Emerald Across the Bay 12k - Run


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San Francisco, California
United States
RhodyCo Productions
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 15m 25s
Overall Rank = 1073/2182
Age Group = M 40-44
Age Group Rank = 105/147
Pre-race routine:

For this race they bus you to the start, so I got up and got dressed around 6:30. Drank my usual carnation instant breakfast and milk and ate a banana. Filled my water bottle and added a nuun to help replenish electrolytes during the run. Then I walked over to the park to catch a bus to the start.

Amazingly a guy I was talking to on the bus turned out to be from the same area as me. We chatted for a bit and talked about other runners we both know.
200 miles from home and the first guy I talk to lives 10 miles from me.
Event warmup:

Just a little jogging back and forth in the "staging" area up the hill from the start. I figured I'd start easy and get warmed up that way.
Run
  • 1h 15m 25s
  • 7.46 miles
  • 10m 07s  min/mile
Comments:

Since this was more about the experience than anything for me I wasn't concerned with trying to get a good starting place in the crowd. My gun time and chip time were 29 seconds different, so I was clearly a good ways back in the crowd at the start. The initial downhill was very easy. Not so steep that I had to use the "brakes". Just a nice easy pace. Once I hit the flat at the bottom of the hill I jumped off the road to take a picture of the bridge with my cell phone. Across the flats at Ft. Baker and then started up "the Hill". If I had been going hard, this thing would have kicked my butt. As it was I just motored on up, breathing hard, but going easy. About half way I walked a few steps just to break the stride up a bit, and then went back to that easy jog. After I got onto the bridge I stopped again to take another picture, then back to that easy pace. Half way across the bridge the wind off the Pacific hit. It was blowing hard but it didn't affect me too much pace wise. I stopped again twice more while on the bridge to take pictures. Winding down through the maze to get to sea level again my legs felt good. I saw a port-a-potty and jumped out to use it (drank a bit too much water before the race I think) Down at the bottom and heading back towards the base of the bridge I stopped again for another picture. I ran past the race photographers with my whole outfit on but as soon as I was past I pulled the gloves and jacket off, tied the jacket around my waist, and put the gloves in the pocket on the back of my tri top. With about 2.5 miles to go I picked up the pace and just had a really good run. Probably somewhere in the range of 8:30 per mile pace for the last 2 miles. The last hill was tough, but I kept my form smooth and just powered up. Down the other side felt really good until near the bottom where it gets very steep and I started to use the brakes a bit to slow down. Once on the flat I went right back to that smooth steady pace until I saw my wife and daughters, then I veered over to them and gave them high fives as I went by. Steady run across the line and then walked around to get hugs from my girls.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked over and hugged my girls and my wife. Drank more water from my bottle. Walked to the park where the post race activities are set up and got my finisher's T-shirt and then found the tech shirt tent to pick that up as well. Stopped and had my picture taken with my daughter and the Nesquik bunny. Then headed back to the hotel for a shower and some lunch from In-n-Out Burger.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Training level was not up to "racing" this distance.
Also a slight ankle injury that wont seem to go away.
One stop mid-race to use a port-a-potty
Wearing a jacket and needing to tie it around my waist part way through.

Event comments:

Fantastic event! I had so much fun. If I do it again I will run the whole thing and not stop to take pictures.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2012-03-07 12:00 AM
Running
01:15:25 | 07.46 miles | 10m 07s  min/mile
Age Group: 105/147
Overall: 1073/2182
Performance: Average
Course: The run starts up the hill from Ft Baker on East Road. The course follows a pretty steady downhill grade for the first .4 of a mile, dropping maybe 120 feet in elevation. Then you are running along a flat stretch at just above sea level near Horseshoe Bay. The route turns onto a dirt/gravel road for a portion of this. Once back onto asphalt the route hits what I'll call "the hill" at about the 1 mile mark. For the next half mile or so you climb about 225 feet to reach the level of the approach to the Golden Gate Bridge. Another half mile and you reach the main part of the bridge at about 2 miles in. Now you are on the sidewalk on the bridge and it's straight on to the San Francisco side. The bridge is about a mile across. Once your off of the south end of the bridge the route descends almost back to sea level again while winding down to Fort Point. From Fort Point the route turns back along waterfront on sidewalk next to Mason Street. Mason Street becomes Marina Blvd and you continue on until reaching Laguna Street where you leave the sidewalk and head up across Fort Mason Green on a multi use path. Up and over a 65 foot climb then down the other side onto Van Ness Ave and across the finish.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5