100th Bay to Breakers

Yes! I made it! So, here is the rough-cut for the 100th Bay to Breakers in San Francisco:

100th Bay to Breakers (San Francisco): Walk/Jog/Walk; Total mileage includes start from  Corral (G), not the Starting Line: (7.75) miles. Time: (2)hrs.(04)min.(34.54)sec. Pace-Avg: (16:05)min./mi. Speed-Avg: (3.7)mph. Speed-Max: (6.9)mph. Burned: (962) Calories. Got my T-Shirt, got my Finisher's Medal. B-)

A longer narrative is at the end of this post. I'll try and get some photos in here as soon as possible.

Total Jog mileage: (3.02) miles. [Add up all the (5) minute Jog phase mileage.] All the rest was walked.

Once the official timing data is available I am expecting my time from Start Line timing mat to Finish Line timing mat to be much closer to two (2) hours even, if not just under two (2) hours. We'll see.

[UPDATE] Finish time: (1:58:17) hours. Start: 8:06:53.69AM Hayes Hill: [no data] Finish: 10:05:10.69AM. Source: bazumedia.com. Not sure why there is no data for Hayes Hill. I didn't notice any timing mats on the hill, and I stayed as close to the middle as I could when walking.

Final Timing Results

Pros: 1.) Maintained continuous forward momentum from Start to Finish. 2.) Had a plan; followed the plan; the plan was good. 3.) Did not need to use port-a-johns during the race. Fortitude is mine! 4.) Used the water stations as necessary, and did not over-hydrate. 5.) My Brooks Trance 10 running shoes held up beautifully and did not let me down in any way. I had no blisters and my socks did not bunch up.

Cons: 1.) Tortillas thrown into the crowds by participants and spectators. WTF?! This became a serious hazard once it started raining, which was like twenty (20) minutes into the race from Corral (G), about 0820 hrs. 2.) Walkers took up too much of the roadway, but I hear this is a regular complaint year to year. 3.) Did not use sunblock.

Next Year: Goal, finish in under (1) hr(30)min., if not faster. [NSFW, nude people in at least one (1) photo. You have been warned.]

[The longer narrative]
Race Day: I woke up about 0400 hrs. for a restroom break and could not get back to sleep. My mom and I had driven up to her sister's in San Francisco, where we stayed Saturday night. The inflatable mattress bed I slept on was pretty comfortable. The down comforter was great. But for some reason I just felt cold and couldn't back to sleep. My watch alarm did not go off, but my cell phone alarms did, starting at 0505 hrs. I got up and showered, deciding that a warm shower would help take away the morning chill.

Once I was showered and had my contacts in, I dressed in my race day kit, including my cycling safety vest, which I used as a bib carrier. Breakfast was a Clif Bar (Crunchy Peanut Butter, so good) and a cup of coffee, along with plenty of water. Once I was ready my mom and her sister walked me to the Muni (38) bus stop. I only had to wait a few minutes, then joined the other runners on the bus bus and headed downtown. We were dropped off at Market St. near Beale, and I walked the rest of the way to the Corral (G) starting area, Spear and Folsom. During the walk I noticed people throwing corn tortillas everywhere; I have no idea why. Clearly, hungry people could have been eating those instead of littering the streets.

Once inside the starting area, it was only a few minutes till we got the message to Go! I assumed the race started for us, about 0757 hrs., but it was just the call to advance to the starting line. D'oh! I stopped my Garmin. We got the official go a few minutes later, just a bit after 0800 hrs. I kept to my plan and walked for the first ten (10) minutes, then jogged for five (5) minutes after that, and alternated back and forth. By 0830 hrs. it actually started raining, but it lasted only about ten (10) minutes, or so. Now, with rain on the ground, and wet tortillas getting soggy, serious traction issues popped up immediately. *sigh* I slipped slightly on one occasion, but did not fall and kept on going, delighted I did not fall and break something. *whew*

As we progressed towards Hayes Street, and the hill, the walkers really spread out and occupied as much space as they could. Early on instructions were given for walkers to stay to the right, and runners to stay to the left. Walkers tended to take up closer to (98)% of the roadway in many cases. Oh, well, press onward!

Costumes were plentiful. I was in the minority that stuck to just running gear, and it worked fine for me. There were the requisite streakers, all men. I counted at least six (6), and I am certain there were more. There were runners dressed as traffic cones, superheroes (Captain America, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Incredibles, and many more), young folks dressed as senior citizens (complete with walkers), Underpants Gnomes (never heard of them before), bumble-bees, jellyfish (hats). I did finally see the salmon group, running against the flow. I hear the salmon costume group is a longstanding tradition, but I haven't read up on the details.

At some point, either before, or after, the Hayes Street hill the sweet, skunky fragrance of Mary Jane became continuous, then prolific, once we were in the Panhandle. As for the Hill, I managed to jog one (1) or two (2) blocks, then walked up the rest, right on schedule with my "workout" plan on the Garmin, and walked down the other side. I had no way to be sure the walk/jog phases would mesh properly when it came to the Hill, but I was glad it did.

The noise of the crowds, both runners and spectators alike, meant I couldn't hear the beeps on Garmin, telling me when to switch from Jog to Walk to Jog, so I had to check the watch pretty frequently. Because of the "slop" from not hearing the transition beeps, the mileage jogged is not totally accurate, but it is good enough for government work, as they say. I also had to turn up the volume on my iPod, but at least I got to hear my beloved trance and techno tunes pushing me further down the road.

I tried to take as many pictures as I could using just my cell phone. I wasn't sure I could maneuver my digital camera adequately, and was also worried about the forecast for rain, so I left it home. Next time, I will take it for sure. I kept my cell phone safe by zipping it into a plastic sandwich baggie. I haven't checked all the pictures yet, but most of them should come out OK, albeit a bit small (640 x 480). Maybe next year, or sooner, I can buy a pair of those spyglasses: sunglasses with a built in camera and card storage. I will have to read up on reviews of those. This way, I can take pictures without having to stow and retrieve my camera device.

[more later, maybe]


-Lancer!!