Some of you may be asking why a 10K warrants a two part race recap. Admittedly, I would typically scoff at such a post, and probably accuse the author of throwing up an early week filler post after losing their battle with writers block. I’m pleased to inform you that writer’s block did not make me tap into submission, and the two part race recap is here to stay. Taylor and I would like to share our individual race experiences when we both participate, so now that you’ve read the terms and conditions, here’s my take on Bridge to Bridge.
What I looked like on the morning of Bridge to Bridge
As Taylor mentioned in her recap yesterday, my day started with a violent wakeup, somewhat reminiscent of the popular 90s game “Don’t Wake Daddy!”. I shot out of bed and immediately reached for my new vice, Trader Joe’s iced coffee concentrate, and felt surprisingly good, albeit a little woozy before the race. After three consecutive weeks of travel, my goal was to run no faster than 45 minutes, especially because my body is in dire need of a deep tissue massage.
Much to our surprise, the start corrals were packed – the final tally was almost 2500 runners. Seeding was broken down by minute increments starting with five minute miles, and the rear corral was reserved for walkers and strollers. After straightening my Ironman visor and lining up in the seven minute pace corral, I turned on my embarrassing high tempo playlist and was off.
We couldn’t have had a more beautiful day – the race went off without a hitch, and my only gripe was the high volume of runners who seeded themselves toward the front – some of which may have done so unknowingly. The route was very familiar, and retracing the first stretch of the SF Marathon brought back great memories of embarrassing high tempo playlists past. What felt like a hard expenditure only months ago at the Giant Race felt substantially easier, which I credit to reduced treat intake and additional strength training. I was very pleased with my effort under the circumstances. My tempo work is starting to pay off, I ran all of my miles between 7:10 and 7:23, and managed to finish in the top 5% overall. If it wasn’t for an untied shoe at mile one and my self imposed 45 minute minimum finish time, I’m confident that I would have flirted with a 10K PR, and I’m very optimistic heading into the Healdsburg Half Marathon on 10/20.
Making an appearance at Hardly Strictly.
After a slog home from the finish line on Chrissy Field, we spent some time relaxing and watching my (our) other new vice, Scandal, ahead of our brief trip to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and dinner in the Inner Richmond at Mandalay – a great alternative to Burma Superstar when it’s packed. There were a couple of lessons that came out of the race: 10Ks are my perfect tuneup for a half marathon, sometimes it’s good to set a reverse finish goal (over a certain time instead of under), and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass cannot be half assed. Now that we’ve collected the inaugural SF Originals medal, I can safely say that Hardly Strictly Bluegrass won’t be slighted by a race next year. It’s an SF original in its own right, and it’s important to make the most of the city we live in.
Taylor making an appearance at HSB.
