My friend, Jason, was visiting this weekend. Last week, before he came out, I asked if he would be interested in joining me on a 12-mile training walk. There are few people I can think of who, when asked this question would be a) interested at all and b)physically in-shape enough to not think anything of it. Jason was all for it! He was very excited. He said that he had been planning on working out every other day while on vacation. By the time he arrived here in SF, he had already gone swimming with his old swim team in San Diego, gone swimming in the Ocean (with Dolphins!) in Santa Monica, and gone jogging in L.A. What's a 12-mile walk on top of it all? We always try to think of new Jason/Trina adventures to have when we get together, and this one fit the bill well!
We woke up at 6:00am on Saturday (egads!) and got to the Warming Hut in Crissy Field at 7:00. The weather was pretty chilly - probably in the high 50s, with lots of fog, and a heavy mist.
Saturday's 12-Mile Route
The route for Saturday's walk was pretty terrific! We walked along a really nice trail within the Presidio that has some really nice and interesting art/nature installations.
Cool art installations in the Presidio
After leaving the Presidio, we walked through Laurel Heights (one of Jason's old neighborhoods), through the Richmond, and into Golden Gate Park. We walked around Stow Lake (which Jason had never seen before) and made our way to our rest stop at Andronico's Market on Irving and Funston.
After our break, we walked up Parnassus, passed UCSF, then climbed some steep stairs to Tank Hill. I'd never been to Tank Hill before, so that was pretty cool. We took some photos at the top - you can see how it was still pretty foggy.
Trina & Jason on top of Tank Hill
Some of the Warming Hut Hotties!
We walked down to Twin Peaks Blvd, down to 17th Street, onto Ord, and UP the Vulcan Stairway! This is just a few blocks from my house. I've always loved the Vulcan stairs - they are a good climb, and so beautiful!
After we conquered the Vulcan Stairs, we found our way to Masonic, then to Presidio Ave, back into the Presidio, then to Crissy Field.
As we walked along the path in Crissy Field, with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background, we couldn't resist another photo to commemorate our day's journey.
wrapping up the walk in Crissy Field
We finished the walk at Noon - right on time. Jason and I decided early on that we were going to celebrate the completion of our walk by having lunch at both of our favorite Chinese Restaurant - U-Lee's in Russian Hill.
Jason, celebrating with Potstickers at U-Lee
Sunday morning: I woke up again at 6:00, while Jason slept in. :)
Sunday's walk was also fantastic, and so different from our walk the day before.
Sunday's 13-Mile Route
If Saturday's walk was about walking through neighborhoods and finding spots you've never seen before, then Sunday's walk was about seeing San Francisco landmarks, and seeing them in a whole new way!
We started off by walking through Crissy Field towards the Marina Green. We passed Fort Mason, the pick-up Safeway, and Aquatic Park. We walked by Ghiradelli Square and along a short span of Fisherman's Wharf. There was something so peaceful about walking around this area so early in the morning. Usually, these areas are packed with tourists, and frankly, are areas that I avoid and never go to. It was nice to see them early in the morning, before anyone else was out.
Treasure Island and The Bay Bridge
Ghiradelli Square at 8:00am
After a quick potty break at the gorgeous Argonaut Hotel, (best bathroom stop ever!) we continued our walk through Telegraph Hill! It was here that one of my new Hottie friends gave me a new nickname: Hurricane Trina. The group that I'm walking with noticed quickly that I tend to take hills and stairs at a fairly quick pace. I'm not trying to race, or show-off - really! It's just that I like to continue my momentum that I've had, and really need to keep it going while I go up hill. Otherwise, I may never make it! :)
We walked up, up, up Telegraph Hill, making our way up to Coit Tower. Again, it was refreshing seeing it early in the morning, before it's open, with very few cars in the parking lot.
Coit Tower
A great Art Deco Building on Telegraph Hill
We continued by walking down, down, down the Filbert Stairs down to Sansome.
Coming down the steep Telegraph Hill Steps
We turned onto the Embarcadero, walking to our rest stop destination: The Ferry Building.
The Bay Bridge from the Embarcadero
The Ferry Building
This was the mid-way rest stop - we were almost half-way through our walk here, and most people like to get a little snack during their break. Well, seeing as we were at the Ferry Building, there were lots of goodies to choose from! I confess, I caved and had a chocolate croissant from the Acme Bread Company. (although the cheese-wheels were very popular amongst our group - I may have to try one next time!)
Inside the Ferry Building
We left the Ferry Building, and walked over to Broadway. We were getting ready to climb up the steep part of Broadway, when one of the Hotties pointed out the Kearny Stairs that she climbs up 3 times a week during her lunch break. Never one to pass up a stair opportunity three of us veered away from the group to go up and down the Kearny Stairs, then caught up with the group at the top of the Broadway stairs. *phew*
The Transamerica Pyramid
The rest of the walk took us through Chinatown, Nob Hill, Pac Heights, Presidio Heights, then back into the Presidio, and eventually back to Crissy Field.
Sunday's walk seemed a lot longer than 12 miles to many of us. It could be because it was the second day of walking, or because the sun was out and the temperature was warmer, or it could be because the actual route was longer than 12-miles!:) When we returned to the Warming Hut, several Hotties checked their pedometers and GPS devices. The mileage logged on Sunday varied from 12.5 miles to 13.6. I'm going with the 13.6. ;)
One more note: I wore my new pair of Ecco Biom walking shoes for the first time this weekend. I had tried to break them in over the past few weeks, but this was the first time I had taken them out on a long walk. I was concerned that I might have problems with blisters, or that my muscles might have problems walking in them at length. Happy to say that they were great to me all weekend long. No problems whatsoever! I'm much relieved, as these will be my main training shoes which I also plan to wear for the event.
What a great weekend of great walking!
Next weekend is the biggie: 20-miles back-to-back. 20-miles each on Saturday and Sunday. I'm going to go and give it my best shot! It'll be pretty awesome if I can do 40 miles in 2 days!
This concludes what very well may be the longest blog post I've ever written.
Thanks for reading!
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