Last Friday Andy and I headed into San Francisco to hike the Alcatraz course and head over to my friend Jill's apartment for wine and dinner. She is moving to Sydney for 3 years so it was great to see her before she leaves. I am definitely going to have to go visit and do some Southern Hemisphere racing while she is there.
Anyway, I was psyched to take Andy on the Alcatraz course to show him how amazing it was---and how tough. I also really enjoying seeing it at a slower pace where I could really soak up the scenery. After crossing Crissy Field we headed up the first set of stairs and Andy was somewhat surprised...he thought the only stairs were at the sand ladder, not so. I thought the same thing when I did the race for the first time. I promptly got my ass handed to me and vowed to come back stronger.
View of Alcatraz island on the run course. If you are going to do this race keep your head up for the beautiful views. However, this is hard to do since it is single track trail and you have people coming at you. As we walked the course I chattered the whole way about my experiences, what I was thinking, what I saw, etc. I do not think I stopped talking about the race the whole time. It shows how much I love it. I got a little sad I am not racing this coming weekend but I did it in May and I will do it again next year. 
The dreaded, but still loved, Sand Ladder. Mile 4 on the course. It burns. Andy did not think it was too bad. I told him to bike 18 hilly miles before it, run 4 miles uphill and then tell me how it feels. I think he caught my drift. 
The family on Saturday. After a late night in San Francisco we chilled the entire day. You will notice that all we have is a futon to sit on. All our furniture is at our house in Chicago because we think it shows better with furniture in it. If you know anyone who needs a house in Chicago (Lincoln Park), let me know...I want my couch!
Our one Saturday excursion was for bagels and to hit the farmers market. We will sidetracked and ended up in downtown Napa at another car show. That is two Saturdays in a row. This one was huge! All the streets in downtown Napa were filled with pre-1976 cars. Some beautiful vehicles. People must spend boat loads of money to fix them up. I guess we all have our hobbies (ie, money pits). One car even came with a dog in it (see above).
My favorite car at the show. How cute is that?!?! Happy Training and Racing...the big races are coming upon us quickly. Amazing how fast the year goes. 
Believe me, not only do they spend money to fix and maintain their vintage cars, but they also spend time and a lot of effort just for that. I guess you could say that these cars are more than just a heritage passed down from one generation to the next. It’s all about passion and dedication that makes these cars even more valuable.
ReplyDeleteTyra Shortino