Good Morning Cupcake

The Sand Ladder, view from the bottom looking up and from the top. Ladies with the new trail signage they started installing on the trails last year. Image with the girls taken in December during a race. Girl on the left was first woman for the 10k, her friend on the right worked the Sand Ladder aid station with me.

Are you going to be weak and walk my steps again. "Yes, yes I am"

I have this irrational fear of the "sand ladder". Those familiar with Baker Beach or have taken part in the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon know exactly what I'm talking about. A steep set of stairs filled with sand, connecting the east end of Baker Beach to Lincoln road at the top. It's not very high but it's steep and I'm not sure why but it always kicks my butt and I've pretty much stopped running it. This is me, veteran of many ultras, 4 time veteran of the Quad Dipsea with it's many slick steps. Irrational? Absolutely. Nevertheless I took my time again and I was still gassing at the top of the stairs. Those damned steps!

We are the host tri-club for the Escape from Alcatraz and a lot of our members take part in the race. A few weeks before the race, in lieu of Tuesday track we take our athletes down there and have them do repeats on the Sand Ladder with backpacks filled with sand. Mmmm....sand filled bags on the Sand Ladder, where do I sign up. I was there last year but I only took pictures:) I think I got to skip because I was still recovering from the Miwok 100k and because I wasn't doing the race. I have to think up of an excuse this year. I'm supposed to lead this year's training run on the Sand Ladder.

Anyway this was Sunday's long run. Similar to last week's run. I met up with the run group at Golden Gate Park, ran with themm for their workout and then continued on with the rest of my run. Unlike last week we had a great turnout. Sunday was just as cold as Saturday, in fact as we made our way toward the Pacific Ocean we came across patches of ice on the trails. I and a couple of other runners nearly slipped on a section of asphalt because of ice. That's a first for me here in the city. My workout with them lasted about 1.5 hours and I added another 2.5 hours finishing at my apartment, about 20 miles for the day. It was an okay day, neither fast or slow but my IT's were sore. The left is the weak one and the right one is sore from carrying the left. I have it on the schedule to back down on the mileage this week, good timing. No worries, it's the kind of soreness that goes away with stretching and rest. But because the IT bands were sore I went ahead with the ice bath despite feeling cold. Whew that ice bath put the cold weather in perspective. Felt great though, after I was done.

I'll keep up the intensity in my workouts this week but cut back on the running mileage. Maybe a longer bike ride this weekend instead. Then the following weekend I should be more than ready to jump to the marathon distance. It's all coming together nicely with all the expected aches and pains.