Running Diary – 3
So yesterday I went running to the Marin headlands itself, the site of the actual half marathon 2 weeks from now. Now I didn’t have a map, and as usual I don’t like to carry anything on a run, including my iphone(which had the map). So I headed off just with my car keys. It was a nice warm sunny day, with a beautiful breeze blowing across the face. The breeze was actually strong enough to make you feel some resistance against the running. And man, the climb was quie steep! Unlike the Stanford hill where the steepness ends after a while, the Marin climb goes on and on. The total ascent over the full run is 2200 feet.
Now being without a map, I naturally lost my way. I couldn’t find the wolf-ridge trail, even though when I came back later and checked the map, I realized I must have been on it. I did take the head trail which takes you to a peak(hill 88) where there are a few abandoned one-room buildings with graffiti all over. I did a couple of sprints on the last leg of the climb.
At one point the main road suddenly stops and you have to take a dirt path. And when you have walked a bit on that path, you get the old road again. Now that part of the road in between has landslided, and it looks kinda scary to see the steep and sharp fall along what was once the road.
So overall I ended up doing the path usually taken by 7-milers, not half-marathoners. But it was a good run and I felt somewhat energyless at the end. Maybe because of the repeated hill climbs. Or perhaps not enough energy nutrition. I lay on the beach as the sun was coming down and the sunset was very pretty. A hispanic couple to my left were acting silly and taking photos while 3 guys sat on a log, and brooded. Then they quietly walked away.
I drove back while the sun was still setting and gave a ride to 2 girls from SF who had lost their way on the hills and had gotten late. They really didn’t have much idea of how long their walk was going to be to SF (that was their plan until they flagged me down). I don’t remember much, except that one of the girls’ name was Dora(n), and the other was…..hmm that was an easy name but I just can’t remember. They are environmentalists in the city.
Tiring and somewhat satisfying run overall. I’m lying in the bath trying to warm my sore legs as I type this. If the headlands wasn’t so far, I’d go there every single day..
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
