Singing in the Rain

So we finally got the rain many of us here in the San Francisco Bay Area has been hoping for and thankfully there's more to come. Just in time for Lance Armstrong and the Amgen Tour of California (link to some great photos) to come rolling through town. The route today takes them from Sausalito across the Golden Gate Bridge past San Francisco on their way to Santa Cruz. Some friends will be in the crowds to watch them go by. It must be a sight but I ain't got the energy. I think Lance will understand. I spent some good hours this past weekend playing and working in that rain.

Yesterday I got started late after a busy and tiring Saturday. Left my house at the crack of noon:) Had the company of three friends and one mixed mutt for at least 1.5 hours before I had to cross the Golden Gate to hit the Headlands. It was colder there, the rain picked up and so did the wind. The trails were deserted; very wet, muddy, windy and beautiful. Something nice about having the trails all to yourself. Something wonderful about having your core warm inside a shell and a hood as the wind and rain comes at you, sideways at times but never really heavy. Something fun about plowing through mud and puddles, felt like a kid again. Then the "Counting Crows" came on the iPod and I started belting along, off-key and somewhat breathless - it's hard blowing out air while trying to run fast! No matter, bigger breaths in and more off-key singing and lip-synching. At a ridge there was a momentary stop for some air guitar and karaoke like action with the water bottle as a microphone. I'm not an exhibitionist but there was no one there and on deserted trails no one can hear you singing. I was bonking at this point so maybe it was the lack of sugar. I took an energy gel and I came off that ridge like a bat out of hell. Flying, singing, screaming, laughing my way down to the bridge. I heard a laugh that came from such a deep place it made all the other laughter sound like giggles. What the heck was in that energy gel? I kept that pace as I went across a similarly deserted bridge. Admittedly I was worn by the time I hit the San Francisco side. Freakin glorious. It's only February and I already had one of my best runs. My best ones have never been at the races. By the time I cruised past the Marina, the lights were on and the smell of firewood drifted from the homes. I was home a half hour later, about 6 hours and 32+ miles.

I went long on Sunday because I only managed a 3 hour run on Saturday and it was only 3 hours because I chose to join the Tri-club on their kick-off bike ride in the morning. Despite not having ridden my bike for 7 months it was the right decision for many reasons, this photograph being one of them. As we were crossing back across the bridge to San Francisco Fernando, the rider in front of me, points down to the water and this is what I saw.

Kayaks with outriggers headed towards Kirby Cove, Point Bonita and the lighthouse, at the mouth of the bay, Marin side.