - it would have been a rather painful hike without them!
I know I've said it before, but I can't say it often enough - THANGGOD for my hiking poles! I know I was a little unsure at first, and didn't take to them right away, but I am SO glad that I purchased them. A lot of the trail was super rocky/eroded. This is difficult enough going uphill (and the poles help with that), but it is treacherous and scary coming downhill (and the poles completely saved me a few times coming down!) Again, RECOMMEND!
This was probably my favorite hike so far: close, beautiful, and great weather! I drove home after our 5 hours feeling like I'd already accomplished a lot with my Saturday.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Sunol Regional Park
It probably seems like an odd photo to post about a hike, but cows were a big feature of our hike on Saturday. (And yes, there was a lot of watching where we stepped!)
We headed out to Sunol Regional Park in the East Bay for our 4.5 hour hike. (I don't know why, but every time I type the number of hours for the weekly hike .... the theme song to Gilligan's Island comes wafting into my head!)
I was a little anxious about this hike as I have missed a little over a week of training with my trip to New Orleans. And I was slow. Super slow, even. I've accepted that I am, for whatever reason, a slow hiker. This is the most time I spend outside and I really wan to soak it up. And I like taking a lot of photographs. These factors certainly don't help!
I decided to stick with the slow slow people and had a great hike! The weather started off cold, but in typical Bay Area-styles, warmed up nicely. Just after snapping this photo, we saw a coyote waaay up the hill chasing something ( a rabbit?) over the ridge.
As always, I feel that trekking poles were a REALLY smart purchase. I've started experimenting with what I can eat on the trail. I always had problems during marathons (and training) because my stomach likes to freak out. But, I'm finding at the slower pace, it can tolerate a lot more. Right now, PB&J is working really well as trail food!
This weekend we are down in Pacifica!
We headed out to Sunol Regional Park in the East Bay for our 4.5 hour hike. (I don't know why, but every time I type the number of hours for the weekly hike .... the theme song to Gilligan's Island comes wafting into my head!)
I was a little anxious about this hike as I have missed a little over a week of training with my trip to New Orleans. And I was slow. Super slow, even. I've accepted that I am, for whatever reason, a slow hiker. This is the most time I spend outside and I really wan to soak it up. And I like taking a lot of photographs. These factors certainly don't help!
I decided to stick with the slow slow people and had a great hike! The weather started off cold, but in typical Bay Area-styles, warmed up nicely. Just after snapping this photo, we saw a coyote waaay up the hill chasing something ( a rabbit?) over the ridge.
As always, I feel that trekking poles were a REALLY smart purchase. I've started experimenting with what I can eat on the trail. I always had problems during marathons (and training) because my stomach likes to freak out. But, I'm finding at the slower pace, it can tolerate a lot more. Right now, PB&J is working really well as trail food!
This weekend we are down in Pacifica!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)