BAY TO BREAKERS

Connie and I traveled to San Francisco for the Bay To Breakers weekend. This time we took our daughters, Hannah and Sophie. We rented a hotel room on the Great Highway, very near the finish line. We arrived on Saturday at around 3 pm, so we had some extra time to kill. We hiked up the beach to the Cliffhouse. We went into the Camera Obscura, a reflective projection system dating back hundreds of years. They capture live images of the surrounding area up close and project them onto a large convex surface that people gather around. This particular one has been in use since 1945. I've visited it before, and it's very pleasing way to see the majesty of the surrounding area from a unique vantage point. We could see the beach, the crashing waves and the surfers in the water up close. A unique, vantage point, that gave one an awesome feeling.

After that, we hiked down to the ruins of the Sutro Baths. This used to be a massive building, right by the raging sea. It's ruins are enormous. I was surprised that you could walk all around, unencumbered by fences or rules. There is plenty to see here, and even a little adventure if you wanted it. We walked around for a while on some narrow remains of walls that were sticking out of the water. They didn't have anyone there blowing a whistle, telling you not to. That was nice, and unexpected.

After three hours of waling by the ocean, we turned in. I was awoken at midnight by the whistling of gale force winds, and rain hitting the windows. That worried me a bit. Weather like that could make running miserable.

Connie and I got up at 4:30 to prepare for the race. Happily, it had stopped raining. It was still a bit cold. We had to get across town. Our hotel was at the finish line, now we had to get to the start line. We were planning on looking for the shuttle, but as we were walking down the stairs of the hotel, there was a man in running clothes walking down right in front of us. I asked him how he was getting to the start line. He told me that he called a cab. I asked him if we could share a ride with him, and he said it would be fine. That was a nice break for us, as we got to the start in a hurry, plus we got to split the fare. Our half, with tip was just fifteen dollars.

We arrived near the start line. We sequestered in the coffee houses, for a while to avoid the cold. The race started at 7 am. Connie and I were in corral A, right by the start line. They gave us chips for our shoes, which later showed that we passed the start line 45 seconds after 7 am. The race is seven and a half miles, and includes a steep San Francisco hill; Hays Street. It was my hope to finish the race in under an hour, as I've done three times in previous years. I started pretty strong, but I realized that I was getting tired fast. I couldn't keep up that fast pace of a seven minute mile. I settled into a good rhythm, but I knew I didn't have the speed to quite pull off my goal. I finished in 1 hour and 46 seconds. I guess I did okay, considering I only run 3 times a week these days, and weigh 10 more pounds than I did when I got those better times. Also, I'm over 50 now. I'll try again next year!

Here's my stats:
1 hour 46 seconds
1,884 overall of 43,398
660th Male Masters of 10,244

Connie had an enjoyable run and finished at 1:12:28

Because of the placement of our hotel room, we both got to take a shower and change before heading off to "Footstock" the after-race gathering place. This is the first year that we've been able to have that luxury. Normally we just head off in our running garb. That can get uncomfortable, because you will be in shorts, and you will be covered in sweat. If the weather gets cold, and in San Francisco it usually does, you'll get cold very quickly. Footstock took place at the speedway meadows, about a mile or two away. After running Bay to Breakers, this seemed like a long way to travel! There was a lot of free packaged food samples and drinks being given out along the way, and this was a boon for us, as we were quite hungry and thirsty.

We brought the camera, but the battery doesn't hold a charge very well, so we only got a few shots.


Hannah at the Sutro Baths




Connie and Sophie at Cave to the Ocean at Sutro Baths.


Costume contest at "Footstock" after the race.


Hannah at "Footstock" main stage.


Me, Hannah, Sophie, enjoying the live bands.


Connie dives for the dough at the KGO money pit!

BAY TO BREAKERS

This Sunday, Connie and I will be running in the 100th annual Bay To Breakers. If you are running it this year, make sure to say hi. I'll be wearing my Pure-Hero Spider-man crew shirt, so I won't be hard to spot.

We ran our first BTB 10 years ago and it took us an hour and a seventeen minutes to meander to the finish line. We ran most of the way together, giving each other moral support. We told jokes, and had a jolly time the whole way. At the home stretch, I still had some energy left, so I sprinted to the finish, finishing about 12 seconds ahead of Connie. We finished in place #5162 and #5234 respectively. We felt like Olympians, and were thrilled to find our names the next day in the Examiner Bay to Breakers souvenir edition.

It was only the third time I had run any kind of distance, so I didn't even know if I was capable of finishing the whole thing. I was pleasantly surprised to find out I could. I think I had some reasonable training under my belt from running on the treadmill, walking the stair-master, and riding the stationary bike at the gym. Over the years, training has ebbed and flowed, but we've always gotten back to trail running when health permitted.

Connie and I usually run BTB together every year. We do it to celebrate her birthday, and our wedding anniversary. Non-runners think it's nutty how some people celebrate special occasions by doing something so challenging and exhausting. Connie's running group celebrates Thanksgiving day by running up a mountain early in the morning. You'll find many female runners in particular spend a fortune on matching running outfits and shoes. They have closets full of them. Nike and the others are well aware of this phenomenon, as it adds considerably to their great fortune.

In 2004, our training intensified. We were running every day. Connie was getting up early and running in the Los Gatos hills with her runner's club. I was running solo a little later. I avoid rising early unless it's absolutely necessary. I've never been in a running club, but I ran with Connie's group on weekends sometimes.

In 2004 I posted my best finishing time of 57:41. Nothing spectacular, but a personal best, placing me at finisher #582 out of fifty thousand people, some of whom were actually running. Connie finished at 1:04:45, placing her at 1,485 overall.

In 2005 I dropped down slightly to 58:39 (#762), and Connie Had her personal best of 1:01:19 (#1023). That year San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom ran the race and finished at around an hour. Gorgeous Gavin no doubt quickened his pace to escape the throngs of love-starved women, and angry husbands perusing him. Another year that we were there, during one of her fitness kicks, Oprah Winfrey ran the race. She probably hired two runners to push her from behind, and two more at her sides to pick up, and throw down her legs.

In 2006 I must have been coming off a sprained ankle, because my time dropped down to 1:02:07 (#862), Connie hung in there, doing her 2nd best time of 1:03:26 (#1010) I think I ran with her most of the way, but sprinted a bit at the end. I'm a real competitive stinker!


Hannah, Me, Sophie, Connie, Humphrey, and just a bit of Molly's tail.
From the cover of the Palo Alto Weekly, 2007.

We ran in a bunch of races including Bridge to Bridge, and The Palo Alto Moonlight Run. The Palo Alto Weekly, which sponsors the Moonlight Run, did a story about our family's running habit, complete with a picture of Connie, Me the Girls and the Dogs on the cover running around Hellyer Park Lake.

In 2007 I sat our the race do to a back injury. Connie was out of the game too.

In 2008 I returned, and finished under an hour; 59:28 (#1027) Connie took it easy and finished 1:10:51

We skipped 2009 and 2010. We always have run it together, so if one of us can't make it, the other one bows out too.

This year we are going to do it again. Neither of us is training as much as in years past, so we can't expect to get our best times. We only run three days a week. When we were really in great running shape, we ran six days a week. We also did more long distance runs (twenty miles or more) and more speed training. I also weigh more. When I was training a lot, my weight was down to 170 pounds. I weigh 190 at the moment. They say that each pound difference adds or subtracts a second per mile on a race, all things being equal. For me, that's 20 seconds added per mile for 8 miles. 160 seconds or nearly 3 minutes. That's if my training were the same, which it is not.

For the first time, Connie and I will be running in the master's category, which is the over 50 category. That makes it easier to finish higher, since you are no longer competing with the young bucks.

My goal for this year is to finish under an hour. I'm a little apprehensive as I'm aware that given my age, weight, and level of training, that goal will almost be impossible to achieve. Three miles into the race, you face the Hays street hill. Those San Francisco hills don't kid around. I might kill myself, trying. Or I might make the goal. You really never know what your capable of until you try. Connie, ever the sensible one, is planning on taking it easy. She figures that she'll finish in around an hour and 15 minutes. After that, we have booked a hotel right near the finish line. We'll pop in for a quick shower, gather the children, and then have a nice leisurely breakfast at the Beach Chalet that overlooks the finish line. There we can recount battle tales and observe all the wacky runners in their zany costumes, and all the naked runners who drop their shorts to expose their shortcomings.

Stay tuned for a report next week to see if we survived.


In case you want proof, here it is.
Connie and I at the finish of the BTBs.