2011 San Francisco Marathon

Heading back home now a days is all about spending time with family and extremely close friends. Nothing else matters. Not even my running. And this "doesn't matter" approach was exactly how I treated the San Francisco Marathon that was held a few days ago on the last day of July.

This year's trip back home was made even more special as my beautiful baby daughter got to meet so many new face. She also had some trouble getting adjusted to her new sleeping arraignment which meant sleepless nights for the wife and I for the duration of the trip.

Mix in a very short 3 day taper (Thur off due to travels, Fri & Sat combined 7 miles, 40 mile week and 21 miles just 8 days earlier) and I wasn't expecting much come race day. For no specific reason a slow 3:40 sounded right.

Sunday race day starts out stupid early. 5:32am to be specific. I won't break down my race but rather share random things that went on during my 26.2 mile training run in San Francisco (aka The City by the Bay, aka The Sucka Free City, aka The 415).


Overheard: "We are 20 seconds behind our goal pace and I already feel like I'm pushing hard." This was at the 1 mile marker

Pace Group Encounter #1: Shortly after watering the plants at mile 4, I saw the 3:40 pace group about 20 yards or so behind and thinking it would be tough to keep up with them.

Golden Gate Bride Crossing: Way to crowded to have it be enjoyable (to me) but still pretty freaking cool to be offered the opportunity to do so. Yup, that's a girl in a tu-tu smoking me early on.


Presidio: Hitting a high point of the course 10+ miles in and realizing I had another 3 or 4 gears in me. This is where the fun began.

Mile 15: Free Beer! Need I say more. And yes I will have another.

Pace Group Encounter #2: Creeping up and passing the 3:20 pace group around mile 18 and thinking their pace was way to slow.

Haight St: Awesome that the course ran down the heart of such an amazing place.


Hills: I love hills and I love watching people suffer up them.

Cell Phones: I called my wife at mile 21 to let her know where I was. The look from other runners was priceless.

Downhill finish: All that downhill over the last 6 miles came within what felt like 10 quad mashing blocks.

Passing Fools: I was maybe a foot or so away before noticing that I was passing up JT. I've only met JT a few times (read his blog all the time) and he seems like a solid guy but reality is I don't know him. So a smack on the ass as a motivation tool to the Sub Elite would have been weird. Now if you're reading PG, I will use this tactic if I see you slacking anywhere between Twin and Fish. You've been warned.

Toughest moment: Doing a healthy size whiskey shot at mile 25. I almost barfed on the party of crazies providing the free booze. Took me a 1/4 mile to be sure my stomach wouldn't come up.

3 Hours, 15 Minutes, 27 Seconds. 7:28Pace. 195th out of 5920 runners (finishers?).

I started out the race extremely slow and ate and drank a bunch early on. Once the legs warmed up I just sped up the pace every few miles till the race was done. 8 miles in I had a 7:54Pace going on. So yeah, I picked it up a bit there after even though I was easily goofing around much more during the second half of the race.

I was actually disappointed that the race was done and I could have easily headed out for lap 2 of the course. And this is what I was most proud of. So much left in the tank to take on more. Mentally wanting more. Yeah a marathon won't prep me for Steamboat but it's these little things that help ensure my current training plan is working.

As for the course layout, for the out of towner, it was great. You do get a great tour of the city. For me though, and as a native, I would have loved seeing the route go thru more of the cities neighborhoods and tackle a few more steeps. I believe that it's these two things that make the city what it is (you can have Pier 39 and the Wharf and I'll take North Beach or the Inner Sunset any day of the week).

I'm not one for finisher medals but the one below is pretty bad ass. Now to plan next weekends adventure in the high country.