My career brings me to a great many cities and towns. Some of them are big, some of them are small, and some are delightfully obscure (Buckfield, Maine, which with a population of 1,700 boasts an enormously creative community, and Union, Connecticut with a population of 693 has the coolest little bookstore/restaurant you’ll likely ever see.) The one thing that I like least about my travels is the comparatively little time that I get to spend in each location. I swoop in, load into the venue, setup and perform the show, meet and greet, tear down, load out and, typically, hit the road again. If I’m lucky I will have a few hours before a show or the following morning (if I’m staying locally!) to explore the local sights. If I’m really lucky I’ll have a day between shows during which I can extend my stay in a location and explore more thoroughly.
Thankfully I’ve made many friends all over the world during the course of my career and if I’m looking for a quick tour, tips on the best places to eat or visit, and wonderful company through it all, I’m typically well cared for. I like food, books, music, culture, local history and, especially, cafés and good conversation. Yet on a recent trip to San Francisco I decided to change up my usual routine and actually go for a run.
Lands End Sign, found on the eastern end of the trail.
A quick tweet of my tentative plans landed a recommendation from my good friend Walt Anthony – a San Francisco native and performing artist himself – that I scrap my thoughts of Golden Gate Park and/or the hilltop view of Buena Vista Park and instead head to the Lands End region or the Presidio. He promised that it would offer the style of terrain I was looking for as well as incomparable views.
I cannot say this strongly enough – boy was he right!!!
It was morning and I was rolling in from the south, around the Menlo Park area. I had a schedule, and I had to get to my destination, fit the run in and be in Union Square for lunch (with the aforementioned Walt!) before packing off into the car and heading back down the road for the second show of the trip. I had only a vague image of what I was to find, and only a loose idea of where I could even park, so I flew by the seat of my pants and decided to just drive, park where I could and simply run, regardless of what I found – be it trail, sidewalk, busy road or cow path.
I scored a parking spot just above the Cliff House, which was really quite convenient, and wasted no time in hitting the trail – and yes, there was one, and quite a nice one at that. I couldn’t wait to get going. I barely read the signs and just started moving.
My first view of the Golden Gate Bridge as I emerged from the wooded trail. It was stunning - click the picture for a slightly larger version where the bridge is more visible.
Though I always hate being a “tourist”, I’ll confess that I was eager to get a view of the Golden Gate Bridge! I knew that I was still several miles from it, and quite in the woods at that, but I had plans to run all the way through Lands End, to the Presidio and right up to the base of the bridge – I’d see it sooner or later, but how long would I have to wait for my first glimpse? No sooner had the thought formed than the trail emerged from the woods and – bam – I was met with my first stunning vista of the bridge.
From then on out I was met with view after stellar view of the bridge as I rounded each new corner, climbed each hill and weaved in and out of the woods along the cliffs, each time the bridge appearing closer than the last. Yet I’m pleased to say that, compared to the natural beauty, the wide variety of other landmarks and the sheer joy of the terrain, the novelty of the bridge quickly fell into the wash of general awe regarding the entire experience. The Lands End trails are simply remarkable. Comprised of dirt trails traveling up and down some incredible hills, paved paths offering views of the Pacific to the west and the bridge to the east, stretches of gravel, wooden staircases and rugged cliffs dropping straight into the ocean, it also boasts a huge number of landmarks to visit. From the Cliff House and Sutro Baths on the far western edge (technically just prior to the park) to the Legion of Honor, three shipwrecks just off the coast and the Camera Obscura, there’s a lot to explore! Adding to the joy of the experience was the comraderie I felt when a woman came running from the opposite direction, noticed my “VERMONT: Green Before Green Was Cool” shirt and yelled “Yay! I’m from Vermont too!” I should have known that I’d run into another Vermonter in San Francisco.
At the eastern entrance to the trail, on my way toward the Presidio, I ran directly into a residential neighborhood. All paved roads and hills up and down. I wasn’t entirely sure where I was going, but the day was perfection, the houses were attractive and I knew vaguely that if I stayed on a relatively straight path, I’d eventually hit the Presidio. After running into one dead end I started up another road and, for good measure, fired up the GPS on my phone to double-check my location. Thankfully a quick run around a block had me back on track and into the Presidio I went via the 25th Ave Gate!
The view from part way up the Coastal Trail. Find the point on the far right, and imagine moving around the backside. That's where the run started.
The Presidio is many things, but boring it is not! I stuck pretty much to the Coastal Trail on the way in, which was also the way up, up, up. I paused at one point to snap some photos and marveled at the distance I had come. I hadn’t been running 6 minute miles the whole way or anything, but I had been running, and surveying the ground I had covered, with all of the elevation changes, suddenly made me tired. But the bridge was so close! I would have been crazy to turn back! So to hell with my calves, and forget about my recently healed top of foot issue, I was pushing on (you see the kind of brazenly determined mind I’m up against!). But with scenery as delightful as San Francisco’s, it’s thankfully very easy to forget your troubles.
I slowed a bit as I came upon the long run of batteries, but not because of fatigue. I simply wanted to crawl and climb all over them and explore! Plus they offered even better views of the bridge as I got closer and closer. I took my time exploring and soaking in the sights between the batteries and the bridge, but tried not to rest too much. I had to double back, cover all of the terrain I’d just run a second time, and do so with enough time to make it back to the car, clean up and make it downtown for my lunch meeting!
Even closer to the Golden Gate Bridge, on the Coastal Trail
The return trip offered even more excitement as I ran a bit on the Coastal Trail, veered off onto the Batteries to Bluffs Trail, and got lost somewhere between the two because while running I decided that it would be a good idea to call an old friend in California whom I had not seen in years. Great conversation. What is it they say about running and talking? Your pace should be easy enough such that you can hold a conversation? For the most part I succeeded, but then, I let him do a lot of the talking. I eventually found my way back to the Coastal Trail back towards the beginning near the gate.
I didn’t make record time, but then, that wasn’t the point. All told, I went just over 7.5 miles in that short morning of sightseeing (for those interested, it was in my Vibram FiveFingers KSO’s). Hands-down my longest run up to that point, and far more than the recommended 10% rule dictates! But I made sure to take it easy and soak in the sights, and though I was psychologically prepared for it, the following day brought no muscle soreness or even tightness. I was not opposed to stopping to snap photos, or to simply look, if I so felt the desire. It was without a doubt one of the most enjoyable runs I’ve had yet, and it brings me to this conclusion – running tourism is an awesome and viable industry. I would pay to have an experience like my San Francisco experience again. Had I been pursuing my usual activities of culture, museums, cafes, etc., I would never, ever have made it to the trails that I found myself on. There is no way that I would ever have considered walking them – if I’m going to walk, I’d rather walk around a city. I can think of no reason that I would have gone to this section of San Francisco save for running, and I was rewarded with one of the most beautiful and joyful experiences I’ve ever had.
I anticipate that as my endurance increases, I’ll be looking for more such running adventures. I’d like to hit all of the great cities and the national parks. I’d love to consider a rim-to-rim-to-rim run of the Grand Canyon – might as well dream big. All of my travel experiences, in fact, can likely be enhanced by a running tour. Perhaps my beloved Venice, Italy wouldn’t be good to run (or would it?), but I have no doubt that now that I’ve discovered it for myself, planning running tours will be a large part of my personal travel routine.
Of course, this discovery wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for the expert and insightful advice of my friend Walt. Which leads me to believe that having a guide – be it an actual hands-on running guide or a hands-off recommendation such as the one I received – is invaluable. I’m open to serendipity, and trotting off the beaten path is always alluring, but finding the path to begin with is often easier with the help of friends. If you have any recommendations, please do feel free to leave them here for all to see! And of course, I’ll be sharing my own discoveries as I continue to explore the world on running feet.
Even in the short time that I’ve been at it, running has managed to transform my experience of life. The physical benefits are obvious, and now I have firsthand experience of the psychological benefits.
Anyone want to go for a run?
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Want to see full resolution images from the trip? Check out the (unfortunately small) set on Flickr. (click the above images to go there) |
For some really awesome pictures of the Batteries to Bluffs trail, check out galomorro’s webshots gallery!
About.com also has a small nine photo gallery.
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muscle tissue with the abdomen. This really should be carried out for around ten to 20