One month later, we were back in it; Greg and I tackled another half marathon. We clicked the intensity up a notch and ran the US Half Marathon in San Francisco, known for its out-and-back course that crosses the Golden Gate Bridge with a few unforgiving hills sprinkled in.
The course starts with a moderate hill that leads to a mellow run along the marina. From the beginning, the views do not disappoint and kept us distracted enough to miss the first new mile markers.
The fun really starts after the third mile with the first set of hills. San Francisco did not mess around; runners head up from just above sea level to the top of the Presidio before a final climb to the Golden Gate Bridge.
After crossing the bridge came, in my opinion, the easiest and hardest parts of the race. A fast and thrilling downhill peeled runners down and under the bridge with world-class views of San Francisco. It’s immediately followed with what felt like the toughest hill all race, bringing us back up to the bridge to start our run back.
Nothing about this race is easy, yet nothing stopped us from having a blast and loving every mile. We felt strong through the last few miles and over the last hill, a long, steady climb just after mile 12. My legs went full-jello on the unexpectedly steep downhill that leads runners to the final straight; I slowed my pace to keep stable until the bottom and then gave it my all to cross the finish strong.
Considering how much tougher this course was compared to Urban Cow, I was more than pleased with my finish time: 2:00:09. We’ll be back next year and I plan on getting that time under two hours.
For anyone interested in this race next year, the start/finish is close to Ghirardelli Square and countless attractions to make a great weekend trip. The close proximity to food, famous sights and the race itself means once parked, most people have no need to drive again until heading home.
We headed down the night before to make race morning a breeze and check out the expo. Runners got a one-time discount at Sports Basement and we made sure to stock up on Nuun, Clif Bars and other goodies. Shuttles between the race hotel made transportation carefree.
Put this race on your calendar for next year and I’ll see you there. If you’ve never been to San Francisco, this is an amazing way to see a world-class city. And, P.S. – the race shirt is pretty awesome too.
canuckaphobia 