The San Francisco Marathon - The First Half

I first signed up for the Napa to Sonoma race, and then found out that the San Francisco Marathon race was the next weekend. We decided to extend our stay in California so I could also do this one. I signed up for the first half because you get to run over the Golden Gate Bridge. However, I also had a 5:52 am start... yaaaaawn.

Up bright and early!

We started running the Embarcadero, which is nice and flat. It was the early morning hours, so we got to see the sun rise. It was a bit warm though, and we didn't have a breeze. We then got to Mission Blvd, which is also flat. Then once we got to the Presidio, we started to see some hills... tiring hills. It was a pretty spectacular view seeing the Golden Gate in the distance.

Mile 4.

Running the Golden Gate was pretty awesome. I never realized how long that bridge was... I was on that bridge for 4 miles.

Golden Gate

I have to say I got a little emotional on that bridge. It was just a once in a lifetime experience. Once we got off the bridge, we had another uphill climb, but then we had a one mile downhill. It felt great on the lungs, but pretty much hurt my legs. After that, I pretty much walked the uphills, and ran whatever else I could.

Finish Line!

I finished in 2:17:12, a couple minutes slower than Napa to Sonoma Half. However, I clocked 13.35 miles on the watch... Overall, I'm happy with my time.

Overall:	2942 out of 7250
Women:	1234 out of 4052
F 30-39:	430 out of 1360
Age/Grade:	48.03% Place: 2907
Finish:	2:17:25 Pace: 10:29
Tag Time:	2:17:25

We finished in Golden Gate Park, which reminded me a lot of Forest Park. California is suffering a drought, and it was nice to see some green grass! The finish line wasn't all that exciting. We split from the marathoners and 2nd half starters, so it didn't feel like that big of a race at the finish. I basically finished and walked straight to the shuttle line. We were bused back to the start/finish line, where I met up with Josh.

#12 Half Marathon!

San Francisco was a good time, but it's a one and done. I'd love to do another Destination Race, lots of good amenities with that one! Here's one of my favorite photos I took on our last night in San Francisco, the night before the big race. It was a beautiful evening.

San Francisco