Trail racing at the Golden Gate Bridge – SF Coastline 8.5 mile, March, 2004

Got a couple of weeks rest this time around, and now onto race #3. It’s clear that for a series like the Trail Runner Magazine Trophy Series, the winner is going to be good at “how fast can you recover” as much as “how fast can you race”. I’m throwing my training regiment out the window – there’s not enough time to peak and recover when you race every 1-2 weeks.

Race #3 found me under the Golden Gate Bridge, running a quick course down to Baker Beach, along the Presidio, and back again. This course traces a lot of the Escape from Alcatraz run course, so it’s a good one for folks attempting that triathlon, and gives you some practice at hitting the 400 sand steps when your heart rate is already going full bore. You also get a lot of practice at “dodge the spectator”, as it is lined with hikers and tourists during all sun hours. There was a different crowd at this race – a lot of the city folks came out to play, which was fun. It was another Redwood Trails race, so nobody got lost.

I placed third again (http://www.redwoodtrails.com/2004_results/SFresults.html) in 1:01:17. I took a huge digger at mile 6, and skidded down the trail on my hands (the first aid tent was more than happy to help pull out all the pebbles), but I don’t think I would have caught Martin Panos and Sam Aranda, both of whom were looking great about a minute ahead of me. I’m already worried about the marathon in two weeks (my first), so best not to push it.