Running in the Dark

So Saturday morning I did a night + morning run. A bit like practicing the finish of a 100-mile but that's not why I was there. I wanted to run at night and see the sun rise. Most of all I was starting my run to coincide with the start of a 100-mile race on the other side of the country where they were three hours ahead. Someone special was running that race and I wanted to be there in spirit, just for the first part, haha I won't be running a 100-miles anytime soon. I had to do a 6-hour run anyway, it might as well also be a grand gesture of support. Why not right? That's what I was thinking anyway.

I left the apartment at 2am. A mile and a half later I had to circle back, forgot all my energy gels. Guess I wasn't firing on all cylinders just yet:) I had to run past folks coming home from their night out. I thought I heard someone from a taxi cab yell "freak". I was offended at first but then I realized that what I was doing wasn't exactly normal. I even had people looking at me from their cars. I had about 35 minutes of street running before I made it to the Presidio where it was quiet and deserted, except for the rangers on patrol and the fishermen fishing at the pier. I pretty much did loops around there before heading into the hills a couple of hours later. I had my lights but there really wasn't any need for them. There was no crossing the bridge, they close that to foot traffic at night to stop "jumpers". Sadly the Golden Gate Bridge is a popular suicide option. Not that I would go across anyway if it was open. I read somewhere that mountain lions are more active at night, like sharks they are.

It was beautiful and serene and it was certainly one way to greet the weekend sun. That will be last time I would leave that early though. Still too many people out at 2am with them looking at me like I'm crazy and you just know some of those cars on the road are driven by people with some measure of alcohol in them. I'm not crazy just a runner.

The quad muscle that bothered me at TRT is on the mend. I can do 1-2 hour runs fine. At Track last Tuesday I ran my fastest times yet but the long run brought back the soreness. It bothered me from the third hour on and I wisely pulled back on the effort and called it a day at 5 hours.

Check out the pics! Next post will be about the San Francisco Marathon expo. Getting my workout done so early afforded me the time to visit Glorybelle at her expo booth and in the process I met up with other ultra runners at the event, they were working at the booths or volunteering for the event.

Crissy Field at 3am. The bright lights is the Golden Gate Bridge. The rest obscured by fog. Despite the time of day and the fog it was not cold, shorts and t-shirt was enough.

Presidio Hills at 5:30am. The fog diffuses the light and creates an eerie and beautiful setting.

Another shot of the trail in the Presidio Hills.

Baker Beach at 7am. This part of the bay is past the Golden Gate Bridge heading out toward the Pacific.

Crissy Field Pier at 7:30am. People will fish here all night.

Crissy Field at 7:30am.

Crissy Field at 7:45am.

Crissy Field at 7:45am. There was a canoe race, the Aloha Hawaiian Festival was in town. These are the paddlers inspecting and looking over their rigs in the early morning.

I hope you all enjoyed the pictures!