You may remember reading the SF Tao of Pao post about the North Face Endurance Challenge in Marin Headlands a month ago (http://sftaoofpao.com/2009/10/28/north-face-endurance-challenge-dec-5th/). Well, my friends, the time finally arrived and yesterday’s 10K option was the kick in the butt I needed to initiate race season.
Backdrop for the race? The Marin Headlands, one of my favorite hiking loops to do outside of the city. In case you are an avid mountain biker the fire road also provides a hilly loop with some rocky terrain guaranteed to get your heart pumping.
Initially I was going to do the race with a few girlfriends but after the Marina Girls “Pao”der Puff Football Tournament two weekends ago (more like tackle and full body-blowing football) my girls had to bail out to heal given all the broken fingers, fractures, swollen knees, and that’s just naming a few.
So what was I to do? The devil on my right shoulder urged me to just stay home, sleep in and wait for the next race. There would be plenty of options to run the Headlands. Yet…I knew deep down that this was it. It was time to suck it up, get over the intimidation, stop making excuses and just “git er done.” After all, the slogan for the race is “Run Your Self Doubt into the Ground.” Thursday I committed – no matter if I have to race it alone or with one other person, Saturday morning I had a date with the North Face Endurance Challenge. Period.
Then, rather timely, my friend Shannon emailed me about upcoming triathlon training. I floated the idea of the North Face Challenge casually to her, not really expecting anything, and she said immediately, “Anne, I’m in.” Gotta love a girl who jumps on board, no questions asked.
I should add that the race sold out a month ago so Shannon and I opted to just race the event “bandit-style” and not be timed. The race started at Fort Barry, at the intersection of Bunker Road and Simmons Rd. Coming from SF, best way to get to the Marin Headlands is the following:
Take 101N, Exit Alexander and head towards Sausalito
Take first left to go through the “5 minute” tunnel
Follow Bunker Rd for 2 miles
Fork left onto Field Rd
Take first left to Bodsworth Rd
You’ll know you are close when you pass a horse stable. There are multiple fields to park on either side of the street and even if you don’t want to run it, the Headlands serve as a great spot for a walk or moonlight hike. Just beware of coyotes and large, aggressive jackrabbits (story for another time).
The morning of the race Shannon and I arrived a bit early to acclimate, stretch and get pumped. A few hundred people were doing the 10K and from the initial look – you could tell there would be some tough competitors even in the shortest distance of the day (other distances are half marathon, 50K and 50 miler).
The race kicked off at 10:15AM and we started out in the middle of the pack so as not to give off our “bandit status”, heading down the road towards the Headlands. We crossed Bunker Rd to get onto the main path, which takes you over a small footbridge and out on a flat portion of the Rodeo Valley Trail (the only real flat part of the entire race). After 0.5 miles, we hit a fork in the road and veered right to follow Bobcat Trail. This is where the elevation climb began. For the next 2 miles, we ascended a fire road that wrapped around the Marin Headlands peak. This is not a rolling hill path, it literally is straight up for at least 2 miles, to a height of 900 feet and the path is steep. After only 0.5 miles I was already feeling the push on my body, urging me to take a breather. Shannon, a great hill runner, took off in front of me and I did not see her again till the end of the race. Slowly but surely, I just kept on trucking, one foot in front of the other, determined to slowly chip away at the climb. I walked twice for about 10 seconds each to catch my breath and give the “leg butt” a break and then went right back to climbing. It’s funny, but after about 1 mile of climbing I actually started to feel different. My breathing began to normalize, the hills were not weighing on my body as much and then I realized, SECOND WIND! Yes! The last mile of climbing went along much more smoothly and I transitioned to the Alta trail. As you get to the top of the hill, to the left you can see all the way out to Fort Cronkite and Rodeo Beach. To the right are the waterways that flow in and out through Marin and Sausalito. Not a bad set of views to have as your companion if you ask me.
As I approached mile 3.5 of the race, the path started to flatten out and I passed through a canopy of trees providing a welcome break from the sun overhead. I took a quick swig of water at the hydration station and then it was back onto the last 2.7 miles of the race, which is a steep, fast-paced rocky downhill. I’ve found that you either love running downhill or hate it – and if you have knee problems, forget about it. Luckily knee problems do not currently plague me, so I personally love a good downhill sprint. Something about the quick-footed steps and adaptation to different terrain at fast speeds gets my blood pumping. It also does not hurt to have majestic views of rolling grassy hills and the San Francisco Bay in the background. You could feel everyone picking up the pace to make up for time lost on the first-half ascent. I could feel the competition from my fellow racers from the front, side and back, all the way to the end of the race.
I passed Shannon on the way in, she was at the side of the course – done a couple minutes before me – I think she would have placed 3rd! Then just sprinted through the Finish Line, called out as the girl with the “bright headband on” – that’s the only marker you have when you bandit raceJ Shannon and I both agreed – fantastic way to start a Saturday PaoFit style and even more importantly, race season. Next big event: the Kaiser Permanent Half Marathon in Golden Gate Park. It’s SuperBowl Sunday and is my favorite half marathon through the city. Will be my third year doing it and am hoping to try and set a new PR. Check it out if you’re looking for a good race to get under your belt.
http://www2.thenorthface.com/endurancechallenge/races/2009/ca/index.html
