The Double Dipsea

Dispea race marker, originally uploaded by Mat Honan.

I've got the Double Dipsea coming up on June 27, so I decided to go give the course a run-through yesterday. It was gorgeous, and an amazing experience to run from Mill Valley, up Mt Tam, down to Muir Woods, back up Mt. Tam, out to Stinson Beach, and then back again. But I also seriously underestimated how tough this was going to be. Yesterday's was a little more than 4600 feet of climbing, and I did not even run the entire route. Last night I felt brutalized. This was largely due to all the downhill running. The uphill is exhausting, but *descending* 4600 feet--much of it quite steep--takes a real toll on your joints. My ankles, knees, and back were all seriously achey last night. My IT band was flared up and unhappy as well.

It's gonna be a tough race.