Burnam Open 4k Cross Country

I did this 4k Cross Country race at Montros Marbor. Conditions were not good - snow and very cold - but that's why it's a cross country race! I had a blast. I forgot how much fun cross country is!
Here is a little clip (not sure if it will work since it was posted on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/video/?of=609034697#!/video/video.php?v=10150171305219698

Jessica Koster Visit!

I got to spend the day with Jess! The picture above is our lunch that we picked up at the Meatloaf Bakery- yes they make meatloaf cupcakes : )

Napa!

My Aunt and Uncle let us borrow their car again so Jeff and I headed to Napa Valley for some wine and cheese tasting. It was so beautiful. The winery that we stopped at was built in the 1800’s that was made of stone. We sampled some wines and some cheeses. It was quite the experience. I felt a bit out of my element sampling expensive wines that I hadn’t heard of with a bunch of well dressed and experienced California girls. …we should have worked on our wine vocabulary before hand : ) We also went on an amazing run through moss covered trees. It was incredible. The Bay area is by far the best place I have ever visited for running. We rushed back and headed to the airport. Great trip- period.

Golden Gate Recreation Area

Wow today was amazing. My Aunt and Uncle let us barrow their car and we headed to the Golden Gate Recreational area and Muir Woods. First stop: Muir Beach. The fog drifted onto the sandy beach with rocky cliffs overhead. Jeff was so excited to see the ocean (and to get out of the car) that he nearly ran into the water with excitement. We did a short hike up to a lookout over the beach. From there we headed into the Muir Woods Park. Jeff drove me to the top of the Panoramic Highway and I started running west until we planned to meet at Stinson Beach and Highway 1. Meanwhile, Jeff went and hiked the Redwood trail and got his first up –close encounter with the big trees. It was a Seattle-like misty day which kept the crowds away. Jeff later went to meet me at Highway 1. But after I hadn’t showed up Jeff decided to drive up the Panoramic highway. He flagged a car down and asked a man if he had seen me. The guy said “Yes- I thought about asking if she needed a ride but she looked like she was having too much fun!” Jeff soon found me running happily in the rain (but with dead tired legs – it was VERY hilly). After that we drove the craziest road of my life. Up, down, over, cliffs on the edge of the road and stunning views of the Pacific the entire time! We stopped had a makeshift lunch on a cliff overlooking the water. We had such an amazing time. Because Jeff hadn’t yet seen the Golden Gate Bridge we raced to get there before dark. We climbed up to the lookout, we heard the cars on the bridge and a freighter down below …. But all there was to see was thick clouds… I guess we will have to go back 

Exploring SF city

Jeff had a few more interviews this morning so I went out exploring again. I walked through a trendy street called Haight street- it was a very artsy- punky atmosphere. I then went to the Japanese Gardens and the Botanical Gardens. I then walked to Sunset Hill which is where many of the medical students live. I found a good Vietnam bakery that I stopped at for lunch. From there I walked to Castro street which a unique area- lot’s of rainbows. From there I went to Mission street and went to 4 thrift stores. I really liked the Mission district. There was a lot of murals and there was a lot of energy on the street. After that I walked home. When Jeff got home he wanted to go for a run so we went on another great run to the beach. After our run we took the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to my Aunt Lynn and Uncle Mike’s house. They took us out for Mexican food and we had a great time with them!

Golden Gate Bridge Run

Today Jeff had an interview so I put on my running shoes and headed out to explore. I ran through the Golden Gate Park and then across the Golden Gate Bridge I was having such a great time that I didn’t think to check my watch and I ended up running about 16 miles! It was sooo beautiful and fun. When Jeff got back around noon we went to the San Francisco farmers market and got some lunch we then walked through China town and to a few lookouts. That night Jeff’s friend made us dinner which was nice.

To SF....

Tonight Jeff and I went to San Francisco. We headed to Jeff’s friend’s apartment. We went to this awesome Asian Fusion place. I got Pho which I hadn’t had in a long time. Jeff got an ginger noodle dish that was very good as well. Everywhere we walk is straight up or straight down- my legs are already sore.

Dinner with Calah, Jesi, and Jeff!

Tonight Jeff came into town. We had dinner with Calah and Jesi hale (good ol’ Calvin XC friends). Jesi’s boyfriend is in medical school and Calah had just been in Haiti so Jeff had a lot in common.

Dinner with Calah

Calah is in town! I had a great time visiting with her over dinner. She has been all over the place, Vietnam, Colorado, Haiti…it was fun to hear about her adventures and catch up! I had been missing her!

Orientation

I had orientation for Northwestern’s Prosthetics Orthotics program. I had a really great time. My classmates are really interesting and I am really excited to learn more about the topic. In addition, Northwestern just moved to a different building and everything is brand new!