Oops I did it again

Man, the days are just zooming past me! It's hard to believe that June is almost over! So much for avoiding massive photo dump posts :\

I was pretty bummed after Jamie left last Wednesday so I tried to load up my Thursday with a nice long run and a light dinner.

I mapped a 5 mile route from my apartment (very first one!) that took me down Union Street for some fast window shopping, up that silly Fort Mason hill, along the Embarcadero, and through the Financial District where I snapped a quickie photo

I got up close and personal with the Transamerica Pyramid before heading up some monster hills through Chinatown. Yep, I failed to read the elevation chart on Mapmyrun.com (and by failed, I mean I obviously don't understand how to use it) and was greeted by a series of serious hills about 3/4 of the way through my run. WTF?

Thankfully I didn't have to dodge people in Chinatown (note to self, Chinatown is surprisingly empty around 7pm)! If only you could see my face as I stopped at this intersection...

That was only the second incline. I didn't even have the energy to take a picture of the 3 inclines to my apartment. Oy. I think the saddest part is that Jamie and I walked up those last 3 inclines...I KNEW those were there. D'oh! One day I'll share those gems with you...

After all that, I was too exhausted to even think about dinner (let alone get creative with the few grocery items I had) so I popped into the Top O' the Hill Market at the corner of Leavenworth and Union (it is in fact, located at the top of the hill). After wandering around the small market like a lost child, I walked out with some ingredients for a ghetto taco brown rice bowl. Oh my goodness. SO ghetto. You think I'm kidding? I wish I took a picture...chicken strips, brown rice, salsa, taco cheese and avocado. It was not pretty. I did grab a can of refried beans, but soon realized I didn't have a can opener. FAIL!

The market wasn't too bad...definitely pricey and there's a limited selection of food. I'd probably go there in a pinch, but one weird thing I noticed - it's always closed when I pass by? Bizarre.

My Safeway delivery was scheduled to arrive Friday afternoon and I was really excited to finally fill up my cabinets! Since I don't really trust others to pick out produce for me, I only got canned/heavy foods and pantry staples delivered. The rest I picked up on my walk home :)

First stop of the day was Cheese Plus. I'm trying not to spend a ton of money so I refrained from splurging on all their goodies. I walked out with sherry vinegar (what? I've been searching everywhere for it!), a bag of arugula and some Sabra Supremely Spicy Hummus (I've missed you!). I also found out that they do knife sharpening once a week, unfortunately it's not free :(

I found myself wandering into Real Foods next. I think this place is a little too expensive for regular groceries, but they do have a great variety of produce and food. I grabbed a couple fruits, yogurt and took note of the other interesting options they had to offer. I was surprised at how well I controlled my urges to buy!

I was really just holding out for Polk Street Produce. Ok, I have to admit that the first 3 times I walked into the store, I managed to miss ALL the fresh produce they have sitting outside. Obviously I'm a space cadet. Jamie mentioned he saw some good produce (in particular, some champagne mangoes) so I figured I'd stop in.

I grabbed some cherries, a few berries, some salad greens and toppings and headed home in time to greet the Safeway man with my goods. Woo! To celebrate, I made myself a massive salad:

I mixed some salad greens with my arugula, threw in some pickled beets (yay!), corn (double yay!), green pepper, avocado, hearts of palm and some deli chicken. Topped it off with some Brianna's Home Style Poppyseed Dressing:

SO yummy and SO not healthy. I'm usually not a creamy dressing person, but ever since I had this on a salad at Cafe Capriccio I've been hooked! It was actually a great addition to the salad :) Fabulous end to the week!

Saturday morning took me on a bus adventure to the other side of the city. Why? For a 10 mile run with the running group, of course! Our run started off at the Beach Chalet parking lot on the Great Highway at 9:30am. My morning started a little after 8 for my hour-long, 2-bus commute. Woah. It actually wasn't too bad. Now that I know how to get there, I might be able to nap next time ;) The bus stops right before the ocean!

Hey, ocean!

Oh Great Highway....we meet again. Not going to lie, I may have gotten a little choked up remembering marathon #1. *insert laughing at my nerdy sentiment here*

We headed south along the bike path and back to put in 4.5 miles before heading north on the Great Highway for an additional 5.5 through Golden Gate Park. Running along the path immediately reminded me of Saturday runs in DC/VA. It was fairly flat and quiet with a little greenery for good measure.

Running through the park - not as fun. I think it's because we stuck to a dirt path and you know how I am with unpaved paths...yeh. I also found out that we were running a very long and gradual incline to our turnaround point (the De Young). Jeebus. I don't know what happened (perhaps my gel kicked in or maybe it was the slight downhill), but a little while before the turnaround point, I got this freak burst of energy and next thing you know I'm zooming through the next 3 miles! It felt awesome! Ended up finishing in 1:42...not bad for first long run back.

I was STARVING by the time I got home and wasn't really looking forward to cooking breakfast on my own so I opted to splurge on brunch. I paid a visit to Rex Cafe since it didn't look like it would mind my post-run look. I sat at the bar, guzzled a couple glasses of water and chowed on this monster:

I got the California Omelet (avocado, jack cheese, fresh salsa, & sour cream, served with home fries & toast) because you know I love avocado. Oh, did I mention the massive side of ham I ordered? Had no idea they'd give me a giant plate with 3 slices. Dang.

I ended up only eating about 1/3 of my omelet because it was just too rich. I had no idea they'd shove a ton of avocado inside the omelet on top of the cheese...WAY too rich. I guess it's a good thing I got that side o ham. I ended up eating that with potatoes.

Walked home with the intent to be productive after my shower, but ended up vegging the rest of the day. I forgot how tired I get after the first couple long runs of training season. Useless! To counteract my ridiculous post-run meal, I made another massive salad for dinner. Yep. Had to be done.

What's your favorite post-long run meal? Favorite post-long run activity?