Across the Bay 10K

 There's just something about the Bay Bridge....

 

 

The double-span monstrosity is one of the world's longest over-water structures. It's ranked by Travel and Leisure magazine as one of the world's 'scariest' bridges. Rising nearly 200 feet above the water, the suspension, cantilever truss bridge has narrow lanes, low guardrails, and no shoulders. Mix in some wind and you've got a hair-raising ride!  It's so scary, in fact, that "drive over" services actually make money driving the fearful across the bridge!

 

So, of course, when the Across the Bay 10K popped up on my Facebook feed, I couldn't sign up fast enough. Having already swum across the bay beneath the twin spans, I was curious what it would feel like to run across it and look down on the water below.  

Team Rabbit is always up  for an adventure and, along with Jennifer, Janet, and a nice contingent of Team Zers,  this was going to be a blast.

We decided on the fly to go rogue and start in an earlier (faster) wave. It was easy to get swept up in the moment and try to keep pace with the crowd! I wasn't shooting for a specific pace -- this was just for fun. However,  I was curious to see if I could run the uphill portion of the bridge without walking.

 

I ran as close to the edge as I could so I could get the best view of the water below. This is a great view of the "lane" that guides swimmers across the bay during the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim. How cool is this? Brings back memories.

 

Security was pretty tight with cops stationed at various spots along the span. Dozens of police officers reportedly ran the race incognito to keep an eye on things.  They even had patrol boats at the ready just in case someone jumped or fell off the bridge!

 

The uphill part of the run wasn't as steep as I thought it would be, and I ran the whole way up, making a couple of quick pit stops to snap pictures-- including the obligatory selfie.

 

Pretty soon we were running under the steel beams and over the main channel Energizer Bunny, What's Up Doc, and I had swum through just a few months ago.

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Below is my favorite picture of the race, looking up at the beams with the sun shining through. This is near the highest point on the bridge, which meant that soon we would be going downhill. Yes!

 

 

 It was a little past this point that two souped-up, super-stretch golf cart-looking vehicles pulled up. The two vehicles were packed with 10 cops each. They drove in the right lane, keeping perfect pace with me and the runners next to me. 

I kept waiting for them to pull ahead or stop and take up positions along the bridge, but they didn't. They stayed right next to us...and stayed....and stayed. Our own police force, 20 strong, riding right next to us.

 

The problem was these vehicles were loud --annoying motorcycle loud. We also had an intermittent flow of exhaust wafting our way. Talk about killing the atmosphere! Can't we just run across the bay in peace?

 

One runner ran up to the lead cart and asked them to stop and let us get ahead. No deal.

 

Hugging the guard rail did nothing to combat the noise and fumes. Why couldn't they spread out? Did they really need a pack of 20 cops watching the same group of runners make their way across the bay?

I figured I had two options:  slow down until they were a good ways ahead of me....or run faster and get in front of the noise and exhaust. I decided to go with the latter.

 

I cranked up my speed to a 9:45 pace - crazy for me! I felt like I was all-out sprinting as I ran to get ahead of them. And eventually it worked. I ran  with a few other runners in the right lane, blocking them so they would have to slow down.

 

Ah, exhaust-free running!

 

But it didn't last long. We heard a blaring police radio and someone barking, "Move to the left!" So....back to the noise and exhaust we went.

They rode next to us all the way to the end of the bridge. It's the only negative thing I can say about the race.

Overall, the inaugural Across the Bay 10K was a big success. From packet pick up to the finish line festivities, the whole shebang was superbly organized. 

 

I finished in 1:08:40, an 11:03 pace, and placed 8,002 out of 14,921 runners. According to race stats posted online, 202 runners passed me, and I somehow managed to pass 490 runners.

The bling? Check it out below. The medal is actually the first piece of a medal puzzle. You have to come to the next few races to get the rest of the pieces.  And that means we'll be back.

 

 

Later at home, as I enjoyed my new Across the Bay pint glass, I couldn't help but feel a little sad. This was the last race of the season. Soon the winter cold would be moving in, leaving the best of the year behind us.

So here's to the 2014 racing season, with a special shout out to Team Rabbit, Thumper, and the Bad Ass Babes crew for making it a fun one. What a blast we had! A marathon, two 50Ks, a couple of big swims and other races---all completed without getting injured. 

 

Next up? Trail running with the MCRRC,  10 miles of Gluteus Maximus and, in April, the Charlottesville Marathon. I still have to figure out the rest of my 2015 race calendar, but for now, cheers! Things can only get better from here.