11.3 miles up and back, 1,931′ elevation gained
My second run was an old familiar MTB ride with my buddy Kevin. Starting from the end of west Blithedale Ave. in Mill Valley, the run was a steady climb of 5-6% up Old Railroad Grade. You can read about the Mt. Tam Scenic Railroad here at TrailLink.com, rather than me re-hashing it’s history. The trail is very popular with runners and mountain bikers alike, becoming very busy on weekends. Mid week, I had most of the views of southern Marin and San Francisco Bay all to myself. After gaining some elevation, I was able to see over the coastal range and watch the fog roll in through the Golden Gate. The cool fog was actually welcome as I was working up quite a sweat. About halfway up the hill, a very generous homeowner has provided a water fountain for passers-by and faucet with a bowl for pets to drink from. Very welcome to me as I run out of water quickly and the only opportunity until the West Point Inn.
The run up was hard, as it was a constant, unrelenting grade…but I think the run back down was harder on my legs and muscles. I was trying to practice only running form, but the rocks in the road were making it too difficult to do anything but to keep from crashing and burning. Made it back in one piece and it felt good to have done 11.3 miles on my second day out. I did pay for the sore muscles the next day though. Enough of the blah blah, here are some of the pictures of my run.
tahoemarmot 