Rave Run: Russian Gulch

As a Runner's World subscriber, I love the Rave Run column in the Warmup section at the front of the book. Here's a post inspired by the Rave Run:

Runner

Jess Hemerly

The Experience

This 6 mile out & back trail in Russian Gulch State Park in Mendocino, California starts with a paved pedestrian path that gives forth to an off-road loop that takes you to Russian Gulch Falls. Once into the redwoods, the canopy provides both a beautiful backdrop and shade for a comfortable run. With only about 800 feet of elevation, the trail is rated moderate and is popular with hikers. The falls make a great hydration and snack stop.

Fast Fact

The name "Russian Gulch" was given to the area by U.S. government surveyors, in honor of the Russian fur trappers who founded Fort Ross fifty miles to the south.

Four-legged Friendly

Dogs are allowed on the trail as long as they are on a leash.

Eat This

The Goodlife Cafe and Bakery in nearby Mendocino makes great local organic fare to feed the post run munchies. They have an incredible gluten-free bread, and some of the best coffee in town.

AJ1 NFL 2016 Divisional Playoff Pack

Shootin' Stuff

I'm generally not a big gun fan, but I took the opportunity to go clay shooting today at Bird's Landing Hunting Preserve & Sporting Clays. I'd never shot a gun before and I was pretty terrified. Jack was a great guide, lent his 28 gauge, single crack barrel to me for the day; the 12 gauge was just a little too long for my arms, but despite it's smaller size, it did nothing to ease my nervousness.

It took me about a dozen shots (and misses) to get over the "surprise" of the gun firing. Again, despite it's smaller size, I still had that momentary dread just before pulling the trigger. I'm not sure what I was dreading; the sound, the recoil, the unexpected. Once over the surprise factor, I could finally focus on trying to actually hit a target. When I hit my first pidgeon and saw its demise at the tip of my gun it was just like I had finally learned to ride a bicycle. It was almost unbelievable and pretty f***ing awesome. Thanks Jack!

#shotgun #shooting #skeetshooting #pewpewpew @moneybusan Shootin stuff. Thanks @jackm0ve for taking us city boys out to shoot some guns.

A video posted by @jkoshi on Jan 3, 2016 at 3:22pm PST

826 BVHM By The Numbers

#drawing #sketch #football #graphite #diadelosmuertos #skull #bvhm #826valencia Dia de los muertos x football. Requests from Josue and Oscar. #vernondavis #benrothlisberger #nfl

A photo posted by @jkoshi on Nov 3, 2015 at 12:44pm PST

Now in my 3rd year as a volunteer writing tutor for 826 Valencia at BVHM I still struggle with whether or not I'm actually making any difference. In the day to day of things it can be hard to tell, and sometimes, especially on those rough days, a little disheartening. It's nice to know that when you step back, we are actually making a difference.

Check out this post by Ashley Varady (Program Manager), Christina Perry (Program Director), Lauren Hall (Director of Evaluation), and Bita Nazarian (Executive Director) of 826 Valencia about what we've done for the kids.

SMSW10 x ICHI

Back in 2005, when we didn't know any better, we used to finish the Supermarket Street Sweep at a bar on 16th Street. We used to have the food bank bring donation barrels to the bar that wouldn't come close to handling the amount of food we were bringing in. Even back then, at half the size of the race today, we were still breaking our backs (and butts) to bring in as much food as we could.

Across the street, a Mexican chef was hard at work honing the age-old craft of making sushi. At its height, Tokyo Go-Go was the place to spend your Web 1.0 dollars, and Tim Archuleta was there to feed you. But soon after we started, Tim would leave Tokyo Go-Go to to start a small catering business in Bernal Heights.

By 2011, The Lucky Cat Deli, would grow into Tim's first sushi bar, ICHI. Sustainability and a seasonal focus, along with Tim's modern and vibrant take on some of the world's oldest cuisine made ICHI an immediate neighborhood favorite. The old sushi bar on Godeus is now home to Tim's oyster bar, ICHI Kakiya, and the new, bigger ICHI + NI Bar further down the street is now a busy hub for those looking to eat some of the best fish that graces SF's shores.

I stopped in to have a bite to eat and was lucky enough to get a spot at the bar with ICHI's chef de cuisine Erik Aplin. Erik is not just a skilled master of the craft, but when you're at the bar, he's also just great fun to watch and talk to. His wildly creative taste for everything is not just beautiful but tasty. With their seasonal focus this means you can go to ICHI over and over and always be surprised with what they're serving up. On this night it was a local anchovy, fried to perfection, eaten whole. It was, among the stable of other delights, a seasonal treat that I could have eaten a few dozen of.

This is perhaps all just a long, tasty way of saying that the generous folks over at ICHI have given this year's SMSW10 WINNERS $200 worth of gift certificates to ICHI + NI Bar and $100 to ICHI Kakiya. Thank you Tim and Erin Archuleta!

SMSW 10

I can't believe I've been doing this for 10 years. This is longer than any job I've ever held down.

The Hundred Club