If you can't say no to chocolate.......

....then what do you do to not turn into a chocolate moose? You up the exercise, right? That's what I decided to try last May. On a whim, at a party, I made plans to run with Agna on a Monday morning since it was a holiday from work. We made our way around Lake Merritt and deciding it really wasn't so horrible, made plans to do it again. Twice a week. Rob just laughed, and I can't say I blame him. I don't really consider myself a runner, or someone who is good at getting up early, so committing to meeting Agna twice a week at 7:00 am to go running sounded like a bit of a joke.
The next week I found out that several of the women on my soccer team were signing up for the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco in October--and since I didn't trust in my own motivation, I decided to create some by signing myself up. Agna also signed up as did my friend Kristy.
And I'll tell you what, it was no joke! We actually trained ourselves pretty well and on Friday, October 21, Agna and I went to Union Square and picked up our race packets.



Then we met up with Kristy on Sunday morning at 6:15 to line up for the race and it was fantastic. It was still dark as 15,000 runners, mostly women, were pinning on their bibs and lining up for the start. As you looked up at the hotels, you could see guests peering out their windows watching all the commotion beneath them. At 7:00 we started to move and within 10 minutes we had reached the starting line to begin the race. What an unusual way to see the place you live in a whole new light. Carving our way around runners and through the buildings and streets all the way to the Embarcadero before the sun rises, is mysterious and exhilerating. All along the route, people were clapping and cheering on the runners as we passed.

This particular race benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and lots of racers were wearing their purple "Team In Training" tops, many of them with photographs or ribbons in memory of someone they had lost to cancer. It was sobering to see how many actually.

At Mile 10, as I was approaching the Cliff House, there were Rob and Peter, Agna's husband, along with Agna's kids Luc and Esme, cheering us on with homemade signs:

Sign 1:
Kristy, Agna and Kari
ROCKSTARS!!!

Sign 2:
But it ain't pretty

These signs are only hilarious if, like us, you were watching Rockstar: INXS. Otherwise, it just seems insulting. Please, don't judge our husbands too harshly!

13.1 miles and 2hrs 26min 23sec later I came running through the finish line, greeted by smiling men in tuxedos congratulating me with a Tiffany pendant. Top quality!