From Coach Toby………

With the heat advisory this week, it actually feels like summer in San Francisco…which doesn’t happen very often. That screams ice cream!

Join us for this week’s wildcard hill workout: Earn Your Scoops – Spring Edition. We’ll start and finish at San Francisco’s Hometown Creamery (1290 9th Ave at Irving) for a fun and challenging ~3.5 mile run.

Meet-up time & location:
Tue 6:30pm
Hometown Creamery
1290 9th Ave at Irving
(we are not meeting at our regular location)

We’ll kick things off with a short warm-up before making our way towards Grand View Park. The climb begins gradually from the shop and then quickly rises on Moraga Ave on the way to the staircase leading up to Grand View. Once we conquer the steps, the heavy lifting is done and we should be rewarded with sweeping views of the city, ocean, and Golden Gate Bridge. Great spot for pics! From there we’ll enjoy a downhill descent before heading through the Sunset District and back through Golden Gate Park on our way to the store.

The climb itself is less than a mile. It starts gradually and then abruptly kicks up when we reach the Moraga steps which poke skyward at about a 25% grade.

Quick tips for the climb:
– Keep the effort easy and shorten your stride as the hill steepens. 

– Power hiking the steps is totally fine and recommended. They’re steep. I often use my “slap my knees” rule to decide when to hike versus run. If a hill is steep enough that my hands naturally reach or slap my knees while climbing, it’s usually a good sign it’s time to hike. At that point hiking is often more efficient and wastes less energy than trying to run. This one definitely passes the test.

Housekeeping:
Yes! You may leave personal belongings at the shop during the run. Please thank our hosts. 

Strava route:
https://www.strava.com/routes/3468653871209163152

See you tomorrow!
Toby