Across the Bay 10k Race Report

I ran my last race almost two weeks ago now on November 9, 2014.  It was the Inaugural Across the Bay 10k.  

That being said, I was shocked by how well run the race was for an inaugural race!  The race across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge had been a Maryland tradition.  Up until a couple of years ago it was run by the MTA (Maryland Transportation Authority) but the costs went up too much, and it was riddled with problems since they had to keep cancelling it due to construction on the bridge or the weather.  This race is now run by a private company, that hired Dave McGillivray, who runs the Boston Marathon.  

This race was definitely run differently than others I've participated in (I'm up to 16 races at this point.)  For one thing, they tried to encourage carpooling to the race by having people pay $10 for parking.  (Having run in the Baltimore running festival, this was nothing new, but for most races I have not had to pay for a space.)  Most interestingly, the race was going to be cupless.  Yes, not a single paper cup on the course.  For me, it worked out well since I used a water bottle I could strap to my hand.  They also had accommodations for those who may have forgotten, since the water stations could either refill your bottle or you could drink from it like a water fountain!

I was more involved in this race than others I've participated in.  I was able to run it because a friend wasn't able to make it, so I bought her bib and got a ride with another who was already going.  For those of you who don't know, I'm involved with a group called Team in Training that raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  (I raised money for them to get entry into the DC Nike Women's Half Marathon this past April.  More on this later.)  They put out a plea for volunteers to help at the expo, so I signed up for helping with packet pickup since I didn't have much else to do that week.

Packet pickup went very smoothly not only for me, but for everyone else.  While I was there, there were hardly any lines for anything--packets, shirts, or the booths at the expo portion.  My only complaint was that the whole thing was outside at the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis.  It was VERY windy that day, and I was freezing the whole time since I didn't wear too many layers because most expos are inside.  The expo portion was a little small, but for an inaugural race it had all the usual vendors--a couple of local running stores and other local vendors along with the nonprofit organizations working in conjunction with the race.  (They had 4 fundraising groups raising money for entry to the race:  Team in Training, Save the Bay Foundation, Bosom Buddies, and the Yellow Ribbon Fund.)  

Gorgeous morning for a run!

The day of the race, my friend and I left Columbia at about 5:45 in the morning.  (I am totally not a morning person, but I drank some cherry limeade nuun with caffeine on the drive there and I perked right up!)  My wave was scheduled to start at 8:45am, and my friend's was at 8:30.  They recommended getting on the shuttle bus about an hour beforehand...but we walked to the staging area at 7am, right as the entire race started.  We were ready to just hang out for another couple of hours until somebody with the race told people to just go ahead and run.  We looked at each other and decided to have one last bathroom break and get in the corral.  We ended up starting in the first wave of runners and we both finished shortly after we should have started originally.

Water stops and Portajohns on the bridge!

The race itself was run wonderfully!  There were two water stops on the bridge with portajohns.  There were plenty of police and medics along the bridge.  In fact I saw somebody fall in the last mile (it looked like they tripped on the rumble strip) and it happened right in front of a medic who was able to help them immediately.    

Mid-Race picture

The course was challenging for the first two miles, but fun because of the fantastic views.  The first 1.7 miles is a 3% incline, but the rest is a downhill run with a few smaller inclines but nothing like that first incline.

My medal and bib post-race!
The medal is going to fit into next year's medal like a puzzle piece.

Afterwards we got our medal, bottles of water, the chance to get our picture taken in front of a backdrop, a bag with snacks and handed a banana.  There was an after party, and lots of booths selling food (I bought some awesome kettle corn from Calvert County Kettle Corn.)  They also of course had finisher gear that said "I came, I saw, I beat the bridge!" on shirts, hats, stickers, etc.  (I didn't find anything I had liked.)  

Pre-Race Picture with the Bay Bridge

Given the chance, I would do this race again in a heartbeat.  It was a gorgeous morning for a race, I felt no rush to finish (I actually nearly PR'd!) and it was challenging but also a lot of fun.  The view was amazing.  I grew up driving over that bridge every summer to get to the beach but actually running on the bridge was a great experience.  It was also awe-inspiring seeing all the runners on the bridge on the shuttle back to the parking lot.

People running across the bridge

Gift Wrap deal alert!!

So, this time of year I like to get one or two new rolls of gift wrap and I almost always need to stock up on gift tags.  Target is having an AMAZING deal right now on both.

In the holiday section, they have short 20sqft rolls of gift wrap and packs of 54 sticker gift tags, buy 2 get 1 free.  BUT!  You can stretch the savings even further by using their cartwheel app which has a deal for 25% off almost all of their holiday items good until tomorrow (the 20th) only.  (It does NOT include their other deal for buy 3 get one free ornaments, holiday party favors, or holiday dollar bin items.)  

So each of the items are regularly $1.50.  With the Buy 2 get 1 free deal, it brings your total to $3.  However with the cartwheel coupon it brings the total to $2.24 before taxes!  You're basically paying 75 cents for each roll of gift wrap (or 40sqft) and the pack of 54 gift tags!!!  You will not find a better deal in the store this week for gift wrap and gift tags.  Next week of course is probably a whole different story...

Moda VoxBox

So I got my latest VoxBox from Influenster!  This one is called "Moda" and I was really impressed by this one in comparison to the last one.  Starting with the box, it was MUCH bigger and heavier than the last one.  (And good job on packing this one--you'll see why in a moment!)  Please note:  I received this box of goodies for free in exchange for my honest opinions on the products.

For starters, the thing that made it so heavy?

The Resource bottle of water on the left of the box!!  (It was packed in a zip top bag in case of leakage.)  It was a huge, 23.7 fl. oz. bottle of water.  It's gimmick is that it has electrolytes from the spring source that's supposed to make it have a "crisp, clean taste."  This is made by Nestle, and I'm not convinced it's any different from any other bottle of water.  I refilled it with water from my refrigerator, and it really didn't taste any different.

I'm always in the market for a new conditioner, so I was excited to see the gold bottle of Clairol's Hair Food Moisture Hair Mask in Honey Apricot (taped shut to prevent leakage.  Seriously, subscription boxes should take note--these people know how to pack their boxes perfectly!)  

Next the little white bottle towards the top of the box--Jergens Ultra Healting Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer.  It's the same great lotion you've always used, with a redesign of the bottle.  I used to use this all the time, but stopped to change things up a little bit.  I don't know if it'll be a permanent change for me, but it's definitely making my chapped hands feel better.  (We had our first freeze this week, and I had lots of dishes to wash at my volunteer job the same day.  Just those two things alone made my hands start hurting!)

I don't wear much makeup, but sometimes I enjoy wearing it to surprise my husband or when we have a big date night.  So I'm curious about the Rimmel London products included in the box--Scandaleyes Rockin' Curves Mascara, Moisture Renew Lipstick in Red Alert, and Moisture Renew Lip Liner.  (The lip liner isn't even available in the states, and seems to be new in England.)  I'll definitely give these a try.

Puffs has a new redesigned box, if you can call it that!  They now sell their basic tissues in a soft package, which is essentially a soft plastic box.  This for me is perfect for in the car, since I manage to destroy every tissue box I put in there without even trying.  The tissues themselves are basic--a nice weight, but no lotion so its good for cleaning up small messes, or a mild cold or allergies.  (These are ones I normally buy.  I'm not a fan of tissues with a lot of frills, but if a cold is bad enough I'll spring for the tissues with lotion.)  

It's also getting to that time of year when a mug of hot chocolate sounds wonderful on a cold, rainy day.  So I was excited to get a packet of Swiss Miss Simply Cocoa in my VoxBox.  I usually buy the lower sugar variety, but on occasion I appreciate a nutritional splurge.  And it's Swiss Miss.  I'm sure there are very few people out there who enjoy hot chocolate who haven't tried it at some point.  

Finally they threw in coupons--woo hoo!  They gave me 2 $3 hair food coupons, and 40 cents off a box of Swiss Miss Simply Cocoa.  

2 Years, 1 race

There are some races that are starting to become traditions for my Dad and I to run together.  One of those has become the MCM10k.  (Someday I'll be up for a marathon, but not for awhile.)

Last year when I ran it, it was the longest race I had ever ran in DC.  (I have since run a 10 miler and a half marathon through DC.)  It was a fantastic race and was pretty well run.  The expo was a little frustrating, since they had a tent outside the DC Armory to retrieve your bib then you had to go inside to get your shirt and explore the expo.  My Dad and I went together and the lines were ridiculously long for bibs and just getting into the armory.  But otherwise the expo was great.  There were rumblings the whole time of increased security at the race because of the Boston Marathon bombing, but as far as we could tell it was fine. The morning of the race it was freezing--I remember wearing my fleece lined leggings and the heaviest running jacket I had at the time. We walked right up to our corral and got in with plenty of time to spare and had a great race.  We ran the whole thing together and finished right around 1:12:40.  Afterwards we got our medals and got our picture taken together, got our water and bananas (with some watermelon a little further down) and met up with my Mom and husband and went home via the metro.

This year was totally different.  For the expo, we walked right in without any lines and had no problem getting our bibs or shirts.  There was some security at the race--they had the mall fenced off and had security checking bags as you entered.  We immediately got into the long lines for the bathrooms about half an hour before the race was due to start and stayed there until 5 minutes before gun time.  (The bathroom would have to wait!)  At that point they had closed off the corrals so we had to hop the fence to get in.  We were further back than I would've liked, but it still worked out well.  This year my Dad and I got separated, and I finished at 1:11:31, and they had bananas, boxes of goodies for the runners along with protein shakes, water and watermelon.  That hill at the very end got me again though, and I started to walk a little than halfway up.  (And one of the MarathonFoto photographers got pictures--Argh!)  All the freebies this year to me seemed to be after the race, but I was fine with that.  We got finisher jackets this year made with a cheap fabric, but with a zipper and knit cuffs but worked better than the aluminum blankets since it had actual sleeves.  It was in the low 60s when we started the race, and stayed around there but with the wind it got cold really fast.  I was happy I brought a variety of running clothes to my parents the night before, but I didn't account for it to get warmer not colder!  Fortunately I managed to stay comfortable in leggings, a short sleeved shirt and a mid-weight hoodie.  

I will probably do this race again next year.  Both times I paid around $50, and felt like I got a great deal for what I got:  A nice fleece lined race shirt, a medal, and tons of great post-race snacks!  The expo is always great but crowded, so get there early.  Also, if you want even MORE freebies at the expo check the Facebook pages of your favorite running gear companies.  Chances are good that they'll have special deals at the expo, or be giving away free gear.  (For example, spibelt had a deal where if you posted on one of their status updates and showed it to the people at the booth you would get a free spibelt!)  You also will want to keep up with the MCM twitter feed, since they have giveaways of bags made from previous year's banners and are stuffed with all kinds of great prizes!  This year the bags had tickets to hockey games and one had an iPad mini!  (I tried, but when I was there you had to wear your Brooks shoes at their booth.  I love my adrenalines but I don't wear them any other time than when I'm running!)