Bay to Breakers Race Report

I had never run Bay to Breakers, but the lore around it is so vast that as I headed out of the house Sunday morning with Andy and our housemate Keith, I felt like I'd run it a hundred times. Or 95, to be exact - this is it's 96th year. Unfortunately, we hadn't done our homework very well, and traipsed down into the light rail tunnel thinking we'd get to the action in no time. Instead, we were told that unless we wanted to pay $7 for a special round trip ticket, we would not be allowed on the train. We'd left the house armed only with our camera, a phone, and the $1.50 each it usually costs, so that wasn't an option. We were told that dedicated shuttles were running above ground to take us to the start, but none were in sight. So we took what public transit we could find to where the roads were blocked off, then jogged the 1.5 miles that were left.

Waiting to get up to the starting line. I didn't catch any of the flying tortillas.

Flustered and irritated, but very warmed up, we arrived near the start area just as the run was getting started. We didn't have a chance to make our way toward the front, so we settled in among the throngs to shuffle our way to the starting line. Then we were off - at a very slow jog. Around us, people were still throwing tortillas, a long tradition of unknown origin, and stripping off clothing, and affixing costumes. Luckily, the there was plenty to see, so we jogged and gawked, and waited to pull ahead of some of the 60,000 plus other run/walk/revelers around us. It never really happened. Apparently, most of San Francisco is capable of jogging 7.46 miles because we remained in a thick group most of the race.

Getting started (drinking). These folks were doing keg stands on this float

Truthfully, the slow speed suited me fine, since I haven't been running as consistently as I should be. And it gave me a chance to look around, listen to the bands, and take pictures. About 2 miles into the run, we reached the infamous Hayes Street hill, a steep climb of about 4 blocks. Crowds had gathered to yell encouragements. One group was playing Chariots of Fire, another Wagner, as we labored to the summit.

Me at the top of the Hayes Street Hill. Unlike those around me, who are looking fresh, I actually ran up.

After that, the course cleared a bit, and we settled in to run the final 4 miles that sloped through Golden Gate Park down to the beach. A mile from the end, Keith sped off through the crowd, elbowing his way to the finish about 5 minutes ahead of us.

Our time of 1:26:17 was nearly 13 minutes slower than my last 12K time, but amazingly it was still good enough to get us into the top 10,000 finishers, though not by much! Since we hadn't planned to run for time anyway, we weren't surprised by our pace. Instead, we talked about making it a goal to qualify for a sub-seeded position next year, which for me would mean a 55 minute time in a qualifying 12K. It's an ambitious goal for me, a 7:22 minute mile, but one I plan to keep my eye on over the next 12 months.

The finish line on Ocean Beach. It was a beautiful day in the city, but the beach was cold and windy as usual.

Last year, the race organizers started giving the elite women a 4 minute and 40 second head start, the difference between the course records for men and women, in hopes of some extra drama at the finish line. I'm happy to say that there was none - Edna Kiplagat of Kenya was in the lead most of the race and finished in 38:55, well before her male counterpart, John Korir, also of Kenya (whose final time was 34:44). Korir didn't seem unhappy about the loss though. Here's his quote in the SF Chronicle "At seven miles I saw them (Kiplagat and Chebet),'' Korir said. "I tried to kick but Edna was too strong. It was good. I liked chasing them.''

In the VIP tent afterwards, all of the elite Kenyan runners, men and women, were sitting together laughing and talking. Keith, who does freelance writing in addition to green real estate, noticed that one guy was wearing a "All Kenya Running Club" T-shirt and he immediately fixated upon it. He wanted one of those shirts more than we've seen him want anything (he's an avid runner of many years). We teased him that he would have to earn it by training with the club for a week - a story idea that he pitched to the club organizer. We shall see.

We also observed our San Francisco mayor, Gavin Newsom chatting it up with event Grand Marshal Victoria Recaño, who looked absurd in platform stiletto heels. Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures. Last year, Gavin completed the race in under an hour.

We started home around 11:30 a.m., but transportation was still a nightmare and we ended up walking another 4 miles back to our neighborhood. In all, 13 miles logged, 9 running, and a pretty good way to launch what will be an intense 2 months of training. I'll post my new running schedule as soon as I get it formatted, and pics as soon as I upload them!

Good Run

Ahh! We went for a real run for the first time in forever this morning. It wasn't long, just 50 minutes, but I pushed hard up a couple of sizable hills and we kept the pace around 9:50 most of the run, which is pretty good considering how out of shape I am. We also got out early enough that the wind hadn't picked up yet, and it felt great just to bake in the sun for most of an hour. As far as marathon training, this was a very bad time for a slump, but I'm optimistic that I'll be able to get to a place where I can run the full distance comfortably on July 29th. That means a lot of dedication over the next two months, but now that the semester is over and I've kicked the nasty cold I've had for the past 2 and a half weeks, I finally feel up to it.

As I try to analyze what lead to the total burnout I began to experience about a month ago, I realize that it had less to do with running than with the emotional exhaustion of juggling too many things for too long. I work 30 hours per week, am a full time graduate student, and was trying to still make time for structured writing, reading, family, a social life, cultural events, and running 4 times per week. I've been maintaining this kind of schedule for 4 years now, often against the will of my body and mind, and eventually this semester I stopped being able to will myself through it all.

Running was acting as a powerful counterweight, but the balance was tipped too far in the other direction: when crisis hit, the vast amount of energy it took just make my way through daily commitments, sapped whatever might have been left for running. As a result, I'm taking a hard look at how to bring my life toward balance. As a start, that will mean cutting back to one class in the fall, and working to keep the summer low key.

At the same time, I was running longer distances, and the inevitable wear and tear on the body was taking its toll. Andy and I have been talking about biking to work for a while now, and I think it might be time to start doing that, both as a way to get a lower impact cardio workout and strengthen my knees, and as a way to get some active personal time before and after work. I've never had a bike in the city, and am a bit nervous about riding in chaotic downtown traffic, but he assures me I'll adjust and I prefer that to the idea of spending time in the gym.

Tomorrow, we'll be running Bay to Breakers, a 12K that stretches from the San Francisco Embarcadero to Ocean Beach. Tens of thousands of runners, walkers, and revelers come out for the event, which is quintessential San Francisco with lots of athletes, fetish gear, nudity, joints, costumes, families, food, and musicians in near perfect harmony. We'll be in the mix with the camera, so expect some fun pictures.

Happy running this weekend.

New Schedule

First of all, an update on the 12K: I came in 125th in my age group (out of about 270) with an official time of 1:14:12. Sadly there doesn't seem to be a picture of me, though I distinctly recall waving directly at the photographer and pausing as he snapped a shot. Next time maybe I can convince Andy to pull out the digital camera at the finish line and wait for me . . .

At the bottom of the page, I've included a new training guide, which I plan to follow roughly for the next 5 weeks. I haven't yet decided what my half marathon pace goal should be, but I've been having fun playing around with the McMillan Running Calculator. Based on that, it seems like it should be somewhere around a 10:30/minute mile. We also confirmed that we'll be staying with good friends in Santa Cruz, and may convince them to run the 10K that day.

I've been obsessed with things other than running for the past week. Too soon yet to spread the word.

12K Race Report

With the recent time change, it was still dark when the alarm clock went off at 6:15 am this morning. We dozed until nearly 6:45, then rushed down to the race site, where shuttles waited to take us over the Golden Gate Bridge to the starting line in Sausalito. The process was very slow, and we didn't get to the starting point until about 10 minutes before start time.

We were unsure of the course and were expecting the first half to be difficult and hilly, but after about a mile of hill climbing, the course leveled off over the bridge, then sloped gradually to dramatically down to the waterfront. The last 3.45 miles were straight and flat. We started slowly, a combination of the hill and heavy crowds keeping us near an 11:30 pace for the first mile. Once we reached the bridge, we set about making up some time, picking our way through chunks of runners until we reached the other side. By mile 3, we were at a steady 9:30 pace, and were averaging a 10 minute mile.

Andy took off around mile 4. I kept looking ahead until I could no longer see him, then settled in to hold my pace. I reached the 5 mile marker in around 48 minutes and knew I had a good chance of beating my time goal. 6 miles, still going, but already starting to wait for the 7 mile marker. This was the first race where I had enough experience to count down in tangible terms: 5k to go, 2 miles to go, 1 mile, half a mile.

At the 7 mile mark, they threw in a moderately steep hill and I had the satisfaction of seeing runners fall away as I plodded up. Over the hill, there was a down hill, and Andy waiting to run with me to the finish line (he'd come in 5 minutes ahead). I sped down and through the chute, officially coming in right around 1:14 - a full minute faster than my goal. In reality, we reached the starting line about 40 seconds after the clock started, so my time was even a little better. But had I known the women's 70 and over winner would complete the run in 1:10, I would have set that as my goal! :)

One skill I have not yet mastered is drinking on the run. Andy grabs the cup, throws it at his face, and whatever water reaches his mouth is what he drinks. I would like to feel like some water is actually reaching my stomach, but can't seem to manage this without coming to a complete stop, getting in peoples way, gulping a few gulps, then starting to run again. Any suggestions?

The half marathon is 5 weeks away - just far enough to get in a few long runs and maybe throw in a little speed work of some kind.

This week in running . . .

My 9 miles last Sunday were so much easier than the week before. I took the same route and ran all the hills without much trouble. Then an easy 2 miles Tuesday, and a fast 5 miles today.

I'm a bit nervous about the 12k on Sunday. I reduced my mid-week miles in preparation, and as a result I feel like I've hardly run this week. It's also a distance I'm less comfortable with, and thought I'm not entirely sure of the course, I think there will be a few good hills. Regardless, I've set my sights on a 1:15 time, which is a bit faster than I ran the recent 10k.

The weather just keeps getting clearer and warmer here, and with the extra hour of light in the evenings, it's really beginning to feel like summer.

Next Up?

Another recovery run today, and it feels good to be out running an extra day per week. I can definitely do four days a week. Five might start testing my commitment, but who knows. So far my commitment has been like that of an addict to a new drug - almost limitless. In fact, such a comparison isn't far off - after all, endorphins are more properly called endomorphines.

This Sunday, another 9 miler, then a lighter running week before the 12k. After that? Very likely, the Santa Cruz Half Marathon on April 22. Talk about milestones. The idea seems sudden to me, but here's what I'm thinking: lighter mileage leading up to the 12k and light mileage that week, so plenty of rest before upping mileage again. Then two 10 mile long run weeks, followed by two 12 mile long run weeks, tapering the rest of my week's mileage during the last week. Then the half marathon. We don't plan to run it for time, just as a 13 mile training run, but I'm not entirely confident about this one so advice is welcome!

The Long Haul

Fridays have become my favorite running days. I love going out mid afternoon, rested, calm, feeling almost lazy, feeling myself adjust to a higher level of exertion, then really pushing my speed for as long as I can. Yesterday, we ran a little over 7 miles, with 4 miles around a 9:30 pace and another mile around a 10:00 pace. I actually beat my 10k race time by almost a minute. The weather was perfect - warm and still. The best part is that I didn't feel at all exhausted, as I have after other hard runs, and I'm not nearly as sore today either. It's good to begin adjusting to the longer runs, both mentally and physically, and to look forward to a routine of 10+ mile runs. I'll be up around 20 mile weeks now, a good base from which to start real marathon training, and perhaps changing my running schedule as I adopt a new training plan. Tomorrow, my first 9 mile run and then, if I decide to follow the plan, a mini-taper before the 12k two weeks from now.

Also, my running books came today. I am settling down to browse through them both.

Chinese New Year 10k

Despite the night of heavy rains, 6:30am this morning dawned misty and overcast. Our downstairs neighbors had picked the night to pull an all night hang out session, and as a result what sleep we got was punctuated with trance music. They were still at it when we got up - the pitches and rumblings of their voices pressing toward us as we stumbled into our running clothes and shuffled money and sweat shirts into a backpack. Then our friends were outside in the car and we were off to Chinatown.

As soon as the race started, it was clear that Andy wasn't going to wait around for anyone. He had an ambitious goal of finishing in 53 minutes, and a slow start would kill his plans. He wished us good luck and headed out. Juanjo took off after him and Willow and I settled in at good slow pace, around an 11 minute mile. We chatted easily for the first two miles, then began upping our speed and at the end of the third mile, we were tired. I was just under my 5k time from a few weeks ago, and we still had 3+ miles to go. We watched the 5kers peel off toward the finish line, then looked in horror as volunteers pointed us up what looked like one of the steepest hills in San Francisco. I thought for a few seconds, then walked it. Willow followed my lead. It probably saved our time. At the top, we launched back in - up a smaller hill then down steeply for several minutes. "Lean forward as much as you can," I told Willow, "and rest." We passed mile 4. I'm not sure how fast we were going at that point - fast enough for it to be work, but not so fast that it was killing us. We passed mile 5, still feeling OK, and this time stopped for water. I drank a full dixie cup and immediately felt my stomach lurch, threw my second cup, still full, into the trash barrel and continued on.

As we headed into the smaller part of the enormous hill before the final sprint to the finish, Andy came jogging back toward us. We had just hit the hour mark and he knew I was going to come in near my goal time. He ran with us back up the hill and then Juanjo came up behind us and pulled us both along toward the finish line. Just as I was about to cross, Willow put on speed and passed me - grrr! Then we were walking out and handing our tags to a volunteer and climbing up to the square to get our green tea and sliced oranges. I couldn't see the clock as I crossed the line, but it was somewhere right around 1:03:30, which was exactly the goal I'd set. Since I wasn't really aware of how fast I was going for much of the run, I think I just did a good job of guessing what I would be able to do. The Nike + registered my pace as somewhere between a 5 and a 6 minute mile the whole way, not sure why, oh well . . . Andy came in very close to his goal at just over 54 minutes, and Juanjo came in with us looking very rested.

Now, if I can just do that for 26 miles, I'll have my 4:30 marathon. Eeek!

Here we are after the race. I'm in the Nike hat, Andy's in the black knit hat. Willow and Juanjo are on either side of him.

Easy 5

It's been relatively cold this week. Thursday it hailed, then cleared up at night and was frigid and star filled when we ventured out for and easy 5 miles. It took about 2 slow miles to warm up and the shin didn't like it much, but after that I pushed the tempo up into the low 9s and kept it there for 2 miles, even on the inclines. Andy had been running backwards for a good while, so he struggled just a little, but for me it felt great, and so easy. For the first time, I could imagine keeping up that pace for a good long time. Not a 26 mile long time, but luckily I have another few months before need to start imagining that.

Some non-runner friends are running the 10k with us tomorrow, so we're going to try to stick together for a nice slow first loop (3 miles) and then hit the gas at our own paces for the second 3 (thanks Phil, for the game plan). We hope to beat them by a satisfying margin since we can't manage to pummel (or scrape by) them at Scrabble, even though, as writers, we gloat about our superior verbal skills, and even though one of them is from Spain and not a native speaker. In Spanish they would doubly kill us, getting 50 point scores while we floundered around making words like gato and hola.

Regardless of the outcome, it should be a fun morning. The run goes through Chinatown and North Beach, up along the waterfront to the Ferry Building, and back around. And if we don't beat our friends in the race, we'll still have one more chance - to win the betting pool at their Oscar party afterwards.

Update on the 5k

The official times are now posted here. I came in 143rd out of 1077 (probably about 700 runners) in my age group (19-39) and 465th overall. Andy came in 144th in his age group, and 446th overall. I'm hoping there's a picture of me too - I'll post it soon if there is one.

I successfully ran again this morning, with speed-demon Andy pushing the pace up to 10:30. Not much of a "recovery run," but felt great nonetheless. Since I still haven't managed a 7 mile run, I'm skipping the recovery week this week and planning to run a normal 5 mile tempo run Thursday, followed by a 7 mile long run Sunday. In fact, since the last couple of weeks have basically been "recovery weeks," I'll probably run straight through, maybe decreasing my overall weekly mileage after the 8 mile runs on the schedule.

Kaiser 5K Run

We did it! The run took place in Golden Gate Park, so we left the house around 7:10 am (we saw our neighbor coming home from a night out) and walked to the panhandle. From there, we took an easy jog down to the starting line. By the time we arrived, many thousands of runners and walkers had already lined up, but we ducked under the tape and lined up somewhat near the front. The area was crowded with walkers as well as runners (we could tell because they were wearing parkas, and some had strollers and other gear).

After about 20 minutes, they rang the bell and we started off. It took maybe twenty more seconds to get to the starting line, and another couple of minutes to wind through the walkers. We settled into a very fast pace - WAY faster than I should have been running (well, my first race). I started falling back, but Andy kept it up and soon disappeared from sight. I imagined him cheering me in after already finishing his super fast-person time.

Around the second mile, my sides began to cramp up and my pace slowed considerably. I focused on my breathing and slowed to an almost-walk. I was definitely struggling. Just then, I saw Andy running toward me. I thought he'd finished already, but he'd come back to check on me. I picked up my pace and we came in together in about 30 minutes. My finish time was 30:51, Andy's was 30:38. He probably could have come in 5 minutes earlier without me, but he joked that the race was all about me anyway. Looking back, I should have set a time goal (I think I could have come in under 30 minutes pretty easily) and stuck to a slow pace at the start, but I'm still happy with my pace (a 9:55 mile) and overall had a great time.

After gathering up our goodies, we walked back to the finish line and cheered for the elite runners as they came in from the half-marathon. The men's winner finished in just over 1:05. The woman's winner in something like 1:15.

Around 10 am, we walked down the Great Highway to the train and headed back, but I'd already caught the bug and I think Andy felt it too. We're already talking about signing up for the Chinese New Year 10k on the 25th.

Well ok,

so I set my alarm for 6:30am but there were no outside noises to help me get up this morning. I turned it off and didn't wake up again until 7:30am - my usual time. So instead, I have a new running route tonight: from the office, up a steep 2 mile climb to the panhandle, down to the De Young, and finally home. Which should total the six miles I don't strictly have time to run after work, since we have a reading out at SF State to attend at 7pm. I brought my running clothes to the office and am hoping, with the hill, to make it home in about an hour and ten minutes. That should give me just enough time to shower and head out to campus. Bay to Breakers registration opened Tuesday, so I'm thinking of the run as early practice - it's the same climb. I also noticed that Bay to Breakers is using timing chips for the first time this year. So my record breaking pace will be accurately charted.

This is the first time my Thursday tempo run has climbed to a distance of over 5 miles, but since I'll be running the 5k on Sunday, and don't know if I'll get in another 4 miles afterwards, I'd like to get in the full 6 miles today.

Running for a Cause - My First Race!

Suddenly my first race is just two and a half weeks away. I've been shooting for the 12k in March, but today, on the spur of the moment, I signed up for the Kaiser Permanente 5k on February 4th as well. Well, Andy signed me up. After a bit of haggling ("why pay $25 to run 3 miles right where we always run 3 miles" - a fair point, but I liked the idea of a real race) we agreed: he signed me up, and paid, to celebrate running, and my running, and to do something anti-athletic-consumerism before settling down to watch the Super Bowl that afternoon. In return, I offered to pay for his introductory yoga pass (30 days for $30) when we finally try to get back into doing yoga again (we've made a date for 10am Saturday, January 27th).

More importantly, the race is in support of three Bay Area charities. I am running in support of Family House, a home away from home for families whose critically ill children are being treated at UCSF Children's Hospital. I already feel blessed to have made running a part of my life, so it makes sense to combine it with something else that's always been important to me - making a meaningful contribution to my community and the world. I'd like to raise a total of $500 for Family House, so please, if you can afford to help, follow the link at right and donate today. It will mean a great deal.