From spotting American bison to eating “tachos” to running my longest distance in years, this was a week marked with several firsts.

Photo credit: Nike

But before we get into that, here’s what was on the schedule for week seven:

• Tempo run – 8 mi
• Track workout – 7 x 800s
• Long run – 17 mi

I had great intentions when mapping out a more scenic route for Tuesday’s longer tempo run. But, as they say, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray”…

My goal was to do part of the run on some nice, soft trails through Golden Gate Park, which is much more forgiving than concrete.

The reality was that a quick eight-mile loop ended up being a tiring adventure. I ended up getting totally turned around in the park and had to rely on my phone’s GPS to find my way home, plus I could tell I wasn’t fully recovered from last weekend’s 15-miler.

Taking the, ahem, “scenic route” through the park

By Thursday, I was hoping the lead would be out of my legs, but they were still feeling heavy from the previous two long runs.

Luckily, there was plenty of action on the track to keep my mind occupied during the speed intervals.

My times ranged from 3:36-3:46 for each 800-meter segment, which was just below the goal of 3:45-3:48, but felt tougher to maintain than in past weeks.

Quantitatively, the workout was a success…but qualitatively, it got me thinking about cutting down next week’s tempo run (currently scheduled for 10 miles) if I’m still feeling sluggish.

In the meantime, I’m focusing on fueling up with healthy fare like this quinoa-kale salad from Evolution Fresh, a Starbucks-owned chain out here in California that specializes in juices and salads.

I know I said I’d lay off the quinoa during training, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt in such a small amount, especially because this salad – complete with butternut squash, black beans and seeds mixed with a mild harissa sauce – is one of my favorites.

But then again, sometimes you just need to let loose…

Case in point: When your husband’s birthday coincides with 25-cent wing night at the local bar.

Those little nuggets of joy on the upper right are tachos, or tater tot nachos.

Yes, they’re as wonderful as they sound. No, they’re definitely not the best nutrition for training. But that didn’t stop me from devouring them. Potatoes count towards carb-loading, right?!

The aftermath…final tally was 154 wings between eight of us

Good thing Saturday’s long run was a 17-miler! I was admittedly nervous going into it, though, because I haven’t run that far in years.

Brian (aka Pavement Runner) and I met up again to knock out a few miles through the Marina, along the Embarcadero and down Market Street before joining his usual Saturday morning group.

Sunrise runs mean catching sights, such as docked America’s Cup boats

By the time Brian and I finished our run and started out with the group on their planned nine-miler, we had about 10.5 and 7.5 miles under our belts, respectively.

Feeding off the collective energy really helped, especially because my confidence, energy and sanity started wavering around mile 14.5. Thanks to kind words of encouragement from Brian, plus Milo’s nine-minute run/one-minute walk technique, I was able to keep plugging along.

The route took us through Golden Gate Park and right by the resident herd of American bison. It was a fun mid-run surprise (I had no idea they were there, so I had to do some research on them later) and, of course, we had to stop and get a picture.

Brian, Milo, me and Casey in front of the buffalo paddock

By that time, we had just a handful of miles to go, so between the good conversation and a final push from energy gels and chews, we were able to finish strong. Sweaty, but happy, we trekked over to a nearby coffee shop to grab some post-run treats.

It was a morning that made me realize why I love running and why I do things like train for marathons when friends and family (and, let’s face it, even I sometimes) question why.

I used to say it was worth it for than moment when you cross the finish line, that sense of elation and accomplishment. But for as great as the PR’s and fun race medals are, what it’s really all about is the community.

Regardless of where we came from – or where we are going – when we’re on a run together, we’ve got something in common that unites us. And that’s rewarding enough in itself.

So with that in mind, it’s with renewed enthusiasm that I venture into week eight…stay tuned; we’re almost to the halfway point!

Have you ever heard the saying, “the days are long, but the years are short” to describe the passage of time?

Well, now that we’re already more than a third of the way through training, I’d say it also rings true for running: “The runs are long, but the weeks are short.” I can’t believe race day is a little over two months away!

The upside so far? I’ve gotten into a great workout rhythm, thanks to a manageable three-times-a-week run plan.

The downside? More often than not, our apartment looks like it got hit with some kind of running gear tornado as I experiment with new clothing, supplements and accessories for race day (but more on that later).

Here’s what was on deck for week six:

• Tempo run – 5 mi
• Track workout – 5 x 1200s
• Long run – 15 mi

I learned that there’s a nice side effect of long weekend mileage: Tuesday’s tempo runs seem short in comparison!

Since my legs were feeling a little heavy from last week’s long run, I ran over to Golden Gate Park to distract myself with a change of scenery.

Oddly enough, I haven’t spent much time exploring here for having lived in the Bay Area for almost a decade now, so it’s nice to make up for some lost time.

Not only is it peaceful on the paths, but it’s also pretty much the perfect way to escape from being surrounded by concrete in the city.

By Thursday my legs had bounced back, so I was champing at the bit for some speedwork.

This was the first time I tried 1200s on the track (last time was an estimate along the Portland waterfront), so I was interested to see how my pacing would go.

Despite having to keep ducking from pigeons (I think the little buggers got a kick out of buzzing us runners with several whole-flock flybys), my pace stayed between 5:27-5:34, which was slightly faster than the 5:42-5:45 target.

Normally, I’d try to back off and maintain the goal pace, but I was feeling good, so why not reach for more? Learning to run through some discomfort will only help come race day.

Speaking of discomfort… Gearing up for weekend long runs is starting to require more and more motivation under the mounting mileage.

Here’s how the conversations (i.e. me pleading) with friends usually go:

Me: “Hey, wanna join me on a long run this weekend?”

Them: “Sure, I’d love to grab a workout! How far are you going?”

Me: “15.”

Them: “Um, miles or minutes?”

Me: “Miles. But it’ll be fun! you don’t have to even run the whole way. You can just hop in a for a few miles. Hello? Wait… Why are you walking away?”

So, needless to say, I was excited when fellow Bay Area endurance runner and blogger buddy Brian Kelley of Pavement Runner tweeted me to see if I’d like to join him for an early-morning eight-miler.

And I do mean early. We set out at 6:30 a.m.

I’m not sure if it was the great company and conversation – or the fact that I wasn’t completely awake yet – but we were done with eight-plus miles before we knew it. Gotta love that!

As it turns out, our run was just Brian’s warm-up (he was meeting a group for another eight-miler afterward; I may work up the guts – and speed! – to join them eventually), so Ben came out to do the balance of my miles with me to finish closer to home.

The good news is that I felt awesome and was keeping a steady pace…until about 12 miles in.

The not-so-good news is that there was no flat route home, so the hills totally killed my hamstrings and wiped out what little energy I had left.

No, that’s not me barfing, but I did need to bend over to catch my breath and “stretch” a few times around the 14-mile mark.

But on that note: Friday night must have been a crazy one in San Francisco because I passed by no fewer than five piles of vomit on the sidewalk along my route that day. Gross!

Sidewalks plastered with the previous evening’s stomach contents aside, I made good time overall and was done with the 15 miles before 9:00 a.m., thanks to Brian and Ben.

It was a great reminder that, while running’s not usually considered a team sport, a team mentality can be a really powerful part of the experience.

(And, bonus – I found a favorite new running tight, the Relay Capri ($69) from Athleta, which I bought as an impulse bribe for myself, but fell in love with on my long run…check it out, if you’re in the market for something cute and functional that’s not outrageously-priced.)

Happy trails, everyone…and onward to week seven!