Seriously.....check it out

NYC Marathon Route in 7mins 21sec.....ummm yeah, check out the elevation change at mile 14ish and mile 23ish.....well and the course isn't exactly flat along the way either. Best quote I've read so far "....don't think this course will give you a personal best...." Well it will for me, of course, because it will be my first - I am thinking more about survival though, one step at a time.

NYC Marathon....a reminder

Donate......http://www.runwithtfk.org/Member/PublicPage/287.  Doesn't matter if I cross the line or not. Give, it's a good cause.  If you don't give by October 7th then I'll make up the rest.....it was a pledge.  It's okay not to give because you think the cause isn't right, it's also okay not to give because you think I'm personally insane.....it's not okay not to give because you forgot.......my final ask, having already said I'd match what anyone else gave....give a little and I'll run alot.

Kiwi's in the world

Just back from Berkley having attended the Launch of Peter Limbrick's Making Settler Cinemas.  Peter's a kiwi, a colleague of Irene's at UC Santa Cruz and is a Dunedinite.  What can I say, small world!  He read excerpts from his book where he shared some fab stories about how the making of films in small town NZ (Whakatane being one) in the 1930s-1950s impacted those communities.  Not that that is the focus of his book but it provided a lovely context for what the publishers describe as:
"In Making Settler Cinemas, Peter Limbrick argues that the United States, Australia, and New Zealand share histories of colonial encounters that have shaped their cinemas in distinctive ways. Going beyond readings of narrative and representation, this book studies the production, distribution, reception, and reexhibition of cinema across three settler societies under the sway of two empires. Investigating films both canonical and overlooked, Making Settler Cinemas not only shows how cinema has mattered to settler societies but affirms that practices of film history can themselves be instrumental in encountering and reshaping colonial pasts."
Delightful, smart guy.....

The weekend that was.....was busy

Probably the busiest weekend I've had in a long time!  Friday late afternoon I headed down to Santa Cruz having done a house swap with Marcia as her and Michelle stayed at ours.  The trip was in support of going Kayaking at Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing.  Saturday we (Irene and her work colleague Linda) hired open top kayaks and headed into the slough.  It was fabulous.  Pelican's, otters and seals abounded, as well as alot of other unnamed birds!  We spent a good four hours paddling about and generally making the most of the sun.  Haven't got photos of the kayaking but afterwards we went to Phil's Fish Market and Eatery where I got to enjoy my fav thing of cioppino.
Driving home Michelle called about going to Mango, which is a monthly "Tea Dance" in the city......now that I live in the city it's easy to say yes.  So got home, showered and raced out the door to go to the dance.  The weather was fab and the venue is partly outside so the place was heaving (took us 40mins to get in the door).  Met some really nice folk AND ran away from one very insistent.........but so not my type.....girl (at one point asking the pals for an "intervention" and quick)!  Was all good fun (well except for that having to run away thing, which was kind of odd and the first time in along time I've had to deal with that!).
Sunday Marcia had another little birthday celebration at this very fab galleria in the Mission.  Quite an eclectic crowd and a lot of fun.  Some of the art work for your pleasure.  As part of the days events four of us
headed off to the Folsom Street Fair.  Which kind of speaks for itself and I went to in 2007....leather/S&M ALOT of people and alot of sights to see.  It was particularly fun to wander around with one of the woman who has never been before.....watching her was almost as entertaining as watching the "entertainment" and the outfits.
Back to Marcia's event then a few folk came over to the house for a while.  All up a very busy tiring weekend.
Well and because a post can't go by without the mention of running I had a little crisis...Thursday I got back from my run and had this odd shooting pain near my knee, it felt like nerve pain but I was petrified I had a stress fracture (which seems to be a rather common injury, particularly for us amateur and novice marathoning training folk).  Anyway took all my will power but I didn't run for three days.  I iced the area every day (prompting some bruising to come out...so I'd definitely done "something").  After a day of no pain and the bruise having faded I hit the streets last night (sweltering hot here at the moment...as in

early 30s....which is kind of unheard of for SF!).  Yay, all good, did an easy 6.5 k with no ill effects.

This weekend San Jose Rock n Roll half marathon.....all flat so should be fun....although hopefully a little cooler than it's been.

Thursday....running the hills

I expect most everyone is getting very bored with reading about running BUT......NY is seconds away and it's way worse for anyone I actually speak to on a daily basis!  I feel as ready as I will ever be, at this point (madly excited about seeing Rose too and having her visit SF and actually be in NY when I run.....then going off to Dublin to visit with Pauline and Bernice).
This evening I dragged my arse out of the house (working from home so had to ditch the pjs) and "ran the hills".  Saying that in SF has a deep and spiritual meaning.  Well I guess it's like saying you ran the hills in Wellington, minus the wind of course and it's far easier to run a grid in SF.  Hmmm so I'd confess, I'm getting a little obsessed with running the hills because I signed on to run the Big Sur International Marathon in May 2011 (such optimism I have about where my life will be in May next year!).  If you scroll down on the Big Sur site there is a very fab video of the actual course.  It's lovely, it takes us along the Coastal Highway, which is one of the very few scenic drives I've done in the US that seriously rival NZ for views.  Along the way they even have a guy playing a grand piano (yuh it's around about when you do a 2 mile/ 3.2 km up hill.....so hence my obsession about hills).  Well and I know I haven't run NY yet but it crossed my mind that I needed to find goals post NY (well yes I did sign on to the New Orleans Rock n Roll Marathon in Feb 2011 - but it's flat, I should be able to do it and who cares - New Orleans, I can just jump off the course and go find me a jazz bar!!!!).
I've actually got some folk I know running the San Jose half marathon in October (old work colleagues, including Lila who I went to Nashville with).  That was a painful run.   I am going to stay at Lila's the night before (the house where I did the mega pet sitting) and then we will walk to the start of the course and plan to have a few drinks after wards with some other folks we know are running.  A half marathon isn't quite as daunting as it was when I did my first race in February and my second in April.....I've run quite a few more in training.  But don't get me wrong 13.1 miles/21 km, it's a long way, it hurts at times and anyone that gets out there and does it deserves the medal, the tee shirt and a rousing cheer!  So my obsession is alive and well.
I've been busy doing something else too - well not exactly me but the sis and the sis-in-law in NZ.  I decided to complete my room (oh last of the furniture arrived, the two bedside tables.....shown with the very funky and much loved light Irene encouraged me to indulge in!).  BSTs are lovely and the guys who deliver this stuff are sooooo lovely I'd go back and spend more money just for the delight of having them deliver.  Anyway back to the point - I decided I would like some NZ art.  Back in the day I was lucky enough to be able to hang some of J & Ks art around my house.  Art is (among other things, one of their "things", they know about this stuff), so I asked where to go, what was out there.  Yeehaa - Kathy sent me a Webb catalogue for art and I found a piece that I loved.....well then Janine was at a fundraiser and....bloody hell, love NZ, met the artist who had a piece in the "series" that he was willing to sell......and so it went.  This is what you have to love about NZ (well and my family, make a connection and make it work!).  So I'm about to be the proud owner of this:

It's not a great photo of the work (it's called Dr Tutu Featuring Tame Iti)..... but it is!  It's four individual pieces that can also be hung in a rectangle.....but I like how he's done it.  Well and I googled to find out more.  It's an awesome reflection of NZ, each panel has a story and a song that goes with it.  Frankly I'm not sure I would have taken as much notice of any of this when I lived in NZ.....but now it just feels totally different.  I am going to love telling people about this art.  I am ridiculously excited about it and cant' wait for it to arrive so I can hang it..... 

Overachievers anonymous

I've just arrived home from the most delightful evening (such a very british turn of phrase), with my work colleagues.  It was fun and totally scary on a number of levels. Fun because it was a "working session" where we shared how each of our projects connects to one another.....my boss is away so I got to be the "spokes geek"......90 seconds or less, "tell us about the project you work on and how it connects to other projects at Cisco"!  As part of the show two of "us", that would be me and one other dude, got to "share".  This ended up being a Q+A where we talked about ourselves i.e fav concert, how long with the company, how long with Cisco etc etc. Revealing moment "what are three things you would share with the team".....well guess what I chose?  Running the NY Marathon for charity on Nov 7, flown solo in a helicopter twice and spent 8 months peacekeeping in Bosnia with the NZ Army.....no idea why those three things so much as I just thought they were interesting things to share.
Why the headline "overachievers......."?  This is a seriously smart, ambitious bunch of folk.....they are also funny, talented and.....I don't know, I just like them.  I hope they like me too.  Tonight at least, I felt like I belonged and could, maybe, see if I work hard and stay focused and decide it's for me that I could be a valued part of the team.
Oh, and best of all, we were at a very fine establishment in San Jose that offered up yum snacks and good vino!

Housewarming

Thought I would share the arty 'lil housewarming invite Irene put together.....  In case there is any doubt or it's not entirely obvious - Lotte is clearly in charge of the household.  See if you can guess which silhouette is mine.

I made a pledge

NYC Marathon Team for Kids - I pledged USD2620 and still owe USD1365.  It's a pledge, I'll pay it come October 8th (when it's due) but I'd really like it if everyone who reads this blog donates (I don't even know who you all are and you can do it anonymously).....why?  Because it's a good cause and backing me personally isn't enough.....October 8th is the last day for you to give and maybe, just maybe, we could raise more than USD2620.
From today, September 17, I'll match whatever anyone gives......it's not about USD2620, it's about the cause.  
Jody's Team for Kids Page

Lady Gaga Rocks

SLDN is the group Zoe co.chairs and is actively fighting against Don't Ask Don't Tell.

Friday - so some random things from the week

Roomie is a lecturer in Film and Digital Arts Media at UC Santa Cruz.  She's currently working on her own documentary.  Over the past weeks I've been hearing random "animal"noises coming out of her office.  She's in the process of filming a doco about how we, as a society, decide which animals are worth keeping and those we kill (I expect she has a much more elegant way of saying it.....or maybe not...anyway).  As part of this little extravaganza she's been filming in various locations including an animal sanctuary north of San Fran.  Here's a little insight into her work to date.  I love the shot of the goat and the pig(s) well and the birds too....actually I'm liking the whole thing!
Wednesday night I went off to the Sports Basement to get some new running shoes (mine are 200 miles over their use by date....seriously).  Lots of lovely things to discover a. place is fab, just like an old warehouse but with cool stuff. b. they have a "free" weekly running group (which caught both mine and Irene's eye as we watched them gather......).  I'm going to go along and check it out - might be fun and full of interesting possibilities.  Tried the new runners out last night on some of the SF hills - cripes, quite different, my bad, should have kept track of this!  Anyway I could almost argue running up and over those hills was a joy as I bounced along.

I've mentioned before the view from my bedroom window, well I've been taking some random shots (hey I'm a point and shoot girl....so no claim to art here!).

Check out how the mist rolls in over the Twin Peaks.  Some days I get to watch the tower emerge top down....it's quite surreal and the first time I saw it I had no idea what the hell I was looking at.

Okay here's the other shot of the day....eventually everyone is going to discover that I really am going to run the marathon in a bright fluorescent green vest!

This is my practice shot for when I cross the line.....things to note - shoes are unlikely to be quite that bright and sparkly (alot of running to be done between now and Nov 7), face likely to be somewhat redder and most definitely sweaterer.....so there you go, you saw it here first.......

40th Birthdays, 20 milers and new furniture

Sunday, lounging in bed....last night Irene and I hosted a small dinner for Marcia's 40th birthday (she's having a series of events so this is one of many!).  When I say "we" hosted I mean Irene cooked and I did other stuff!  It was great fun!  This is our first real dinner party and the house is perfect for it as we have the lounge and dining room separate and the house is big enough to not have folk tripping all over one another.  Andreana and Joan made the carrot cake to the right and Irene and I supplied the very stylie, adult plates to go with.  Of course in time honoured tradition nobody remembered to bring birthday candles so Joan improvised with her lighter.

Friday I went for another 20 miler.....this continues to feel like a very very long run.  I ran from my house to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge - so it took me along the waterfront, which was very lovely and also had me run through some areas I haven't been into before.  I left late in the day as it was really hot (around 5ish).  I had to dodge folk around Fisherman's Wharf and figured I probably looked like a bit of an idiot....didn't much care though, on a mission, gotta keep going.  I also thought that maybe this was good practice for NY as the start of races are always congested and I expect there are parts where dodging people (and being dodged) will all be part of the experience.  What was most unexpected and really delightful was being in the perfect position to see the most gorgeous sunset. The photo on the right, above isn't mine but pretty much captures the view - this as I was heading back home, so a lovely boost as there was a little hill to traverse along the way!  The last three miles were predictably painful, particularly as I missed a turn and had to run an additional hill.......I continue to be my own worst enemy sometimes.  Hilariously I ran exactly the same time I did with Zoe two weeks before (but frankly didn't feel as good as I had after running with her) - although I guess this route had hills, no evil wind though - unpredicatable.....I think I have to do two more 20s before November.

Friday some of my furniture started to arrive too - YAY.  It's all quite as lovely as I remembered.  The little table works perfectly in the lounge and Michelle was happy to model it for me.  The bookshelf on the right fits perfectly in my room as well and now you can see my desk (and new filing cabinet) - my room is starting to come together.  The rest of the bedroom furniture arrives in two weeks so I think I am about done.....hmmm although I am trying to buy a piece of NZ Art work at auction in a few weeks time.....now that would really complete the room !

Meet Accenture

Accenture Corporate recently sent out this video.....it's designed to help clients, friends and family get some insight into who Accenture are and what we do (given world wide there are 200,000 of us....it's not exactly a small company). Anyway, enjoy, get enlightened (or not).....

The real dirt.......60 days to go

NY is looming, fast - well I guess it's coming through in the obsessive writing about running.  But here are some cool metrics:

This is a snapshot of my NikePlus site where I record all my runs.  The Nike band is a pretty basic tool for measuring how far I run, how fast, the calories I burn and the time it takes.  I like it - I get back from my run and it tells me stuff about the run and I can enter in notes about how I felt and compare different types of runs.  It's so simple - I love it.  Because it is just 60 days out I thought I'd check in.....some cool things to reflect on since I started running in August 28 2009; I have:

• run 100 times
• clocked 103hrs
• run 642 miles / 1033 km
• averaged 9'34s miles (yeah, average....don't be looking for that for the marathon)
• burnt 63422 calories
• my longest run as 20.8 miles

So here's hoping all THAT pays off in 60 days time, as this doesn't take into account the amount of time I have spent at the gym, lifting weights and doing circuits.

Yesterday was Labour Day - I mostly did "not much".  Stayed in bed late (which is particularly lovely these days now that I have a Tempur-Pedic bed!).  This thing is insane and insanely comfortable.....ruined!  I did go the gym but that was about it.

Sunday I went over to the East Bay and visited with my pal Dee.  Haven't seen her in months and was entirely startled when she opened the door and had cut all her long hair off.  She was equally startled at how much weight I had lost - so we met as two physical strangers over a very pleasant brunch and solved the problems of the world!

Not much else to report....work is busy and getting busier as we are rolling out some training......I continue to do the business development stuff and getting very excited that we might actually be about to kick off a whole new service line...which will be mega-kudos if we pull it off!

Triathlons and why they aren't for me

I've been reading up about triathlons (yes, yes I've become the girl that reads runners magazine).  I'm not reading because I think I want to do one.....seriously it has no appeal at all, I'm reading because people keep telling me that's what I will want to do next.  Honestly, no.....I'm just not interested.  The fact I'm a terrible swimmer and/or may or may not be a terrible biker has nothing to do with it.  Really I just can't be bothered to think that hard about it.  Really, it's very technical, you have to think about a lot of things.  When I run I throw on my shoes (thought hard about that), my running gear (thought about that too), may or may not need to think about hydration/energy......done.....hit the road.  Jeezus the whole tri thing soooooo complicated, gear, bricks, x-training blah blah blah.  In theory I am a candidate for it and I've been pondering why not......hit me tonight (as I finished reading, yet another, article on training for tris).  On a daily basis my day job is actually very complex, lots of moving parts, lots of relationship management, lots of stuff.  Personally I don't need to translate that into my other world.  Lots of tri (ironman) folk have very complex day jobs.....clearly they like the complexity.....me, after the day is done (and it never is which is also what makes it complex), I just don't want to have to organize all that stuff....I really do want to keep it simple.  Now ask me about ultra -marathons.....now we might have a conversation........

Long weekend

It's Labour Day Weekend here, so Monday off.  One of the oddities of being here is that my body still runs to a different time clock.   Public holidays still don't land quite when I need them.....I'm ready for Easter (yeah not a holiday here), Christmas.....not quite happening, Waitangi day - yuh all not happening for my body clock that says "I need a long weekend".  These are the things nobody tells you when you immigrate!
Last night Irene, me and Lottie went for a little walk into the Castro. Irene needing to buy a gift BUT so random......I'm holding Lottie outside the shop (she attracts a lot of attention btw) I have on a NZ teeshirt, guy walks up to me and starts a whole conversation about NZ......seriously, even knew about the earthquake!  Anyway, odd dude but perfectly pleasant, although totally disheveled looking and smoking, what looked like, a very expensive cigar (I should probably add that last week when I was walking to Wicked.....same thing.....okay no cigar, different tee but same type of interaction.....go figure).

Today I took myself off to the Marin Headlands, the site of my first, and terrifying,  race. I ran the same circuit and then some.....well quite a lot of some.......6.2 miles vs 12 something.  Knarly hills and the most remarkable weather.  See the shot that I actually stopped to take, mostly because it really was amazingly beautiful and, yes RR, spooky.  The fog was "rolling" over the hills.  In a lovely twist, to get to the Headlands I drove across Golden Gate Bridge.....also cloaked in fog.....day was quite surreal on many levels.  Now that I've run 20 miles with Zoe I really get why it's nice to run with others, but I also love running alone.  What is nicest of all is that I capture the most amazing images in my head...trail or road running, there's always something that makes me pause, look at the world differently.  Oh and it still holds true, folk are so much friendlier on the trail....road runners, grumpy folk we are, self included!

Trapped miners

So I am finding this whole thing fascinating.  Given they are all alive at this point I'm feeling fine to feel very voyeuristic about it.  A couple of years back I went on a tour of the submarine down on SF wharf.  I think I did it with Brice....it is a WW2 submarine, so really tiny.  A lot of folk on the tour commented  how they would hate it, find it a terrible living environment and difficult to cope with.  Oddly enough I think I'd do fine.  I'm very self contained at the best of times and, honestly, think it so much easier to physically navigate little spaces.  I'm watching the miners and wondering how I would do.....then I remember Bosnia and think "well ummm.....yeah, I'd do fine".  Physically (and emotionally) that was 8 months of total constraint.  Yeah I was lucky, I could travel through the country more than most, but it wasn't exactly a Contiki Tour.  I navigated it through self containment; on one level totally participating.....on another, really not.  I think I'd be fine in the mine......but really hope I never get to put that hypothesis to the test!

4th Anniversary

Life is different, very different, from how it was Sept 1, 2009 (well 7th) last year.  I most definitely hadn't decided to run the NY Marathon, let alone complete 4 half marathons.  I didn't see such a big work change on the horizon, nor that I would be living in San Fran.  I certainly didn't know that my personal trainer would become such a big part of my life and that he would also be gone.  I didn't know that I would lose 20lbs, join a top five consulting firm and feel committed enough to "things" again to start buying furniture!  I also didn't know that along the way I'd meet some great new people, make some new friends and connect with some old friends unexpectedly, March in SF Gay Pride, visit Yosemite National Park,  Nashville,  NZ and Chicago, have lasik surgery,  have the mother come visit and and and.  The things I didn't know or anticipate are so overwhelming I just can't think about it too much or I'd be a possum caught in the headlights.
The things I was sure of......I'd make good, everything would become clear, hard work pays off (but don't get complacent), I'm loved - very well loved, by my family and friends (distance doesn't matter) and and and.
So here's to a remarkable year of change that's followed several years of change and will, undoubtedly, lead to more change.