Running in San Francisco

The thick strong fish odor in Fisherman's Wharf early in the morning, is cut a bit by the old men washing off the sidewalks with water hoses.  I go between the sidewalk and street as needed to avoid them.  The fishy smell is quickly replaced by fresh bread from the Boudin restaurant.  This smell is so good, it makes me want to stop my run and get some freshly baked bread.

At this point I'm over halfway done, I'm headed back.  I saw all of this just a little while ago on my way out, but then it was still dark and quiet.  Now it's early morning and office workers are starting to trickle into downtown.  The ferry's are in the bay bringing many of them from other points around the area can be seen and heard off to my left.

I reach the Pier 39 tourist trap and the Sea Lions.  Then the city scrolls by on the right with Telegraph Hill and then the TransAmerica Tower as highlights.

Suddenly I'm at Market Street and it's time to turn up and into the city.  Sometimes you have to stop at the lights and sometimes you can sprint and just make it.  I find myself trying to beat a trolley up the street.  He has to stop every few blocks and I stay in front for a while, before suddenly I'm back at my hotel.  The doorman actually offers me a bottle of water and asks how my run was.

"It was awesome.  Awesome. Thanks."

I have attended many conferences at San Francisco's Moscone Center and it turns out to be a perfect area to launch an incredible run every morning.  If you are staying within walking distance of the conference, then you will easily be able to do this same run.  You simply go to Market, run towards the water, turn left when you can't go forward anymore.  At this point you are heading towards Fisherman's Wharf and will see many other runners.  After Fisherman's Wharf you keep going and will find a very steep road that leads over into a park and then down into the Marina district.  If you turn around at the top of the hill it will have been about six miles by the time you get back to your hotel.