Bridge Run

This morning was the Bridge Run - which (kind of) starts and ends at Campbell's Field (home of the ferocious Camden Riversharks. Mmm, mmm, good.). I didn't have high hopes for this race. Given that I've been dealing with an injury, and that my running has been waylaid in the process, I wasn't sure until about a week and a half/two weeks ago that I'd be running it at all. Even as I drove home from salsa last night, I thought about ditching it. I wasn't relishing the idea of ending the fall running season on a down note. I'm happy to report, it didn't go down that way.

Seebo (in all his hobbled-glory) lined up with me amongst the plebeians. I could tell this made him jittery, but I think it was good for him... to see how the other half live. As is customary, there isn't much running when you're in the thick of the pack for the first two hundred yards of the race and from there, there's a lot of bobbing and weaving through the masses for at least a quarter mile. Now, since this run starts at the base of the Ben Franklin Bridge (on the NJ side), it's all uphill for the first 3/4 of a mile. Doesn't seem like it when you're in the comfy confines of your sedan, but when you're hoofing it, the 'gradual incline' is a force to be reckoned with. Being in the thick of the crowd probably helped me keep the first mile at a good starting off pace (8:27ish). Right towards the end of that first mile, you're headed down the other side of the bridge. It was fun to cruise down the other side - kind of like a reward for the climb that started the race.

Not having checked out the course map before hand, I didn't realize that the turn around comes immediately at the foot of the other side of the bridge (in PA). Somehow, in my mind, we cruised the streets of Philly before heading back up and over the bridge again. Nope. Ok.... so just as I was all smiley and happy-feeling with the down hill, I realized that what was going down was going to go up, and up, and up again... in short order. Ok, fine. So up I went. Mile 2 came in under 8 minutes. Good. Money in the bank, as they say.

Coming up the other side of the bridge was difficult. I was sucking some decent wind, but then there was the sweet reward of the downhill again. I like downhill. Mile 3 came in somewhere around 7:49, which is faster than I have any business running right now - even if it is downhill. I paid for those two sub-8 miles later though. Mile 4 felt good and I was cruising at around an 8:10 pace.

I don't know what happened during mile 5. Maybe I shouldn't have haggled so long over the price of some rock. Get it?.. I'm in Camden... buying some crack... ok... not funny... sorry.. just trying to come up with some reason why mile 5 took me 8:37. No good excuse. The last mile and change felt pretty good. I should have looked at the course map beforehand because the finish line kind of snuck up on me. Finish time (by my watch) was 50:36.

So I end the fall racing season with another PR (by over two and a half minutes). I am very happy and, given my low expectations for this race, pleasantly surprised.

*** ADDENDUM ***
Chip time was 50:35.
537th in 2034 10k participants.
13th among women aged 30-34.
1st place in the Rebecca division (out of five)!!!