Thanks, Beaker. That's very encouraging. I just checked--my heart rate reached 176. I was huffing and puffing like crazy at the end. I was very close to giving up, but man, I would've been sooooo disappointed in myself.
I think you're right, though--I think I burned out on the first part, up to the entrance. I thought I was pacing myself just fine. But I didn't have much steam left towards the end.
If you don't mind my asking, how often do you ride it? There's another hill around here that I ride pretty regularly, and it was really hard at the beginning. Now it's relatively easy. Well, compared to San Bruno Mountain, anyway.