Elegant. Magical. Unforgettable: Wild-Eyed 7.5 Miles Bay To Breakers In 54 Minutes

Maybe training has helped you burn off five pounds or five-hundred. It certainly has toned my quadriceps, slimmed down my waist, firmed up my butt. Training gave me bigger lungs, a louder heart and lower cholesterol. In exchange for the mood enhancing endorphins, running asked me to feed my body better and to go to sleep earlier so my heart-lung machine could recover faster. And I did this because training on the ergometer for thirty minutes and running 6.5 miles uphill for one hour everyday became not just a hobby but a lifestyle. 

Racing Bay2Breakers 2013: Tighter security required people to not bring any bags. If you had to remove clothing after warm up items were placed in a donation bag. Once runners were in their coral, we were discouraged to go to the bathroom which were further away from the course. The no alcohol rule was strictly enforced resulting in less litter on the ground and less debris thrown in the air. There were no floats which resulted in no kegs on wheels intruding from side streets or blocking progress of serious runners. Once the race began, the first two miles went by rather briskly. The Hayes street hill was still the challenge to climb because there is one more steep incline at the top that you cannot see while climbing. The next five miles went rather smoothly and quickly. The finish at Ocean beach was to the right rather than the left and the 'Footstock' event took place along the beach rather than in the Golden Gate Park. The new changes make Bay2Breakers better for runners who train for it. I look forward to kickassing in the event which raises revenue for Bay Area charities in 2014. 

Future Events: My next race is the Big Sur Half Marathon in November which I plan to run in 1 hour 30 minutes (a time I have attained before our son was born). My training is going to include more weight training and swimming in addition to erging and running.