Unfortunately, I can't upload any pictures yet. I have some great ones, but the hotel's bandwidth doesn't seem up to the task. GRRR! So, text only for now...
Our flight was pretty uneventful, except for a great view of Mono Lake at sunrise. We arrived in Oakland early (7:30 am!) and took the team shuttle to the hotel (Holiday Inn Civic Center). We were allowed to check into our rooms early (yay!) and they actually gave me and Loren a room on the 14th floor (top floor), which has the executive rooms. I'm guessing they ran out of regular rooms? The rest of the team is on the 9th floor. Anyway, our room was stocked with a complimentary gift bag with bottled water, honey roasted peanuts, and cookies. Not bad.
After unpacking a little we walked over to Union Square for packet pickup for the race. It was very organized, and we only had to wait in line for about 10 minutes before getting my packet. They had free engraving for your iPod, with the Nike Women's Marathon logo & the date, so of course I had to do that :). They had free manicures, massages, etc. at the expo, but we didn't have much time for that, because we were going to meet my brother and his wife for lunch. So, after picking up a souvenir shirt and hoodie at the Niketown store, we walked back to the hotel to drop off our stuff.
BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit - commuter rail in SF) is less than a block from our hotel, so we hopped on a train to Berkeley, and Alex & Erica met us at the station and drove us to a really yummy Mediterranean restaurant called The Pomegranate. Interestingly enough, Alex & Erica have a pomegranate tree in their yard in Davis (an hour's drive from Berkeley), and they brought us two fresh pomegranates to enjoy this weekend :). We dined on great appetizers (hummus, tzatziki, tabbouleh, and fresh flatbread), and shared a lovely chicken in pomegranate sauce (what else?!?) with mashed potatoes & fresh steamed veggies. Delicious! It was fantastic to catch up with Alex & Erica, and we enjoyed the leisurely lunch and conversation.
After taking BART back to the hotel, we relaxed for about 45 minutes before my friend Marge, who lives about an hour south in Half Moon Bay, picked us up for a little city tour and dinner. We drove all around the marathon course, and it is SO BEAUTIFUL. I wish I could share the pictures with you now, but you'll just have to wait. The first 16 miles of the course are truly spectacular, from the cityscape to the Embarcadero, to Fisherman's Wharf, to the Golden Gate Bridge, to the beach, and through Golden Gate Park. The last 10 are not as exciting; though scenic, not spectacular as you wind down the Great Highway along the beach. The problem is that you can't see the beach much from the road because of the sand dunes, so it will surely be a bit monotonous here. The route then goes around Lake Merced, which again is pretty but not as thrilling as the earlier scenery. The finish is just west of Golden Gate Park on the Great Highway, and it was interesting to see the Finish Village as they were setting up the tents, etc. It was huge - at least 10 very very large tents (maybe more) were visible, along with the finish line arch, which will be moved over the road before the race. It was GREAT to see the race course and catch up with Marge; the conversation and the tour of the city was delightful.
Our race course and city tour over, we drove to Nob Hill for dinner at an amazing little Italian restaurant called Nob Hill Cafe. We were lucky to find a parking spot only 3 blocks away, and walked up and down some serious San Francisco hills to get there. It was a small, casual restaurant, but the food was some of the best Italian I've had (and I love Italian food!). The lasagna Marge ordered was to die for - the sauce had an unique flavor and aroma which was delectable; I'm not sure what the magic ingredient was, but I'd love to know. Loren's fettucine with pesto was flavorful without being heavy (how did they do THAT?), and my tomato and basil pasta was equally delicious. The foccacia bread had a tangy and savory flavor that had us asking for another basket. I was thinking that it would have been better if I had worked out today. I was within maintenance points for the week, barely, but I am thinking I'll be lucky not to gain this week with all the great food, marathon or no marathon. One week is only a blip, though, as long as I return to my healthy habits at home.
Marge drove us the mile or so back to our hotel from the restaurant, and we didn't waste any time retiring, as it was 9:30 pm and we'd gotten up at about 3:30 am Pacific time - long day! I wish I could say I slept well, but I woke at 4 am and couldn't get back to sleep. It's now 6 am and I'm going to try & snooze a little more before the team workout at 8:30 am. On to day 2!
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