Saucony Grid Omni 5

I think I'm about done with these Grid Omni 5s from Saucony. I'm supposed to ease into running in the Kinvaras by running with them every other run or so, but I'm finding it uncomfortable to go back to the Omnis. At the very least, I'm finding it easy to blame a poor run on the shoes.

Today running up Bernal there was not so much haze as the first time—and no clouds at all in the sky. One would think I'd be smart enough to wear sunblock, but actually no. I've been ambivalent about my sunblock, which I used to be a huge fan of until I read about recent research which indicates that sunblock with oxybenzone may cause DNA damage and cancer, both of which I'd rather avoid.

This week's Sunday DSE Runner's club race was a four-mile loop up and around Twin Peaks. This is the first time this course has been run—the race directors are doing a fantastic job of coming up with new routes this year rather than sticking to the same calendar year after year.

I like hill running. There's nothing like a good test of tenacity when out on the road. The only trouble is that tenacity isn't easy to come by all the time.

Today is supposed to be a rest day for me, and I woke up with considerable soreness in my calves. I wanted an excuse to get out and just walk somewhere and not have to run. I thought about another trip over to Sundance on Third Street for a cup of coffee, but then it occurred to me that it's not much farther to go to Philz. That settled it for me.

My friend Rich suggested this race, which despite having taken place eighty-nine times prior to today had never come to my attention. The timing was good for a new race. The DSE race today was a 5K in Golden Gate Park, which would have been fine but this race—starting next to Washington Square in North Beach and going down The Embarcadero just past the Bay Bridge and back the way we came—was not only new to me, but covered parts of The Embarcadero I haven't run in years.

Fatigue is a funny thing. Sometimes it's hard to tell when I am actually fatigued and when I simply think I ought to be fatigued. Certainly when I got to the top of Potrero Hill without stopping I was breathing hard and happy to start back downhill even after only a half mile, but I didn't consider stopping. Even as soon as a mile later there was something in me telling me to stop. I played the usual tricks on myself: telling myself I'd take a walk break at two miles, then at three and at four miles. 

It was a gorgeous day here in San Francisco. 70 degrees and only a few wispy clouds. A perfect day for my return to organized races at the DSE Runners Mission Bay 5K.

We had a great turnout due in part to a convention in town. I don't think I've ever seen so many people at a DSE event, but I haven't been running for almost three years so maybe the club has gotten more popular while I've been away. There were a lot of people in the race from out of town and from out of the country, so I suspect that the convention had something to do with it.

I've combined two walks here, one to the start of the DSE Runners Mission Bay 5K today and the other back home. I wasn't quite sure how to handle it because the next report will be about running that happened in the middle of this walk. It seemed silly to have three runs logged for one trip out, but I definitely want to keep my race entries separate.