The San Francisco Treat

What an amazing weekend. I’m not certain where to start, however, I will say that being an ambassador for the San Francisco Marathon was an experience I will never forget. I was humbled to be surrounded by so many amazing and inspiring runners from all walks of life. Here are some highlights, and I warn you, there are lots of pictures.

It all started Friday when I drove to the foggy city and helped at the expo. That evening there was a dinner for all the ambassadors. During the last year I got know each ambassador electronically, and it was amazing to meet them all in person at the dinner, and chat about our favorite subject.

Ryan, Peter and I having fun at the Tech
Center with some jazz hands.

Modeling our new Running Addicts shirts with Linh

And more jazz hands with Mark, Ryan, Peter and Lauren

Weekend roomie Daniela

Fantastic Ambassador group photo - I love these guys!

Saturday morning I woke up and headed out to the ferry building to run with the amazing Bart Yasso. Meg surprised me by being there as well as Renee. We had a lovely three mile jaunt and I got to chat with some great runners that included out-of-towners. We then did another three mile shakeout run with the Lululemon crew. This was a much bigger group that included more ambassadors, friends, and Bart of course. Coffee was certainly a necessity afterward, then it was back to the expo for more socializing and meeting new running friends.

First shake-out run of the morning

Lululemon shakeout run!

Oh you know, just do what I do every Saturday - Pose with Mr. Yasso.

Fellow Ambassadors - Aron, Alyssa, Keith, Claudia

More Ambassador love!

Photo courtesy of Keith - Action shot.

Luis modeling the Sweaty Band

Bart making a fashion statement!

More expo fun!

In the middle of two bad ass runners

Suddenly it was race morning. I was too excited and hardly slept the night before the race. 5:00 AM came way too fast and suddenly I was taking pictures with fellow ambassadors and friends from the Running Addicts. I was off my usual morning pre- race rituals and then all of a sudden the race was starting. It is here that I will mention that I wore a tutu. When people saw me, they were shocked. I admit, I shocked myself. But when fellow ambassador Peter started peer pressuring the team into wearing them, I couldn’t resist. And why not? Not only did Monika do a fabulous job in making them, but the proceeds go to a good cause - Girls on the Run, San Diego. Also, the tutu reminded me to have fun and take the 1st half in stride. 

All smiles at 3 in tha morning!

Pre race photo

Westley and Susan also wore tutus and we all started the race together including fellow Ambassador Eric. I loved running this race with the three of them. It was so much fun, and we certainly got a lot of attention. I should wear a tutu more often. After awhile I hardly even noticed I was wearing it. At mile three, we stopped to use the restroom since I was off of my race ritual game. I am certainly glad we did as I felt refreshed. After that, we walked through water stops, cruised the hills, and had a great time overall. 

Picture taken from Eric of Susan and I - Of course he gets a behind shot! ;P

When running the bridge, I experienced a few lows, but those did not last long as I was surrounded by friends who were brightening my spirits. I saw so many friends and familiar faces on the course. Susan and Eric were not certain if they were even going to be able to run due to injuries, but in the end, they ran strong to the finish. At mile 10 we parted ways, and I ran the rest of the way with Westley. I will admit these last few miles were a bit of a challenge, as I was so dehydrated. I must have filled my water bottle over four times. Westley and I crossed the finish line at 2:13. Certainly not our fastest half Mary to put in the books, but from my standpoint, the most fun I have had in along time.

Post race

More post race with Alyssa right after she crossed the finish line!

I will admit that after a weekend of San Francisco running bliss, I did suffer from those post race blues. And, yes, parting ways with my ambassador family, I got a bit emotional to say the least. I enjoyed getting to know each and every one of them. We all have a story to tell. As I said before, I was truly humbled to be surrounded by this amazing group of runners.

I can’t say enough good things about my experience with the San Francisco Marathon. I love this race and the community that goes along with it. 

*Some photos are courtesy of fellow ambassadors; Keith, Nancy, Eric, and anyone else I stole from, Thank You!