Bridge to Bridge 12k, San Francisco (Read 428 times)

I ran the Bridge to Bridge 12k in San Francisco this morning. SF is the land of the point-to-point race: there's the Bay to Breakers, the Stadium to Stadium, the Emerald Across the Bay, and, this one, the Bridge to Bridge, currently in its 32nd year. Last year, I did the 7k version of it. The Bridges in question are the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate -- of course. The course starts right in front of the SF Ferry Building, on the Embarcadero. Which, if you want to get technical about it, is actually a couple of blocks north of the Bay Bridge piers. But likely if you tried to assemble 4000 people under the deck of the Bay Bridge, you'd find that more than a few of them were scared witless to have all that concrete and steel (and, these, days, construction equipment) overhead. Best to move it a couple of blocks north. Plus, more room for port-a-potties at the foot of Mission. The race started right on time, and two minutes later, I made it over the start line There were 4000 runners *packed* into a single start. It was a good seven minutes before I finally had a little room to maneuver. Why, 200 yards from the starting line, was I still passing walkers -- three or four abreast, of course -- with jeans and backpacks? I had been just behind the 8:30 pace sign in the starting crush, so where had they been standing? The 6:00? The course goes straight up the Embarcadero. (history question, since the race is 32 years old: what was the route before the freeway was torn down? Anyone know?) Beautiful views of the Bay, Treasure Island, and Angel Island, or inland to Coit Tower. Despite the crowded start, or maybe because of it, I was 8:33 and 8:36 for miles 1 and 2. A little too fast for me for the distance. Luckily, there was soon a reason to slow down as we went over the Fort Mason hill. Very short hill, and I've done it a number of times before, but I did let it slow me down more than I should have. 9:10 for mile 3. Mile 4 is a long straightaway along Marina Green, with a headwind, although it wasn't that bad. Just before the 4 mile marker, the 7k and 12k split. The 12k route was then routed through . . . a parking lot. We went up and down the parking lot rows, with four sharp turns (1 90, 3 180s). What is it about turns that slow me down so much? 9:19 for mile 4. This is just getting slower and slower. Can I blame it on the headwind? Mile 5 was along the beachfront in Crissy Field. Definitely one of the most scenic sections. The Golden Gate is now in full view ahead, and it is sunny and clear, with great views across to the Marin Headlands. Every water-loving dog in the City appeared to be spending the morning cavorting in the surf. 9:06 for mile 5. That's getting back on track, but I'm feeling it. So, I walked the water stop right at the start of mile 6. Last stretch out to Fort Point, with surf crashing up over the seawall. Got a little wet. A u-turn in the Fort Point parking lot -- and that, indeed, is the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. The bare bones Garmin Training Center map actually shows me making the turn in the water. ;-) With the water stop, that mile was 10:04. Yikes - okay, gotta blame more than a Dixie-cups' worth of water for that. Yep, I was getting tired. Now that we're running back to the finish line in the Presidio, shouldn't I be feeling a tailwind now? I didn't, but I did 8:48 for mile 7, so maybe it was there. Right at the 7 mile marker, the course turned into the Presidio, for the last half mile -- uphill -- to the finish line. I averaged a 9:19 pace there, and finished with 1:07:19 overall (per the Garmin; gun time was almost two minutes slower), for an average pace of 8:55. The 12k and 7k finish lines were the same and we were on the same course from the 7 mile turn point for the next quarter mile. I was wondering what all these walkers were doing on the road - didn't they know they were on a race course? A quarter mile from the finish line, they separated us into different sides of the road, and then there were a couple of chutes at the finish line for each distance. This finish-line sorting was actually the only way they had of differentiating the 7k runners from the 12k runners. Registration was identical, and there were no chips. I wonder how many people got in the wrong chute? It was my first 12k race. I've got a HM coming up next month, and I'm really glad to have had this opportunity to race a mid-longer distance leading up to it. Good to get a feeling of what it means to aim for a race pace for that long. (what I learned: it means, slow down out of the gate). And I can't wait for my 10k in about two months, where I will hopefully finally be able to write down a sub-1:00 time. (damn 90 degree June race) They bill it as America's Most Beautiful Run - and while I haven't run all of America's other runs , I can say that this one is indeed quite scenic. The waterfront route is almost entirely flat, and October on the Bay is as close to a great weather guarantee as you're going to get anywhere. Plus, my two most important race criteria: they started on time and there were enough port-a-potties.

I missed that race! It was my favorite SF race but it's on the same day as the Cowtown half, which is my leader to the CIM, so it doesn't fit the schedule anymore. Maybe next year. Good report.

Wow--great job!