Location: Charleston, SC
Date: March 27, 2010
Placing: 62nd Overall, 1st 45-49 (33,057 finishers)
Race Photos
Results: Click Here
I love racing. But you know what I love almost as much? Not racing. Because NOT racing gives me time to think about how much I love racing. It's a not-so-vicious cycle that when done properly - creates a happy athlete. Race, rest, recharge, repeat. This is my way of explaining why after the first 6 races of the 2010 season, it took me 2+ weeks to write this particular race report. It was my time to NOT race; and not to think about it too much. I spent the first 'trimester' of the season (Dec-Mar) concentrating on running events. Considering the aggressively cold Winter this year, a wise decision. I spent less time outside training on my bike this year than any of the past 30 years. Six races of varying distances from 5k to half marathon. And if you read any of the reports you know that I had little to complain about...don't get me wrong, even though I don't feel 45, I still maintain - and exercise - my right to complain about anything. It is a rite of passage. Who am I to try and stop my 'bitter old man' destiny? But I feel like with 4 PR's I was able to keep my complaining to a minimum.
I've mentioned before that neither Janis nor I are big fans of the HUGE races. We are laid back people and it rarely feels laid back when a race triples the number of people in a city for a weekend. No matter which website you visit, the Cooper River Bridge Run will be ranked in the top 10 largest running events in the US with around 35,000 participants (not to mention all the friends, family and support people that aren't counted). That's almost as many friends as I have on Facebook. Wow.
Oh yeah, I'm real fast. I can beat like everybody. What? Who? Thay guy wearing #9 behind me? OK, maybe not him ;-) (photo: Ed Hughes)
But the Bridge Run called to me this year. It said "Chris, you are running well...and aren't you getting tired of people asking you if you've done THE Bridge Run?" Why yes, I am. But there was another obstacle with this event. Apparently, all the hotel rooms in Charleston are made of gold during this weekend. That's right. A room worth $60 a night is suddenly worth $150+ a night because of, well, as a student of both logic and economics I have to assume that this is the price people are willing to pay. PEOPLE are willing to pay this to run 6.2 miles...not me. With the new bridge, I can show up and run over it anytime I want; maybe when the rooms are no longer made of gold. I guess it's all part of the bitter old man lifestyle. But still, the Bridge beckoned.
I made a half-hearted attempt to find a cheap floor to sleep on but was not too hopeful until my Fleet Feet teammate Tim Briles suggested I contact the person in charge of invited/elite runners. Tim himself is a 31:00 10ker and competes as an elite at this event. If not for the Kenyans, Ethiopians and other professional runners who show up to gobble up the prize list, he would be one of the top runners (Tim was 27th overall - but the 6th American). I let them know about my anticipated finishing time and inquired as to help with lodging. It turns out that since I am old - and they have prize money for Masters - that they considered me an elite runner. They provided me with a hotel room right at the base of the bridge and free entry. What a fantastic stroke of luck and a great experience. I'm not gonna lie - it always feels good to be considered a little special for being a better runner, just so long as you don't mistake 'being a better runner' with 'being a better person'. Let me just say that we should all strive to be better people no matter how fast you run.
Although the packet pick-up on Friday afternoon helped to enforce why I don't like big races - where 5,000 cars tried to negotiate 100 parking spaces on 3 city roads - it was my first benefit to racing elite. I got to pass GO and head directly to the elite registration room. No lines. No waiting. Ahhhh. Janis and I escaped the mobs unscathed and were at our hotel in no time. We stayed in a Quality Inn literally 20 yards from the base of the Bridge. If I DID have to pay for a hotel - this location could not be beat. We were on the less-crowded, Mt.Pleasant side of the bay (where the race starts) and the race would pass close enough to our hotel that Janis could roll out of bed, throw on her bunny slippers, and watch 35,000 of her closest friends run by. I can imagine what this would look like if somehow you were staying at the hotel and had no idea about the race in the morning (which would be near impossible, but you'd be surprised). You would see what would look like a mass panic and exodus. You're only hint that it wasn't doomsday would be the guy dressed in his Superman outfit and the rock band set up in the median. Although on doomsday, I might just appreciate a rock band setting up and jamming out. That's just me.
Friday evening I had to do a 4-mile warmup run and what better way than to test out the Bridge. I instantly became aware of the fact that the wind was blowing in my face at gale force. I mean - if I had been wearing a windbreaker, I might have actually been airborne. I estimated that if the wind were blowing like this in the morning, that the race would take about 24 hours. When I turned around, I actually ran faster UP the other side than I ran DOWN it against the wind. Fortunately, we would all have to fight the same wind; I was just hoping for a fast race. I felt pretty good from my run and the rest of the evening was more relaxed than expected thanks to us hitting dinner before the crowds developed.
For a bunch of fast runners, we sure look like a mixed and motley crew. Just goes to show you that you can't judge a book by its cover. I had no qualms about starting at the back of this group. (photo: Ed Hughes)
Race morning. This is where Elite status really made life easy. Once again the hotel location was a great advantage...I was able to sleep in much longer than most people and then run the 1.5 miles straight down the road to the start as a warmup. Elites also got their own porta-potty which was patrolled by race personnel. No elite number - no potty. Since I didn't have to get bussed to the start extra early, I didn't have to partake of this advantage but it was nice to know it was there if I needed it. There was also a bus for the Elites parked about 100 yards in front of the start line. We could sit on the bus to warm up (it was right at the edge of "chilly" and "cold" that morning), we could also wait till the last minute to strip off our warmups and put them on the bus to carry all of our gear to the finish. We didn't have to merge into the mass of humanity either. The 60 or so Elites lined up about 10 feet in front of the wall of 35,000 people and we got to warm up right until the last minute. As I stood there trying to stay warm, I glanced back once and it was like looking into the eye of a tornado. I wish I had never looked back. It was almost terrifying to think what would happen to someone who tripped in the first few yards.
With the road being 5-6 lanes wide at the start, we looked like such a small band of runners just spread about 2 layers deep. In the mix were the Kenyans and Ethiopians, some amazingly fast women runners and a pretty good who's-who of SC Open and Masters runners - including my Fleet Feet teammates Tim Briles (31:45, 27th) and Jon Stoehr (32:15, 33rd). Unlike the previous evening, the gods were smiling upon us with a tailwind on our way up and over the bridge. It would be a quick pace. After a quick word from the Mayor (who flat out asked us to be sure and spend a lot of money while we were in town), the horn sounded. I swear I heard them yell, "Release the hounds!" I noticed pretty quickly that the HR I was scheduled to hold for the first 2 miles leadng up to the Bridge seemed a bit more of an effort. My pace was good - right where I wanted it to be - but a bit of worry slipped through my mind for an instant.
In what seemed like an instant we were 2 miles in and about to climb the Bridge. I passed Janis cheering her heart out for no other reason than the fact that she is a good wife who would probably rather be doing anything else other than standing there in the cold to watch me run by. I was allowed to take my HR up at mile 2 but someone had mistakenly put the 2-mile clock more than a hundred yards shy of where it should have been. The small group I was with chuckled when one runner said "Wow - 2-mile PR's for everyone!". I allowed myself to slow down a bit in order to stay in my correct HR zone. I knew that once we crested the top at mile 3, I would gain it all back and hopefully more. Several runners passed me slowly and I just watched them go. At this point, the leaders were already 3 minutes ahead of me and well out of sight but that's not a surprise. The winner ran nearly 1:00/mile faster than I did and was probably born running.
I look more like I'm shuffling as I keep my effort level a bit lower on the way up the climb. On the other side...SHAZAM!
The instant I got over the top, I basically started sprinting down to keep the HR the same as when I was climbing; a recurring theme with my new racing strategy that coach Rick Kattouf has successfully instilled in me. I'm pretty sure I reeled in more people than had passed me. I was flying - a sub-5:00 mile. As I passed a couple of runners, they sped up and tucked in behind me like a water-skier in my wake. We hit the bottom at mile 4 and I was so looking forward to my last raise in HR for the final 2 miles. It was not to be. I could barely muster an additional 2 beats all the way to the finish. This was the foreshadowing that reared it's head in the first mile. The good news was that I could still maintain this HR. The bad news was that I would miss out on an opportunity to kick a few extra seconds the last couple of miles. I was comfortably with a good group of four runners that all kept themselves in check at this point in the race. The two things that I really remember as we ran into downtown Charleston were:
1. At the very bottom of the Bridge, one runner got really close to me and clipped my foot from behind as I ran. I didn't hear what he said to me, but it sounded more like "give me some room" than "sorry about that". Since I wasn't sure, I half-shrugged it off. If you want more room, then get in front of me. So, about a quarter-mile later, he bumps shoulders with me. OK. We are now in a group of four on a road that is 5 lanes wide. The third time, I nearly lost it..."Dude!". This is a running race, not a hockey game! I ended up beating him to the line by a second. I wish I had felt better; that made me want to dust him. Oh well. Turns out he was from the Ukraine. Maybe they have 'proximity issues' there.
2. Gregg Cromer (or, "Double-G" as he is called) is one of the fastest triathlete-runners in the state. A few years ago, he won nearly every run portion of every triathlon he entered. He's back. I passed him on the way down the Bridge and thought that I would not see him again. Something made me look back just before mile 6; maybe it was the irritating guy who kept bumping into me. Whatever it was, I had to laugh. As I looked back, Gregg was about 10 feet behind us and looked like Forrest Gump with his arms pumping and his legs ahead of the rest of his body. To make matters worse - he had to be the only guy running that fast in a regular shirt (not a racing top), a baseball cap, and longer, baggy shorts. He actually looked like a cartoon. But he caught us. I'm betting he couldn't bear to see me ahead of him. As I mentioned, I had little to give at the end and he beat me by one second. At least he didn't try to deny that he had been training a lot. I would've had to call 'bullshit' on that one.
My 34:27 was yet another PR this year but I felt I left 20 or so seconds on the table the last 2 miles. That's good - it gives me something to strive for. Gregg and I grabbed our gear off the Elite bus and after chatting with him and my teammates, I sat on a return bus for 45 minutes. The logistics of a point-to-point race is already bad for racers and spectators but when the only short way back to the start is via a bridge that you have completely closed...well, it was a bit of a hassle. I would have loved to have Janis at the finish but the organizers made this virtually impossible. They could have allowed foot and bike traffic to traverse the Bridge before, during and after the race, but they didn't. I was not going to partake of the finish line festivities while Janis was stranded back in the hotel. For a race of this magnitude, it's a shame that they don't consider the spectators at all.
It's fun to slice and dice your placing a bit. It makes us all feel better when we compare ourselves against our peers. Here are some facts with regards to my placing at this race:
34:27
62nd Overall/31st American/19th South Carolinian - 33,057 finishers
11th Finisher over the age of 40 (5th American Master...yes, the Kenyans bring their old guys too)
1st Finisher in the 45-49 age group (1165 finishers)
Longest last name in the top 100 finishers (HA!...take that, South Africans)
Race Notes:
* I was hoping to get to break out the new Rudy Project sunglasses for the race but alas, it was yet another overcast day. Perfect for my 'racing red' lenses. fortunately, the rain stayed away for the entire day.
* Unbeleivably - for those still keeping count - Stephen Sykes finished just 3 places and 6 seconds behind me.
* The light dusting of yellow pollen that showed up our car this weekend may well account for my inability to get my HR maxed today. My chest congestion would grow pretty severe in the days that followed the race and is still present nearly 3 weeks later. I was wise enough to take a short break at this time of year since I anticipated allergy problems.
* Thanks to Ed Hughes who stood in as my photographer for the race. If I'm not mistaken, Ed ran the race carrying his camera. I hope he didn't hack a lot of runners off as he ran by them "Say cheese!"
* When I called to request assistance from the Elite athlete representative, I told her that I anticipated running a 34:30. I was off by 3 seconds.
Next Up: I finally switch gears a bit and turn towards triathlons, starting with the inaugural Paris Mountain triathlon. My racing break is over and it's time to add some swimming and cycling!...
