hawaii

Back in April, I spent 4 days on Oahu enjoying being in the company of girlfriends, obsessively slathering on sunblock, breathing fresh air, waiting for the next dose of shaved ice, loving the proximity of the ocean, eating spam musubi every morning, and generally being mistaken for a Japanese tourist. I know it's a hard life but someone's got to live it.

We managed to cram a lot of activities into 4 days including surfing, kayaking, hiking, and lots of eating. Sometime during our trip, I realized how much I miss being near a body of water that I can actually be in without fear of pollution, hypothermia, or other grossness. When I grow up, if possible, I'd like to live near a nice beach.

After Hawaii, the next highlight was Bay to Breakers. For everyone living outside of the Bay Area, Bay to Breakers is an annual 12K (7.46 miles) race that starts on the bay-side of SF and cuts across the city and ends at the Pacific ocean (or breakers side). Hence, Bay to Breakers. Even though it's a footrace, it's also this huge street party with tens of thousands of runnners, walkers, and partying/drinking fools dressed up in a variety of costumes (or nothing at all). My favorite costumes that I saw this year were the folks dressed up in full-on Star Wars Storm Trooper outfits and of course, the salmon swimming downstream and high-fiving everyone they passed. The weather was beautiful for a run across the city and 1 hour and 34 minutes later, my friend and i crossed the finish line. I hadn't planned on running the entire way but once we powered up the hill, i was too stubborn to stop. I can't remember the last time i ran more than 2 miles! Anyway, as you can tell, I was muy impressed with myself...until i woke up the next morning and couldn't move for 3 days and then realized i had somehow strained something in my foot. So, moral of the story children, your body starts to turn on you once you crest 25...and stretching is important...as is bengay.