San Francisco is a great city for many reasons - from Golden Gate Park to the Giants, from the food in the Mission to the shops in the Marina, from skyscrapers to the Sunset District (my home!), this city has it all. Upon graduating from college, San Francisco was the logical place to move because of its job opportunities in the nonprofit sector, my career field of choice.

But not only is San Francisco great for a 20-something young professional, it's an awesome place to be a runner! For the urban girl who loves having the city at her fingertips but who also logs hundreds of miles of training a month, SF is perfect. The trails of Golden Gate Park are steps away from my front door, and if I've got a track workout, Kezar Stadium is no more than a mile. Crissy Field is perfect for tempo days or mile repeats, and you can never beat the views of the Golden Gate Bridge while running the Coastal Trail on a long run. I'm not alone in my love for San Francisco - Runner's World voted it the top running city in America!

Back when I first started my blog, I titled it "Running Joyfully in San Francisco." I've since dropped the "in San Francisco" part for the sake of breadth, but the original importance of those 3 words remain: being in San Francisco is part of what makes my running so joyful. Although I lived in Davis for 23 years, I'm a big city girl at heart - and San Francisco has certainly captured mine! To share my love for this city and show you why training here is so amazing, I'm going to start doing Photo Friday posts every week, with some pictures of my beloved city. If these photos don't convince you to go for a run in SF, I don't know what will! Enjoy :)

Golden Gate Bridge

AT&T Park - Go Giants!

Baker Beach

Following my race in Boston, I ventured into thin air to beautiful Tahoe-Donner, just outside of Truckee, California, for a three week stint up at altitude. With the fall colors and crisp, thin mountain air, the running has been amazing and I'm excited to reap the benefits of high altitude training.

Lake Tahoe

I'm loving the mountain lifestyle - it's exhilarating to be living and training at 6800 feet. How could I not love it? It's in my blood! My mom grew up in the mountains of Quincy, CA and her dad - my grandfather - was a lifelong Forest Service employee who never felt more at home than among the evergreens and backcountry roads of the mountainous Plumas National Forest. Perhaps that's why instead of feeling lonely as I run along a hilly dirt road, I feel at home...

My dad and his siblings also came of age on mountaintops, skiing every weekend possible at Mount Lassen. They never seemed to break free of the mountains' allure, as my dad and his brothers have each at some point in their lives said, "See ya, real world!" and escaped to the mountains for a few years to live as ski bums. Which is kinda like what I'm doing right now: being a running bum and loving EVERY minute of it!

Being in this beautiful place is a daily reminder of why the mountains are such a special place for my family.

Post 14-mile long run

Here are some highlights from altitude training so far:

Long run from Squaw Valley to Tahoe City and back, followed by a tasty post-run brunch

The fall colors - it's absolutely gorgeous up here, and every run I feel so much joy for being in such a beautiful place

Exploring new trails - I've run in this area many times before but am discovering new runs all the time!

Challenging myself - last Sunday I ran with Olympian Magda Lewy-Boulet and fellow Bay Area runner Brooke Wells and we climbed over 1000 vertical feet during our long run! It was definitely the hardest hill climb I've ever done, but the views along the way more than made up for it!

The comraderie - runners from New Balance Silicon Valley, the Impalas, and Bay Area Track Club have been meeting up for regular training runs. Between traversing trails together, learning new core routines, and "talking shop" with fellow elite athletes, it's been like XC camp on crack! Each day I'm inspired by the my fellow runners, each working hard to pursue his or her dreams.

Post-run dinner with the ladies at Herringbone House

Although things have been going really well so far, yesterday the altitude started to take its toll on my body and I woke up feeling pretty beat. After the longest run of my life, at the end of my highest mileage week ever, all done above 6000 feet, I was feeling pretty trashed. As I plodded along the road encircling Donner Lake, Negative Nancy reared her head. But as I took in the beautiful mountain surroundings and looked out over the still water, things started to fall into perspective...

I was reminded that despite feeling like doggy-do, my day really wasn't all that bad. If the worst thing in my world was tired legs, I must have it pretty good... If the biggest problem I faced was deciding whether to nap or do a second run, I must be pretty damn lucky! Choosing between organic free-range chicken or fresh buffalo for dinner - white girl problems, anyone? The running bum lifestyle is pretty fantastic: attitude has been properly adjusted...

Minus my brief boo-hoo session yesterday, I've really enjoyed my time at altitude up here so far and am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to take time away from work and coaching to train. I know the 3 weeks spent in this beautiful place and the hundreds of miles logged in thin mountain air will reap big rewards later this fall and throughout the winter months. Physiologically, mentally, emotionally, I'm growing and developing each day; I know I'll return to San Francisco more inspired and hungry than ever!

In such a beautiful place, you can't help but run joyfully!

I've got a week and a half more of thin mountain air - more updates to come! In the meantime, so that you can share in my altitude experience, I've posted some photos from the trip thus far - enjoy!