Into the Fog

As of last week, I officially live in San Francisco. I made the decision to move into the city so I could have a shorter commute and finally take advantage of what the city has to offer. Of course it was more than a pain in the neck to find an apartment for three months, but fortunately I paired up with another intern and we found a great place. Best part about it? I’m two blocks from Golden Gate Park! The park offers some fantastic fields, museums, and, most importantly, running routes.

I mentioned earlier in my goals post that I wanted to make the most of my time here and I made sure to do that this week. On Tuesday, after a long day at work and grocery shopping (which is more troublesome than I had imagined), I returned home, suited up, and went out toward the park. Unfortunately I got a late start so I entered the park as it was getting dark out. Foolishly this didn’t stop me… I followed the trail out past the Conservatory of Flowers, up to the Academy of Sciences, around a few soccer fields and back the hill to my apartment. It was fantastic, except for the part where I was scared by my own shadow. Apparently this happens to me when it is dark out, I honestly thought someone was following me for a second until I realized it was my own shadow. I’m brave like that.

Then on Thursday, after having cocktails at work (it was seriously for a job assignment), I was dragging. I had no desire to go for a run, especially when I found that the park was covered in a thick, cold fog. I had no idea that my new apartment was in the foggiest part of the city (whoops?). But I suited up anyway and pushed myself out the door for what was the best run I’ve had in a while. A speedy four miles. And it turns out the fog can be more refreshing than I had expected, it kept me cool and spritzed the entire time.

It seems there are advantages to this weather. Although it can be a downer to drive into the fog, it feels great to be cooled down by it on a long run. Yes, it means that the area is ten degrees colder than my usual Stanford temperatures, but I must remind myself that I have always enjoyed the cold more than the heat.

How do you feel about the weather in your hometown? How does it affect your exercising?

Back to the office for me

This past Monday I started my new internship in (unseasonably) sunny San Francisco. I’m working right downtown, seven blocks from the Ferry building, so I’m in a prime location. It feels odd to go back to work, I almost forgot what it was like to wake up at 6am and take the train into the city. Sigh…  Hopefully I won’t get up as early when I actually move into the city next week (very exciting stuff to come!).

Monday began with a long orientation.  There were thirty-three interns starting this week, it got a bit chaotic. We all introduced each other and I happened to sit next to the most gorgeous Stanford business student (swoon). Before I knew it, I was being shuttled off to go learn about my new position, or so I thought. Three more hours of orientation before I trekked over to my actual office. My manager and I spoke briefly about what I would be working on and then I set up my new Macbook Pro. Have I mentioned that I’m a PC? This will be an odd learning experience (I can’t master the scroll, why is it backward?).

Then yesterday was a bit more low-key. After arriving at the office at 8:54am, I realized that most of my coworkers are late risers. The door was locked and I had to wait until a bit after 9am to get in. Most of the day I spent doing research on my company and the other half was spent fighting with the computer system (it won). Somehow, even though I was seated for most of the afternoon, I was exhausted by the time I finished. Does this happen to other people? I felt like I’d been lazy all day, but was horribly drained regardless of my activity. This is something I need to combat and quick!

And a serious note to self: do not wear brand new shoes on your first day of work, they will hurt you! My gorgeous pink new shoes ended up tearing apart my heels. Fortunately I’m working for a Do-it-yourself company so there was plenty of duct tape to make myself fancy bandages. I wanted to dress like an adult and have a little pop to my outfit, but this wasn’t the way to do it. Any suggestions for how to break in shoes without putting myself in more pain?

In addition to my new hectic work day, I realized that I need to keep running. This week I have over an hour commute each way, but I am determined to get in a run. Which meant that this morning I woke up at 6am and pumped out a few miles before getting on my way. It was tough, but I had to do it.  In fact, it felt pretty fantastic (which I’m still surprised about). Hopefully I can keep this momentum going and do it again this week. Although I’ll admit that I can’t wait to live closer to the office so I don’t fret as much about timing.

How is everyone’s summer thus far? Any tips for feeling energized at the end of a long workday?