San Francisco Marathon : 2nd half (13.1 miles)

my scheduled training today is : 3 HRS GOAL PACE

i am walking in the San Franciso Marathon, 2nd half . . . a half marathon

well first things first, i was happy not to have overslept this morning, up at 4:55 AM. it was a solitary experience among a crowd, having talked just briefly to a woman waiting in the long lines at the porta potties at Stow Lake, our 2nd half marathon start area. the walk was beautiful, among familiar places in the park i hadn't walked in years. throughout the park, the smell of eucalyptus. when we popped out onto Haight Street and began our street route, i felt a new surge . . . there was a magic importance and a lift, seeing the street cleared of traffic and intersections tended to by uniformed police officers and leather-clad Hell's Angels with shiny Harleys and big smiles. I felt protected, safe, not care in the world, focused on the walking, the experience . . . just wondering where the next water station was. The heat was up and i needed liquid. My anonymous Haight Street Hero handed me an ice cold fruit punch Gatorade. As I walked on, cheering spectators sipped coffee at street corners and perched on porch steps in slippers and bathrobes with bowls of morning cereal.

cross town, we enter lower Potrero Hill, coming into my territory. There is a slight choice on the route, and i of course pick the Sixteenth Street one that goes right by the block where I will walk CROSSWALK marathon in September. i deviate an addtional block off route and walk one circuit of CROSSWALK marathon, smiling to myself.

soon i am home, just a few minutes shy of 3 HRS AT GOAL PACE. at Bottom of the Hill i see Johnny, my neighbor . . . we stop and chat. more neighbors, we are laughing. you look like a marathon person. pointing to my bib - yes, i actually AM in the marathon! home to change into dry socks and shorter pants. plus, the chance to avoid one more porta-potty along the way is greatly appreciated.

still home, i check some email, make some phone calls. Jen is around the corner and comes out in her ever stylish PJs with camera for a chat. while we are talking on her corner, the police cars come up, marking the official end of the road closures and trucks pick up the orange cones along the route.

my feet have hot spots but i am relaxed otherwise. i have decided that while my training for today is complete, yes, it is important to walk the rest and finish the half marathon. at a very leisurely pace, i walk the familiar route through Potrero Hill and out along the water past the ballpark on the Embarcadero to the Ferry Building.

i step over the finish line and collect my finisher's medal.

and it feels good.

i walk a few more miles this afternoon, through the Ferry Building, along Market Street, and finally home from the bus. yeah, everything is tightening and i am tired.