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Across the Bay 10K - Run10k


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Annapolis, Maryland
United States
55F / 13C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 08m 29s
Overall Rank = 6280/19133
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 429/1652
Pre-race routine:

Arrived in MD on Saturday afternoon for packet pickup and shopping at the expo. I bought a sweatshirt and a hat and a mug; EFP got a sweatshirt; Cuda bought numerous items. Met friends for supper at Longhorn, the other place we had planned on eating at didn't have adequate servers and were turning people away.

Got up in time to get to the parking lot to catch the shuttle at 6:45. Well, we actually got there earlier than that because I padded the time remembering how bad traffic was last year and this year we didn't have nearly as much of an issue. Rode the shuttle with LT, grabbed some pre-race pics before deciding to head to the staging area. We ditched our toss-away 'keep warm' clothes first.

We had a slight mix-up: it wasn't overly well communicated that there was the group starting at the start line, waiting, then a big gap, then the next wave being staged. (11-12 waves in total starting 15 minutes apart) We pushed ahead of what ended up being the next staged group, then realized what was going on but still didn't know for sure which wave was where.

We intended on starting in wave 4, but 4 was the one at the line and 5 was where we were, so we ended up starting with wave 5. It all worked out, though; our mistake put us at the front of wave 5 instead of the back of wave 4.
Event warmup:

Some dynamic and static stretching. At the race start area there is not really a great way or place to do a warm-up run because of all the people and bus traffic and site layout.
Run
  • 1h 08m 29s
  • 10 kms
  • 06m 51s  min/km
Comments:

EFP and LT took off from the get-go, as I would expect them to. EFP has really made significant progress in his running over the past year and LT has always been faster than me. I was glad to see them both go - EFP has a bad habit of wanting to stay with me but I finally convinced him to do his own thing.

Being at the front of the wave helped minimize some of the congestion and dodging of walkers, so that was nice. The bad part is I didn't really 'belong' in the front of the wave and kept getting passed and passed and passed and passed. Sure, I passed a few people but mainly I got passed.

This stuck in my head and the oh-so-negative demons took full advantage of this weakness to chip away at me. Often I can get them to shut up by employing various tricks but nothing was working today, the demons kept on me throughout the whole race. The only fun moment during the race was at the top of the bridge there was a woman with headphones totally dancing and shuffling and jiving her way to the finish line, arms up, snapping her fingers as she showed off her moves. This made me smile and laugh, she was great!

The smile lingered a bit then the demons snuck back in. Each time I'd try to find a 'carrot', something would happen: they'd stop at a port-a-john; they'd stop to walk. I couldn't seem to get matched up to anyone's pace to help keep me moving. The only motivation I found was to stay ahead of 'Fife Guy'. At the start of our wave, he was toward the front of the pack and eventually got away from me but at the top of the bridge he was stopped, doing something on his phone. Not long after I passed him, he resumed running WHILE PLAYING THE DANG FIFE! How? Beats the heck out of me. I can barely summon enough air to keep myself alive, let alone play a musical instrument. Impressive? Oh, for sure. Irritating? Yup, a little, just because he could do both so well, running AND playing.

At times I tried to use his tunes as a pick-me-up but most of the time I simply vowed to try to stay ahead of him. It worked, although in the final mile he came awfully close to catching me!

I was so glad to finally cross the line. Today just wasn't as fun as it had been in the past. It was my second worst time, so #3 time out of 4 races. Ugh.
What would you do differently?:

Be more consistent with my running training leading up to this race. I'd been a bit spotty for various reasons, plus the off season is starting to drive my body weight up. Get the demons to shut the fug up.
Post race
Warm down:

Well, first I threw a pity party of one. I walked a bit, got a water, then sat on the curb and cried (for more reasons than just my abysmal performance but we won't get into that). After a few minutes, the kind lady near me gently asked me if I was OK or if I needed anything but also acknowledged that she realized I wanted a private moment. I thanked her but said no, I'm fine.

Eventually I collected myself and went to find my friends and get warm, dry clothes. We also had our customary grilled oysters (ridiculously good!), some steamed shrimp, EFP had a few beers and I had a Bloody Mary with Cuda once she got to the finish. Hung out with various friend groups a little, bought some kettle corn (also SO good), then got in line for the shuttle to the parking lot, then home. Naturally we made the traditional stop at Wegman's for lunch and a little shopping on the way home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Weight. Brain. Weight. Lack of consistent training.

Event comments:

This was the first year since Ironman bought/took over the race. There were some noticeable differences but mostly it was a seamless transition; it went well.




Last updated: 2017-05-31 12:00 AM
Running
01:08:29 | 10 kms | 06m 51s  min/km
Age Group: 429/1652
Overall: 1652/19133
Performance: Average
Course: 10 Kilometers | 4.35 miles Over Water | up to 186 ft. in the air This 10 kilometer, 6.2 mile point-to-point course will take runners over the eastbound span of the 4.35 mile long Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which reaches 186 feet at its tallest point. Runners will experience water vistas dotted with sailboats and cargo ships from atop a major dual-span bridge that doesn’t allow pedestrian traffic at any other time of the year. This event happens once a year and is the only way to cross this majestic span on foot. The race is open to participants of various levels of fitness and physical abilities as long as you are able to complete the event in under 2.5 hours After departing the start line near Northrop Grumman bayside campus, participants travel about a half mile over MDTA property before they leave the western shore and begin ascending the eastbound span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. There is a gradual but sustained climb for approximately 1.7 miles until you reach the midpoint of the bridge and the first water station. During those first two miles, runners will climb to nearly 200 feet above sea level. The climb isn’t overly steep and has a maximum grade of only 3%. You will be almost 200 feet above the bay – so don’t forget to check out the view! Fortunately, what goes up must come down. After passing through the water station, runners descend the same 200 feet over the course of 2 miles before reaching the eastern shore and our legendary finisher’s celebration.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2017-11-14 3:03 PM

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Pennsylvania
Subject: Across the Bay 10K
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