The Long Run

Bay Area Long Runs & Brunch: Golden Gate Park Loops & Green Chile Kitchen

Recently David Torrence and I started our long run at Beach Chalet (1000 Great Hwy), a restaurant and visitors center at the Western end of Golden Gate Park. This is a nice starting location for runs because there is a ton of parking along the ocean and the downstairs portion of Beach Chalet has a bathroom and a water fountain. Since it is a visitors center, there are also lots of maps, visitor information pamphlets, and a cool scale model of the park. Beach Chalet also has a restaurant upstairs and a beer garden downstairs, in case you want some food or beverages post run. I was amazed how many people were already frequenting the latter at 11am on a Sunday morning...

I mapped out our run on USATF's Running Routes. The description is below: Beach Chalet Short & Long Loops

For our run, David and I picked out two loops, both of which were about 4 miles long.

-The first loop is an elongated lollipop. It goes along JFK Dr. and then snakes around Chain of Lakes and the Polo Fields before heading back to Beach Chalet.

-The second loop follows the perimeter of the park. We started out going south along the great highway. When we hit Lincoln Way we stayed on the dirt trail that parallels the road (heading east). We cut to the northern edge of the park on the dirt trail along Transverse Dr. and then headed back towards the ocean (west) on the trails bordering Fulton St. When we hit the Ocean we took the Great Highway back to Beach Chalet.

-Add on: Since David and I wanted to hit 10 miles for the day we decided to add on along the Great Highway, which has a dirt trail along the side of a bike path.

Brunch:
Green Chile Kitchen
1801 McAllister
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 440-9411

For bunch, we headed to Green Chile Kitchen in San Francisco's NOPA district (North Panhandle). The restaurant moved to it's current location a few months ago, and although I had never been to the previous space, I loved the vibe of this one. The dining area is big and open, with lots of natural light and handsome dark wood tables, some of which are communal.

The Green Chile Kitchen serves New Mexican inspired food, which I thought was appropriate given our upcoming trip to Albuquerque for USATF Indoor Champs. In keeping with it's New Mexican theme, upon ordering each patron must decide whether he/she want the more tangy green chile or the smokier red chile with their meal. I went red when I ordered the breakfast burrito with soyrizo. The eggs inside were light and fluffy, and the potatoes tasted like potatoes, not grease. My meal was good, but David's looked better. He ordered the "blue corn flat breakfast enchilada plate," which was a mouthful both literally and figuratively. All those adjectives and nouns added up to what looked like a tortilla sandwich stuffed with eggs, beans, cheese, and a meat choice. It was topped with chile (your choice) and on the side were beans and posole. Not sure if the posole could compete with Tony Sandoval's (Head Track Coach at Cal), but it sure looked tasty. We also tried some of their Mexican hot chocolate, which we spiked with some coffee. It had just the perfect amount of spiciness. All the food is organic, sustainable, and locally grown as well. I would definitely recommend this place!

Bay Area Track Club Press Release

Today the Bay Area Track Club (BATC) made it's first official press release, formally introducing the club to the world. The BATC aims to support elite & emerging athletes, while also promoting health & fitness in the Bay Area. For more information, check out the full press release: http://bayareatrackclub.com/article/post/show/id/19-Elite-Athletes-and-Coaches-Unite-to-Create-the-Bay-Area-Track-Club

Sir Francis Drake doorman runs marathons

As I skimmed through the SF Chronicle this morning, I was pleased to see this photo on the front page of the Datebook section. The Q&A celebrates Tom Sweeney's 35th anniversary as the St. Francis Doorman. As a runner, I LOVED the title: "Sir Francis Drake doorman runs marathons". Running is such a universal sport! As for Sweeney, at the moment he is getting ready for his 22nd marathon (he already ran the SF marathon on full uniform, which is awesome). He does his training runs in SF, often at night after work, and he is a Sunset District native like myself! If you see him around, give him a high five for me. :)

Bay Area Long Runs: Polo Fields Long Run Bolota Version

With the New Year in full swing and many resolutions wavering, I thought I would share some of the fun long runs and brunches that the Bay Area Track Club athletes have been enjoying. 

This Sunday we had a group of 10 athletes running in Golden Gate Park, including Treniere Clement who is now with Team Cook and is visiting from Knoxville, TN. Our usual meet up location in Golden Gate Park is at the Polo Fields parking lot located on the Southwest end of the Polo Fields. Running in Golden Gate Park is usually a case of choose-your-own-adventure, since there are many dirt trails criss-crossing all over the place. For this run, we let Bolota set the course. I have mapped out our route on USATF running routes (link below). All of it was on dirt trails, some of which were small, some wide, and in the case of the Great Highway section, some shouldering a bike path. 

Although San Francisco is a big city, if you venture out to the Southwest quadrant of it, there are miles of dirt trails to choose from. While the routes may not be as wild or adventurous as those in Marin (North of SF) or Huddard Park (South), there are some beautiful ocean views and some areas where you really can feel removed from it all. The other thing I like about running in Golden Gate Park is that I am never too far from a water fountain, a bathroom, or, if I am running alone, from safety. 

Here is our sunday long run route.

Polo Fields Long Run Bolota Version: http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=343620

After running, we always treat ourself to brunch. It's a nice reward after a hard effort and a great way to continue conversations started on the trails. Today we discussed recent developments in the BATC, including our team logo and photo ideas for a club calendar. We did all this at Cafe for All Seasons, located on West Portal Ave. West Portal is where the Muni comes out of the tunnel and has many great restaurants, cafes, and coffee shops, as well as a music store, movie theater, and even a shoe cobbler. The other great part about this area is that it is never too hard to find parking. 

The food at Cafe for All Seasons is great. I called them as soon as we finished our run, and they were able to set up a table for 10 by the time we got to the restaurant 20 minutes later. They do Sunday Brunch very well and it is my favorite time to go there. The ingredients are always very fresh, the flavor combinations are delicious, and on Sundays they server complimentary muffins when you sit down (so of course I love it)! This time around I had a "hash" consisting of salmon, shiitake mushrooms, and asparagus, topped with poached eggs. It was a little pricey, but I was very pleased. 

The restaurant doesn't have a website, but you can call for more info. 

Cafe for All Season

150 West Portal Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94127

(415) 665-0900

Why I'm Excited About the Bay Area Track Club

I had a chance to talk with Kevin Selby of Flotrack about the Bay Area Track Club, the new elite group being formed in the Bay Area. Click on the link below to watch the interview.

http://www.bayareatrackclub.com/video/main/show/id/210348-Shannon-Rowbury-talks-about-the-Bay-Area-Track-Club

Pacific Association XC Championships

On Sunday, the Bay Area Track Club crew (Magda Lewy-Boulet, Alysia Johnson, David Torrence, Bolota Asmeron, Jon Rankin, and myself) met up in Golden Gate park for a long run so we could cheer on the athletes in the PA XC Championships. When we were done running, yelling and snacking, Alysia and I had a chance to talk with Carolynne Juarez of the Examiner. We discussed the great performances of the morning, the new group we are a part of (Bay Area Track Club), and why the San Francisco Bay Area is such a great place to live and train. Walker even snapped a quick photo, but I wish I had had time to freshen up after my 80 minute run. The article is linked below.

http://www.examiner.com/x-5198-San-Jose-Running-Examiner~y2009m11d23-Three-Cal-Poly-San-Luis-Obispo-alums-take-the-individual-races-at-PAUSATF-Cross-Country-Championship

Fillmore Jazz Festival

Before I headed off to London, I had a chance to spend my 4th of July weekend hanging out at the Fillmore Jazz Festival in San Francisco. There is nothing I like more than Fairs & Farmers' Markets. Through them public spaces come alive with people sharing thoughts and discovering things they never even knew their local space could offer. On Fillmore St., I was lucky to enjoy a beautifully sunny day in the city listening to some great music with a few of my good friends. 

   

Things I Love: Sidewalks so steep they require stairs

Hard to believe I used to run up & down these hills everyday in High School.

Things I Love: Flight of the Conchords

On Monday night, I had a chance to see the Flight of the Conchords Concert at the Berkeley Community Theater in what was the final stop of their tour. Despite some major problems with a fire alarm beforehand, the show started only 20 minutes late, for which the tour manager kindly apologized...a far cry from your typical concert where tardy starts are the norm.

The show opened up with a comedy routine by Arj Barker, who plays the pawn shop owner in the series and who also hails from the Bay Area (Marin County to be specific). He was a pleasant surprise and quite entertaining, delivering many jokes that had me laughing quite loudly. From the looks of it, he's planning to be at Cobb's Comedy Club in SF in early July. He seems like a really cool guy, so if you're around I would recommend attending.

The guys from Flight of the Conchords (Jemaine & Bret) were hilarious. Their ability to improvise and play off each other and the audience was impressive. When I first heard about the tour, I wasn't sure how well their act would translate to a live performance. When I left, I kept thinking that their show was one of the best concerts I had ever been to. Although the ridiculousness of their lyrics makes it more of a comedy skit than a concert, I was impressed by how much I also liked the melodies of their pieces.

I was going to try to list what song I liked best, but they were all pretty hilarious. My favorites from the TV series are "Too Many Mother 'uckers" & "Foo de Fa Fa," both of which the played. I would have to say that their performance of "Sugar Lumps" definitely stole the show though, as they left their chairs to display their dance moves and ended up grooving with an audience member's camera phone. 

Races: Brutus Hamilton Race Review

Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the NYRR Distance Carnival at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational Friday night. There were many great performances made possible by an excellent meet crew and many cheering fans.

It was a little cold and windy for my race, but the conditions cleared up perfectly for the men's 10k, where Sam Chelanga set a new collegiate record of 27:28. I won the women's 5km in 15:12.95. Marina Muncan rabbited the race for 2,000m at perfectly smooth 72s. Unfortunately there was no one around me, so I had to run the next 3km by myself. My pace slowed a little with about 1km to go, I think a little from the windy chill and also from my inexperience in the event. Unfortunately, I missed the World "A" Standard by 2 seconds, but otherwise I am happy to have my first track 5km in 3 years under my belt.

Once again, thank you to all my friends and family who came out to the track. It was so wonderful to see you there, but it was even better to hear you cheering me around the track.

The pictures are courtesy of my talented friend Margaret Gallagher.