Running Journal - 2024 San Francisco Marathon 🌟

Time: 5:26-10:54 a.m. (5 hours 28 minutes) 
Resting heart rate: N/A (forgot)
Weight (street clothes): 85.73 kg (189.00 lb) [note: carry-over from Friday; no scale available]
Body Mass Index (BMI; note criticisms of BMI): 24.9 (Overweight = 25–29.9)
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): 2,047 cal/day
Distance (running): 42.73 km (26.55 mi)
Cumulative distance (2024; ignores XT days): 999.82 km (621.26 mi)
Calories burned: 3,369 kcal
Average heart rate: 139 bpm
Max heart rate: 166 bpm
Weather at start: overcast/fog 🌫️ 13° C (55.4° F), Humidity 92% Wind: 11 km/h
Terrain: 1,342 ft elevation gain
Avg Pace: 12'29" /mile
Best pace: 10'19" /mile
Stinkiness air level (0=No smell; 10=☣️): 0/10 (not stinky)
Comments: Beautiful but hilly: the SF Marathon is not a Personal Record (PR) course. 

This represents my 2nd SF Marathon (first was 2006).

Pre-Race

Race gear laid out the day before

 

Selfie of sparsely-populated Corral C behind me, near Mission Street looking away from the Starting Line (5:02 a.m.)

Corral C filling up, near Mission Street looking toward the Starting Line in the far distance (5:10 a.m.)

Asleep around 10:30 p.m. Awoke at 3:30 a.m. Sleep was interrupted (Garmin score 60). Showered. Brewed a coffee using the in-room single-serving pod coffee maker--weighed the risks of how nasty/unclean it is. Ate a Clif Bar (peanut butter crunch). Shaved. Did the 4 things I should always do: 1) Garmin HRM-Pro Plus Heart Rate Monitor; 2) Anti-chafing; 3) NipEaze; and 4) Sunblock ✅ The night before I had laid-out everything. Had already pinned the bib to my 2006 SF Marathon Finisher shirt. Getting ready went flawlessly. The repetition for the last 6 months really made this multi-step process relatively routine. Had the idea to switch my Android phone Battery Protection setting from Maximum (stops charging at 80%) to Basic (charges to 100%). This allowed it to get to maybe 85%--should have thought to do this overnight; noting for next time. De-cluttered: put credit card, license, and room key card in the back pocket of my shorts. In the front pocket I put my phone and a Clif Bar (oatmeal walnut). Briefly woke Dawn and said goodbye, then looked out the curtains at The Embarcadero. The lobby was alive with a low hum of energy, with runners and supporters making their way to the starting line. I arrived in Corral C (near Mission Street) around 5:00 a.m. Lots of people working through emotions of excitement/anxiety while waiting: stretching, talking, jockeying to get closer to the starting line. Rehearsed my time goal: ~10:50/mile. Masked with a BreathTeq KN95 due to the crowd and the COVID-19 summer surge (only one?). Put in my Skullcandy Sesh Evo earbuds and queued-up my audiobook: "Arthur Ashe: A Life". Stayed on the right to give room to take walk breaks. Weather was pleasantly humid & cool: Google reported 13° C/55° F and 92% humidity. Unlike Saturday 5K Fun Run, there is no amplified music and no American national anthem. Above us, a window illuminates someone standing with their hands on its sill, watching. Another window is opened and I think I see movement of elbows, but it is too dark to be sure. I spy a race pacer holding a 5:20 (12:12min/mi) sign. Disquiet--am I too far back? Too late to change now. Around 5:15 a.m., we begin to hear quiet amplified voices. After a moment, the crowd shuffles forward a moderate distance. We hear the talent (a man & woman) speak a countdown, then we cheer the next wave as they start. This repeats once or twice more. Finally, at about 5:26 a.m., they release everyone remaining in Corral C. The race officially begins for each of us when the ChronoTrack timing mats & FlashPoint stands read our bib chips as we shuffle across the starting line.

Miles 1-3 (Starting Line to Marina Green)
Earbuds in and listening to Desean Terry's voice narrate audiobook "Arthur Ashe: A Life". It's dark. Runners herding. Too crowded. Too slow. I break-out past the orange safety cones and onto the concrete sidewalk. Here I can at least have a chance to run/walk my 2:30/1:00 interval 10:50/mile pace. 1st mile ends a bit before Pier 39. A handful of homeless persons lie unmoving under blankets. A few clusters of spectators cheer. There's the Exploratorium; it's been years since we last visited. I'm feeling physically OK--no sign of the sore right Achilles from Saturday. Mile 2 runs through Fisherman's Wharf, ending just past the Hyde St & Beach St Cable Car turnaround. I spot the now-shuttered shops we passed on Saturday while pajama shopping. Avoid the cobble stones & embedded roadway rails if possible; the dark makes them slightly treacherous and it would be a shame to get injured if avoidable. Another ChronoTrack timing mat keeps us honest. The ChronoTrack hardware emits a high-pitched whine as we pass. They are well-advertised and gated, so no excuse not to go over them. People run with selfie sticks and small recording devices. Charter fishing boats with passengers prepare to depart. One boat captain's bushy white moustache and belly reminds me of a walrus. Around the end of Mile 2, at 5:41 a.m., the 29 minutes of civil twilight begin: the overcast sky begins lightening considerably. Mile 3 runs through Fort Mason. I hear ocean waves lapping. A 65-foot hill at Aquatic Park Historic District bottlenecks everyone into a shuffling mass. I take advantage of patches of earth to go around, but it represents a calculated risk: it is still moderately dark and falling may end the race with a sprained ankle. 😛 We pass the 7-minute "The Fitness Court" public outdoor exercise gym. Someone (maybe not a race participant) appears to exit the herd and do pull-ups. 👀 WTF.

Miles 4-6 (Marina Green to Golden Gate Bridge approach)

Mile 4 features the illuminated Palace of Fine Arts monumental structure 💜 Lovely. Marina Green, boats in the harbor, Little Marina Green, then the approach to Crissy Field. This was my fastest mile of the day, at 10:20. ⚡Around the end of Mile 4, at 6:10 a.m., the sunrise occurs--though the overcast sky obscures it. Mile 5 runs along Crissy Field, which we walked through during the 5K Saturday fun run. I think there was an appreciated hydration stop. A few runners publicly urinated here along the side-trails & bushes. Mile 6 begins at the ocean, just before Torpedo Wharf, where people fished & huddled next to their poles. I found this section refreshing: ocean waves lapping, the smell of the sea, and cool humid breeze. Arrr. 🏴‍☠️ The sky was lightening, but with the sky overcast there was no visible sun. Mile 6 runs right up to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge, then returns to Torpedo Wharf. This section has a bit of room for passing, but not much.

Miles 7-10 (Golden Gate Bridge - Northbound & Fort Baker - 1st Half)

Mile 7 begins near the ascent to the Golden Gate Bridge roadway deck. From asphalt (Long Road) to packed-earth (Battery East Trail), it rises ~200 feet at 3-14% grade for a mile. It does level out near the top. I welcomed my interval walk breaks. My hill training did help here--I remember to increase turnover, lean forward a bit, do not over-strain the hamstrings, etc. But let's not kid ourselves--this segment sucks. In contrast: what a thrill to run on the Golden Gate Bridge 🌉💜 I miss running on the roadway itself. Mile 8 goes up and over the Golden Gate Bridge, for one gloriously picturesque mile. The sunrise briefly became indirectly visible--its rays passing through a gap between the bottom of the lifting fog bank and the top of the horizon--warmly illuminating and reflecting off the waves. I disliked running in the pedestrian walkways: it was hopelessly congested, and various industrial poles & structures made straight-line running impossible if on the right. Still--this is the raison d'etre of the race for many, the pièce de résistance, if you will, the gros fromage 🧀. Far below, birdlike specks skim the waves. Vehicles honk their horns; runners wave in return. Despite the congestion, this mile was only -16 seconds off pace, at 11:06. Mile 9 exits the Golden Gate Bridge, then loops through the parking lot of the H. Dana Bowers Rest Area & Vista Point, where hydration tables waited. At some point I began accepting cups of Nuun electrolytes, despite Galloway's caution that once started, they should be used at each subsequent aid station--and also the risk of nausea over time (apparently studies testing the formulations involved cyclists instead of runners & the digestion differs because it shuts down for runners and not cyclists). Many stopped to use the portable toilets along the way, despite the lines. I never had an issue with over-hydration--if anything, I was possible under-hydrated. Mile 9 ends on a glorious downhill. I bombed down it, passing hundreds of shufflers. My quads (and my big toes in incorrectly-laced shoes) paid the price, but--at the time--it felt so worth it. There were three lanes lined with orange safety cones: 1) Left-most: single-lane controlled vehicular traffic; 2) Buffer space; and 3) A lane for runners. Lane #3 was hopelessly congested. There was clear visibility, no oncoming traffic, and plenty of buffer, so I felt safe. At the bottom, I slowed and rested my burning quads. Mile 10 continues the wonderful downhill, with two moderate hills in the middle. I ran my 2nd-best mile pace here: 10:24. This mile segment represents the north-most portion of the race, almost beginning the approach to Sausalito, but instead turning back at East Road.

Miles 11-15 (Fort Baker - 2nd Half, Golden Gate Bridge - Southbound, Presidio)

Golden Gate Bridge - Southbound, looking toward Presidio; at left and just visible, 1st-half marathon runners stream northbound (~Mile 12-13; 7:42 a.m.)

Mile 11 was the last mile I consider reasonably near my goal pace, at 11:28 (-38 seconds). It was overwhelmingly downhill, but I think I was beginning to feel pain in my big toes--so I slowed down to let them rest. 😝 The mile segment has sweeping views and various white-painted buildings, along with the perfume of eucalyptus trees. Running along Horseshoe Bay and seeing the Golden Gate Bridge took my breath away. 🌉 I think this may have represented the wear blue mile, with roadside photo board displays of service members killed in action, and a group of people with American flags cheering at its conclusion. They have blue shirts & a white boot-print logo. Mile 12 begins with the steep ascent to the southbound roadway deck of the Golden Gate Bridge. Organizers bill this as the Garmin Hill Climb Challenge: ascend 171 feet over a--congested--half-mile. I finished it in 7:22, mostly walking this segment along with nearly everyone else. 😛 Its ascent reminded me of the approaches to the Hazel Avenue bridge from the American River Trail in Sacramento--but much more difficult. At the top I paused, hydrated, then continued. The southbound pedestrian walkway of the Golden Gate Bridge was still congested. However, it mattered less: miles 6-12 had taken a toll on my toes and quads. I was happy to coast. Mile 12 was ~3 minutes off pace (13:45). Mile 13 goes up and over the Golden Gate Bridge: Iconic from this side too! Marin Headlands 👀 Looking across the bridge to the northbound pedestrian sidewalk, I observed streams of runners. Initially, I felt elated--"look how far ahead I am"! Only later would I reflect and learn they were the 1st-half marathon runners, with staggered 7:00-7:22 a.m. starts from the Crissy Field Sports Basement. 🙃 I started crossing the Golden Gate Bridge southbound at ~7:40 a.m., so it's likely I was mainly watching roughly Mile 3 of the 1st-Half Marathon runners. During a walk break I took a photo and sent it to Dawn to let her know all was OK. Loved the refreshing cool and humid ocean air. I passed the halfway point: Mile 13.11 with an unofficial split per Garmin/Strava of 2:28:09, only ~8 minutes behind goal pace ✅ However, the nagging feeling I was "cooked" took hold. My quads/gluts & toes needed rest. I also felt somewhat hungry. I had started eating a bite of Clif Bar every mile or so. While crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, I also experienced the 1st (of a few) half-marathon pace bicyclists aggressively verbally clearing a path for elite runners. They were amazing to watch as they glided by. Knowing they had not come as far does not diminish their pace. Humans are amazing. Mile 14 exited the Golden Gate Bridge and began the journey through the lush Presidio. At the hydration tables, I took Nuun, water, and--for the first time--Chargel. Another calculated risk--continuously fueling was not something I had done enough thinking about. During my long runs, I stopped every 10 miles at home, or at convenience stores for hydration. I had neither option now, so out of necessity I started fueling with what I had. The Chargel was semi-liquid with what felt like boba drink jellies. It was easy to squeeze and consume. The energy surge did help. Most of Mile 14 was about 100-feet uphill over a half-mile. It ends on the beginning of a long downhill. Mile 15 continues the extended downhill all the way to the end of the Presidio. How I wish I had had the toes & quads to bomb down this hill like I did in the Marin Headlands! Instead I shuffled down at a cautious 12:39/mile pace. That feeling of disquiet about being "cooked" turned to resignation. I needed to ration my remaining resources to traverse another half marathon. One runner jumped the guardrail and used a packed-earth trail on its opposite side.👍🏼

Miles 16-20 (Richmond District, Golden Gate Park, & Haight)

The uphill toward Golden Gate Park begins just before mile 16. Leaving the lush Presidio and entering residential areas with 2-3 story Victorians clearly signals the 2nd "city" half has begun. The 1st "bridge" half is now in the rear-view mirror. I do not remember much from mile 16. I listened to my audiobook. I vaguely remember hilly asphalt canyons slouching through building silhouettes. Volunteers waved traffic through. One volunteer sang and danced in-place. Regrettably, as I reached Golden Gate Park my Skullcandy Sesh Evo earbuds reported "battery low". 😝 Turns out they have ~3.0-3.5 hours battery life. I stashed them in my front pouch, removed & ate the rest of the Clif Bar, and hoped I would not lose them when accessing my phone. The loss of my audiobook narrator companion disappointed me. It did not change my mood: I still felt cooked, but optimistic at finishing. My muscles felt sore, not injured. I can work with that! Mile 17 started with the calming Rainbow Falls ☺️ This was uphill and my pace slowed, but as I made the conscious decision to slow, my mood continued to improve. I had determined to accept my cooked status and enjoy the race. Slow = good mood = want to run the race again ✅ On JFK Drive, I ran past public art displays and roadway painted art. At the end of Mile 17, at the corner of JFK Promenade & Blue Heron Lake Dr, I think this was where one booster had a poster board with illustration "Tap here to Power Up"--he was really over-the-top and his friends cheered as people punched the sign. I would do the same on the way out. 💯 🔥 Mile 18 goes around Stow Lake. I barely remember it from 2006 (too tired!). This time, I slowed down and enjoyed it: ducks, paddle-boats, trees, etc. The asphalt path narrows, but stays flat. Another official race pace bicycle passed by, verbally telling runners & walkers to stay right and make way for 2nd-half marathon front-runners, who had staggered 8:30-8:46 a.m. starts from near the Murphy Windmill. My Full Marathon Mile 18 was the 2nd-Half Marathon Mile 3-4. I also observed stampedes of runners passing by. I'm guessing these were respective staggered waves of 2nd-half marathoners going for time goals. This was irritating for both them and slower runners, as slower runners thoughtlessly drifted left instead of staying right. The 2nd-half marathoners zipped past at-speed, threading any available gaps, narrowly avoiding collisions. I stayed right and tried to respect them, but even a few people passed me on the right shoulder. 😛 Mile 19 begins near the exit of the Stow Lake loop. I made sure to go out of my way to punch the poster board and power up. 😅 Just past this point was the 1st-half marathon finish line. Lots of tabling & support for finishers: water, bananas, etc. The de Young Museum was on my right but I missed recognizing it. Pedestrians scrambled to cross between runners. Mile 19 ends near the Conservatory of Flowers, though I also missed looking at it. 💐 At some point around this time, I had an insight: with the heart-rate monitor, I can observe and manage my heart-rate via three zones: 1) Blue (Easy: Comfortable pace; conversational); 2) Green (Aerobic: Moderate pace; optimal cardiovascular training); and 3) Orange (Threshold: Fast pace; forceful breathing). I decided to adapt my run/walk--running when blue (~125 bpm) and walking when orange (> 145 bpm, I think). My body did feel cooked, but I found myself relaxing, recovering, and enjoying the race more. At a pedestrian underpass, a barely-upright baby teetered and played with a rail of the heavy metal gate, closely monitored by their dad. Mile 20 zig-zagged, then exited Golden Gate Park onto Haight Street. I loved taking the time to go through the bohemian Haight: Jimi Hendrix mural, bookstores, coffee shops, etc. 

Miles 21-25 (Haight-Ashbury & Industrial areas)

T-Rex hydration volunteer with Golden Gate Running Club (Mile ~21.5 near 229 Guerrero St in the Mission District; 9:48 a.m.)

Just 10K distance left 🙂 Mentally I have felt OK: I know I have trained and done the work, so just counting the miles as I slowly progress. I have done 10K. I can visualize the route I take near my house...but I also know how much time it takes. 😛 Mile 21 is nearly all downhill. More runner "valves": race volunteers swing long banners in tandem across the intersection, shunting runners one way or another, for traffic control. It feels just a bit disconcerting to get cut-off from the pack and shunted onto a deserted street, like I'm about to get whacked 😅 Once reaching the industrial areas, my brain got bored. A volunteer in an inflatable T-Rex costume handed out cups 🦖💯 Another station had people offering small homemade pancakes (sadly, I observed one partially-eaten pancake discarded in the roadway just around the corner). Overheard: a man saying "I think it might have been a mistake to start drinking this can of beer" to his partner, who replied "Why don't you just chuck it?". Friends, the man did NOT chuck his can of beer. One woman accepted a conical paper cup of Gatorade from a mother tabling with her family on the curb. I thanked an elderly Asian couple boosting runners as they passed by--the connection I felt when I saw the way their faces lit-up at having someone say thank you back to them. 😊 In fact, I tried frequently to clap and also verbally thank boosters for taking the time and energy to pump us up. Near the end, I belatedly recognized how mind-numbing it must be for hydration volunteers to say "electrolytes" or "water" or whatever it is they provide, for hours upon hours. I struggled and walked a lot in these miles, running until my heart-rate monitor indicated I was hitting orange, then relaxing until blue. This seemed to work out. 

Finish

Celebratory selfie with Dawn 💜 after exiting the finish-line gated area (11:08 a.m.)

Texted with Dawn as I approached the finish. The SF Giants had opened their gates for the afternoon game against the Colorado Rockies, and I passed attendees queuing. Medics assisted someone on the ground onto a stretcher, shielding them from view with blue tarp 😥 The course ran around the stadium, with orange safety cones separating the raceway from attendees. Little acts of kindness: Near the end, one woman kindly stayed with her companion, encouraging her to go as slow as she needed to in order to finish. 💜 I think I timed my last running interval about as well as I could--I was able to run continuously and smile and enjoy the moment. I saw Dawn in the crowd--whew!--and she captured video of me passing by. Dawn was the first person to tell me my time--a new PR for the SF Marathon, and my #2 overall 💯 I felt much better than in 2006--when afterward I felt so exhausted and wiped-out I had to sit doubled-over in the YMCA locker room before showering. Note: this is one reason why I never got around to a contemporary write-up of the 2006 SF Marathon. While in the exit area, I ate 2 bananas, got a free bag of granola, collected my medal, and exited to hug Dawn. We got a finisher blue hoodie at one pop-up tent. At the Challenges pop-up tent the staff were friendly but due to unforeseen circumstances the SF/Oakland Bay Challenge medals had not arrived yet. Dawn fed me tortilla chips from a bag a vendor had distributed. I forgot to mask while in the crush of runners. 😛 Garmin training readiness = 1 😅

Follow-along mile-by-mile video journey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdfXTMmpkwE

Post-race / Reflections

What worked:

• Anti-chafing: legs & chest 
• Race prep: laying out everything the night before
• Masking
• Hotel & logistics
• Audiobook
• Weather: perfect
• Magnesium lotion: relaxed Achilles & muscles
• On-pace 1st-half marathon (2:28:09), ~8 minutes over target 2:20:00 time
• Watch charged and only drained by about half
  

Improvements:

• Charge phone to 100%
• Adjust training to properly target 10:50/mile race pace (i.e., 10:15/mile or faster to compensate for 1:00 walk)
• Review fueling for continuous marathon goal distance (i.e., without assuming access to convenience store/home)
• Earbuds capable of 6-hour+ run time (or carry charging case)
  
• Hill training (build-up quads, etc.)
  
• Protect toes on downhills:
• Heel-lock lacing
• Other (?)
  
• Shorts with more pockets (?)
• Move ahead in the Corral chutes to find my pace group
• Pace: Review course hills & determine if better to Conserve energy on the hilly
• Race your pace, if the courses overlap with different races (e.g., Half Marathon & Full Marathon)
  

Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Sore legs but especially gluts, bruised left toenail, bruised right pinky toe
Foods eaten today: Pod coffee maker coffee (forget the exact blend; 8 oz), Clif Bar - Oatmeal Raisin Walnut & Peanut Butter Crunch, Chargel gel drink (180g, x2 - Apple, Strawberry), Nuun Hydration electrolytes (4 oz, x10), Taqueria Las Vegas - Jumbo burrito with shredded chicken, tortilla chips