San Francisco-Day 5-Headed Home!

After our late night we all took our time getting up and around on our last morning. Then we realized we were running out of time and started shoving things in bags and suitcases.

Then we decided it was time for breakfast. We walked a few blocks from the hotel and found a little outdoor cafe. It is amazing what a difference a few hours makes in the type of people you see on the streets.

My two eggs and hash browns and water came to a total of $9. Man was I ready for Oklahoma pricing.

We of course had to take a picture. What else do you do on a girls' trip?? I asked the ladies behind us to take our picture and wasn't surprised to hear a very thick accent. The one that spoke a little English agreed to take the picture. The other one turned and sort of smiled since she was in the picture.

We were finishing when two men came up and said they weren't going to ask us for money, they were going to ask to eat the rest of the food on our plates. That's something we'd run into around every corner while we were there, beggars. Lying on the sidewalk, holding signs, having their dogs hold signs. Dogs with signs with dirty words on them. And no, I didn't get a picture. We got up to leave because we were uncomfortable and after we'd crossed the street they started digging in. The ladies behind us gave them cash and we spotted them outside Subway soon after. Soon it was time to grab our bags and figure out the fastest and cheapest way to get to the airport. With four woman and more than four total bags, we were looking at two different cabs. The guy that holds the whistle and catches cabs for the hotel (I'm sure he has an official title) suggested a Town Car. It was about $12 a person and we decided it was the way to go. I'm sure the scenery was nice on the way out but I couldn't look away from the rear view mirror. He was either handsome in a dark mysterious way...or was planning how he was going to kill us. We survived so I guess it was the first choice:c)

When I fly I have to wear the patches behind my ears or I feel the need to throw up my socks. I had patches leftover from the Phoenix trip so I knew I'd be fine. Sadly I can't throw away trash and when I got out my last one to put on for this flight, it was just an empty package. Nice going Stefunk. Not to worry, I'd packed my sea sickness bracelets. Not fashionable, but they'd helped me through the flight in my uncle's home built plane. For some stinking reason we had two layovers. And you know what we found out?? The same plane! We got off in Reno, went to the bathroom, and heard the call to get in line. We were there a total of 15 minutes. We asked the stewardess why we'd gotten off and she was as confused as we were.

And the bracelets?? They did two things. Jack. Squat. I wanted to throw up my socks. My shoes. And my shoelaces. And while I was at it, my toenail polish.

I took pictures while I could to try and keep my mind off of it.

It didn't work. But I am happy to report, I did not throw anything up. I was several different colors of green during the three flights, but I kept everything in. Even though I hate to fly, I do love the views. From bridges, to islands, to neighborhoods, to what looks like patchwork quilts, to clouds, it is an amazing view.

But my favorite view?? The four people that were waiting for me when I got off the plane:c) I didn't take a picture because I was tearing up and hugging. It was soooo good to be home!

San Francisco-Day 4

So what would you do after running 13.1 miles, walking about 7, and dancing the night away?? Go on a Segway tour of course! We slept in a bit, hopped in two cabs, and headed to the wharf. We were told to pick our ride and get ready for class. I picked this one. It was named 'Golden Gopher'. I couldn't resist:c) Sure wish I'd checked the tires before all the other ones were chosen! I just hoped I wouldn't get stuck on a slippery slope.After a video and a 30 minute class with obstacle courses, we were on our way. Segway's are really easy to drive but quite a bit frightening at first. Did you know the way to get it up off the ground is to raise your leg (ouch), push down on the back edge (ouch), and continue pushing until it's standing upright (ouch). Of the 15 people there for the tour, all but 3 had run the race. There was a lot of moaning. The Segway is so sensitive to movement. You don't really have to make big movements to make it go anywhere. It almost senses it. Slight heel pressure and you'll slow down. Curl your toes a little and you take off. It was addictive! I never wanted to walk again. And speaking of that, the boot completely threw them off. They finally decided it wasn't allowed. I got to sport a lovely pink (dirty) Croc. I was assured they're sanitized, it just looked dirty.

Apparently you're not supposed to take pictures while driving a Segway. I was caught, and told not to. So sorry, no tour pictures. I had to wait until we were stopped on a pier at the end to take pictures. Not only are Segways a little tricky to get on, they're a little tricky to get off. It's still moving as you step off because your feet are moving. We were taught exactly how to do it.

Some people still had trouble. It was continually running backwards into her until someone saved her. Aren't we cute?? We don't look like we're in pain at all. But trust me, we are. Mounted and ready to leave:) Okay, so I snuck a picture when the guide wasn't looking. After all, it was the side of Alcatraz I hadn't been on. And hi there! Soon we were back on our boring feet and deciding what to do next. Lunch was in order. Well, but one of our group needed to use the bathroom. Sadly this is what you run into a lot around town. Even though it was October the flowers were amazing! These made me want to go into the building. Sadly I was limping so far behind the group that I didn't get to voice my opinion. After lunch we hopped a cab, thank the good Lord, and headed to some shopping in Chinatown. You can't go to San Francisco without seeing (and smelling) Chinatown. Every store has the exact same things for sale, just a few different prices. I found a good deal on three silk hand painted umbrellas for three sweet girls, and from then on just took in the scenery. And the smells. Oh my stars the smells.

I wish I knew what bird this used to be. It certainly wasn't laundry I was smelling. These...creeped me out at first, but I decided they were roots...of some sort. But this? We smelled it a block away. Holy fish Batman! I just stopped and stared. And took pictures. Don't want the whole fish? How about some fish parts? Or need something a bit smaller? Right here in this tub. Don't want it fresh and fly bitten? Bagged, dried, and salted.I thought the smell couldn't be any worse....until I smelled this. I couldn't even walk in. It was disgusting!! I don't even know what it is. And I don't ever want to know. When we were all shopped out, and completely worn slick out we decided since it was our last day in town we had to ride a cable car. After all, we had them on our necklaces. It would be a lie to not ride one. Luckily we found a stop, a car, and some open side space. No way I was going to sit.

The boot was frightened, but we survived. And took pictures.

Look at that view! I was going to miss this city. To top off a wonderful day I got to go to dinner with my wonderful cousin Scott, his wife Adrienne, and their adorable little four month sweetie Olivia. Olivia had decided the day before to get 'stranger danger' so I didn't get any cuddle time. Sad day. But I got to be in a 100 year old San Francisco apartment. On the (gulp) third (gulp) floor. Ouch. I really didn't think I was going to make it. After dinner I had to have a group shot and I had to hold that sweet little bundle. I told Scott to hand her to me back first so she didn't see what was happening. Karreen was ready to snap the shot as fast as possible. I'm not sure if Olivia is scared of me or the flash, but we got a picture none the less. Love those 3!!

I could have easily crashed after we got back to the hotel but another Angel called from the hotel she and her sister had moved into across the street. (They were staying an extra day.) Actually, they called from the hot tub. Our hotel didn't have a pool or a hot tub. That my friends, is a crime. After the race in Phoenix the both of those were wonderful for soothing sore everythings. It was really cold outside so there was no way I was going to put on a swimsuit and sit in an outdoor hot tub. But since my feet and calves were killing me I did roll up my jeans and enjoy the conversation. We were in the middle of the hotel on the 16th floor. The towers of the rest of the hotel up to the 42nd floor were all around us.

Since two of the four of us were still hungry we ran out to Subway and headed back to the hotel. But Heather had an idea...why not go to the restaurant on the 42nd floor and eat the Subway sandwiches there. It's a very expensive restaurant, why wouldn't they let four women from Oklahoma sneak in with Subway sandwiches?? You know what, they did! I of course took pictures. It was really foggy, and dark, and the reflection from the restaurant lights didn't help, but I got a few that don't make you nauseous when you look at them.

That's the hot tub we were in! I didn't feel the pool but I sure hope it was heated. And there's Union Square. We'd started the race the day before almost under the yellow sign. Finally around midnight Karreen and I headed back to our hotel. Midnight in downtown San Francisco is a tad bit iffy. I clutched my purse and hobbled as fast as I could.

My trip was coming to an end and I was glad we'd done as much as we could. But I was ready to head home and see my family!

And I'm not going to lie...I missed the flatness of Oklahoma.

Soooo flat.

San Francisco-Day 3-After the Race

So what would you do after a cold, rainy, painful half marathon?? Shower and shop of course! And a little bit of rest. And a lot of complaining about a cracked laptop screen.

I'd wanted a charm from Tiffany to add to the bracelet that Shawn gave me for the Phoenix half marathon so Karreen and I headed to their store in Union Square. Right where the start to the race had been. We were a bit overwhelmed when walking in and looked around a little. After we asked about the charms we were told they were upstairs. We weren't cool enough to shop on the main floor. We found the charms but there wasn't anything having to do with running. When a salesperson came and asked what we needed I asked if they had anything for running. He looked at me weirdly and said no. The race had started at their front door. And the race is an annual event. I think they're missing out on some easy money. So then I asked what they had that represented San Francisco. The answer. We used to have cable cars but we don't have them much anymore. Um...hello. Why not carry things that go with the area? I'm a little disappointed in Tiffany. We stopped at Niketown to shop the race wear hoping it was marked down. Nope. The zip up jackets were still $70! I asked when they went on sale and was told in about 6 months. Apparently anyone could just walk in, but something that said they ran the race, and walk out owning it. Why didn't I think of that?!

Defeated we headed back to our hotel. But we found something...Charm World! Hello $18 cable car charm. I put it on my necklace because it was just so cute and tiny. It's exactly what I didn't know I wanted. Karreen got a slightly bigger one and the next day after oohing and ahhhing over ours, MaryJean got one also. Take that Tiffany's!!

Soon we were all dressed up and limping our way to the convention center for the Victory Party. The food was...interesting...but the entertainment, FABULOUS!!

This right here...is interesting. They did lots of interesting things. I want to be strong enough to do them all. But I'd have to find a woman my exact height and weight and really get to know her well.

That's creepy now that I think about it. I could sooo do this if I lost 50 pounds...became really bendy...and were Asian. Now this, this I actually would love to do. Love. Love, love, love! This might give me rope burn. But I'd still do it in a heart beat. Where can I go to learn this?? Where could I hang one of these things?? Oh. Ow. I can't raise my right arm over my head. Do you think that's important? I could do that move. I could so do that move. I might not be able to get out of it, but I could get into it. After a weird meal, and awesome entertainment, it was time to dance.

Dance?? Yep. After running either 13.1 or 26.2 miles earlier in the day, they have a dance. And you know what?? People dance. People I know. People like me. Who grew up never dancing. Who don't really know how. Who just step touch and hold the camera so no one realizes that I can't dance. Yea, those people. At this point I was really sore but you know what, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. And it's fun!!

But really hard to photograph. Did I mention that we were sore?? I thought she was going to need help getting back up. But I wasn't going to offer it, I was going to take pictures.
Soon it was winding down and I had to admit, I was worn slick out. The day had started at 4:30 and by the time we walked back to the hotel we'd probably been on our feet for 20 total miles.

But we look good, don't we?? The next morning though...? We could barely throw our feet over the side of the bed. Oh well, it was worth it:c)

San Francisco-Day 3-The Race!!

Early Sunday morning the 3 of us got up and started getting ready. I hadn't worn a real shoe on my left foot in 5 1/2 weeks so I was a bit fearful to put on my tennis shoes. I saved that until right before we were headed out the door. I'm not going to lie, it hurt, but not as badly as I expected. I was walking funny though, kind of throwing my knee out to the side to compensate. I sure hoped that I wouldn't do that for 13.1 miles.

The Oklahoma team met in the lobby to get ready to walk to the start. Cameras were every where. I of course couldn't run with my Rebel dangling around my neck so I'd brought Kennedy's point and shoot. I don't know if we just didn't buy a quality camera or if my intellect is just so above it that I couldn't use it. Basically I'm making excuses for why most of the pictures I took look rotten.

Well, that and my lack of muscles and 40 extra pounds.

Those two things can ruin every picture.

Especially when I'm in stretchy running pants.

I had to have a picture with the one and only Tracy Whitaker. Mitchell's mom. She's the whole reason we were there.

Now this lady. Let's see if I can make this short. Ruth was diagnosed with a type of leukemia that had no treatment. She was basically told there was nothing they could do. She found a doctor though who had gotten a $500,000 grant from Team in Training and developed a drug named Gleevec. It saved her life. She has dedicated her life to helping fund raise. She ran a half with us in San Francisco which was her 10th LLS/TNT event, and exactly 8 days later was in Dublin running a full. But there's more! She is an amazing cake decorator and sugar artist. She has hundreds of awards and I've watched her win competitions on the Wedding channel and TLC. She is my Facebook friend and every time I'd post something about my foot she'd comment with words of inspiration. I. Love. Her. Since we are Mitchell's Angels I was thrilled when I found iron on wings. Aren't they cute?? The start was close enough to our hotel that we walked there and found our corral. I loved how it was set up. Two streets crossing each other, people lining three of the four directions several corrals deep. It was quite a crowd! I noticed this while we were waiting. Could you run in those?? I'm sure the bottoms are thick, but I still think it would hurt to step on anything. Soon enough it was our turn and we Morticia Adams stepped with the hundreds of other people crushed up next to us. This race course was a-m-a-z-ing. Nothing will ever compare. Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz, the bridge, the woods, and then the coast. The views as we were leaving the city were gorgeous also. And the entertainment? Phoenix was a Rock and Roll race so every mile they had a band playing. Here they just had crazy people to entertain. Sadly because of poor camera quality or skills, and the bouncing, most of my pictures didn't turn out. I was willing to stop for scenery to make sure the picture looked good. Oh, and the guy in the pink body leotard. Oh come on, he was standing by the bridge. When we got to the state inspiration mile I couldn't control my emotions. I was in quite a bit of pain. It actually hurt more to walk than to run so I was running as much as possible. I of course couldn't run straight up so we were walking the hills. It just hurt. Then I saw the faces of the people we were running to honor. It overwhelmed me. Then we got to the coast. Hello gorgeous. By now it had been raining for almost an hour. Still, the coast was beautiful. I loved this guy with his bike and his little sign. I stopped for a second to take his picture. He told me to put it on Facebook and tag him. He's 'The Go Guy'. This is what he does. So inspirational with such a tiny little message. Loved it. The slogan of the race was 'I Run To Be'. It was printed everywhere. I loved how you could fill in the word you felt fit you the best.

I chose empowered at this point. Oh how I loved the downhill parts. LOVE this!!
Finally!!! Do you know what makes the Nike Women's San Francisco marathon the best?? You don't get a medal at the finish line. You get a Tiffany necklace. From a San Francisco fireman. In a tux. Holding a silver platter. I picked the cutest one and got my box. He looks good, wish I did. After checking in we hit the TNT finishers tent for a sandwich, chips, cookies, and relaxing. But after about 10 minutes I was cold, still really wet, and ready to get on the bus. After what seemed like another 13 miles we were finally on the bus headed back to the hotel. I'd done it. Run a half marathon, in San Francisco, with a stress fractured foot. And an amazing running partner.

And helped raise money to save lives like Ruth.Oh, and I got this. I've never liked the necklaces they've given out before. I'm so glad I waited until this year to do this race. I've worn it every day since!

Know what's coming up next?? A nap!