SF Nike Women's Full & Half Marathon

More than 20,000 women (and a few hundred men) raced to complete a full/half marathon in San Francisco on Sunday, October 18. It was my 2nd year in a row and I had a great time running for my life to beat last year's time & to benefit Leukemia & Lymphoma.

The course was scenic but extremely hilly - beautiful yet very tough.

"The race kicks off in Downtown San Francisco at Union Square and heads through the financial district past the famous TransAmerica building. It then proceeds along the San Francisco Bay past Fisherman's Wharf, Aquatic Park, Ghirardelli Square, Fort Mason and Marina Green while revealing breathtaking views of Alcatraz and The Golden Gate Bridge. The course then weaves through the Presidio and Sea Cliff districts, out to the Great Highway, through Golden Gate Park and south around Lake Merced, finishing just north of the Great Highway along the Pacific Ocean."

Along the route were stations for gatorade, water, Luna bars, Luna Moons, bananas, oranges, first-aid and entertainment spots that featured choirs, cheerleaders, bands & bagpipe players.
Some runners stopped for a photo op at each location/ entertainment area, but I decided to keep on trucking straight through to the finish to achieve my goal - and I did! I ran through the finish line beating last year's time by 20+ minutes. Then, I proceeded to pick up my Tiffany's necklace from one of the firemen dressed in Tuxes in addition to the finisher food & Nike DriFit Tee. Oh the lovely perks!

To reward ourselves, we headed over to Hard Knox Cafe to indulge in a southern homestyle meal. Mine consisted of fried chicken, collard greens, potato salad & corn bread. What a great way to end a 13.1 mile run!

This week, I'm focusing on vegetating, eating lots of ANYTHING & spending LOTS of time indoors :)

Run Like A Girl 2009

The Nike Women's Run is happening this Sunday and tonight was a special night for all the ladies (and a few hundred great men) who are running. To start off the first of 3 expotiques, the organization teamed up with a few sponsors to bring the runners "Ladies Night" which took place in the center of San Francisco's Union Square.


Instead of getting in line just to pick up our race packets, we were able to look forward to indulging in food/snacks, margaritas/smoothies, the oxygen bar, manicures, ipod engraving, shoe/shirt designing, raffling, running shoe-type measuring, ipod playlist making and more! The great part is, most (if not all) of these were free.



In addition, there were several very inspiring motivational guest speakers who got everyone pumped to do a great job. One of them was Joan Benoit Samuelson, the first ever women's Olympic marathon champion.


It was an eventful night - what a way to pamper yourself before a big race day! Wish me luck! My goal is to beat last year's time by at least 15 minutes.

The Big Eat SF: 100 Things to Try Before You Die

This article from 7x7 Magazine was too good to not share. Shamefully, I have quite a few to go - though I can definitely vouch for the corned beef sandwich at the Sentinel, bacon-wrapped hot dogs in the Mission & the morning bun at Tartine. De-lish!

I think I found my new year's resolution.

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How many dishes have you eaten? How many drinks have you downed? Take count on Facebook. Or, print it out. The bragging rights are yours. (Listed in no particular order.)

by the 7x7 editors

1. Roast chicken and bread salad at Zuni

2. Coffee-rubbed pork shoulder at Range

3. Carnitas taco at La Taqueria

4. Spicy crab and grits at the Front Porch

5. Chasu ramen at Katana-Ya

6. Burger with fries at Slow Club

7. Shaking beef at the Slanted Door

8. Morning bun at Tartine Bakery

9. Tofu soup with kimchi at My Tofu House

10. Baja-style fish tacos at Nick’s Crispy Tacos

11. Pork sugo with pappardelle at Delfina

12. Porchetta sandwich at RoliRoti at the Saturday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

13. Soup dumplings at Shanghai House

14. Beef brisket at Memphis Minnie’s

15. Oysters on the half shell at Swan Oyster Depot

16. Katsu curry from Muracci’s Japanese Curry & Grill

17. Tea-leaf salad at Burma Superstar

18. Salumi misti plate at Perbacco

19. Tuna tartare at Michael Mina

20. Chicken pot pie at Liberty Café

21. Pizza margherita at Pizzeria Delfina

22. Vietnamese roasted pork sandwich at Saigon Sandwich

23. Beer sausage with sauerkraut and grilled onions at Rosamunde Sausage Grill

24. Blue Bell Bitter from the cask at Magnolia Pub

25. Loaf of bread straight out of the oven at Tartine (bonus: sliced while still warm and slathered with Brillat- Savarin cheese from Bi-Rite, down the block)

26. A classic gin martini at Bourbon & Branch

27. Papaya salad with salty crab at Sai Jai Thai

28. A Gibraltar at Blue Bottle Café

29. Spaetzle at Suppenküche

30. Laughing Buddha cocktail at Cantina

31. Pan con chocolate with sea salt and olive oil at Laïola

32. Pupusas at Balompie Café #3

33. Prime rib at House of Prime Rib

34. Yellowtail collar at Oyaji

35. Salted-caramel ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery

36. Dry-fried chicken wings at San Tung

37. Rotisserie chicken at Limón Rotisserie

38. French fries at Hayes Street Grill

39. Pierna Enchilada torta at La Torta Gorda

40. Cheeseburger at Taylor’s Automatic Refresher

41. Pho ga at Turtle Tower

42. Fried-shrimp po’boy at Brenda’s French Soul Food

43. Mint julep at Alembic

44. Cannelé at Boulangerie Bay Bread

45. Galapagos cocktail at Absinthe

46. Chips and salsa at Papalote

47. Ceviche at La Mar Cebichería Peruana

48. Angels on horseback at Anchor & Hope

49. Ginger snaps at Miette

50. Giant pretzel with mustard at The Monk’s Kettle

51. Maccaronara with ricotta salata at A16

52. Fried brussels sprouts at SPQR

53. Garlic soup at Piperade

54. Spiced-chocolate doughnut at Dynamo Donut with a Four Barrel coffee

55. Milk-roasted pork at L’Osteria del Forno

56. Caponatina with burrata at Beretta

57. Goat stew at Kokkari Estiatorio

58. Absinthe daiquiri at Jardinière

59. Huarache with cactus salad at El Huarache Loco (Saturdays at the Alemany farmers market)

60. The Brass Monkey at Little Star Pizza

61. Crab soufflé at Café Jacqueline

62. Shrimp-and-chive dumplings at Ton Kiang

63. Meatballs with grapes at Aziza

64. Paper masala dosa at Dosa

65. Crispy eggplant at Jai Yun

66. Pig parts at Incanto

67. Sand dabs at Tadich Grill

68. Irish coffee at the Buena Vista Cafe

69. Licorice parfait at South

70. Omakase menu at Sebo

71. A Fernet at R Bar

72. Arancini at Ducca

73. Popovers with strawberry butter at the Rotunda

74. Corned-beef sandwich with Gruyère at the Sentinel

75. Fried green beans at Coco500

76. Chicken hash at Ella’s

77. Eggs benedict on the back patio at Zazie

78. Chilaquiles with a fried egg at Pastores

79. Onion strings at Alfred’s Steakhouse

80. Apple fritter at Bob’s Donuts

81. Chicken curry at Punjab Kabab House

82. Fried chickpeas at Piqueo’s

83. Sweet-potato fries with banana catsup at Poleng Lounge

84. A margarita at Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant

85. Pulled-pork sandwich at Roadside BBQ

86. A cheese slice at Arinell Pizza

87. Fresh spring rolls at Out the Door

88. Buckwheat crepe and a French cider at Ti Couz

89. Lamb schawerma at Truly Mediterranean

90. Slow-cooked egg at Coi

91. Albondigas soup at Mijita

92. Bacon-wrapped hot dog from a cart in the Mission (preferably when you’re drunk)

93. Seven courses of beef at Pagolac

94. Mango with chile, lemon and salt at Doña Tere’s cart (At the corner of 21 and Treat Streets, no phone)

95. 3 a.m. bowl of caldo verde soup at Grubstake

96. Baby-coconut ice cream from Mitchell’s

97. Sesame balls at Yank Sing

98. Basil gimlet at Rye

99. Clam chowder at Hog Island Oyster Co.

100. Cheese course at Gary Danko

Fleet Week SF

It was Fleet Week in SF and the Blue Angels were in town. They were amazing as always, though it was sad to see the air show get cut short due to low visibility. After the show and a few drinks at Caroline's rooftop party, we headed to the Marina for a fun-filled pub crawl. Hundreds of people flocked to the bars and we were on a mission to find a few sailors...

A Hand-made Wedding

It's been several weeks since Angelique & Ricardo's wedding and I still can't stop sharing the details of their lovely day. Angelique is one of the most creative people I know. You can definitely see her creativity shine from all of the handmade details - which (for the most part) came from recycled materials which she then donated after the wedding. It amazed me to see a bride execute all of these DIY projects in addition to planning the actual wedding (did I mention she was extremely relaxed the day of and set up the decor at the ranch the night before). Inspiring!

I can go on and on about this couple, their special day, the fine details, and more - but you can just see for yourself.


The StyleMePretty blog also featured their big day, so you can check that out here: www.stylemepretty.com

Shake it like a Polaroid picture...

The Poladroid tool is my latest obsession.

CAL vs USC

Another successful tailgate with the Cal Drink Squad. Unfortunately, Cal got blown out. Good news is I reunited with old friends who I haven't seen in years, yet have known almost all my life. The sun was out, the food was yummy (on the menu: pulled pork & tri-tip sandwiches & more) & I had a blast.

DIY: Accessory Holder

After several attempts at trying to find the perfect accessory holder, I decided to try and make my own. I needed something that took up very little space, can hold a few of my non-expensive earrings & necklaces that I wear more frequently than others and that somewhat matched the decor of my new room (grey walls w/ a blue undertone, white furniture & small splashes of color here and there - still a work in progress).

So, here are the phases of my project - will likely add one more thing: a little color/border: