Last Sunday, KW and I ran the Men’s Health Urbanathlon in SF. There were two courses and we opted for the Classic Course (despite neglecting to train – ouch!) which is 11 miles of hill work and obstacles. By mile 3 I was definitely wishing I had put in more miles beforehand, but I was at the bottom of a large switchback hill, so I put my game face on and reminded myself that I love a good challenge.
At the start line wearing our Team Polo Red sunnies.
We started at AT&T Park and ran toward North Beach.
At the bottom of the first strong set of hills. Once you get to the top, you realize you have to climb a few more. This was definitely one of the toughest parts of the course.
The gorgeous view from the top of the first set of hills.
At mile 4.5 there was the “Walk the Line’ obstacle which was really just a balance beam in a funky shape. I presumed the few gymnastics classes I took as a child would be for naught, but they totally paid off! This obstacle was a great warm up for what was to come.
Mile 6: The Oakley ‘Over, Under, Through’ – I was grateful I was still wearing my gloves as the ground was muddy from the rain we had the morning prior and you get down and dirty for this one.
Mile 8: The VW Crawl. Those plank holds were coming in real handy here. As my Lululemon pants rubbed against the asphalt, I couldn’t help but wonder if they would hold up to the friction. Luckily, they did! Not a snag in sight.
Speed test: climbing the stairs of AT&T Park in one of the last obstacles. This one was by far the hardest for me – running up the ramps to even get to the stairs killed my legs!
Climbing over taxis and scaling a wall followed by a school bus were the final two obstacles which were both pretty fun. I mean, how often does one stand on top of a motor vehicle in real life? This course was a great way to breakaway from the monotony of my regular workouts.
By the time it was over, I was on cloud nine. As much as I tolerate like running, the best feeling is reaching a goal and having that sense of accomplishment. I also liked having mimosas and huevos rancheros afterwards without a tinge of guilt! Hashtag, runner’s high.
Time to celebrate! These results set my baseline for urbanathlon courses since I have nothing to compare them too. May I do better (and feel better) on the next one. Editor’s note: I am not actually from NYC. That is a mistake!
Thank you to Ralph Lauren Fragrances for having Kaare and I on Team Polo Red!
