Yesterday I ran in the San Francisco 1/2 Marathon. It was gorgeous. This photo shows the start at 6:30 a.m. It was right next to the Ferry Building on Embarcadero. We ran next to the piers, through Fisherman's Wharf (only the runners and sourdough bakers were out - the smell was heavenly) through Fort Mason and up to the Golden Gate Bridge and back, then through the Presidio down to Golden Gate Park.
I did not finish the race. It was timed, so at 10:00 it was over - they were actually dismantling at 9:30, when I was at about the 11th mile. I ran the first 10 miles, walking about 5 times up some big hills and to take short breaks to regain strength and "gu". I ran about my normal speed (16-minute/mile) but I've never run it for that long, up that many steep hills. It felt amazing. At 10 miles though, I'll admit, I was pretty wiped. I walked another two to meet my girlfriend and get on the muni, and at that point we were done.
Could I have ran/walked to the finish line even if it was no longer there? Physically, yes. However, I was the last one running - everyone behind me had tapered off, and I wasn't completely sure of where to go. Moreover I was really proud of myself and knew that I had a couple miles of walking ahead of me, so I was okay with not getting to the finish line. Next year, I'll be crossing it in a crowd of people, I'm sure of it.
Now to shine some light on my loved ones running with me: my friend Erin crossed in 2:43, my brother Ben in 2:15 and my sister-in-law Amelie in 2:01! I'm so proud of them.
In two weeks I'll be running in the Salinas Valley 1/2 Marathon. This one is flat, and not timed, so I think I'll be able to finish it. I've also signed up for the Mermaid Triathlon on 9/26 (a 400-meter swim, 2.5 mile run and 12 mile bike ride) and will be signing up for the Santa Barbara 1/2 marathon on 11/6. This is getting addictive!
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