Beautiful San Francisco!

Posting for 8/31/09

Last weekend I was in the San Francisco Bay Area for a family event; a somber occasion, but one which has reinforced my commitment to this marathon project. While in San Francisco, I completed a 16 mile training loop that took me through a few of my favorite SF locations.

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Distance: 16.01 miles

Duration: 2:04’42”

Pace: 7’47”

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Beginning at Fort Mason, I ran through Crissy Field to the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, across the Bridge and back, along the coast to Baker Beach and through the Richmond District to Golden Gate Park, back through the Park to the Marina. You can get a pretty good overview of the route from searching Google Maps for "The Presidio, SF"

What a relief to complete a long run away from the sweltering humidity of New York! I suppose SF is humid, too... just in a different way. I guess we call it “fog” out West. And far from being too hot, I was actually chilly for the first 10 mins of the run. Not surprisingly, the wind is pretty stiff at mid-span of the Bridge, but after warming up down along the water, the drop in temperature was bearable. Notice: it only look SLIGHTLY freezing.

This is one of the most beautiful long runs I’ve done yet; I had almost forgotten the exceptional beauty of the SF coastline. It’s hard to believe that you’re in an urban area when you see views like the one below. This run involved some serious hill-work, as well. If you look closely, you’ll see this marvelous wooden boardwalk continues down into the ravine (near) and then ascends up the hill to the next ridge-line (far).

After 16 miles, the relatively flat final stretch along the Marina was a welcome sight!

A few words about temperature and hydration: running in cooler temperatures reminds me how profoundly external conditions can affect performance. While my overall pace for this run was not appreciably faster than earlier long runs, it was in many ways a much easier run. At mile 7.5 I stopped for a bottle of water. I’m experimenting with hydration techniques, here. All the literature I’ve read about endurance running stresses the importance of consuming fluids during long runs of this type. And I have to admit: they’re absolutely right. While it’s tough to pause a run long enough to drink 16 oz of water, the feeling of rejuvenation is immediate.

I’m actually considering buying a hydration belt. These things are so beyond goofy looking, it’s true. Almost unforgivable. But I have a feeling it will help me out.... I may have to swallow my pride and get one. I’ll let you know how that goes, and whether or not the “cool runners” kick sand in my face.

Forward!