A few weeks ago, I decided to start training for the San Francisco Marathon with a local program called SF Fit. No, getting up in time for an 8am start time on a Saturday isn’t always something I look forward to, but it’s hard to stay pissy about it when the sun shines on Crissy Field or warms your back as you pound your way across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Keep in mind, I’m SO not a runner by nature. In fact, the moment I lace up my shoes, I revert to seventh grad cd, the one who passed most gym class clutching a sore ankle and whining about imaginary doctors’ prohibitions against physical exertion.

One highlight – a reason to shop for cute workout attire never hurts. And I have a nifty, season long coupon for The Sports Basement – an amazingly large sporting goods store in the Presidio (they have another location too) inhabiting a converted grocery store. It’s impressive and has a great sense of humor. Really – check it out.

All this weekend running has me looking for other running opportunities (it’s cognitive dissonance, I know. “I keep doing this, it MUST be fun – I MUST want to do it more!”).

Coming up – The Emerald Nuts Across the Bay 12k race – a point to point race that takes the scenic route from Sausalito to SF on Sunday, March 20. Twelve Ks is about 7.5 miles for those of you who left the TI-85 at home today.

Note the disclaimer on the website – if the national terror alert is elevated, there’s an alternative course that excludes the Golden Gate Bridge. Because no attire could more easily hide WMD than skimpy running shorts and a tank top.

Google pointed me to the San Francisco Dolphin South End Running Club (whose mascot, against reason, appears to be a tortoise). I don’t know much else about them – but they have weekly, shorter distance casual runs and their motto is “start slowly and taper off” – which I seem to embody whether I want to or not.

And for the truly masochistic among us: The Dipsea, a grueling up-and-down-a-mountain race billed as the second oldest foot race in the country. This year marks its 100th anniversary.

Running around this city gives me a new appreciation for its already fabled beauty and ped-friendly construction – there are few areas of the city unreachable by running trail or access road.

If your interested in training for a longer distance run, like the SF Marathon or Half-Marathon (run at the end of July), check out one of the many local running clubs. I chose SF Fit because I wanted to focus on finishing the race before I moved into one of the many training/fundraising programs. But if you need the additional motivation of running for a cause, there’s no shortage of those either: from AIDS to breast cancer research to saving any number of animals or natural resources, you’ll be able to find a reason.

I’m doing it for bragging rights.

“Yeah, I’m a marathoner.”