San Francisco Marathon 2024 - Race Report Summary

Race Information

• Name: San Francisco Marathon
• Date: July 28, 2024
• Distance: 26.22 miles
• Location: San Francisco, CA
• Time: 5:28:58
• Gender/Age: M47
  

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	4:40	No
B	Sub 5:00	No
C	Finish	Yes
D	PR	Yes

Splits

Mile	Pace	Elevation	Time
1	11:22	-12	0:11:22
2	10:32	-1	0:21:54
3	10:57	-5	0:32:51
4	10:20	1	0:43:11
5	10:33	0	0:53:44
6	10:56	37	1:04:40
7	12:24	194	1:17:04
8	11:06	-23	1:28:10
9	10:56	-10	1:39:06
10	10:24	-81	1:49:30
11	11:28	-64	2:00:58
12	13:45	181	2:14:43
13	12:26	-27	2:27:09
14	13:09	34	2:40:18
15	12:39	-133	2:52:57
16	13:34	58	3:06:31
17	14:32	125	3:21:03
18	13:19	5	3:34:22
19	13:32	-41	3:47:54
20	14:00	25	4:01:54
21	13:03	-138	4:14:57
22	14:13	-122	4:29:10
23	13:08	5	4:42:18
24	13:28	3	4:55:46
25	13:26	-26	5:09:12
26	13:32	3	5:22:44
0.22	06:14	3	5:28:58

Training

Jeff Galloway's 26-week full-marathon 4:40-time goal schedule, via "Marathon: You Can Do It!" (2010 revised edition). Cross-training: Stationary recumbent cycle.

7th marathon overall. First marathon since 2007 Big Sur. Ran 2006 San Francisco Marathon (5:45:05). Ran previously "To Finish" 🐢 First time-goal marathon 🎯

Under-trained unintentionally. Followed program assiduously (e.g., Tue = run 40-50 minutes). However, belatedly realized I had trained at too slow a run pace for the run/walk intervals. My misunderstanding. Fellrnr's wiki page "Galloway Run Walk Paces" helpfully clarifies I should have trained for a race-day run pace of 8:59/mile (when using 60-second walk breaks every 2:30), not the 10:15/mile run pace I had used. I had misinterpreted two sections on page 43 of "Marathon: You Can Do It!": 1) "For a time goal of 4:40, run each mile repeat in 10:15, using a run-walk-run strategy of 2:30/walk 30 seconds."; and 2) On marathon overall pace running: "...run 1-3 miles at 10:50, using a run-walk-run ratio of run 2:30/walk 1 minutes. This tells you what it's like to run at marathon goal pace." I had incorrectly mixed up the mile repeat "overall mile pace" (i.e., 10:15) as the run pace to use to get the "overall marathon mile pace" (e.g., 10:50).

Learned something! Correcting for the future. Not viewing it as a failure. Still finished and with a PR ✅ 🎉

Trained moderately with hill repeats early-on for 3 weekends, then on flats for remaining weeks. Have ready access to foothills. Given the challenging hills of the San Francisco Marathon, I might have scheduled more hill repeats on non-long run weekends.

Pre-Race

Stayed at Hyatt Regency San Francisco (Costco Travel & Citi 20% cash back - Digital Costco Shop Card promotional offer).

Bibs mailed (so we had them for the Saturday morning 5K fun run).

Saturday: Walked the 5K fun run. Event ran out of 5K medals; we have emailed to see if any chance to get them mailed to us post-event. Stumbled upon a post-shakeout event at Equator Coffee, got swag at the expo, then relaxed and watched Olympics. Took my 5K bib and forgot to take my Full Marathon bib, but expo Solutions Desk stamped my 5K bib so I was able to get the Double-Up challenge medal. Could have also gotten the Double-Up challenge medal at the post-race Challenges table. Two items had not arrived yet due to logistics issues: 1) I ❤️ SF tee shirt (via promo registration code SweetValentine); and 2) Bay Bridge (SF/ Oakland) Challenge medals. Staff instructed us to email customersupport at thesfmarathon.com to confirm fulfillment.

Food: Brenda's French Soul Food (lunch); Lunette Cambodia (dinner); hydrating with water & a Clif Bar (evening). Note: both were amazing but perhaps not ideal, per fat & salt. Mediocre sleep ~10:30-3:30 a.m. (Garmin sleep score = 60).

Corral C. Weather pleasantly humid & cool: 13° C/55° F and 92% humidity. Rehearsed my time goal: ~10:50/mile.

Race

Miles 1-3 (Starting Line to Marina Green)

Starting line ChronoTrack timing mats & FlashPoint stands read my bib at 5:26 a.m. Listened to Desean Terry narrate Raymond Arsenault's "Arthur Ashe: A Life". Dark. Crowded. A handful of homeless persons lie unmoving under blankets. A few clusters of spectators cheer. Avoid the cobble stones & embedded roadway rails if possible; the dark makes them slightly treacherous. The ChronoTrack hardware emits a high-pitched whine. Charter fishing boats with passengers prepare to depart. One boat captain's bushy white mustache and belly reminds me of a walrus. Civil twilight begins brightening the sky from 5:41-6:09 a.m., as I near Mile 3. We pass the 7-minute "The Fitness Court" public outdoor exercise gym. Someone appears to exit the herd and do pull-ups. 👀 WTF (probably not a race participant?!) .

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

Run my best pace here, at 10:20. Sunrise at 6:10 a.m., as I near Mile 5--though the overcast sky mostly obscures it. A few runners publicly urinate 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. 🏴‍☠️ 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 & Marin Headlands - 1st Half)

Mile 7 begins near the ascent to the Golden Gate Bridge roadway deck. 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. The sunrise briefly became indirectly visible--its rays passing through a gap between the bottom of the clouds and the top of the horizon--warmly illuminating and reflecting off the waves. Far below, birdlike specks skim the waves. Vehicles honk their horns; runners wave in return. 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. My quads (and my big toes in incorrectly-laced shoes) paid the price, but--at the time--it felt so worth it. 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 (Marin Headlands - 2nd Half, Golden Gate Bridge - Southbound, Presidio)

Mile 11 was the last mile I consider reasonably near my goal pace, at 11:28 (-38 seconds). It was overwhelmingly downhill, but I was paying the price for going downhill too fast. I slowed down to rest the pain in my big toes 😝 Painful lesson. 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. 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. Mile 13 goes up and over the Golden Gate Bridge: Iconic from this side too! Love the Marin Headlands 👀 Looking at northbound pedestrian sidewalk, I saw 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. 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, ~8 minutes behind goal pace ✅ While crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, I also experienced the 1st (of a few) 1st-Half Marathon pace bicyclists aggressively verbally clearing a path for elite runners. The runners 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: 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. 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!

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 listened to my audiobook. I vaguely remember hilly asphalt canyons rolling between buildings. 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. They recharge quickly in the charging case (which I did during long run breaks at home), but I did not have it. My muscles felt sore, but 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. 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 Murphy Windmill. This 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 seemed irritating for both them and slower runners, as the latter 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 despite this a few risk-takers dashed around me on the right shoulder. 😛 Mile 19: Back on JFK Promenade. Pedestrians scramble to cross between runners. At some point around this time, I came up with a strategy: using my Garmin watch & 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. Mile 20: I loved taking the time to go through the bohemian Haight: Jimi Hendrix mural, bookstores, coffee shops, etc.

Miles 21-25 (Haight-Ashbury & Subsequent Areas)

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 Mission District and beyond, my brain got bored. A volunteer in an inflatable T-Rex costume handed out cups at the Golden Gate Running Club aid station (Mile ~21.5 near 229 Guerrero St in the Mission District) 🦖💯 Another unofficial aid station had people offering small homemade pancakes. Sadly, I observed one partially-eaten pancake discarded in the roadway just around the corner. Later, I overheard a male runner say to their female running partner: "I think it might have been a mistake to start drinking this can of beer"; they replied "Why don't you just chuck it?". Friends, he did NOT chuck the can of beer.🍺 I thanked an elderly Asian couple who were cheering-on runners--the connection I felt when I saw the way their faces lit-up at having someone say thank you back to them. 😊 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 at a time.

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. Finished with a new PR for the SF Marathon, and my #2 marathon finish overall 💯 I felt much better than in 2006--afterward I had felt so exhausted I had to sit doubled-over in the nearby YMCA locker room before showering. As someone else mentioned, my post-race Garmin training readiness = 1 😅

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 slightly sore Achilles & muscles night before
  
• 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
• Review fueling for continuous marathon goal distance
• Earbuds capable of 6-hour+ run time (or carry charging case, or bring spare pair)
  
• 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 hill locations and determine how best to conserve energy (e.g., negative split)
  
• Race your pace; the courses overlap with runners from different races (namely, Full Marathon overlaps with 1st- and 2nd-Half Marathon)