🌄 Tam 2, 📷 (1,2) @BryanTing. The first time, you don’t know how hard it will be, fear of the unknown, the darkness. The second time, you know how hard it was, fear from experience, and known unknowns: remembering many forks, but not which to take. #mounttamalpais #mounttam #mttam #summit #run #trailrun #runner #trailrunners #trailrunning #powerhike #searchforvert #teamextravert #runners #tamsummit #riseandrun #sendit #optoutside #getoutside #neverstopexploring #sunrise #latergram #wakeupthesun #npsf #fromwhereirun #runwild #wednesday #marin #nofilter Slept a bit more the night before. Got up earlier, ate (fueled), had some coffee, and foam-rolled my IT bands. On the drive up I felt a bit more intimidated, remembering how hard it was the previous week (tantek.com/2018/262/t2/first-tam-summit). Got a head start from downtown Mill Valley, with a reminder from Hannah & Krissi: head up the stairs. Took the middle, uphill, fork among three roads. I warmed up power-hiking that first stretch with a steady but persistent breath. By the time Bryan caught up to me I had hit a comfortable stride, moving in rhythm with my breathing. The full-ish moon gave everything a subtle glow; we could still see the stars. Everything felt more familiar this time and I was having fun pressing forward, Bryan leading the way again. He took an amazing pano shot (1) just as the sun was rising. 10 minutes before that he caught me grinning to a backdrop of cotton candy skies (2). I took quick shots of the horizon as it got lighter (3-5), as the sun broke through the clouds and rose (6-8), and upon reaching the Tam Summit door, 5+ min faster than last week (8). Bryan took a few timer photos of the four of us, the first of which I think turned out the best (9). Finally, Krissi led us down a different path down, to the Cypress trail, through some very pretty woods (10, 📷 @therunetarian), eventually to the Dipsea stairs, and back to downtown Mill Valley. Another 9 miles (2700'+ climbed) before 9am. Grateful for fierce runner friends eager to get up and run in darkness. Next week, I’ll face the forks.

🌄 Tam 2, 📷 (1,2) @BryanTing. The first time, you don’t know how hard it will be, fear of the unknown, the darkness. The second time, you know how hard it was, fear from experience, and known unknowns: remembering many forks, but not which to take.

#mounttamalpais #mounttam #mttam #summit #run #trailrun #runner #trailrunners #trailrunning #powerhike #searchforvert #teamextravert #runners #tamsummit #riseandrun #sendit #optoutside #getoutside #neverstopexploring #sunrise #latergram #wakeupthesun #npsf #fromwhereirun #runwild #wednesday #marin #nofilter

Slept a bit more the night before. Got up earlier, ate (fueled), had some coffee, and foam-rolled my IT bands. On the drive up I felt a bit more intimidated, remembering how hard it was the previous week (tantek.com/2018/262/t2/first-tam-summit).

Got a head start from downtown Mill Valley, with a reminder from Hannah & Krissi: head up the stairs. Took the middle, uphill, fork among three roads. I warmed up power-hiking that first stretch with a steady but persistent breath. By the time Bryan caught up to me I had hit a comfortable stride, moving in rhythm with my breathing.

The full-ish moon gave everything a subtle glow; we could still see the stars. Everything felt more familiar this time and I was having fun pressing forward, Bryan leading the way again. He took an amazing pano shot (1) just as the sun was rising. 10 minutes before that he caught me grinning to a backdrop of cotton candy skies (2). I took quick shots of the horizon as it got lighter (3-5), as the sun broke through the clouds and rose (6-8), and upon reaching the Tam Summit door, 5+ min faster than last week (8).

Bryan took a few timer photos of the four of us, the first of which I think turned out the best (9). Finally, Krissi led us down a different path down, to the Cypress trail, through some very pretty woods (10, 📷 @therunetarian), eventually to the Dipsea stairs, and back to downtown Mill Valley.

Another 9 miles (2700'+ climbed) before 9am. Grateful for fierce runner friends eager to get up and run in darkness. Next week, I’ll face the forks.