Runner conquers Bay-to-Breakers
By Jeanmarie Tarmann-Derry, Special to the Pinnacle
Whoohoo!…Whoops and squeals of delight fill the air as runners
cross the finish line. This isn’t the Olympics, just the Bay to
Breakers fun run.
Runner conquers Bay-to-Breakers
By Jeanmarie Tarmann-Derry, Special to the Pinnacle
Whoohoo!…Whoops and squeals of delight fill the air as runners cross the finish line. This isn’t the Olympics, just the Bay to Breakers fun run.
On Sunday morning, tortillas given out for pre-race carbohydrates sailed through the air like Frisbees. Colorful beach balls dotted the sky as tens of thousands of people crowded the trail from the Bay to the Pacific.
Seeded runners ran first. It was a full 11 minutes before we could even move. A few minutes before 8 AM, a light drizzle opened up. Predicted rains gave way to cozy clouds. The night before, we had gazed across the San Francisco Bay at the bridge’s sparkling lights wondering what kind of weather would favor us.
Excitement rippled through the crowd. Darth Vader’s Storm troopers marched in a stately fashion. Dancing Elvises caused a bottleneck at one intersection. The Pillsbury Dough Boy, three pink ballerinas, and 4 emus raced across the finish line before us, but what great fun we had today.
All three of my daughters called on the cell phone to cheer me on. “Where are you, Mom?” Linda, who finished in 1 hour, 45 minutes also checked in. Familiar Golden Gate Park landmarks, the windmill and a waterfall were to my right.
Photographers clicked above announcing, “Just a half mile to go. Smile!” And grin we did.
As I had trained only 4.5 miles I expected to “hit the wall’ at mile five, but the opposite occurred. Sure my peds were tired, but I just started singing, “I feel good, like I knew that I would, I feel fine, so fine…”
A fellow runner laughed and joined in. A motherly runner patted me on the back and said, “Come on, you can do it.”
Fellow Gilroyans, Lisa and Maria, ran the race having done no more training than walking local hills. When we did our triathlon, Maria, the consummate cheerleader, shouted, “Go, Linda,” while Linda was swimming her strokes in a churning San Francisco Bay.
During Bay to Breakers, the brave Maria, who usually walks for exercise, jogged the entire 7.46 miles. I managed to push up the big hill. This time when I looked back from the top of the steep hill, there was a sea of people.
As I crossed the finish line, the lyrics of “Go Girl!” played. I did it in 2:56:47!
Now that we’re finished with the race, our local team has made a commitment to stay the course and keep training.
For all the new runners out there, a few words about the first days following a race. When you’ve given it your all, especially the first time back out around the track after an event; try to take it easy and slow.
We’ll make it out to South Valley Running Club’s Wednesday night clinic, stretching and running a few short loops. We hope to see like-spirited runners come out and join SVRC, both newbies and experienced runners.
What is our next event? Linda and I just received an invitation to hike down the Grand Canyon to the river bottom. We just might take that challenge. Whatever your next adventure, happy trails.
