I planned this trip after my dad gave me his AA frequent flyer miles and hotel points that expired at the end of the month (free travel always makes running a destination marathon better). I stayed at the Holiday Inn on Market and 7th street (just a few blocks off Union Square and the Tenderloin area). It was an interesting area with high end shops mixed with homeless people. I was easily able to walk to cafes, the BART and cable cars. I walked from the hotel to the expo on Friday, I wanted to beat the long lines and get my packet early. The expo was smaller than I expected and most of the vendors had natural/vegan products to try. The most interesting thing I ate was the Chia shots talked about in the book Born to Run. It wasn't bad, once you get past the strange gummy consistency. I brought back a few samples and do plan on ordering a few packs of it soon. It may just be another running fad, but it is a nice alternative to the quinoa and rice in my diet. After I left the expo, I made my way down to Union Square for dinner (lamb meat balls with wine) and a few pictures. The weather was cool and I'm glad the race shirt was long sleeve, or I might have frozen (not really, but after 100+F weather in OKC, 55F felt like winter).
I started Saturday out early with my GoPro strapped to my shoulder. I still needed to test out the battery life and mounting options for the race. I jumped on the Powell-Hyde cable car and rode it up to Lombard St. The ride was no where near as exciting as I expected, I was crammed in the middle of the car and could not see much, but I can at least check that off the bucket list now.
I walked down, then back up Lombard St before catching the cable car down to Fisherman's Wharf for lunch. I love fresh seafood, so I was in food heaven when I saw seafood pasta! Carbs and fish with no dairy, the best!
I couldn't leave the area without getting a few pictures of Alcatraz and a Hard Rock pin for my collection, oh and coffee. Now that I'm fueled and fed, it was time to see the city.
I got on the red tourist bus without the top (I didn't want to do a lot of walking the day before the race) and was able to see most of the top sights. One of the highlights was riding across the Golden Gate Bridge. I also got to see most of the marathon course. I got off the tour bus in Chinatown for a quick snack (Sushi...not exactly Chinese food) before doing a bit of shopping.
I got back on the bus and we headed toward Haight/Ashbury. The tourist in me had to take a picture of the classic hippy sign. This is also about mile 21 on the marathon course, all downhill. 
Of course, no trip to San Francisco is complete without a protest. The occupy San Francisco folks were camped out in front of the federal bank. It looks like the movement has lost steam, very few people and not so pleasant smell. One of the highlights of the city is "city art" on the side of buildings. I was starting to get tired and needed to get out of the sun, so I took the tour bus to a stop near my hotel, ate dinner and went to bed. 
Because I registered late, I was assigned corral 5 and my start time was about 6 AM. I wanted to arrive to see the start of the race at 5:30, I've never seen the race start, so the assigned start time was nice. I also needed to drop by bag off and use the porta potty (2 very important things for runners). The start was packed and the pace started slower that I would have liked, but I was here for the experience, not a PR.
We started off by following Embarcadero toward Fisherman's Wharf. It was still a bit dark and foggy, so I couldn't get a great view of the area. The crowd thinned out as we went past Marina area, but quickly backed up again as we approached the first major hill up to the Golden Gate Bridge. 
Running across the bridge was the highlight of the race. The conditions were less than ideal, there were so many people that it was hard to pass anyone and the fog made it impossible to see the bay. But, it was still awesome, looking up and seeing the bridge was so neat. 
After the bridge, there was another large hill which quickly reminded to check my watch and see what mile I was at. To my surprise, I was at 10. As I entered Golden Gate Park, the first half of the race was over and the half marathoners finished up. At the SF Marathon, they also have a 2nd Half Marathon that started about 8:15. I passed the start of the 2nd half about 8AM and was soon passed by the elite runners. It was very strange being passed by someone running a 5 minute pace between miles 14 and 15. I'm sure they were not happy to deal with slower runners. So, I need to pause to explain another "only in SF" sight. The guy pictured below was running in tight leather speedo underwear, bondage stuff and a dog collar. Hmmmm, I can't imagine that was comfortable. 
By this point I had resisted walking, but saw a hill and decided this was a good time to refuel. My stomach was a bit upset, so I ate a ginger tablet, which helped. I also ate another pack of stingers. The race snaked around Golden Gate Park until about mile 19.
As the race course left Golden Gate Park, I was relieved to be done with the uphill portion of the race. I was excited to run down Haight St for a few miles, I felt energized as small groups of people cheered the runners on. Miles 20-23 were uneventful with little to look at. The race approached Giants Stadium about mile 24 and I got a great view of the ballpark. There were a few tailgates in the parking lot getting ready for the game, they seemed excited to see the runners. I actually felt good at this point, I managed to keep my pace very even and easy. I love races that pass by famous landmarks, I think running is the best way to experience all a city has to offer. From the stadium, I ran toward the Bay Bridge and remembered seeing it at the start (I'm getting close to the end). As I approached the finish, I felt great and a rush of adrenaline as I crossed the line. Another successful 26.2 :) I once again pulled out the camera to capture the excitement of the end.
I was able to walk the 2 miles back to the hotel (with a stop at Starbucks) and take a long nap. Later that afternoon, I made my way back to the wharf and drank wine. I also ate a huge dinner, steak and yummy treat to the left. I know, it has dairy, but I get whatever I want to eat after a marathon, and that is what I wanted! 