run like the wind.....

(me @ Kezar Stadium, Baker Beach morning run, GGB viewed from Baker Beach, Land's End running on the trails)


I have started training for the SF marathon on January 24th. My favorite part of the runs, as my team mates would agree, is the beautiful scenery. I actually came across a Yahoo page featuring the top ten American Destinations (as ranked in Forbes Travels as well), that the Golden Gate Recreation Area in San Francisco is ranked #7 on the list. I don't really pay attention to top ten lists but since I started running and 'hanging around' the GGRA more often than I ever did, I am really, not to sound too braggy, in awe of its beauty. Beautiful scenery helps with the running as well as great people to run with. Below is an excerpt taken from Forbes Travels about the GGRA:

7. Fisherman's Wharf/Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco:
14.1 million visitors/year

The city by the Bay received approximately 16.1 million visitors in 2007 (the latest data available), and Fisherman's Wharf is its top visitor attraction (visitor estimates for Fisherman's Wharf range from 12 million to 15 million). The Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which includes the famous golden gate bridge along with numerous other spaces throughout the Bay Area, drew 14.6 million visitors in 2008. It's hard to know the overlap between tourists at the wharf, nearby bridge and other areas in the National Recreation Area. We've averaged the figures to arrive at our 14 million estimate.

Sources: National Park Service 2008 Annual Recreation Visits Report, Fisherman's Wharf Merchants Association, City and County of San Francisco, San Francisco Chronicle.
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The GGNRA is located on the Northern edge of San Francisco consist of The Presidio (huge, open, spacious and luscious green land, Golden Gate Bridge which our running team had ran twice already, Marina Green (a runner/walker's paradise), Crissy Fields, Lands End (a great hiking area), Baker Beach (we did a 5-mile run that was uphill, pavement & trails), and Golden Gate Park. I took some shots with my camera phone as I was running. As you can see we run rain or shine so notice the Golden Gate Bridge on 2 different occasions but still as beautiful as ever.

These days, runnin is keeping me moving and that's my goal to put it simply and to see the Golden Gate Recreation Area every weekend is truly heaven. I quit the gym but still do yoga. But, for the next 35 more years of life, I wish to get outside just a little bit more, and running is a great way to do that. Thanks for reading!