Bay-to-Breakers 2007
Categories: Travel, 101 in 1001
Date: Monday, 21 May 2007, at 7:05 am
Last weekend, Danny Granville and I drove up to San Francisco to run the Bay-to-Breakers race again, completing 101 list item #32 which said that I needed to “get my best time ever”. I didn’t quite do that, but I just revised that entry to say “get one of my best times ever”. I’ve been running this race for so long that I’m probably never going to be able to catch up again to my younger self!
I actually did very well yesterday, especially considering the meager amount of prep I did (thanks to the recent Alvin and the Chipmunks shoot!). The race of over 60,000 participants is 12 kilometers long from the Embarcadero, through South of Market, over the dreaded Hayes Street Hill, along Fell Street, and finally all the way across Golden Gate Park to the Pacific Ocean.
My time this year was 74 minutes. That’s my third best time ever, following 1997’s 73 minutes and 2002’s 65 minutes, and it nicely beats last year’s worst time ever of 84 minutes (um, I had shoe problems, okay?). For the record, I’ve done this race seven times now: 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2006, and 2007. I had good excuses during the years I didn’t run, things like working on Mission: Impossible 3 or going to the Cannes Film Festival.
Before the race, I’d told some friends that I’d be happy just getting below 75 minutes, and that I accomplished. My goal now is to at least keep (if not improve) that pace in years to come.
May 21st, 2007 at 4:51 pm
Congrats!
May 21st, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Changing your goals to fit your accomplishments. Shame on you! ;> But at least I didn’t have to wait so long for you at the finish line this year. ;>
May 21st, 2007 at 6:25 pm
Hah! Well, nothing’s set in stone, and I simply know now what’s more realistic considering my advancing years! :-) By the way, I’ve got your old times too: out of four races run (1998, 2002, 2006, and 2007), this was your third best time as well….
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:58 pm
Congratulations to you and Danny for participating in and running in the world’s wackiest race!
Love, Mom
May 4th, 2008 at 10:49 am
hi. I’m in Va, DC area. i find your site interesting and exciting. Far from the days of Longs drugs huh. I’m going to tell maggie to look at your site. Just know, I’m keeping track of you, and i know what your nik-name was when you were a kid. thinking of you and wishing you well, lora.