I have to run a lot these days, as I’m training for a Navy PRT. I’ve been running a lot in Providence, with decent results, but I hate it.
Today I went running in San Francisco, and I nearly died. Here‘s the exact route (give or take a few feet) that I ran today. I started off on Page Street, and ran up it’s moderate incline after Divisidero with no problem. I took a left on Lyon Street and thought, hey, that’s a nice park with a nice little hill (it was very foggy). I need a challenge, I’ll just run right up it. So I started up the stairs of Buena Vista Park. I ran well until what I evetually realized was only been the half-way point. I slowed to a pitiful pace from the halfway point to a point that I judge to be about 3/4 of the way to the top. And there I stopped.
It’s less than a mile from where I left, but I was totally burnt out. I walked to the very top, stopping multiple times to check if my heart-attack had passed. The views, though apparently incredibly beautiful when clear, were less than una buena vista. I jogged down the back side and around Buena Vista East back to Haight, to Page and back to where I started. This list bit felt great and I ran it well.
A note to self, then, for further exercise: the stairmaster back at the gym is not to be made fun of. You’d think I would have learned my lesson making fun of dudes that use the elliptical, when now I’ve lost about 35 pounds by using it consistently. Regardless, there’s running, and there’s running up hills.
I’m going to try the same route tomorrow to see if better pacing, the fact that I’ve done it once, and a knowledgable defiance will have any effect. I’ll let you know what happens.
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