Running out of town: San Antonio

I have not been doing very much running at all, have you?  Over the holiday weekend, it seems like every few hours we are visiting with friends and eating hot dogs!  I managed a few trips to the gym but I am not running more than 2 to 4.5 miles at a time, though pretty quickly (for me), around a 7:12 min per mile pace.  I hope this will restart my running with renewed mental energy (as opposed to calorie-massive quantities of charred processed beef ingested this weekend).  

We saw fireworks by chance as we drove across the mountains.

I am out of town for the whole summer, so I'm soliciting San Antonio (yay!) running ideas, paths and plans.  San Antonio is certainly among the top five places I've lived and I am always happy to spend time there.  

I like running along the Riverwalk (early in the morning for sure, to beat the crowds and heat), starting at the Pearl Brewery:

and ending with a post-run fancy pastry at the CIA Bakery Cafe, 

Separation anxious even with her safety goggles

 and I love the Salado Greenway, too.  This picture from last fall just oozes refreshment:

Can't wait to call this my go-to running path again!

 My road bike is coming with me (though Nugs and D are staying home in El Paso) and the plan is to get some rides in with my old bike club, the San Antonio Cycling Club.  I love to ride out in Castroville and get cookies at Haby's Bakery for the drive back into town.  It's the wrong time of year for Tour de Gruene and the Fiesta Wildflower Ride but I love both these routes and will do them solo if time allows.  

There is nothing like Hill Country by bicycle even when it's a humid one billion degrees out!

A great day = the Guadalupe in spring + road bike

Temptation is this Orangeleaf half marathon on July 20th in New Braunfels but I'm trying to ignore this compulsion...must not think about all the delicious yogurt at the end...

Hope everyone enjoyed a happy 4th of July weekend!  San Antonio fans (and who isn't??), won't you share your favorite places for running, riding, passing time?

Nugget, pondering squirrels and Texas pride

Off topic: 30 months later...

Guess what?

...I now have a master's degree...(not sure it made it into the picture!)

Couldn't, wouldn't have done it without you!

BF Leah was able to take some time away from work to share in the morning's celebration and of course D and my classmates came through as well as some of the bigwigs...

Couldn't have asked for better classmates and coordinator!

We ensured job security/celebrated National Donut Day with our post-graduation refreshments.

Dan and I will celebrate later with a bike ride- more specifically, a spin on my new 29er, the Giant Anthem.  I have never had a women's-specific bike before, or a bike with disc brakes, much less a 29" and with dual suspension!  I can't wait to try it out on the rocky trails near home.  I am not the tallest kid on the block and I love having a frame that fits so well. I also love the Giant brand (my other bikes are a Giant SE Rincon from 2000 and a Giant OCR 1 road bike from 2002) and the folks at our great local bike shop set me up with the perfect fit.  I am not one to make big purchases lightly and I'm happy to have found a great bike we will keep for years to come.  

I am far more excited about the new bike than the new degree...but I only got one because of the other, so that's saying something I guess :)

Did you have a big week?  Or at least get a free donut?  

Either way, here's to having a big weekend!