Bayshore weekend is so special to me. Over the course of my running years, I have completed the 10k, half marathon, and marathon. Bayshore holds my PR for the marathon. This event is always held the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend. I had to be out of town for Bayshore weekend last year, so this year I was beyond stoked to be able to participate. Most consider this holiday weekend to be the unofficial start to summer; I always think of Bayshore as the start to the summer racing season.
The morning of Bayshore I woke up before my alarm clock. It was about 2:30am and there was a fierce thunderstorm raging outside. Instantly, I panicked. How long is this storm supposed to last? Will the race be cancelled? Due to these anxious thoughts pulsing through my brain, I could not fall back asleep. The storm continued on until my alarm went off at 3:45am (Yes, yikes). I got up and prepared for the race as usual, though continued to feel anxious that it would be cancelled due to the ongoing lighting.
My husband and I were both running the half marathon, and we planned to leave our house around 4:45am. Fortunately, by that point the lightening had stopped and it was just raining. We arrived to Central High School and got on our bus to the starting line at 5:30am. The starting area was beginning to get busy and there was one large tent that runners were crowding under. The rain poured down the sides. More and more buses dropped runners off and we all kept squeezing closer together under the tent to try and fit more people in.
The time came where I needed to drop my extra gear off at bag check. I checked the forecast and it still looked super iffy. It was still raining at that moment, but looked like it may clear soon. I checked my bag in but decided to keep my raincoat on. We headed to the starting line and the rain stopped. I was so grateful the race wasn’t delayed or cancelled.
After mile one, I was immediately regretting my decision to keep my rain jacket. Once the rain had lifted, an oppressive wave of humidity swept in. I knew the jacket needed to go. While running, I somehow managed to unpin my race bib from my jacket and pin it to my t-shirt underneath. I was forced to carry my balled up raincoat for the remaining 12 miles.
It was a hot race. I felt the humidity zap a lot of my energy, especially after mile 9. However, the areas of fog near the water saved my life. The mist was incredibly rejuvenating. Oh, and the people handing out cold, wet towels? I love you. I was also rocking my Still I Run gear, which got me some encouraging shout-outs along the course.
I eventually finished in 1:51:26. Certainly not a PR but not my worst time either. The crowd support was fantastic and I had a blast. As always, I’m a little sad it is over. There is always so much excitement leading up to it that when it is over, I miss it. It’s like this old buddy you only get to see once a year. Fortunately, I have my eye on several other races this summer that excite me almost as much as Bayshore. It was a great event and it is kicking off what promises to be an excellent season.
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