Sunday, January 04, 2009

Saturday Run

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Ready to go! Boy was it cold, not cold enough for some of us to give up the skirts and shorts however:)


What a great run that was. Longer than I should have gone but way to start January.
It was an early start which is always hard for me but once I was up it was all good. I caught a bus to the Golden Gate Bridge, to save my legs for the trails, and ran to the meeting point. I crossed the bridge just before 6AM and except for the cars I was the only one there. That's a first, I had the bridge to myself. I made it to Rodeo Beach right at 7, I didn't bring a light so I followed the roads going in.

BRRR..IT WAS COLD!
Florencia Gascon's Garmin recorded 31 degrees, that's cold here. You didn't need a temperature gauge to tell you it was cold though, not only did you feel it but you could see it. There was lots of frost on the ground and this is at sea level close to the ocean. Quite a sight.

14 of us set out of Rodeo Beach shortly after 7AM and we all ran different distances. People turned around where they felt comfortable. By the time we got to the Pantoll Ranger Station some 4 hours later only four of us were left and from there Florencia and I peeled off for Mill Valley. We left Kelly and Suzanna to continue the run.

FORMAL INTRODUCTIONS
I managed about 30 miles in about 6.5 hours. It was good fun and I'd like to run with these folks again in the future. Not owning a car limits my involvement but I'm not averse to getting up extra early to join in on the fun. A bonus was finally meeting two people who I've always seen at races but never actually formally met. Suzanna and I have shouted encouragements to each other in races, the most recent at the Quad Dipsea, but it was only this Saturday that we formally exchanged names. Florencia Gascon I've seen since my first ultra and I'm glad to have finally met her as well. I think she gets a kick about our French last names that sound similar.

I was definitely slower today. I feel the strain of all those miles not having gone long in the last three weeks but nothing that took me out of Frisbee and Football. Having a case of the butterfingers was a bigger, more embarrassing problem. So were the bad throws:)

Enjoy the pictures!

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Always a special day when I can already be at the Headlands while it's still dark in the city. It doesn't happen that often.

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Rodeo Beach at the start.

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The way we came, the first miles.

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We thought about our East Bay friends and their training grounds out there. That's Mt. Diablo in the distance. I plan to participate in PCTR's Mt. Diablo 50-miler this coming April, two summits to the top and then some.

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Kelly and Tamara dropping down the Miwok trail.

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Kelly and I love our Drymax socks but we are also big fans of Bob the Drymax representative. Bob this photo is Kelly's idea and it's for you.


For the photoset.

13 comments:

  1. LOL - my blog shows Mt. Diablo from the other side. You take great pictures, btw. That bridge never takes a bad shot though. ;)

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  2. Great long run. I am seriously jealous of the scenery!!!

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  3. Hey Rick,

    Thanks for the photo and thanks for thinking of me! I love photos like this and appreciate your faith in Drymax! Had a great few days in Arizona at ATY and was fortunate to meet your and now our friend Flora.

    Bob
    Drymax

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  4. Cold ? Where's the snow ?

    I love the pic of the bridge. See you soon.

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  5. What a great start to the year! Awesome photos. It seems to be bloody cold just about everywhere at the moment!

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  6. Great pics...man that looks awesome!

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  7. 31 degrees IS cold. Especially to you homies over there.

    Hmmmmm I wonder which leg is yours :P

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  8. Looks like an awesome time!! I always think of you when my legs start to break down on a two hour run. I think this is nottin to Rick. ;>P

    Hey, are there any century rides in that area that you would recommend? Are they all super hilly? Javadad and I want to try to travel to one century a year.

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  9. Cool photos, Rick! Those are spectacular.

    Wow, I suppose 31 is cold for you guys. Stay warm!

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  10. I think your calf lost a little??? What's up with that?
    Sounds like a great time, Rick. If you struggled, imagine how much I did! Ok, the important part is we are still out there, right?

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  11. Happy New Year Rick! Couldn't have thought of a better way to start the year :)

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  12. I just love the photo's Rick. Maybe you should take up photography. You are so good at capturing the moment. Thanks for joining us on our run. It was such a pleasure to have you there. See you soon.

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  13. Fantastic pictures, Rick! Wow, so early and so cold - what did you do with 2008 Rick? I'm a little jealous - looks like a perfect day. Hellooooo, 2009!!!

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