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Holiday Outing

On these extra holidays Elizabeth and I like to break routine and do some kind of an active outing. Ideally we are exploring somewhere we have never been before. One of the reasons we love the Bay Area so much is there is a never ending list of places to explore.

Today we took the short ferry ride from Tiburon to Angel Island State Park. We took our 28 year old son there when he was a baby and had not gone back since. It was even better than I remembered.

Dock at Angel Island

Here is all the details on the island Angel Island Info. We did 6 miles of hiking and about 1,000 feet climbing and could have easily done 3-5 more miles. We took the Livermore Summit Trail to the top and the views from the island’s summit are unreal. 360 degree view San Francisco, Golden Gate, Bay, and Richmond Bridges.

Golden Gate Bridge

We worked our way down and wanted to check out some of the historical buildings, we chose Fort McDowel. The history of this site going back to the late 1800’s and through WWII was fascinating. The buildings are in pretty good shape considering their age and the weather conditions.

The Hospital

While on that side of the island it is well worth the little extra walk to Quarry Beach. More amazing views and a clean secluded beach. This is an awesome place to picnic. From here you are about 2 miles from the ferry taking the main road. There is more to see on the way back but we wanted to make the next ferry.

Quarry Beach

This is an awesome outing for families of all ages and fitness levels. We will definitely go back and it won’t be 26 years.

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Happy New Year -Half

We are officially half way though 2021. Now is a great time to do. “”Map Check” on your ‘21 goals and objectives. Are you on track, in the weeds and need to course correct, or ahead of plan?

Take a minute to evaluate and maybe even scrap the old plan and create a new one. The point is check in, evaluate, determine if you are where you want to be and then do something about it.

For me, I am happy with where I am at the halfway point of the year in my health and fitness. I am on track to get 1,200 run miles and 6,000 bike miles which are my ‘21 goals. I have made a huge effort to foam roll and stretch this year and it has made a significant difference.

Take away- do your personal map check and make necessary adjustments.

Our Father’s Day workout at Red Rocks Denver
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Workout Variety – Point to Point

I have no problem staying motivated to run and ride. But without being able to add in organized events I have found ways to create my own challenges.

One way I have found is to do point to point runs. You need a way to get back, hopefully a friend will cover you but this opens the door to all kinds of new adventures.

This last Sunday I did something I have been wanting to do a while and that is to get into the hills by my house and run a to the end of the trail. It’s only 8 miles but the elevation gain made it very challenging. Link to my Strava

Point to point trail run

If you are looking to create a challenge for yourself consider a point to point adventure.

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Murph Challenge

One of my favorite fund raiser fitness challenges is the Memorial Day weekend Murph Challenge. I have done it the last 6 years and officially registered through the website the last two.

The challenge is comprised of a 1 mile run, 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats, and a final 1 mile run. There are all kinds of variations but I have settled on doing the strength stuff in rounds without assistance, but without a weighted vest. I like to do it for time so I have the comparison from year to year.

Last year I did not prepare well and I paid the price. This year I worked on my pull ups and push ups throughout the spring and it’s amazing what great conditioning these two simple exercises are. I also strategized better on my round count, which saved time and energy. My plan was to do 17 rounds of 6 pull ups, 12 push ups and 18 squats.

I am happy to report I was able to stay on schedule for the 17 rounds and with the runs I finished in a time of 44:36. I don’t know if that’s good compared to others but I do know it’s good for me. That’s a full 10 minutes faster than last year.

You get a great shirt with your donation.
My plan and tracking saved time

As I get older it is important to me to stay on top my fitness and it’s these types of annual challenges that serve as a great measuring stick. Thank you #murphchallenge organization.

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Happy Earth Day

I wanted to do a little something to commentate Earth Day so I decided I would do a trash pick up on my favorite run course this morning. I am blessed to live in an amazing place but there is always a little work to do.

If we all did just one small gesture in the next few days it would have a huge effect. Who knows what the multiplier effect could be.

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January Is A Wrap

And just like that January is behind us. Im going to January a win with 108 run miles and 505 bike miles. Most importantly I end the month physically healthy.

One thing we did this month to enhance our general health was to get a very comprehensive blood panel done through a private company paid out of pocket. Armed with the data we met with our trusted nutritionist to set a supplement and diet strategy for the next six months.

I believe it’s going to be important to proactive with our preventive healthcare. I am excited about the direction we are going.

Explore and Discover

One of our 2021 goals is to explore parks within the Golden Gate Conservancy. This month we got to Fort Funston and the beach there. It was beautiful and very easy to get to. Here are a few pics

Funston Beach
Messing Around
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Sharing Year End Stats

I am proud of how my numbers ended up for 2020. I had a few months where I had physical challenges running but I was able to overcome them and have a pretty good run year.

I am most proud of my bike year 🚴🏼‍♀️. For the first time ever I rode over 6,000 miles. Some of that was due to run injury and part was due to COVID and sheltering in place. Thankfully I have able to ride consistently.

2020 Run and Bike Stats

I’ll be looking to do the same kinda numbers this year with my focus on staying healthy. Keys to success? Hydrate, eat well, stretch and be smart.

I wish you a successful workout year. I hope you have taken a minute to think about what your goals are and how you will get it done.

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Start The Year Right

Going back to when the kids were young New Year’s Day is a family day. Even when the kids were in college we connected for brunch after they were able to get moving. The idea was family is first priority so the first activity of the new year should be about family.

Elizabeth and I have kept the tradition going today with a great day in San Francisco. It was a low key walk with an emphasis on photo taking and exploring. We walked 5 miles but that wasn’t the point. Here are a few pictures from today’s outing.

Amazing Views
This one got me wet
The scale is incredible
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New Year’s Eve 2020

New Years Eve for me is about closing out the workout books on the year, doing the Last Chance Workout, and totaling everything up.

For my Last Chance Workout I closed with a half marathon. I had some issues this year that hampered my running so being able to run a 1/2 on the last day of the year was a nice way to celebrate.

I’m proud of my year end bike and run numbers. I ended with a solid run year and a best in my life ride year.

A great joy to me is being able to do fun rides with Elizabeth so being able to end the workout year with a little bike ride, get coffee and get bagels is fantastic.

NYE Bike Ride
Bagel Run

The day was a wonderful way to end the year. On to new adventures and goals in 2021.

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What Am I Going To Bring?

I recently participated in a small, local 10K fund-raiser run. I ran with my wife, which was a lot of fun. As we approached the finish line, we heard the announcer enthusiastically welcoming each participant by name with an uplifting congratulations.  I have been to a lot of races, big budget and small, and this was the best execution of finish-line announcing I have experienced.  The announcer was Dave Stark and with his energy and enthusiasm, he completely heightened the energy and fun level of the finish-line area for everyone. Dave really brought something to that event.

That got me thinking about the concept of how we personally contribute to any given situation.  I reflected on recent events, both work and personal, and asked myself whether I contributed all the positivity and enthusiasm I could.  I carry this thought forward with me into each day challenging myself to do as Dave did at that race, to bring the energy and enthusiasm to make any situation better and to uplift he people around me.