Yesterday, I ran the Gift Of Life 5K in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. The race was a loop that began and ended at the Conservatory of Flowers. Along the way it circled Stow Lake, passing by Huntington Falls and the Chinese Pavilion.

I ran the relatively flat course in 24:44, which is a personal best, but much slower than other runners in my age bracket. For the first few races, being in the middle of the pack didn't bother me, but my competitive spirit is starting to kick in and wants to win, at least once.

On a different note, I'm so taken with the park and the amount of activity that courses through it. The number of joggers, rollerbladers, cyclists and tourists is amazing. Where I usually run, solitude is easily achievable. While I enjoy it most of the time, there are days when it would be nice to be surrounded by other active people. It's yet another reason why I would love to live in the City.