I finally decided to register for the Tracy Half Marathon this morning, and lo' and behold, the race date has changed from January 29, 2012, to May 20, 2012. WTF?! This year's Bay to Breakers in San Francisco is already scheduled for the same date, May 20, and I am already signed up and committed to that event.
Now searching for a new half marathon to run at the end of January...
-Lancer!!
Showing posts with label Bay to Breakers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bay to Breakers. Show all posts
Thursday, January 05, 2012
Sunday, May 15, 2011
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.
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!!
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
 | |
| 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!!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Anxiety
Good morning! I am currently experiencing some pre-race anxiety. As previously mentioned, the Bay to Breakers total distance is 12K, about (7.46) miles. I plan to alternate walking and jogging. I even have a "workout" loaded on my Garmin GPS watch so it will ping me at the different intervals, i.e. when to walk, when to run. The workout only had room for 20 lines, so hopefully that will carry me all the way through to the finish line. If not, the last line of the workout is "Cooldown," which goes until I hit the Lap or Stop buttons.
I bought a light running jacket a couple weeks back at Sports Authority. It's polyester, and only a size "Large," but i am shrinking to fit it. I have running socks, double-layer, synthetic, i.e. the Wright Sock that I have mentioned in the past. I have covered the distance of the B2B in the park at least once on foot, and most of it was walking, but I had no blisters from that, so I should be fine. The path I use in the park when cycling is (8.86) miles, which is less than the B2B.
I am expecting rain during the Bay to Breakers tomorrow, based solely on Weather.com, and temperatures during the the day are expected to be between (48) and (55) deg.F. [Maybe I should have checked an almanac before I signed up for this.] I believe there may have been some light drizzle from time to time during the 1984 Bay to Breakers, and I do recall there was fog in the Panhandle once I got there. At the time it was a great relief, because it had warmed up since the start of the race, and I was mighty hot from all the running and walking. I have no running rain gear, so i am hoping just adding a layer (the running jacket) and wearing a ball-cap will help some. I also have my Under Armor ninja hood, and a neck gaiter to keep the breeze off my neck. [I always get a cold, or something, if my neck is exposed when it's cold out; or when I am sweating and get too much evaporative cooling.]
And, I don't have a waterproof container for my iPod. The running jacket has a small zip pocket, though, which appears to fit my iPod nano hard-case. I have a fanny-pack I may be able to use to carry my cell-phone and sport gels, but I haven't run with it yet, so I'm not sure if i should use it, or not. I would need to snug it up a bit to minimize bouncing, and probably move it around so it bounces on my fanny and not my bits; that would be mighty uncomfortable.
Bib Number: (51572)
Corral: G (brown)
-Lancer!!
I bought a light running jacket a couple weeks back at Sports Authority. It's polyester, and only a size "Large," but i am shrinking to fit it. I have running socks, double-layer, synthetic, i.e. the Wright Sock that I have mentioned in the past. I have covered the distance of the B2B in the park at least once on foot, and most of it was walking, but I had no blisters from that, so I should be fine. The path I use in the park when cycling is (8.86) miles, which is less than the B2B.
I am expecting rain during the Bay to Breakers tomorrow, based solely on Weather.com, and temperatures during the the day are expected to be between (48) and (55) deg.F. [Maybe I should have checked an almanac before I signed up for this.] I believe there may have been some light drizzle from time to time during the 1984 Bay to Breakers, and I do recall there was fog in the Panhandle once I got there. At the time it was a great relief, because it had warmed up since the start of the race, and I was mighty hot from all the running and walking. I have no running rain gear, so i am hoping just adding a layer (the running jacket) and wearing a ball-cap will help some. I also have my Under Armor ninja hood, and a neck gaiter to keep the breeze off my neck. [I always get a cold, or something, if my neck is exposed when it's cold out; or when I am sweating and get too much evaporative cooling.]
And, I don't have a waterproof container for my iPod. The running jacket has a small zip pocket, though, which appears to fit my iPod nano hard-case. I have a fanny-pack I may be able to use to carry my cell-phone and sport gels, but I haven't run with it yet, so I'm not sure if i should use it, or not. I would need to snug it up a bit to minimize bouncing, and probably move it around so it bounces on my fanny and not my bits; that would be mighty uncomfortable.
Bib Number: (51572)
Corral: G (brown)
-Lancer!!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
The Bay to Breakers
This May 15th, 2011, will be the 100th anniversary (that's right, the Centennial) of the San Francisco Bay to Breakers. The first, and only, time I ran the San Francisco Examiner Bay to Breakers was in 1984. That was twenty-seven (27) years ago! I cannot freaking believe it has actually been that long. Wow.
This was the design on the 1984 t-shirt. Everyone in my family agreed the design was quite ugly. I proudly wore my t-shirt when I had to run in P.E. in Junior High, which was every flipping day during the school week; one (1) mile daily. The shoulders quickly turned brown and the whole shirt faded considerably after just a couple of weeks of this. I was very disappointed.
At the time, I was also studying Tae Kwon Do at the local YMCA [now defunct in Modesto] with my friends. We were all geeks and nerds, and played Role-Playing Games (RPGs) on weekends. [Yes, even Dungeons & Dragons, among many others.] That is, when we were not participating in Boy Scout hikes and camp-outs. One of the new members of our group ran with his parents quite often. His father was an avid jogger and participated in many running events around the area. This friend and I had made flags so we could try and find each other on race day. With the crowd as large as it was, that was entirely improbable. Indeed, I never saw him that day, though I think he mentioned seeing me, but was not able to get my attention. I did see my Scoutmaster, though.
One of the really nice parts of the race was entering Golden Gate Park and feeling the wonderfully cool fog wash over us; that really helped. With all the climate change over the years, I wonder if it will be like that this year. Anyway, now I feel I have a goal to shoot for I want to register for, and run in, this year's Bay to Breakers. I downloaded a Beginner's 10K training plan from NewBalance.com, here. This should give me a base to work from. I have the shoes, although maybe I should get some road-running shoes instead of trail runners, since the last time I ran this it was all pavement: asphalt and concrete. I should also get a physical and let the Doc know what I'm planning since I have not done this sort of thing in almost thirty (30) years.
Looking forward to picking up my bike later today.
-Lancer!!
Update: Wait. If the race started in 1912, how exactly will this be (100) years old? I count only (99) years.
This was the design on the 1984 t-shirt. Everyone in my family agreed the design was quite ugly. I proudly wore my t-shirt when I had to run in P.E. in Junior High, which was every flipping day during the school week; one (1) mile daily. The shoulders quickly turned brown and the whole shirt faded considerably after just a couple of weeks of this. I was very disappointed.
At the time, I was also studying Tae Kwon Do at the local YMCA [now defunct in Modesto] with my friends. We were all geeks and nerds, and played Role-Playing Games (RPGs) on weekends. [Yes, even Dungeons & Dragons, among many others.] That is, when we were not participating in Boy Scout hikes and camp-outs. One of the new members of our group ran with his parents quite often. His father was an avid jogger and participated in many running events around the area. This friend and I had made flags so we could try and find each other on race day. With the crowd as large as it was, that was entirely improbable. Indeed, I never saw him that day, though I think he mentioned seeing me, but was not able to get my attention. I did see my Scoutmaster, though.
One of the really nice parts of the race was entering Golden Gate Park and feeling the wonderfully cool fog wash over us; that really helped. With all the climate change over the years, I wonder if it will be like that this year. Anyway, now I feel I have a goal to shoot for I want to register for, and run in, this year's Bay to Breakers. I downloaded a Beginner's 10K training plan from NewBalance.com, here. This should give me a base to work from. I have the shoes, although maybe I should get some road-running shoes instead of trail runners, since the last time I ran this it was all pavement: asphalt and concrete. I should also get a physical and let the Doc know what I'm planning since I have not done this sort of thing in almost thirty (30) years.
Looking forward to picking up my bike later today.
-Lancer!!
Update: Wait. If the race started in 1912, how exactly will this be (100) years old? I count only (99) years.
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