Bodega Bay: Russian River Valley and Sonoma

What a wonderful way to start the morning. Long run completed and now I could relax, sit back, enjoy the drive to wine country.


Headed out to Bodega Bay. Scenic drive. Great place. Our room was incredible. My expectations were more than exceeded as soon as I saw the view from our room (cathedral ceiling, fireplace, small deck). First thing Greg did, of course, was read all the maps. We laid there together watching the sun set from our great view of the bay, took a short nap, then went to the wine and cheese reception where we enjoyed a Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir from Salmon Creek. Surprisingly good.


Decided to go into Occidental to Barley & Hops for dinner and drinks. The ride had me laughing the whole way! Pitch dark with little road markings as we navigated our boat - the grand marquis! What we did see were the following signs: curvy road ahead, trucks entering road, deer crossing, falling rocks, rough road ahead, and "bump". People passed us and Greg kept me laughing with, "Well, they probably think they're passing grandma and grandpa in this car!" The place was well worth it. The draft beer list was rock solid. Greg had the Death and Taxes and I had a Liberty Ale. We tried their special hot fries which were sooooo hot that we had ranch sauce and ketchup and they still hurt! I ordered spicy navy beans over polenta, which I will try to replicate as soon as I get home! Mmmmmmm! Some girl named Jen-something was playing the guitar ala Lillith Fair - one of her songs called "Vineyard Blues" can be found on you-tube. She was actually pretty good. The drive back was fortunately uneventful - no deer or elk! Great two days so far!

Saturday morning was a nice lazy morning, taking our time, then heading out for coffee. Found a little nook called Roadhouse Coffee for bagels and coffee. This little dive had the Talking Heads blaring when we walked in. I turned to Greg and said this must be the place (get it?). To me this was kismet because I was reading Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne (and I just love Talking Heads). Great vibe and even better coffee. Finding the unusual when you're just winging the day is simply the best!

The drive along Highway 116 was beautiful. The coastal skyline was incredible. We pulled over at several locations just to take in the beautiful scenery. As we got closer to Korbel we passed through little areas surrounded by redwoods. We were truly enveloped by these massive trees and greenery. An amazing beauty to be a part of.


First stop was Korbel on our little day trip adventure. Two bottles of Brut Rose later and we were on our way to the next stop. Next up was Joseph Swan. We bought a bottle of their 2005 Zinfandel, but wasn't terribly impressed overall. The best was next. We visited Harvest Moon. I chose this one because I love the Neil Young song and almost chose it as our wedding dance song (it was in the running with This Must be the Place/Naive Melody by Talking Heads and Come Away with Me by Norah Jones. Norah won.). This winery was a delightful surprise. We bought 6 bottles of wine as well as a bottle of their dragonfly olive oil and joined their wine club. The girl who took care of us was knowledgeable, had a wonderful disposition and voice and their wine was sooooo smooth. We loved them instantly. And they had a chocolate lab. I tell you...the day was full of amazing moments like this.


On to Hook & Ladder. Merlot and 2 Zinfandels are being shipped. Neat little boutique winery. Wine was average, but the day was anything but average.

Lunch at Corks restaurant at Russian River Valley. French onion soup and salad. Impressed and it was nice to sit down and relax (translation: kick our buzz with some water and food!).

On to Iron Horse. Greg and I both giggled through our first sample because we were so not into this place and we could read it on each other's faces! They had a big tour going on and we just were like cattle bellying up to the bar. We purchased a bottle to make up for our sample "fee" and headed out as quickly as possible.

Next was Cahill Winery to sample their port. This was a little mom and pop kind of winery with two german short-haired pointers named Daisy and Duke (I grew up with these as a kid). Greg was reluctant to go in as we pulled into their gravel parking lot, but Eddie Vedder came on and I said this had to be fate (he loves loves loves Pearl Jam). We sampled a really good tawny port and, you guessed it, we're having 6 bottles shipped. Plus, we tried a surprisingly good vinegar that they said would go well on ice cream or fresh fruit. Huh? Are you kidding me? We sampled it. And we bought a bottle. Damn, it was that good.

At this point, we hit Mom's Apple Pies to try the much-raved about place in all the Bodega Bay literature. Yep, it really is that good! Super soft apples drenched in cinnamon and nutmeg gooeyness and a crust that screamed watch your cholesterol! Wow!

On our drive back in the good ole grand marquis, we decided to stop at this little dump of a house that we saw last night outside of Occidental that had a Casino sign hanging prominently outside. We walked in, saw 2 pool tables, and a long bar. Decided to grab a pint (no more wine!) while there and started chatting up the bartender Greg, who also was the owner. Turns out Greg bought the place from the Casino family (pronounced Kass-i-no). Ahhh yes, that explains the Casino sign outside! We met Matt the chef and decided this would be our dinner spot. It was just too funny to go anywhere else.

Back to the Lodge to relax, which was such a luxury to do. Up bright and early to pack and get on the road. We made one last stop Sunday morning before heading out to Doran Beach to gather sand dollars to bring back to the girls (which was highlighted in our book), but all we got was incredibly wet. We didn't find sand dollars, but we did see some very strange marine life. Pretty sure the stuff was dead, but we sure did keep our eye on it as we ran back to the car!

Great trip - with plenty of memories!

San Francisco: Shopping, Eating, Running

Thursday in SF-where do I begin?  I know. I begin with Greg picking me up at the airport in the Grand Marquis, because it was the only rental car available with GPS. It looked like a white cop car. I greeted him with "be nice to me. I'm weepy" because I was already missing Megan and Bridget.  We caught a quick lunch at the Thirsty Bear - organic beer and spanish tapas. Wow! Awesome (and unusual) place. We soon departed so he could go back to the conference and I did a little shopping a union square. As luck would have it, I found the Coach purse I've been stalking for $100 off at Macy's. Cool beans!  After that, I went in and out of some high end shops like Nieman Marcus, Barneys and Saks, but just wasn't feeling the whole commercial atmosphere so I grabbed a coffee, bought the December Martha Stewart, headed back to the hotel, threw off my shoes, snuggled under the amazingly soft comforter and watched a re-run of Bones. Great afternoon if you ask me!

Later we headed to a hospitality suite sponsored by salesforce.com at E&O Trading Company. Perhaps the best apps I've had at a party. Afterwards, we ventured into Chinatown for some pretty darn good Chinese. 

Friday - got up and had a fantastic breakfast at Dottie's, a little gem a few blocks around the corner from our hotel. Greg had the Open Road special which included 2 ginger & cinnamon pancakes, 4 pieces of bacon, home fries and 2 overeasy eggs and juice.  I had an omellete with spinach, their special dill bread, and home fries and kick ass coffee. Great service, small intimate restaurant with like 10 tables. Would highly recommend. Did I emphasize highly recommend? Seriously go there. 

Greg went to his Salesforce conference and then I went on a run which turned out to be 11 miles, give or take. I started out at Union Square down Post Street on to Market until I reached the Embarcadero.  Headed toward Fisherman's Wharf then turned onto Taylor, Stockton and back to Post. What a run! About 7.5 miles for this "lap" and since I felt so good I ended up going back to the Embarcadero until I reached the famed Lombard Street.


Fisherman's Wharf - as you can see they were decorating it for Christmas!

Great view along the Embarcadero - wonderful day in the 50s with a nice wind!

Finishing up where Chinatown and Union Square meet - AND it was right outside of Lululemon. So that's my slideshow of "Where in the World is Robin" :)

Tackled a bunch of hills which caused me to pause then headed back to Union Square for a little side trip to Lululemon, my absolute favorite women's athletic store. I bought the most adorable ski hat, which couldn't have been a more perfect purchase considering the DOWNPOUR that greeted me outside the store. Thank goodness the hotel was just 3 blocks away...and I would soon be taking a hot, relaxing shower. I no sooner got the hotel room when I heard the door open and it was a sopping wet husband! Turns out his route back to the hotel was in the same (drenching) conditions as mine. 

Today Just Felt Right

Today was a scheduled long run. On the agenda was a 10-miler and the ENTIRE run felt like it should. I ran with puppy the entire distance (he's still in bed recovering as I write this) and it was great spending time in the metroparks. Husband met me on his mountain bike around 7 miles into the run which was so nice to have someone to chat with during the final stretch. Puppy is great and all, but he is a bit silent, if you know what I mean. Nothing hurt. My quads weren't screaming. My calf was fine. I can't describe it, but the run felt right.

On another note, I am keeping my promise to myself. I've enjoyed my lunchtime swims. Bridget and I have been doing mini yoga sessions. Food choices have improved dramatically this week, plus I've enjoyed prepping the meals ahead of time. I look forward to keeping on track. I so love structure.

A New Reason to Check Off Another State

Husband just shared with me that I am "this" close to reaching silver elite status on our preferred airline. "This" close equates to about 2,000 miles. I have no choice - I gotta sign up for another state. Plus, it could provide me with redemption from my lousy Maine half performance. It's amazing how excited I am about squeezing in another race. I mean, come on, who doesn't like standing in the short, preferred line through security and getting to select seats near the front of the plane versus the next to the johns? The choice is easy-a December race it is!

Post Race Musings

So I was pretty bummed about how my body didn't make it through 13.1 miles and I realized it was a culmination of things. One, I had gotten injured sidelining my running. However, I could have found alternative ways to maintain my conditioning such as swimming or cycling and strength training but I didn't. Two, I worked too many hours at the office due to a major new project as well as worked through my lunch hour. When I trained for portland, I did it during lunch and loved it. Third, I wasn't eating properly. I had let the October halloween/all-you-can-eat candy and junk month get the best of me.

So I took the first steps to address this. I'm not working through lunch anymore. It doesn't score me any points and I'm the only one who suffers. I signed up to start noontime swimming and I already swam during my Tuesday lunch. It really was as good as I remembered it to be.

I brought soup for lunch and felt full all afternoon. For snacks, I brought almonds and a banana. I also bought apples, oranges and bananas at the grocery store and will cook more in the crockpot so that I have healthy leftovers.

I will run at least twice each week and will just alternate during lunch with the swimming. I will not neglect my long run. I will ice as prevention instead of waiting till I'm hobbling. Lastly, I will do at least 2-20 minute yoga sessions to keep my mind sharp and body limber.

I'm on the waiting list for a January trail run here in Cleveland. If I don't make the cut, then at least I'll be ready for the Cowtown race in Dallas in February with my husband. Might be a good excuse for another adults-only trip!

Race Report: 2009 Harvard Pilgrim Maine Coast Half Marathon

First, this was by far the most beautiful, scenic course I have had the pleasure of running. York, Maine is a quintessential New England town filled with a rugged coastline, breathtaking views of the ocean, and even a lighthouse. I'm very happy with my choice to select this race to check off Maine from my 50 states list. For anyone who is counting, Maine is our 20th state!

The course began at the unassuming York High School. We quickly exited out of the parking lot, after a short speech by Kathrine Switzer, ran a short street before making our way onto Long Sands. The road opens up to this majestic scenery along the ocean that is awe-inspiring. I felt like I could run forever surrounded by this beauty. Around mile 9 my legs would send my brain an entirely different message! Our first loop circled around Long Beach, Weber, Ridge, then depositing us back onto Long Beach Avenue.

From Long Beach (mile 3) , we had a clear view of Nubble Lighthouse. It looked so far away, but was only a couple miles. We ran along the shoreline, past beautiful cedar shake homes. When we reached Ocean Avenue Extension, we were high above the shore but the views continued amazing me. When we finished the second "loop" we had completed nearly 8 miles. At around mile 7ish I actually (and foolishly might I add) thought that I might PR because I was a few minutes faster than I normally am at that point in a race.

The third and final stretch continued along Long Beach Avenue while going in and out of a few neighborhood streets. It was at this point that I really felt the inadequacy of my training. At mile 9 I coated my left calf with biofreeze. At mile 10 I coated both my lower quads right above the knee (damn throbbing pain). At mile 11 I reapplied the left calf, although at this point my sample packet of biofreeze was severely dwindled. I walked most of the last mile to mile and a half, and was grateful to have made it across the finish line. When I saw Megan about 100 yards before the finish I was almost in tears telling her I needed rubbed down stat! She's definitely my kid because she snapped at me saying, "get your ass across that finish line because you only have 100 yards. We can talk later!". That's what I needed so I trotted across the finish and heard Kathrine Switzer announce my name.

My only real criticism of the race is that they had too few water stops and had Gatorade offered only at mile 11. Unfortunately, one water stop rampur of water and the mile 11 stop ran put of Gatorade. I liked the family atmosphere because Bridgetgot her face painted and a clown made her a balloon in the shape of a dog. However, damn, if I didn't miss my post-race beer!

Final pathetic stats:
finish time 2:45:24 or 12:37/mile
yep, even the turtle passed me!

Night Before the Maine Half Marathon

Saturday morning began with a wonderful breakfast spot called Popovers where we had great coffee and even better breakfast sandwiches. Afterwards, we checked out the local Farmer's Market at the City Hall in Portsmouth, NH. Bridget got her apple, Meg got fresh baked cinnamon donuts, and I picked out (what I hope to be) a good batch of granola. When we left the Farmer's Market, Bridget spied a neat little playground so we gave her some swing/slide time. Turned out Meg and I enjoyed a little teeter-totter time as well!


The expo for the Maine Harvard Pilgrim Half Marathon will go down as one of the bests. The expo was held in the gymnasium of the York High School and my husband and I both commented on how the smell of a high school gym is like no other and sure brings you back! But best of all, I got to meet Kathrine Switzer!!!! She signed my copy of Marathon Woman, chatted with both Greg and I as if we were the only people around, asked us questions about our racing, and was overall just a fantastic person. Even better, she agreed to a photo with me! Oh yeah, this will be hanging in my office!


Am I ready for this? I dunno. I know I can finish this distance, I've done it about a dozen times now, but timewise I'm not sure what to shoot for. McMillan calculator has predicted a 2:39 finish, but McMillan doesn't know about my calf strain that sidelined me from training. McMillan also doesn't know that 8 miles (last week as a matter of fact) was my LONGEST run. In a way, I hope that calculation is correct; but a part of me sure as hell hopes it is wrong! Fingers crossed...