The hills are alive

After a grueling non-stop (2) 45-minute halves soccer game (with NO SUBS)yesterday, I decided to stay on schedule and do my long run today: 45 minute run. I'm starting to feel under the weather with a sore throat and some nasal congestion. I'm hoping its just allergies.

I decided to change up the scenery and headed over to Crissy Field in the Marina area. It took me awhile to motivate out of the house and eventually around 2PM, I jumped out of the couch and drove over.

One thing about San Francisco that I love is some of the majestic views you can see from different parts of the city. In this case, overlooking Golden Gate bridge, Alcatraz Island, Sausalito, the blue waters of the bay and the city skyline. I chose this location because part of the Nike Women's Marathon course takes place in this location. This is one of the hilly parts where from Mile 6-10 the course jumps from sea level to peaking at 205 ft!! In pre-prep, I decided to try some hill running. Starting in front of Sports Basement-Presidio, I started my run on flat terrain, a beautiful sunny day with a clear view of my turn-around point: Golden Gate bridge. It was so WINDY as I approached the first climb. This path is popular with cyclists as well since its the route to cross the Golden Gate bridge or weaving down towards Ocean Beach. It was challenging but not horrid. When I got to Golden Gate bridge, I found some dirt trails that meandered among the trees, why not? There was less wind, soft ground, and a new adventure. It eventually opened up to open road asphalt going downhill for about 400 yds. Even though I was moving faster, it still was a lot of pressure on my quads to control myself from not tumbling over. Finally, on flat ground, another wide dirt trail followed along the bay waters. It was gorgeous! Again, I found myself in the wind pocket and decided to finish this run. My run was only 3 miles, but the first mile felt like it took forever because it went straight uphill....I hope my body will still love me later. I don't think I went 45 minutes? I forgot my watch.