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 Run
Comments: Things were a bit congested at the start, as expected, with a fair amount of walking/dodging/weaving necessary to make it into a clear area where people weren't walking or going slow. I was really eager to get out on the bridge! At first, I just tried to stay within my desired pace range. I didn't really find any good carrots or pacers, so I ran on my own. It was so cool seeing all the police and private boats below, watching the race. Sailboats cruised along the sparkling water. Cars on the westbound span honked and people yelled us on. The water was so calm below, the sun was out bright, and gulls occasionally wheeled overhead and I saw a few cormorants. I was loving it! I'd have been loving it more if I wasn't a dumbazz and worn my brimmed cap (I had a beanie which I didn't keep on long) and brought my sunglasses! What was I thinking?! I guess I thought it was supposed to be cloudy, IDK. I don't always think clearly in the morning, apparently! I kept looking around, drinking it all in but trying not to fall off my pace. I was happy with my pace the whole way up the incline to the peak of the bridge, but never seemed to feel the gravity effect after cresting and starting to descend. My pace fell off a little, but eventually I found two strapping fellows to pace behind and use as motivation. :) They were running at precisely the speed I wanted to stay at. They were good for about 2 miles or so until we were almost off the bridge, then I realized they had slowed some. Sorry cuties, I've got to move on. Quickly I found a new pace buddy (who also had no idea he was being used) who wasn't as motivating visually but had a very motivating pace! I stayed with him until about half mile (?) to go in the race when I decided to give it what I got, then I dumped him, too. I ran pretty hard for the last part of the race, and really hard when I saw the finish line. I was breathing hard and heavy and was relieved to see my time and the finish line. I beat my one and only prior 10K time by almost 3 minutes! I was gasping like a fish out of water, trying to get air as I collected my medal, grabbed a water and looked for JD and LT. He was looking for a tall girl in orange (my heavier shirt) and didn't see me because I was all ninja-like in black pants and black shirt. Stealthy! Found JD, LT, AJ and RH and we waited for Cuda to come in. She finished in a much better time than she anticipated! It was her first 10K, so she had a PR, too, as did LT, beating a previous time. What would you do differently?: Not slack off - I lost a little steam on the third mile, which oddly enough was around where the 'downhill' began (and before I found my hottie pacers). WTF?! Otherwise, I'm very pleased with my effort.  Post race
Warm down: Hung out with my friends, checked the official results. Was denied a woman's finisher shirt in my size (again, this time because they ran out early) and initially it looked like I wouldn't even find a men's, but I found a large hiding in the XL pile and held onto it for dear life as others around me were eyeing it up and asking where I got it! Beer x 2 and an excellent Bloody Mary. Oh, and a water or two. Rehydration is essential! Took the shuttle back to Cuda's car and headed home, with a little stop at Wegman's for lunch, our second visit in as many days! I love that store! What limited your ability to perform faster: Being old and overweight. Event comments: Racers were present from all 50 states as well as 11 different countries, and it is supposedly one of the 5 largest 10Ks in the country. Security was high - no backpacks or backpack-like hydration systems were allowed; racers needed FuelBelt or handheld type hydration, or these weird little clip on cups they were selling. Police ran undercover as racers, police and Coast Guard were plentiful and present in boats below while police helicopters flew by periodically. Police were stationed at regular intervals across the span as well, with ATVs and on foot. For a first time race of this size (they were expecting 20,000 racers), I was worried there would be problems, because there really were so many ways things could go wrong, but everything went very smoothly (aside from the minor t-shirt snafus, which really aren't anything in the big scheme of things). The shuttles ran on time, the race stayed on time, and even traffic on the westbound span wasn't as bad as I anticipated. I'm already excited for next year's race, and so are my friends! Profile Album Last updated: 2014-01-17 12:00 AM
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United States
48F / 9C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 5870/14921
Age Group = 40-45
Age Group Rank = 538/1666
Signed up for this race probably close to a year ago with Cuda and LT, later to discover other friends AJ and RH were signed up, too. More friends = more fun!
Cuda and I headed to MD Saturday to pick up our packets and hit the expo. Packet pickup itself was very organized and the expo was nice, but there was a little snag with the race t-shirts. It was around 2:00 when we got to the t-shirt pick up, and it would be going on until 8 that evening, I believe. They were out of my size that early. I wasn't thrilled, but they gave me a comprable men's size, which was all well and good, but that surely meant that somewhere down the line, some man was going to be minus his shirt. I suspect 1 or 2 things were at play here: 1) They allowed exchanges or 2) People were taking extras. There was no double-checking or verification if one already received his/her shirt, so people in theory could return and ask for another later. I'm leaning toward the former issue, not the latter.
Met up with LT and JD at the hotel, had a decent supper at Glory Day's Grill - we had fried pickles, yum! Oh, and I had salmon, mashed potatoes and mixed veg, washed down with an Angry Orchard. We hit Cold Stone Creamery on the way back to the hotel. I was very full from supper but have a hard time resisting ice cream so I got a kiddie size, perfecto!
I didn't worry about getting to bed too early because I rarely sleep good before a race. As the norm, I slept a little, then was fitful and mostly awake the majority of the night. Cuda didn't want to leave as early as JD and LT and I, so I quietly arose before my alarm went off, took a quick shower, dressed and was about to take my things to the car before Cuda even heard me, LOL!
JD decided he would drop LT and I off near one of the shuttle stops, then he planned on driving to the finish area so we would have dry, warm clothes when we were done. I didn't feel too confident he would be able to navigate the traffic, so I kept my warmer shirt with me, planning on putting it around my waist during the race.
LT and I walked toward the start area and were greeted by a plentitude of porta-johns! It was impressive how many there were and how short the wait was. Granted it helped the racers were spread out into 10 different waves, but I was still pleasantly surprised how short the lines were.
We grabbed a few pics by the water and of the bridge and waited for our wave time. LT was originally going to start in wave 1 but dropped back to my wave (6) to start with me. I was glad for her company! She turned in her old sweatshirt at the donation table and I put my heavier shirt around my waist.
Finally it was time to gather in the corral. We did some light stretching and chatted with some folks around us. There was a slight delay because the volunteers were changing shifts, but after a few extra minutes we were off! LT made her way toward the front of the group cuz she's a little speedster!