This past week I returned “home” to California and arguably the most spectacular trail running anywhere:
Dipsea
I had never run the Dipsea Trail - site of a renowned trail race which dates back to 1905.
The thought of climbing and descending hundreds of stairs and the trailhead's inaccessibility had always deterred me.
However now I find myself staying in Mill Valley, just blocks from the “trailhead” (672 stairs), and I follow the steps with the idea of using the well-marked path in order to connect to nearby trails circling Mount Tamalpais for a moderate afternoon workout.
After climbing the stairs I follow the signs through a residential neighborhood and around hordes of tourists visiting Muir Woods.
I catch up with two runners who look like intense trail runners and ask if they have suggestions for the most “runnable, scenic trails”. They look puzzled — "of course you want to follow the Dipsea Trail don’t you?" they ask me.
So I continue upward through the long meadow climb to what is apparently called "Cardiac Hill".
It is a gorgeous spring day, and the trail is thronged with hikers (and a few other hardcore runners), and frequently people shout encouragement to me. They all seem to be loaded with gear and appear to be following the Dipsea Trail in some quest to reach the Ocean. It is starting to feel like a pilgrimage of sorts. After cresting what I believe is called 'the Swoop" and see the panoramic sight of the Pacific Ocean spread out in front of me I just had to keep going.
I descend through more groves of redwoods, through a ravine and alongside creeks, and down yet more stairs.
The thought of climbing and descending hundreds of stairs and the trailhead's inaccessibility had always deterred me.However now I find myself staying in Mill Valley, just blocks from the “trailhead” (672 stairs), and I follow the steps with the idea of using the well-marked path in order to connect to nearby trails circling Mount Tamalpais for a moderate afternoon workout.
After climbing the stairs I follow the signs through a residential neighborhood and around hordes of tourists visiting Muir Woods.
I catch up with two runners who look like intense trail runners and ask if they have suggestions for the most “runnable, scenic trails”. They look puzzled — "of course you want to follow the Dipsea Trail don’t you?" they ask me.
So I continue upward through the long meadow climb to what is apparently called "Cardiac Hill".
It is a gorgeous spring day, and the trail is thronged with hikers (and a few other hardcore runners), and frequently people shout encouragement to me. They all seem to be loaded with gear and appear to be following the Dipsea Trail in some quest to reach the Ocean. It is starting to feel like a pilgrimage of sorts. After cresting what I believe is called 'the Swoop" and see the panoramic sight of the Pacific Ocean spread out in front of me I just had to keep going.
Ultimately I found myself running in the deep sand of Stimson Beach amidst crowds of sunbathers, and the sun-dappled waves of the Pacific Ocean:
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Marin Headlands Run
Two days later I run through the breathtaking open spaces of the Marin Headlands.
I can’t imagine there could be a better place to run. I have run spectacular trails in Hawaii (Na Pali, Volcano), the Swiss Alps, Seattle, the Rockies but none offer the terrain, the logistics and the spectacular sights provided by today's run.
Wide smooth dirt paths roll for miles across sweeping hillsides - on my left is Sausilito, to my right the Pacific Ocean and in front of me the Golden Gate and shimmering San Francisco skyline.
I hardly see another soul during my 2 hour run.
You can see my course here starting at the Miwok Stables. I would certainly recommend this route but next time I will create more of a loop course by following the Miwok Trail out toward Pacific and connecting to Rodeo Valley Trail:
On this day I follow an out-and-back route along the SCA trail down toward the Golden Gate Bridge for the obligatory selfie.
I can’t imagine there could be a better place to run. I have run spectacular trails in Hawaii (Na Pali, Volcano), the Swiss Alps, Seattle, the Rockies but none offer the terrain, the logistics and the spectacular sights provided by today's run.
Wide smooth dirt paths roll for miles across sweeping hillsides - on my left is Sausilito, to my right the Pacific Ocean and in front of me the Golden Gate and shimmering San Francisco skyline.
I hardly see another soul during my 2 hour run.
You can see my course here starting at the Miwok Stables. I would certainly recommend this route but next time I will create more of a loop course by following the Miwok Trail out toward Pacific and connecting to Rodeo Valley Trail:
On this day I follow an out-and-back route along the SCA trail down toward the Golden Gate Bridge for the obligatory selfie.
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Santa Cruz
I travel farther south, and my teammate Caroline leads me through her favorite course -- Santa Cruz's Wilder Ranch State Park.
Our trail winds up through coastal terraces into forests and then across meadows, and again I enjoy expansive views of the Pacific.
The hillsides are unusually lush after the heavy winter El Nino rains, and we descend through the meadows blooming with wildflowers:
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GooglePlex Intervals and Compression Technology Recovery
I join long-time friend Glen for a lunch run from the Google headquarters in Mountain View, and again my expectations of an easy session are dashed. The Google employees are a fast and determined group of athletes and are doing hard 1.5-mile intervals on the Bayland trails. I am trashed by the intense effort, especially after starting out with too much zeal to show the other guys that I am still in top shape.
Not to mention all my recent training and travel.
Fortunately, as you might expect, the Googleplex fitness facility offers an array of the latest technology including the NormaTec Pulse System - which describes itself as a “dynamic pulsing system to effectively mimic the muscle pump of legs and arms and greatly enhance the movement of fluid and metabolites out of the limbs after an intense workout”. So we lay in reclining chairs, zip on these large inflatable leggings, and then hook the leggings up to the air compression control unit. When I flip the high-tech gadget on it begins to compress around my feet and then pulse and deflate. This process gradually progresses downward from my elevated feet to my hips -- kneeding and massaging my sore legs.
Not to mention all my recent training and travel.
Fortunately, as you might expect, the Googleplex fitness facility offers an array of the latest technology including the NormaTec Pulse System - which describes itself as a “dynamic pulsing system to effectively mimic the muscle pump of legs and arms and greatly enhance the movement of fluid and metabolites out of the limbs after an intense workout”. So we lay in reclining chairs, zip on these large inflatable leggings, and then hook the leggings up to the air compression control unit. When I flip the high-tech gadget on it begins to compress around my feet and then pulse and deflate. This process gradually progresses downward from my elevated feet to my hips -- kneeding and massaging my sore legs.
I am skeptical that compression gear and technology actually improves blood flow to muscles and boosts performance (the latest research fails to find evidence of improved performance), but I always feel somehow better (and faster) when I wear compression tights.
And the NormaTec System dynamic compression system certainly does feel extremely pleasant after all the training, and seemed to genuinely reduce soreness - even if only a placebo effect, I felt markedly better. 
