FAVORITE TRAINING ROUTES |
| Name |
Distance |
Start |
Notes |
| Golden Gate Park Loop |
5 KM |
GG Park - west end |
Ran this loop for the first time
22 years ago with my sister, when I was a young 'un. Running in Golden Gate Park is
unrivaled in SF and nothing beats a nice XC run on a late October afternoon. |
| Lake Merced Loop |
4.46 Miles |
Lake Merced |
Mostly flat. Loop used for
the Christmas Relay course. |
| Presidio Heights |
4 Miles |
Presidio Gate (Lombard &
Lyon) |
I miss running in
the army days of the Presidio. However, the Presidio is still a great place for
running. These are all courses I run with the Presidio RX running
group. But I must maintain the secrecy of some of these trails, so I'm not posting
them here--some things are better kept secret. |
| Presidio & Marina |
4.5 Miles |
Palace of Fine Arts |
| Presidio Coastal Trail |
5.25 Miles |
Palace of Fine Arts |
| Longest Traffic-less
SF Run |
5.27 Miles |
Ocean Beach at Sloat Boulevard |
Contrary to what you might
expect from a major city, you can run over 5 miles in SF without ever crossing an
intersection or any driveways & parking lot entrances. This is a beautiful
coastal run from the Ocean to the Legion of Honor. |
| "27.5 Mile Marathon" |
27.5 Miles |
GG Park (or wherever you choose) |
This is a typical course I run
for marathon training. Total elevation gain over 2000 feet. |
| My
Favorite Stairs Intervals |
160 steps |
14th & Kirkham (Sunset) |
Butt wrenching workout:
Start with a 3 mile warm up, do 10 sets of stairs (up on 14th Ave, then back down on 15th
Ave), and finish up with another 3 miles. This HURT in high school and STILL does. |
| My Favorite Hill
Intervals |
22% grade or so |
Broderick & Broadway
(Pacific Heights) |
Ten sets of intervals,
sandwiched between 3 mile runs. Ouch. This is a quiet hill with EXCELLENT
views of the Bay. |
FAVORITE RUNNING TRACKS |
| Name |
Distance |
Start |
Notes |
| Kezar Stadium |
400 meters |
Golden Gate Park |
Overly popular all weather
track. Beware of the crowds on Tues, Wed, and Thurs nights--gets very crowded with as many
as 150+ runners circling the track. |
| Cox Stadium (SFSU) |
400 meters |
San Francisco State University
(SFSU) |
All weather college track open
to public, but dont show up during practice (2-5PM). Few crowds, easy campus parking, and
clean bathrooms. Convenient shopping at Stonestown afterwards! |
| Lowell High School |
400 meters |
1101 Eucalyptus (Lakeside) |
Quiet, neighborhood public high
school. Dirt track. |
| Washington High School |
400 meters |
30th & Anza
(The Richmond) |
Quiet, neighborhood public high
school. All weather track. |
| Polo Field |
0.75 miles |
Golden Gate Park |
Not a track, but a good place to
run longer intervals on the upper loop. In high school, we met at the Polo Field for
cross country practice and meets. |
FAVORITE RACE COURSES |
| Name |
Distance |
Start |
Notes |
| Cable Car Chase |
5.67 Miles |
Aquatic Park |
Official Race Course |
Turkey Beach Trot |
6 Miles |
Ocean Beach, at the Cliff House |
Official Race Course |
| Hook & Ladder |
10 KM |
Golden Gate Park |
Official Race Course |
| Emerald Nuts Across
the Bay |
12 KM |
Sausalito to Aquatic Park |
Official Race Course |
| Bay to Breakers |
12 KM |
Downtown to Ocean Beach |
Official Race Course |
