Shuffling Through Paradise by foggydoggy

*Behind on posts, so playing catch-up.

So Thursday night I did the run I had planned for tax day. . . sort of.

I started here at the base of California Street:

California Street is where "the little cable cars climb halfway to the stars"  so this was a good prep for Hurricane Point.  Its short (about 1/2 a mile of real climbing) but probably two or three times as steep as HP. There is a race called the cable car chase and since the cable runs at 9 miles an hour you've got to be seriously fit to keep up-- except that unlike cable cars, we runners don't have to stop and unload tourists every other block.  So I beat this car to Grace Cathedral up at the top.

I then cruised over to the bay (downhill) on Van Ness to the waterfront to look at Mt. Tamalpais.

The plan had been to go out towards the Golden Gate Bridge but I was having some um 'stomach issues' and decided it would be better to go back to the YMCA.  I ended up finishing my run here:

Not bad as treadmills go eh?  I ran 3+ miles on the treadmill at my goal pace for this year and it felt fine, even bumping the elevation up to 4% a few times.  I'm not in shape but I'm fitter than I was.

Happy Trails

Big Sur Marathon Musings: Miles 10-12 "Hurrypain Point."  I run HP by effort.  If maintaining the effort I've been running at means walking. . . then I walk.  A couple things about HP: 

1) Don't Freak!  We're not going all the way to the top.  Bear this in mind as because of the curves you don't have an idea when you are going to summitt, but you will.

2) This is a LONGGGG hill not a step one and I've always felt like the second mile isn't as steep.  It is runnable but you may need to slow down (understatement of the year award nominee)

3) DO NOT make this the psychological battle point of the race.  When you get to the top you have another 14 miles of running and the second half has more hills than the first- they are just shorter!  Your goal is running the hill that "Decomposer" (Big Sur's Skeleton) is laying at the base of--- that's at mile 25.

And don't forget how beautiful HP is;

You too, will get here!