Running the Presidio 10 San Francisco

Couple of months back my boss asked me if I would attend a conference in San Francisco and stay over a couple of days for a specific training class.  Thought about it for like a millisecond and said yes.  The only day that didn't feature the conference or class was Sunday April 17th so I took a look a what was going on that day.  Turns out the Presidio 10 run was on tab that features running across the Golden Gate Bridge.  Needless to say the only decision was to run the 10k or the 10 mile race, settled on the 10 mile (full effect) course.

Race day arrived and I got there early just to make sure I knew where I was going and to relax a bit before the start.  It was maybe 50 and cloudy with a brisk breeze.  However, the scenery is nothing short of amazing.  The race started exactly on time and I line up just a bit back from the start.  The first mile is lots of uphill running till a turn around.  Running nice and smooth, trying to save it for later kind of thing.  After the turn around we hit a trail that was the most scenic one I have ever laid eyes on.  Made it hard to concentrate and not just stop and take it all in.  Not too far down we run up some stairs and up to the Golden Gate Bridge.  Running down one side toward Sausalito (Marin County). 

Happened to just look up as I saw a red Ferrari Testarossa going across.  Probably ran about a 1 mile and 1/4 before we hit the end of the bridge, did a left turn and down some stairs then under the bridge and back up stairs to the other side.  We then ran the length of the bridge back toward San Francisco.  Looking up again I saw another Ferrari Testarossa, must be a sign I need to buy one?  Okay maybe not. 

We hit a nice downhill section around the 8 mile mark and made a turn back toward the bay and onto a hard packed trail along the coast till about the 9.5 mile mark.  The first 8 went just dandy for me, had no idea of the pace since I forgot to bring a watch, but it felt fast for me.  From there on it was more and more effort to maintain the pace.  The last 1/2 mile was into a stiff breeze and my legs were just about trashed.  Somehow I kept about the same pace and finished in 75 minutes, 38 seconds or about a 7:33 pace per mile. 

Post race activities included pancakes, drinks, beer (none for me) and egg and sausage wraps.  Some nice music and lots of stuff to see. 

Felt really bless to have the opportunity and really happy with the time.  If you make it to San Francisco, check out the views from the trail by the bridge, they are spectacular.

Comments

Nice report. I know what you mean about the Ferrari thing. Every time I rode in mountains I would play a game when I hit the base of the climb: How many $100k+ cars will pass me before I get to the top of the climb? Usually it was a couple. It's amazing how many mansions and nice cars you see out there considering how expensive it is to live.

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