I Left My Running Sneaks in San Francisco

This past weekend I ran the 1st Half of the San Francisco Marathon. There was a lot to love about this race, starting with the fact that my hotel was across the street from the start (and also the finish of the full marathon/bus drop off location for the 1st half). I was able to roll out of bed about 30 minutes before I was due at the start. If only all races could be like that! They had these blue globe lanterns at the start that I thought were beautiful. It's what I'd love to put up if I were having a backyard BBQ. The race was in eight waves, and I was in wave six. I should have started later. Since the See Jane Run, I hadn't run at all. The weather in DC was in the triple digits and then I got sick. But the race course eased me into things. The start is fairly flat. It follows the Embarcadero through Fisherman's Wharf and the Marina. From there we ran through Crissy Field and slowly started to climb into the Presidio and the Golden Gate Bridge.

I loved running across the Golden Gate Bridge. Forget the fact that it was an out and back and crowded the entire way, it was still awe-inspiring! To see the towers rising up ahead and the Marin headlands to one side and the Bay to the other was breath-taking! The really great thing about the bridge was that when we were done, we were at mile nine!

Unfortunately for me, this is where hilly San Francisco kicked my in the butt. Up and down, up and down. My legs and lungs couldn't take it. Still, I managed to finish in under 2:30, with a time of 2:26:46.

I'm thinking about doing the 2nd Half of the SF Marathon next year. They've introduced something called the Half It All Challenge: If you run the 1st Half Marathon and the 2nd Half Marathon in two consecutive years, you pick up a special Half it All Challenge Medal at the finish line. The 2nd half goes through the Haight and the Mission. Hmmm, it's something to think about.