The Bridge to Bridge has always been one of my favorite races. It starts at the civilized hour of 9am, I don't have to schlep anywhere except downtown, the weather is usually exceptional and the course is a nice, flat stretch from the Bay Bridge area (Ferry Building to be exact) to the Golden Gate (Fort Point) and into the Presidio. That's the 12K course - FYI there's also a 7K version that cuts out the Fort Point loop.
Last Sunday, My J-E-T-S, Jets Jets Jets had a bye, freeing me up to do the race without missing a minute of Gang Green action.
About 8:15 am I called the trusty Veterans Cab company. When my ride arrived I got in and was immediately entranced by the smell of delicious coffee. It was so amazing I had to say something to the cabbie.
"That coffee smells so good! Where did you get it?"
"At Ritual," he replied. "People think Blue Bottle is the best in the city, but I think Ritual is. Do you know it?"
"Do I know it," I exclaimed -- giddy that I might actually be one of the coffee cognoscenti. "I was just there yesterday picking up my supply of Misty Valley," referring to the beans with the distinctive fruity notes from the Yirgacheffe region of Ethiopia. "Do you know it?"
"Do I know it," he exclaimed -- equally giddy -- "I'm from Ethiopia where they're grown!"
We engaged in coffee talk the entire ride to the Ferry Building. He told me about beans from Panama called Esmeralda that are so rare that they can cost $20 for one brewed cup. But they're that good, he affirms. I'll have to go on a mission to the Mission for that someday soon.
But back to the task at hand. I said goodbye to Cabbie in front of One Market and made my way to the Ferry Building. As I ate my Builders Bar I wondered why I hadn't paid more attention to the weather report. It was gorgeous, sunny and warm -- and I was wearing long running pants and a long-sleeved shirt. That made me cranky. That and the fact that I was PMS-ing. TMI, perhaps, but I feel I owe you the full scoop. At least I'd remembered to bring my sunglasses. I stretched a little, and listened to the radio station announcers trying to psych up the crowd -- "Who here is a FOG-head?" -- but people were either too tired or too busy chatting to care.
The race started on time, but since there were so many people running, it took me several minutes to cross the starting line, which made me even more cranky, since this race doesn't use timing chips. Therefore, I couldn't really compare my time accurately to previous races -- and my main yardstick of achievement is whether I've gotten faster as time goes by. I put this out of my head and tried to simply enjoy the beautiful day in my beautiful city with thousands of my fellow San Franciscans.
We made our way around the Embarcadero, through Aquatic Park, up and over that infamous hill, down to the Marina and Crissy Field. Then - whaddaya know - I heard someone cheering for me. It was Dena! I was so excited and grateful that she'd come to show her support. What a sweetheart. Dena and I ran together for a mile or so, then I went ahead as she hung back and, in true Dena fashion, struck up a conversation with a stranger who looked like she needed a little encouragement to keep on running.
By now I'm on my way out of the Fort Point area and making my way toward the Presidio. Smile for the camera! One last hill, and then a strong surge to the finish.
I wasn't too pleased with my time, which was 1:22:27. Five minutes slower than the last time I did the race two years ago -- but like I said, that could have been a starting line issue. Whatever, it's done. Check the box and move on. It's time for brunch!
I walked home from the Presidio (adding another two miles to my 12K), showered, and made my way over to Peter D's for some scrumptious raisin bread French toast and bacon.
As I ate, I read an interesting article in the New York Times Magazine about the power celebrity-endorsed brands may have to subconsciously improve your performance. If that's the case, I need some Usain Bolt gold Pumas. Or a Thomas Keller spatula.
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