California Running

There’s something about California, it makes me want to sing all those songs I grew up with: California Dreamin’, City by the Bay, Hotel California, the Rice a Roni jingle. This week, I’m in San Francisco for business, and am dedicated to getting in all the runs Coach Higdon has prescribed for me this week. I had to postpone Wednesday’s 7-miler to Thursday (today), so tomorrow I’ll run today’s 3-miler.

Thanks to the San Francisco Road Runners, I dowloaded these great runs for out-of-towners. The 10-mile run starts literally right outside the door of my hotel, at Geary and Powell. It couldn’t be any more convenient, and the SFRR’s even give turn-arounds on the out-and-back route for 4, 6, 8 and 10 mile routes. So, at 9:30 this AM, I headed out in my favorite black “Run” vneck technical tee and hit the roads. I knew the route would take me through some tourist areas, but figured there was no way around that as a visitor.

I went down Geary along Union Square towards Market Street, then turned left onto Market Street all the way to the Embarquadero. this felt like the runs I’ve taken along Fifth Avenue to the 59th Street Bridge — I passed tourists and 9-to-5ers in equal doses. I ran along the Embarquadero for at least two miles, going from quiet sidewalks along the piers all the way into yucky Fisherman’s Wharf, stuffed with tourists and tacky, lowbrown seafood eateries. This was the worst part of the run, as I had to dodge rubbernecking tourists. I couldn’t run in the street since traffic was one direction going my way. But, the reward came once I made it through the wharf and went into the Marina area, running up a steep hill into a small park and a glade of redwoods that smelled so sweet and fresh I felt like I was being detoxed with every breath. The views were beautiful — the Golden Gate bridge, wreathed in wisps of fog to my right, and the city sparkling in the sun to my left. Then, down a hill through a lawn area, and onto Marina Street all the way to Fillmore.  This was the Pacirfic Heights neighborhood, and surely it’s where all the gabillionaires live, with their views of the bay and the Golden Gate bridge. At Fillmore, I turned around and trucked on back to the hotel. All told I ran for 1:21:42, and felt good the whole way. I encountered about 20 other runners along my route, which made me feel happy. It was a perfect run–hills at the middle and end, flats in between, diversity of views and neighborhoods, and a microtour of the city.

I came back to the hotel feeling like I’d done my good deed for the day, and that no matter what else happened, I’d accomplished the most important thing I needed to do. Remarkable, and valuable, in the middle of a business trip.

Oh, and did I mention–the temperatures here are cool, breezy and sunny. Such an energizing change from the heavy, oppressive humidity I’ve been running in for weeks now. I’m very much looking forward to tomorrow’s three-miler, and my second & final chance to get out in this perfect running weather, through a city that’s no more picturesque than New York, but is nice for a change.

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