Crossing the Bridge

This is a race re-cap of the inaugural Across the Bay 10K that occurred on November 9, 2014. 

Having grown up in Maryland, I have driven across the Bay Bridge dozens of times. Most often riding alongside my best friend as we traveled to her parent's beach home in Fenwick Island, just miles from Ocean City.  The Bay Bridge spans roughly 4.3 miles, connecting travelers from the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay to the Eastern Shore.  Almost 1000 cars cross the Bay Bridge on a daily basis.  For the inaugural Across the Bay 10K, there were 20,000 of us who went by foot.

View of the Bridge from Sandy Point Park (our Start)

The sheer number of runners coupled with the race set-up itself (years past, similar attempts were not as successful) made me completely nervous, but I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity to run the bridge.  It's one thing to drive across, breathing in the salt air feeling the ocean that much closer; to run it - too cool for words.  The weeks leading up, I didn't adhere to a strict training plan.  I had just finished the Baltimore half-marathon (more on that later) a few weeks prior and I peppered in some 1-3 mile short runs in my neighborhood when I could.  What made me somewhat anxious was the age-old dilemma, "what's a girl to wear?!"

Being in November and our typical multiple-personality weather that is Maryland, I didn't know where to start.  Luckily, two other girls at work were signed up to run AND I had my Moms Run This Town (MRTT) online group to consult.  A little sharing and a fun trip to TJ Maxx later, I had my race day outfit: running tights, my MRTT shirt, and a thermal zip-up hoodie.  I decided to brave the bridge minus a hat, gloves or anything heavy and thank goodness I did.  Come race day, it turned out to be mid-fifties and sunny.  

My wave was scheduled to start at 9:15 and due to the nature of the race, runners and spectators shuttled separately to the start and finish areas.  I needed to be on a shuttle at least an hour ahead and I JUST made it.  The sheer number of runners required that the race starts be staggered and given that we would be crossing from the Western Shore to the Eastern, spectators were bused to the finish area. On top of this, parking itself was borderline chaotic - the Mister and I decided to park at the Navy-Marine Corps. stadium lot, not knowing they were also hosting a lacrosse tournament the same weekend.  After sitting in traffic for over 45 minutes (so thankful we decided to leave an hour earlier than originally planned), we made it to the shuttle location in time for my husband to switch seats with me and park the car while I dashed to make my shuttle to the start.

The RIDICULOUS line for the shuttle to the START. .

Edging closer and closer to the start...

Nothing I could have pictured would have prepared me for this race.  Driving a distance versus running it is an entirely different experience.  The scenery is the same, but it becomes a new adventure.  In order to accommodate us, the eastbound side of the bridge was closed; two-way traffic was set up on the westbound bridge.  I had no goals set for myself, so I took it nice and easy, which helped for the uphill start to the bridge.

This was a race that was relaxing to run.  Everyone was excited to run across; people stopped to take pictures, myself included. Hydration? No paper cups littering the course.  Across the Bay was a cup-less race, which gave me my first experience of running more than three-miles with my handheld Nathan water bottle.  I started with close to full bottle and finished with close to half left.  There were water fountain stations set up in addition to port-a-johns after the 2nd and 4th miles on the bridge.

Yes, I took a selfie too!

My only complaints? 1)Parking/shuttles - while there was a system in place, it was not fluid.  It was a little difficult to navigate the Celebration Village post-race to find our shuttle back.  There were voluteers along the way, but I think the set-up of parking/shuttles could be somewhat clearer.  2) Spectator viewing - this was the first race in a while that my husband was present at and he was disappointed to not be able to see me run from the start or finish due to the crowds of people and general layout of the course.

Overall, I loved this race and would recommend it to anyone despite its semi-steep price tag.  The weather was great, the experience irreplaceable and the atmosphere uplifting.  Up next on my race calendar? Our local YMCA Santa Run 5K.  Time to get dressed up and run in our holiday best around Frederick in addition to training for the Disney Glass Slipper Challenge come February.

Post-Race with my "puzzle piece" medal