Bay Bridge Prepapration Advice

I am going to do the 5 miler, albeit with no great effort. I'm not in great shape this year due to many other commitments but, as long as I'm not too stupid (a toughy), I should be able to make it. You will be able to easily see the shore the entire way. However, I think that this is an "up" year (race heads up river and then turns around and comes back) and, in my opinion, the navigation is tougher. Last year was an up year and 2001 was a down year. Of the two, the up course has more undulations along the shore and I'm not sure I'd be too dependent on the shoreline as a guide. Or maybe I hallucinated the undulations. Perhaps a visit to some site with aerial maps of that area is in order. Also, in the 5 and 4 mile races, there aren't vast #'s of swimmers - fewer in the 4 than the 5, actually. Last year there were less than 20 swimmers in the 5 and only about 5 or 6 people in the 4. Many more people in the 3, 2 and 1 milers. They also start the distances a few minutes apart and not too many of the shorter race people catch you before they turn back. If you are inclined to get "lonely", pick a shorter race. Another negative of the long races is that you get back last and the other distances have had first crack at the post-race feed. It is the BEST post-race meal you'll ever get, even when others have had first shot at it. What the mile race people must get to eat boggles the imagination. It sounds like you have a bit of a "hangover" from the bay race. You might want to back off and do very little for a few days. Stretch (assuming you stretch) and maybe gently work technique as opposed to trying to train hard. A massage or two is usually a great help as well. I married my massage therapist, but in retrospect it would have been cheaper to just pay upfront . Rest, sleep, vitamins, and hydrating well can all aid in recovery. Don't worry about "getting out of shape." As long as you do maintenance/technique work, you won't lose anything, but if you push too hard, you could end up sick, injured or overtrained. As I always preached to people that I coached in racewalking, it's better to be slightly undertrained and have to try a bit harder in the race than to be overtrained and not be able to try any harder. -LBJ

I am going to do the 5 miler, albeit with no great effort. I'm not in great shape this year due to many other commitments but, as long as I'm not too stupid (a toughy), I should be able to make it. You will be able to easily see the shore the entire way. However, I think that this is an "up" year (race heads up river and then turns around and comes back) and, in my opinion, the navigation is tougher. Last year was an up year and 2001 was a down year. Of the two, the up course has more undulations along the shore and I'm not sure I'd be too dependent on the shoreline as a guide. Or maybe I hallucinated the undulations. Perhaps a visit to some site with aerial maps of that area is in order. Also, in the 5 and 4 mile races, there aren't vast #'s of swimmers - fewer in the 4 than the 5, actually. Last year there were less than 20 swimmers in the 5 and only about 5 or 6 people in the 4. Many more people in the 3, 2 and 1 milers. They also start the distances a few minutes apart and not too many of the shorter race people catch you before they turn back. If you are inclined to get "lonely", pick a shorter race. Another negative of the long races is that you get back last and the other distances have had first crack at the post-race feed. It is the BEST post-race meal you'll ever get, even when others have had first shot at it. What the mile race people must get to eat boggles the imagination. It sounds like you have a bit of a "hangover" from the bay race. You might want to back off and do very little for a few days. Stretch (assuming you stretch) and maybe gently work technique as opposed to trying to train hard. A massage or two is usually a great help as well. I married my massage therapist, but in retrospect it would have been cheaper to just pay upfront . Rest, sleep, vitamins, and hydrating well can all aid in recovery. Don't worry about "getting out of shape." As long as you do maintenance/technique work, you won't lose anything, but if you push too hard, you could end up sick, injured or overtrained. As I always preached to people that I coached in racewalking, it's better to be slightly undertrained and have to try a bit harder in the race than to be overtrained and not be able to try any harder. -LBJ